Conn Sousaphone Budget Restoration- Wes Lee Music Repair
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- Опубліковано 4 січ 2021
- In this episode, Wes has a vintage Conn sousaphone in shop for mechanical restoration and parts making.
Tools used:
Torch- Smith little w/ O2 generator #6 tip
Ferrees Dent machine
Ferrees slide hammer
Please leave comment if you are interested in seeing the future that is made at end.
Thanks for watching.
Email: WLMrepair@gmail.com
Wow, I am glad to see that these expensive instruments are put back in service. I'd bet a lot of school districts wouldn't have a music program without skilled craftsmen like you.
Amazing work as always. What a godsend you are to schools that are underfinanced. Music education is so important and needs to be supported at all costs. Thank you for your patient and professional restoration work. That Sousaphone was truly a wreck and you made it playable.
Love your flexible fixture. I'm a percussionist and an engineer, and I use percussion stands in the lab/workshop all the time. When you think about it, the requirements are exactly the same: hold THIS right HERE at this implausible angle, so that it doesn't fall off when I hit it!
She lives to splatt another day! I went to a small town high school, so it's awesome that a kid that doesn't get dropped off at school in a porche panamera gets to honk that goliath with pride 🤘🏼
Right on!
Thanks for watching.
As always beautiful work Wes. That instrument will now serve many children leaving them with great experiences.
Thanks so very much. Was nice to speak with you today.
Yes. The folks need music now more than ever.
I’m getting really excited. I have a 22K fiberglass conn that’s currently being refurbished. It’s the reason I found this video. Thank you for this awesome footage. I’ve always been a tuba head and you’ve given me the start to a new video hobby 😂 thank you sir I really appreciate you work and look forward to checking more of your work out.
Awesomeness. Thanks for watching and following along. I hope your new to you horn is killer!
Reminds me of the baritone horn my band leader recommended me to play in the 7th grade since I was struggling with my trumpet. I stayed after school to clean up that horn with some brass polish, and before long found my niche in the band. Love those old brass sousaphones.
I bet the school was very impressed with the salvage.
It's a shame they didn't want a full restore. That deserves the full treatment - what a beauty that would be!
I played a sousaphone for a year in high school. It sure is nice to see another one come back to life. Well done!
Sir Maestro Wes Lee I've been following you on you tube for some time and as an ex presscision mechanical engineer I am so impressed with your ability to restore these instruments that look destroyed and you bring them back to use well done sir thank you for the upload please keep them coming stay safe and well please.
Another lifetime ago, I played in the Torrance Area Youth Band out here on the west coast. I don’t remember what brand it was, but it was an old nickel plated, four valve sousaphone. Beat up a bit, tarnished as all get-out, but boy it sure had a beautiful sound, which presented itself well on the parade route. There were times I was told to play a little softer, as to not overwhelm the 65 member marching band. In the mid ‘70s fibreglass sousaphone craze, this instrument had them beat hands-down! It was also heavy as hell; those of us that had the privilege to command it through it’s generations it called it “The Ox”.
Watching several of your videos, working the brass back into shape (that Miraphone was drop dead gorgeous when you were finished with it), and seeing this piece be brought back to life, with all its flaws, does my heart good knowing it’s going to introduce several generations to come to the world of music; and most importantly, memories of good times making music with friends, under the direction of a teacher who really cares about his students.
Sir, you did good !!!
I just discovered these vids, and I love them. Even for an instrument like this old Conn, which was built like a tank originally, the repairs are a dance between delicate touch and brute force. Wonderful work!
Awesome all around--so many people would look at this and throw it away--thanks for renovating it and putting it back in the hands of the kiddos.
I had no idea how much one of those would cost!
I love Restorations of all kinds but had never seen a horn straightened out until a few days ago.
You did amazing work on the bell of a French horn, and I am hooked.
That was great work! It lives again!
What I would do for a workshop as full of tools yours is. Metal tools are so expensive. Thank you for your videos!
Amazing workmanship a delight to see the magic revealed Oh an your inspirational and Beautiful helper Thank you all
Nice video! You are truly an artist at what you do. I have an older Quartermaster's Corps Conn 40K tuba at school with similar valves and I have never been able to get the bottom valve caps off. But it looks like they come off on this Sousaphone. So hopefully they come off!
Brilliant snare stand use just brilliant!!
I really enjoy your videos! I played e flat Euphonium, BB flat Tuba, and Sousaphone in junior high. It was my hope to make a huge donation to the music department someday, but my beloved school is now a condo.
You are a true craftsman, sir. The amount of money you have invested in tools is incredible. It must be an expensive craft to get in to. Best wishes.
Thanks for the comments regarding the cost of replacing with a new instrument.
Good job. Those are great horns.....
The first sousaphone I played was a Conn 20K. It's great to see another one brought back so someone else can do the same!
I used to play a tuba and a sousaphone in my HS marching band. I never played this style horn though. Very nice job sir !
excellent job !
you do good work!!!!
It's amazing what you can do.
Back when I was in high school, we had fiberglass Sousaphones with the valve train being brass. The school now has lacquered brass ones, would have looked better than the off white old fiberglass ones that the school had since the 80's.
I for one would love to see more of that fixture. And where did you find a valve? Did you just happen to have one?
Thanks for watching and for the comment. I have used it since and it already saves my back as well as allowing me to put the work in the spot I need.
I will show it off some more in a video to come.
These videos are so cool to watch. I'm really curious to know: what type of solder is used for these instruments?
Appreciate you!
As an old Conn B flat Sousaphone player myself as a kid I can relate to the repurposing of interments after ill use. My old school model, if I was able, would have taken many hours to correct dents alone (by students not caring to set it down properly) and if I had known how to do it.
Great Job again!!!! But I hate those damn things. I had to play one.
I wish these videos showed things such as how the broken/missing parts (tubing valve piston, etc) were obtained, scavenged, or purchased. Valve lapping, if there is any.
I'm very interested. I played a Bb in Jr high for 3 years. How can such a beautiful instrument get in this condition? I used to carry mine home on the weekend on my back and never damaged it. I had it home over the summer breaks and never damaged it.
Love the conn 20k but hate how much they are it took me about a year and a half of looking for one to find a 1951 conn 20k naked lady for 800 but there’s dents all over, the mouthpiece receiver was ripped and it’s not the original bell he still a monster of a horn compared to the new 20k’s today
You, Sir, are an outstanding craftsman! I have a 100+ year old Eb tuba that I would love to have some dents removed. There is no one that I would rather have do the work. Not sure how to actually contact you.
The sousa fixture looks awesome ! I suppose it's made out of a snare drum stand ?
Thanks. Only took me 20 years to think of it. Yes, I modified a snare stand to make it.
Thanks for watching.
@@wesleemusicrepair9820 it was worth waiting this long ! If you have some details about the modifications it would be great :)
I am also interested in the snare holder modification
like it get er done
Is that a regular snare stand you used as a fixture? Ingenious. Excellent videos
Yes, Gibraltar with the yoke. I like it a lot
👍👍👍
❤
Nice work! You have a very fascinating channel. What are you using for an oxygen concentrator for your mini torch? I can hear it running when you use it.
My O2 is a converted ventilator
What do you do for acetylene?
yep
good day. a question How can I unpaint my bell from my tuba is a silver color and I want it to be golden in the normal color, how can I wake it up? I would appreciate it very much
1:30 - nifty footwork!
Where did you get the new valve from? And would you consider a video on why instruments loose valves and what to do when you have one that's missing a valve
I had a piston in my stash of old parts. Although these pistons are still available.
My speculation as to why schools lose pistons is that they will try and swap them to other horns when problems arise. Then neither part fits m, but by the time it’s gets to repair shop, they’ve lost both because they were taken out of their own instrument. Or that has been the story I have been told over and over.
If you have a name brand instrument, most pistons are available.
@@wesleemusicrepair9820 thank you for responding. I've seen parts on sites like mouthpiece express as well as second hand ones like reverb or ebay. Which would you say is better for parts or is it circumstantial and depends on the part your looking for
@@dangerdingo2962 I buy parts instruments whenever I can. That said, I also have accounts with the different manufacturers to get parts as well.
Sometimes I will give credit for junk instruments in exchange for repairs on solid instruments. Or I keep the old parts if I make three instruments into one playable. So I have no hard and fast rules.
Hope this helps
@@wesleemusicrepair9820 it's does Wes. Thank you. Keep up the good work
hello everyone, I have an interesting idea with tuba. My idea is, since I don't have money for sousaphone but I have a Soviet Helicon I think to unsolder the Bell from the helicon, add a knee and a Bell from the Sousaphone. out handmade rotor Sousaphone)) but I'm afraid that through the knee and the big bell it will be very low in tune. and if you take Es helicon then it will be high in tune .. I want Sousaphon to have a Bb system but I'm hesitant because of that, what do you think? Have Bb Helicon and My Friend have Es Helicon)
👏🏻👍😇
Assuming you just got lucky the replacement valve functions properly?
Wow! $9,500, I had no idea they were that expensive. How much is it worth in that condition?
I adapted a Yamaha timbale stand into a bass stand. My drummer stumbled over the folding stand I had, and broke it in two places. He won't be able to break that Yamaha steel.
$9500 !!!!!! Whhoooaaaaaa ! I still have my Conn coronet .... brand new in 1962 for $150 !! :-)
Direccion de su taller maestro
Hello Wes Lee,
Do have a Video of making a Tuba Valve/Piston?
No, I do not make pistons.
@@wesleemusicrepair9820 how about repair crack pistons?
Wouldn't it be easier to buy a new one? If it's a brand name instrument...
Knowing absolutely zero about brass instruments, I googled what a new sousaphone costs. Wow, 12 grand for an Adam's. I don't know if that's a good brand or not, but what's the value of a decent, vintage, playing horn? What's the value of the same vintage horn that's been kept in immaculate condition?
I can hear the tone in your voice that you got talked into this one.
Which begs the question: when do you decide an instrument is beyond repair?
I don't think i fix the instrument w/o taking the dents out.
Should start a go fund me page to help fund band repairs, I'd donate to you.
Have you ever come across a horn that you could not fix?
Maybe clamp the vice to the table......?
$9,500 street price????? I saw one this morning on the marketplace for $1,200 and it needed a minimal amount of work- mostly cleaning and dent removal. Maybe I should buy it even though I don't play tuba?
That’s not the bell for this horn lol that’s a king bell
😳🤯 did you say 95 thousand quite expensive
I don’t know what you are talking about. I never say a dollar amount for anything on a video. I don’t even answer dollar amounts in comments
@@wesleemusicrepair9820 i am apologised your job is great 👍 I saw something got disaperd ill be careful next time.
12:45 $9500 - cost of new instrument
Yeah sucks wish it was in budget and time to allow some more work to be done to it. Sucks school funding is so low....
Ever find a dead rat in a horn???
It's disgusting that schools aren't provided with an ample budget for instruments. They money is there, but the will of government isn't; even though schooling is a public responsibility. Good people like you shame them.
I didn’t bother to try in marching band cuz I was last to band camp I got a sous just like that. Dented to hell, never tuned quite right, why bother trying when the schools spent so much to give the seniors nice sous’ w new cases and my shit barely held together. Seriously I’d be reaching up to tighten my bell screws as we marched. Hs band is underfunded
ゴミ捨て場にあったの どうしてそんなに 黒く変色 ぐちゃぐちゃ 可哀想 元に戻さないの へこみだけなの？ 楽器の扱い方が残念 力がないのか粗末に扱っていますね❗