Posted by Leland on February 06, 2004 at 01:19:40:
In Reply to: Sousaphone muting!? posted by Katy on February 05, 2004 at 23:53:54:
Humes & Berg makes sousaphone mutes.
There's really not much of a way to substitute something else for the same kind of sound. Any composer worth his ink should know that a mute isn't to make an instrument softer -- it's to make it a bit buzzier. Simply covering the bell with a wadded-up towel isn't going to produce anywhere near the same effect.
Where to get 'em? I'll be darned if I know, but I just found them on Humes & Berg's website, listed as model 195:
http://www.humes-berg.com/viewItems.asp?line=25
They list a practice mute on the same page, and three different sizes of Velvet-Tone bucket mutes for sousaphone (those are FUN to play on, such a pillowy sound).