Posted by e-man on October 26, 2003 at 19:24:25:
In Reply to: sousaphone overhaul posted by Anthony on October 26, 2003 at 18:26:28:
You did not specify whether you had a silver finish or laquer. The Selmer polishing cloths work great on silver finish. If you've got laquer, you'll probably just have to live with it. Otherwise, I kind of like the shiny tape option.
Here's another possibility:
with all the (french) hornists moving towards a "natural" finish, you might just try a laquer remover. Tell everybody that you have a "bass french horn," and the only parts ever written for the bass french horn are tuba parts. Of course, it's up to you to buy your own mouthpipe extension. This will allow you spin the horn around such that you can stick your hand in the bell. If you can't find a mouthpipe extension that's 36 inches long on e-b(AT)y, I would recommend using 36" of 1/2 inch diameter (that's 1.25 cm for you Europeans) garden hose (suggest "hosaphone" search on Google.)
Some of the people who have tried the "Bass French Horn" ploy have trouble reaching their hands into the bell because their arms aren't long enough. If that's the case, you can take the hand from a mannequin and duct tape it to a 36 inch long wooden dowel. This has met with some measure of success. There are also a few dilletantes who have hired a young boy or acquired a pet monkey to stop the horn for them.
Good luck in your quest.
P.S. There are an awful lot of us who just decide that, if our souzies sound OK, the looks just "add character."