[Dixielandjazz] ring them souzie bells

[Hoog, Steve]

The ring of the sousaphone bell isn't too easy to diagnose without seeing and hearing it.  Miraphones are notorious for that, especially the sousaphones, because of the relatively lightweight metal they use, so I'd guess it's simply a matter of the bell resonating too much.  That will make for a harsher sound overall.  
Try putting some duct tape on the bell, inside or outside won't matter, running from the bell rim down into the throat, past the curve of the bell.  Start with one piece, then add more up to 4, until you have a 12-3-6-9  clock arrangement.  If that doesn't take care of the ring, more tape won't help. 

I've played a Holton souzie that has horrible ringing.  It's just part of the game, unfortunately.  

The Mira-f/ph-one 4 banger souzies play pretty well, but IMO they don't ride comfortably and tend to have a brittle sound.  Considering that a souzie won't have a particularly clear sound to start with, the result is a brittle muddy sound.  Kinda like quicksand, I guess...

steve
tubist, AV guy
KCMO