JP2057 sousaphone: review
Whether you’re taking to the field with a marching band, or simply looking to stand out while providing some funky bass lines, the JP2057 sousaphone is a great choice, offering clarity, sonority and projection at a price that won’t break the bank.
Alastair Stewart, a freelance sousaphone and tuba player who plays with Bristol-based New Orleans street band The Brass Junkies, recently gave it a try – here’s what he had to say…
I had a play on the JP2057S in silver plate, and used my regular mouthpiece, the Robert Tucci Sousapower 3. I was initially both surprised and impressed by the instrument’s light weight, which is due in no small way to my regular horn tipping the scales at approximately 26kg!
However light it felt in context, the JP2057 sousaphone feels very solid. The silver plate was bright and very clean and even, and the overall feel of the instrument reminded me of the reliable ‘solidness’ of the Besson Eb sovereign tuba.
A few notes in I was even more impressed. It felt responsive, with a seriously good, clear voice. Plenty of attack was available when necessary but the instrument was capable of warm and gentle, round sounds at mp and mf. My usual ‘acid test’ for a sousaphone is: does it feel like a tuba? This one definitely does, in a great way.
All the notes are readily available; the pedal Bb rings, and the ‘false’ tones below the low E (all three valves) were easily achieved, and would be quite useable with some work.
Intonation – across the range of the instrument, and the dynamic spectrum – was was good, and ‘slotting’ became very easy and predictable over the period I played the instrument.
In short, the JP2057 sousaphone is a fabulous instrument. It produces that classic American sousaphone sound, perfect for marching band, brass band, wind band, whether acting as a tuba or providing a barking New Orleans bass line.
Alastair Stewart