JimF-LowBari Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 The horns are double piston (horizontal) Getzens. Only the sopranos (you’re looking at the first sopranos) had two pistons. The other horns were piston/slide Getzens. The second piston was illegal for some contests, notably the VFW and AL championships. The sopranos inserted a “plug”, a short length of wooden doweling, inside the second valve body behind the piston and removed the lock from the slide. The judges checked the horns during inspection. The practices the week of these shows were fraught with panic, as the sopranos had to first free up the slide, which may not been moved in months (lots of slide and penetrating oil, brute strength, and cursing), and then relearn the show using the slide. You can imagine the clunkers coming from the sops during the horn arc. So Buccs only had sops with double valves? First corps I joined (late '73) had double horizontal valve horns (sops and Baris). Thought they might have come from the Buccs but now sounds like they were from someone else. One of the reasons that corps folded was 'cause the horns were illegal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaminbenb Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 I was disappointed when I joined and didn’t wear the (now called) Aussies. But if you saw some of those lids close up at the end of the season, you understood the big part of the reason for the change: they didn’t travel well. They were carried in rather flimsy stiff paper boxes that all sported tape jobs on the corners by mid-season. And one rainy day was all it took to ruin the shape. No way could the corps afford relbocking the hats a couple of times each season and ther short lifetime.It should be noted that the color guard continued to wear the felt hats while the drums and horns went to the shakos. Looking at the years you marched...we had the same issue with the Aussies in the mid 80's..things apparently didn't change.....we used "sawed off" copier paper boxes (thanks to Skee) to carry them in, and they still got trashed! The ones we used when I marched Westshore were a little more robust (except for the "flocking" flocking coming off of them) but we had plastic bags for them...(and those silly pink plumes) I remember when I turned in my lid it was in pretty trashed condition! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 The ones we used when I marched Westshore were a little more robust (except for the "flocking" flocking coming off of them) but we had plastic bags for them...(and those silly pink plumes) LMAO, got my hard as a rock Westshore Aussie (pronounced without the 'u') in 1984. Next year we were at the ICA Championships (aka Erie Monsoon Fest) and my back was covered in that white glitter crap off the Aussie. Thanks goodness that washed off the uni 'cause my first thought was the uni top was ruined. Jeez, finally threw out the Aussie a year or so ago. Thing turned a fugly shade of grey and you did NOT want to try wearing it. :sshh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaminbenb Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 LMAO, got my hard as a rock Westshore Aussie (pronounced without the 'u') in 1984. Next year we were at the ICA Championships (aka Erie Monsoon Fest) and my back was covered in that white glitter crap off the Aussie. Thanks goodness that washed off the uni 'cause my first thought was the uni top was ruined. Jeez, finally threw out the Aussie a year or so ago. Thing turned a fugly shade of grey and you did NOT want to try wearing it. :sshh: Yeah...mine went a few years back...all the "flocking" flocking came off of it and it was just a grey plastic thing with a stretched out black band! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martybucs Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 When I first joined Bucs at the end of the 1975 season, we had the felt Aussie style hats and everyones hat was a bit wilted. I got mine, took it home and steamed the brim and ironed it again with spray starch. Next was several coats of Scotch Guard and it was good to go for years without being a weird shape. The rest of the uniform was a joke in those years, until '79 when we wore the Blue Bananas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 The contras had the right idea during that time (or was it earlier?) Marty. Just tie a pirate-y looking doo rag to your head and yer good to go. Wow, took me a while to remember what Buccs looked like before the Banana coats. I could remember what George looked like and thne drew a blank. #### we were only at the same show with the Buccs a couple of dozen times during those years.... B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.