Tubaguy56 wrote:I've heard alot of great things about the schlipf mutes, but I have not tried one myself...
Yes...they are excellent mutes. My first encounter with them was during a trip to Austria.
Hard to get in the U.S. and very expensive, but I still want one.
Orders have to go through Schlipfinger directly. He does not not speak English well (he's in Austria, after all), but can manage to correspond via email about if his mutes can fit certain tubas, his prices, and shipping cost. It helps if you have some functional knowledge of German, though.

I will share one piece of a story in hopes that he builds a strong reputation here in the states...
He was not sure how well his "Vienna" mute would work in an Alexander 163, so he told me he would find out. I was not really expecting to hear much of it after that point (to be honest). A few days later he sent me an email saying that he prepared a mute, went to Mainz, Germany and tried it in a couple of 163s just because I asked!

He was pleased with the results, by the way.