jon112780 wrote:I've tried other mpc's like the LM-15, Wick 1L, MF3H and they all played way to open around the Bb in the staff (not enough resistance). As a result, the timbre changed to much and sounded 'hollow' when I really brought up the dynamics...
Long answer-
If you like a flat, narrow rim; you have to use the Conn Helleberg. It keeps the low register pretty open, the high register clear, and still has resistance for the notes around the Bb in the staff; so you can 'pop' them (and play loud without it sounding 'hollow') like any other note on your 983.
Short answer-
The C.H. allows the 983 the play quite evenly.
I play a 2L on my Besson 982, and have settled on that particular choice as my go-to mouthpiece selection. I tried an Erikson 2 and the typical Wick 3L and 24AWs. The detmining factor for me was getting the lower register to speak to avoid becoming a "one-trick-pony" with only a high register and nothing on the bottom...
I needed to be able to play the top splits in my brass band while being able to hold down lower register parts in my brass quintet. It just works for me...
Also, I just poster a Gold Helleberg 7B in the For Sale section if you want to go look...
Chesapeake Silver Cornet Brass Band
Aldersgate Brass
Besson 982
Mouthpieces-a-Plenty
TMurphy wrote:I traded the 3L that came with mine for a 2SL, and haven't regretted it. The 3L was just too small for me, and the 2L (which I also have) doesn't provide the same flexibility I get out of the 2SL.
deniswick.com wrote:This [2SL] is a cup-shaped mouthpiece with a smallish throat, based on the Miraphone C4, but (crucially) with the backbore opened up massively. This gives an enormously punchy low register and a very lively response in other registers. It is the ultimate cimbasso mouthpiece, and gives a huge amount of volume, but with great crispness, on German-style F tubas. I use this on my Rudi Meinl F cimbasso for opera work and used it for soundtrack recordings such as Gladiator, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Tomorrow Never Dies.
Sounds fun!!!
It is, I assure you.
Really, though, don't get the wrong impression...one of the reasons I choose to stay with the 2SL rather than the 2L (aside from flexibility), is the sweetness of the sound. Both mouthpieces have a good low register, but I find the 2L to be a little too dark for my tastes...the 2SL has a sweeter quality to it, a richer sound to my ears that I like very much. It helps me get closer to my ideal sound concept, and ultimately, that's what counts.
Frankly, I love my 983. Every time I go to Dillon's I try as many horns as I can get my hands on...many of which I really, really like. But nothing speaks to me like my 983 does. I don't think I'll ever get rid of this horn.
I had a 983 for about a year and a half and there were several mouthpieces that work well for that horn. I really liked the Dillon PSS3, only problem is that they're impossible to find, it's a great all around mouthpiece though. I also liked the PT-72, which worked perfectly for small ensembles and some heavier solo stuff; I really really liked the sound of a PT-64 or 65 for solos but they seemed to really messed up the pitch, at least on my horn. My favorite was the Baer MMVI F mouthpiece, it gave the horn great flexibility and sound and the best news is that they aren't impossible to find like the Dillon...if you're willing to pay that much.
Good luck.
