European F tubas' low C response - something to try

[TheHatTuba]

Some mouthpieces also play differently from each other. I've had 3 Hellebergs, each different than the one before.

[Ken Herrick]

Very interesting observations.

My old King Monster had a rather tight receiver and I found that turning the shank down so it fit farther in helped a lot all round.

Found the same when I turned down the mpc I used on the Boosey Eb I used a lot while in the army. Set it right in and opened the throat. Got plenty of bottom end, largely eliminated "stuffiness " and could pump out heaps of good sound. That as a Shilke 62 cup modified to a Helleberg rim. Some trial and error can sometimes find good solutions.

[Lingon]

...The "skinnier" one that inserts farther (closer to the ultimate small point - ie. "venturi" - down in the receiver) seems to entertain a wider (what is it that you guys call it...??) "slot" for the low C...

Thanks bloke, that was very interesting stuff. I did try this directly with an old european F (no names ) with a not so good low D, Db and C. With a 'normal' mpc it was very stuffy almost sounding as some bad fake tones. In one drawer I found some old english small shank mouhtpieces that with some layers of teflon tape could be made to fit. Voila, those notes that were absent now sounds as I think they should do. As a bonus the internal intonation of the whole instrument also improved. This again confirms that it is essential to match the instrument to a correct mouthpiece and not only matching the mouthpiece to the person playing.