Integrated Mouthpiece

[NDSPTuba]

I was derping around youtube last friday and found this video from Monette http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2CHGFu6 ... re=related. And it struck me because I've been thinking for quite some time there might be some benefit to having a system like this on brass instruments. I'd love to experiment with something like this on my tuba. Obviously this kind of setup would be easier to pull off if a manufacture was doing it and could integrate it into the instrument like Monette does here. Has anybody heard of or seen this attempted on tuba or any other brass instrument for that matter?

[NDSPTuba]

My thought on it is this. If you introduce a disturbance ( lip of the mouthpiece shank ) early in the bugle, that disturbance will perpetuate and exponentially increase through the entire bugle. My current G&W mouthpiece has a very sharp edge at the end of the shank that minimizes the disturbance at the transition from the mouthpiece to the mouthpipe. My other mouthpieces are very blunt and I'm sure create much more of a disturbance.

I really don't buy the "too smooth" claim. It seems very anecdotal and was probably more of a bad mouthpipe design issue. Anyway, it is something I'd like to experiment with.

[cjk]

I watched the video. Looks like a dorky party trick. It would seem to marry your horn and wallet to mouthpieces produced by a single supplier.

But wait, a removable integrated mouthpiece? Is that really all that different than what we have right now?

[NDSPTuba]

But wait, a removable integrated mouthpiece? Is that really all that different than what we have right now?

Yes it is. With it being screw in, it will screw in flush with no lip/transition from the mouthpiece to the mouthpipe. So yes, different. The design and complexities of pulling it off would almost necessitate being at the manufacturer level. So you'd be tied to it. I could see making something like this a custom modification to your current axe, but it'd be a no turning back kind of mod, unless you order a separate mouthpipe to try it on.

[cjk]

The Monette thingy has two pieces of metal that meet. There is, without a single doubt, a bump/disturbance/whatever there. The "integrated" receiver/mouthpiece thingy in the video also appears to be soldered on the leadpipe, so there's another bump. I count two bumps.

On a tuba with a separate leadpipe and receiver, you get two bumps. One for the end of the mouthpiece and one for the receiver+leadpipe joint.

On a receiverless tuba (like Rudolf Meinl), you have only one.

You simply can't have solder joints or valves or waterkeys without some bump/disturbance/whatever.

[tubaguy9]

While you're at it, why don't you get your horn cryogenically frozen?
Sorry. I'll buy into mouthpiece material, but I feel like Mr. Monette goes over the top sometimes.

[NDSPTuba]

I don't know about you, but before and after the mouthpiece was screwed out and back in, I couldn't tell where the intersection was, that is precision machining can do for you. ie, no bump. I do agree that the whole integrated mouthpiece system seems to be soldered onto the mouthpipe. I'd definitely be concerned of a dump there.

[NDSPTuba]

While you're at it, why don't you get your horn cryogenically frozen?
Sorry. I'll buy into mouthpiece material, but I feel like Mr. Monette goes over the top sometimes.

I actually had that done on a horn when it first was a thing back in the day. It didn't help, lol.

[cjk]

I don't know about you, but before and after the mouthpiece was screwed out and back in, I couldn't tell where the intersection was, that is precision machining can do for you. ie, no bump. ...

I suppose that super duper accurate machining could come *close* to doing that, but then again, so could poor video quality. The video does not show what's on the inside.

[tubaguy9]

While you're at it, why don't you get your horn cryogenically frozen?
Sorry. I'll buy into mouthpiece material, but I feel like Mr. Monette goes over the top sometimes.

I actually had that done on a horn when it first was a thing back in the day. It didn't help, lol.

Bingo. I'll buy into mouthpiece material, I'll buy into the debate of silver vs. lacquer vs. raw brass (for me, stripping my horn made it sound more like what I was putting through it. YMMV.), the Adjustable gap receiver (makes a TINY difference) but some of Monette's ideas and theories are a little overbearing.

Ex. Interviewed for a job at a place that sells used Monette horns. Owner is a buddy of Dave Monette. They were packing up and shipping out a trumpet to him because the bell was bent. They even said that Dave's a little overbearing on his horns.