bits-and-necks-101 needed. Old instruments intro too.

[Etienne1006]

Hey! I just got a (really) small Eb helicon (Besson & Co prototype). I find the mouthpiece positioning to be a little neck extending. Am I supposed to add bits? A neck? Not sure how those weirdly rapped marching tubas work; never played sousa or Heli before...

Also, my tuba mouthpieces do not really fit in there. They are way too big, only the tip is inside. Is it because I'm lacking a bit? Were mouthpieces smaller a 100 years ago?

Finally, is there a reason to not clean the hell out of this? I don't know my way around old things like that.

Thanks a lot, pics are here : https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4fazen545std ... X3yga?dl=0" target="_blank" target="_blank

[vespa50sp]

I have a small Lyon and Healy Eb that takes a euro-sized baritone mouthpiece, the shank size is between a trombone and a bass trombone. It had no bits. Basically my older Besson Baritone mouthpiece fit it. Kelly makes Euro sized mouthpieces https://www.kellymouthpieces.com/kmeuphonium/index.asp

I ended up picking up a Schilke 60 bass trombone mouthpiece and lathing down the shank a bit. Now I can make bass trombone/tuba ish sounds on it almost in tune with most of the slides pulled. It might have benefited from a bit, but i'm not sure where I'd get one.

[windshieldbug]

Old Eb mouthpieces were a smaller shank than current contrabass mouthpieces. Something closer to a modern bass trombone.