Over the last year or so I have been in the search for a new mouthpiece. Why, you might ask? Because I, like all tuba players want the combination of easy playablility with the ability to put out large amounts of sound with perfect intonation . Not to mention, sounding just like ____________ pro that I heard. Surprisingly, I have learned a few things aboout myself and my playing in this process. Mainly, is that I still don't sound like the pro I heard on the recording .
Now I have a question. How did some of you guys come up with your Holy Grail of mouthpieces. Was it luck? Did you section mate turn his back at the wrong time? Did you travel many miles to one of the tuba mega stores and sit for hours trying different ones? Did your teacher have an extensive collection that you could try? Any help in the N.E. Ohio area would be greatly appreciated.
Oh, the poll. I played an 18 all the way through school and when I started playing again and reading this forum (and looking at the ads) I figured there must be something better. I am leaning toward going back to what worked in the past. Maybe with a few changes but nothing drastic.
Last edited by Tubaryan12 on Tue Dec 26, 2006 2:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Marzan BBb
John Packer JP-274 euphonium
King 607F Posting and You
I voted no, but before anyone rips me apart, I voted no because I dont use one and dont plan on ever using one. Ive found alot of other mouthpieces that suite me better but I wouldnt leave these mouthpieces for beginners. Though they are good mouthpieces for begining players I can also see proffesionals using them as well
First, I use a Kelly 18 outdoors. I've had it with frozen or seared lips. As far as tone, I had a few of my band director friends in the community band I play in turn their heads, and I played a double blind test with my Kelly and my "real" Bach 18. Over a combined century's worth of experience could not tell them apart. Of course, I did wrap a piece of lead tape around the shank at the bowl of the Kelly to keep it from overblowing.
Second, I use a Bach 18 on my Besson in close quarters or small ensembles when the environment is not conducive to the fundamental developing properly in the room. With the bowl shape cup, it emphasized the mid to upper overtones which help the rest of the instruments blend better, in spite of the fact it is not as free blowing as some other mouthpieces, but I need a little resistance to help me moderate my breath support, especially down low.
This is in contrast to my Wick 1, a good, large, Helleberg style mouthpiece with a really, really deep cup and Bach-ish style rim for the big broad standard tone and applications.
One note about these mouthpieces: As you all know, Bach are notorious for making their cups larger than "spec." So it is with this one. Instead of the spec, it is larger, the same diameter as the Wick 1 and the Kelly 18. Moreover, the rims are basically identical. I'm not sure if you simply put one up to my embouchure with me blindfolded I could tell which was which until I started to blow. They're that close, so obviously transitioning between them is not an issue.
No, an 18 is not for everybody. A friend of mine who is a veteran tuba player sounded stuffy when he tried my 18 compared to his normal mouthpiece. But keeping in mind its design goals, that it's one of the oldest mouthpiece designs still in regular production, and that it does have good uses and applications, like for smaller areas and the projection it gives outdoors, especially through a souzy, it has its place, and anyone who plays in any amateur organization from church to community band to small orchestra should consider at least having one for that one occasion it will be used.
I played a 7C and a 12C in high school. There WASN'T anything better that we knew of back in the days we had to dodge pterodons to follow the time signature.
Now there are mouthpieces of every imagineable shape and size. For a long time, if you wantd a mouthpiece graduated AT ALL there only was Bach.
I found my grail when my tuba teacher gave it to me, saying, "Here; I just picked this up, try it a while and let me know what you think". I never gave it back!
Instead of talking to your plants, if you yelled at them would they still grow, but only to be troubled and insecure?
windshieldbug wrote:I found my grail when my tuba teacher gave it to me, saying, "Here; I just picked this up, try it a while and let me know what you think". I never gave it back!
And that mouthpiece is.........?
Marzan BBb
John Packer JP-274 euphonium
King 607F Posting and You
My main mouthpiece from the 70's was a Bach 18. It was used in High School on an King 4-valve BBb tuba, King sousaphones, and later in college on a Besson compensating BBb (My college also had Conn 20X 4-valve BBb tubas, but they they were not good players and had very dicey intonation.....maybe it was the mouthpiece....... ).
I switched to Marcinkiewicz CH-H2 on a Cerveny until I found the Mike Finn MF3H....oooo-aaaah! ....on my B&S BBb rotary.
The Bach 18 still works very well on my Conn BBb Helicon, but I don't like it on the B&S rotary.
Bob1062 wrote:I have been playing a Bach 18 for over a decade. I bought a 24AW a few years ago because I wanted something bigger. Actually it's not. I like the rim on the 18 better so I use it. It doesn't even fit my little Eb but I still use it.
I don't know tuba mouthpieces beyond my two.
Works for me.
Correct -- with the Bach mpcs, the bigger the number, the smaller the cup diameter.
I played a Bach 18 after college when I started playing tuba again after a 5 year absence (didn't play while studying engineering). I've since tried a number of other mpcs but have never gone "bach" to the 18.
But, my favorites include the Conn Helleberg, the Conn Helleberg 7B and/or the Schilke Helleberg (the smaller one -- slightly smaller than the 7B) and the Bach 7 Megatone mpc. I still want to try a PT-88 sometime, to see how it compares with the Bach 7. But for a slightly brighter/edgier sound, that is still very full, the Bach 7 seems to be a nice choice when used with my Conn 56J.
I also own a Wick 1L and 2L, but I think the Conn versions of these "Helleberg-style" mpcs provide me with a slightly darker sound. But I also think the Wick mpcs have a slightly more comfortable inner rim, fwiw.
Cheers,
Steve Inman
Yamaha YEB-381 Eb
Conn 56J CC
Willson-Marzan CC Solo Model
Kokomo Chamber Brass
When I switched to tuba in the eighth grade I only had one weekend to learn the old Conn EEb the school had. I practiced all night Friday and persuaded my mom to drive me to Stein on Vine on Saturday.
I told them I needed a better mouthpiece and showed them the beat-up no-name blower I had been given. The guy brought out a few different ones and said a few things about them and then I heard the name "Tommy Johnson".
My cousin, Lester Dropkin was a student of Tommy's and I knew who he was right away.
It was a Mirafone C-4, a mouthpiece that I still keep as my backup in my F tuba bag. I have gold-plated it since.
Nothing for me beats the G&W Bora for depth of dynamics and versatility on my little Yammie F, and the G&W Bayamo for the low down bottom booming stuff on the CC.
For more versatility on my Yorkbrunner I use a Shilke-Helleberg II. Someday I'd like to get that thing gold-plated as well.
So many choices. They all buzz sound of some kind. Mouthpieces often choose us more than we choose them.
I have used a Bach 18 since I started, for B-flat tubas. It just seems to work for me on them. But for my E-flat a Bach 18 won't fit. I tried a 24AW with the shank cut down, and it was okay, but not what I was looking for. I tried a Conn 2, and it was great, but the UMI 2 that came when I ordered it was just the same as the 24AW in terms of playability. I have since switched to a small Helleberg, and it works well enough for the E-flat. My point on the search for the "grail" is still not reached.
Any time at all is tuba time. Watch for the signs.
A Wick 2 with the smaller shank is similar to a Bach 18; it might work for your Eb. Also, Mike Finn has a batch of his MF4 mouthpieces with the smaller shank as well. It has the larger mass of his other mouthpieces, but the cup is shallower.
I'm getting my tuba back from Herr Oberloh sometime in the next two or three weeks. As you might remember, I don't know how to play the tuba (can play trumpet) yet and my tuba is a refugee King 1140 from eBay and a high school band room. I have a Rubank Elementary #1 coming and am going to talk to my band director at work to help me get going.
I don't have a mouthpiece yet and wondering if it really matters what I get. A Bach 18 is Bach's "most popular model" yet I see that a 24AW is supplied with the horn from new and I see that the Conn Helleburg is considered a 'classic mouthpiece'.
I don't have a tuba embrossure yet so I don't think blowing through them could make me tell one from another. Should I just get one of those three- whichever is the cheapest?
Because your King is a little bit smaller bore, and because you're going to be transitioning from trumpet, any one of the three would be fine. The 24AW will have a slightly smaller cup, but a wider rim which may be more comfortable starting off. The Conn Helleberg will have comparatively a deep cup and thinner rim and may be more difficult to control initially, but once you grow into it can produce a very fine tone on a smaller tuba. The 18 is in the middle, but from what I've played and heard over the years, even though I use one myself on occasion, doesn't seem to fit the smaller tubas such as your King, a Conn 5J, 11J or 12J, etc. Try one of the Conns to see how it feels on your lips. If you can deal with the rim, go for it. If not, start on the 24AW until you get some consistency, with a view to considering the Conn later. There are two models of Conn: the 120 and the 7B, and I believe the 120 is the deeper of the two, so try both.
I voted Yes, but in reality, my Bach 18 is not my regular mp. I started playing on my 18 back in 1974 when I was in Jr. High. My folks gave it to me shortly after I switched from trombone to tuba. I loved it then, Wow, what a difference it was from all of the beat up school pieces and I played it till late in my sophmore year when a fellow tuba player gave me a new Conn Helleburg 7B. (1977) That soon became my favorite MP and even though I have gone back and forth over the years and tried other mp's, I find that the Conn Helleburg continues to be my favorite. I just recieved one for Christmas as the plating was starting to fail. Recently, I switched to the Meinl Weston mp that came with my MW-25. I gave it a fair try, as I said the plating was failing on my Conn and I wanted to give some others a try before I purchased a new one. After two months, I went back to the 7B. I still keep my 18 and it is still in fine shape. I find that it works well for me in my Reynolds Contempora Sousaphones and sometimes I use it in a small 3/4 Lyons BBb that I will take when I am in a hurry.
Steve
I really haven't ever used a Bach 18...
Ever since my 7th grade year (being the year I went from Baritone to tuba) I've used a Conn Helleberg up until my Freshman year when I got a G&W Taku. I've used the Taku ever since, getting a G&W F Baer along the way.
So, now I'm noticing that I like the bowl mouthpieces better...Along that line, would someone want to trade a G&W CC Baer for my Taku?
I think I might end up as a grumpy old man when I get old...
. Not to mention, sounding just like ____________ pro that I heard. Surprisingly, I have learned a few things aboout myself and my playing in this process. Mainly, is that I still don't sound like the pro I heard on the recording 
. 
