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I recently purchased a Yamaha YEB-321 Eb horn, and I was just curious on what mouthpieces were being used on Eb horns. What you use, and why...

I used to think there was a big difference in mouthpieces for my YEB 321, but as I became more used to them, I find I can play well with a wide variety of mouthpieces. My slight favorite now is a Conn Helleberg or a Kellyberg, either of which seems to give me a bit more confidence in the extreme high and low ranges.

My 1940 E-Bay King Efer came without a mouthpiece but a silver Schilke 66 was recommended by a Schmidt's Music Store clerk and it worked fine untill I started to break out in the area under the mouthpiece. After a gold Schilke failed to help, I phoned Kelly.
The Kelly rep recommended a Kelly lexan 24AW as the closest they had to the Schilke. The 24AW emphasized lows a little more and limited my high range to Eb above the staff. That was O.K. with me because my bass lines were solid and powerful and 45 years of improv trumpet, bone and tuba in rock bands finds me able to solo well enough in the range remaining to me. Now alls I need is lung transplants.

When I had my YEB321S, the best for me seemed to be a Yamaha Bobo Solo replica. I used a Marcinkiewicz N3 and N4, a PT65, and a Schilke 69C4.

I use the same mouthpieces on my Eb horns as I use on my BBb horns. Miraphone TU-33, Conn Helleberg, and Bach 18 copy (Kellyberg). I used to think there should be a distinction between Eb and BBb mp's but it ain't necessarily so. It's more a matter of what your chops like.

When I want a bit fuller sound with my Yamaha Eb, I use the full-sized Conn Helleberg. I use a Schilke Helleberg (slightly smaller than the Conn Helleberg 7B) for a more compact sound. Both of these work well, but the Yamaha Eb seems very happy with the full sized Helleberg mpc, and can put out a good amount of sound with it. I feel that my sound output is limited some with the smaller mpc.

Cheers,

Yeah, those all seem like good choices, currently, I am using a Schilke 66, it came with a Yamaha 60C4 and I have a Bach 18 and a Helleberg laying around somewhere. I could give those a try...
Thanks!

I tried a number of different mouthpieces on my Eb (Besson 983), but finally settled on a Hauser LM-15. I find it to have the best intonation, at least for me on this horn, and facilitates both the low and high ranges.

You should find a mpc that you like to play on (and sound good on too).

What kind of rim? Flat+Narrow? Flat+Wide? Rounded+Narrow? Rounded+Wide?
Small, medium, or large inside diameter?

Once you narrow these characteristics down, you go from there.

Say you want a Flat+Narrow rim with a medium to large inside diameter... A good place to start might be a Conn Helleburg, a Wick 1L, the R+S Heavywall, or one of the two larger Clements mpc's.

Or perhaps you like the Rounded+Wide rim with a smaller inside diameter... A Bach 24AW is fine; you see where I'm going?

Everyone's mouth in different (size/lips/teeth/etc.), so find a mpc that feels comfortable and from there, find a bunch of similar mpc's and play them back-to-back on your horn. Cup depth, cup shape (bowl or funnel), and backbore can have a significant impact on how a mpc plays in a given horn, so find what works for you and go with it.

I personally use a Conn Helleburg for both my 983 EEb and HB2 CC. Why? I like the flat+narrow rim, the sharper inside edge and the medium/large inside diameter. Is it the perfect mpc for each horn? Maybe, maybe not; but it feels consistant on my face, so that's what I use. Some (like my self) use one mpc no matter what horn; others might switch mpc's on a single horn depending on what is being played. I guess it all comes down to what helps you make the most music you possibly can with what you've got.

This was rather lengthy, but I hope this helps!

jon112780 wrote:Everyone's mouth in different (size/lips/teeth/etc.), so find a mpc that feels comfortable and from there, find a bunch of similar mpc's and play them back-to-back on your horn. Cup depth, cup shape (bowl or funnel), and backbore can have a significant impact on how a mpc plays in a given horn, so find what works for you and go with it.

Some mouthpiece lines - Laskey and Marcinkiewicz, no doubt others - offer depth variations on otherwise the same mouthpiece, so if a single mouthpiece doesn't fill every need, you can have a couple that share your comfy rim and bore and general tonal philosophy if you will, but have slightly different emphasis. See Laskey 28 or 30 F & H or Marcinkiewicz H4 - H1 if you like a more or less funnel shape.

Other lines have pairs like that, but with different cup shape as well as depth. Looks to me like Mike Finn MF4 and MF2 fall in that category.

I use a Bach 25 on my E flat. When I use the larger mouthpieces the bass tuba does not have a good response in all ranges or the ability to project. For me a smaller mouthpiece seems to fit the bass tuba better.

best of luck,
Mark

I'm a big fan of the Giddings and Webster products.


Depending on what playing you would like to do I would use that to determine what size to get.


Good things about the gw mouthpieces?

1. Stainless Steel looks brand new, even after a lot of wear and tear.

2. The shank is filed to a fine edge (improves the sound because their isn't a catch in the airflow)

3. The mouthpiece has a lot of weight where it needs it

4. It has your name in it and it doesn't come off. (the cheap engraving is marvelous)

5. The rim is flat so you seal better, have greater pitch stability.

6. SS is smooth enough that even with the flat rim you don't get tired on skips.

7. YOU WON'T BREAK OUT.




My high stuff is great with my churada!

Also consider the Wick 3, 4 and 5, if it has the smaller receiver, or the 3L, 4L and 5L if it has a standard American receiver. Yes, a lot of people use the 24AW, and it is a good mouthpiece, but I don't care for the really wide rim, and the Wick has more of a Bach 18-ish rim. I can see where the 25 would also be a good mouthpiece for an Eb, as I played a 25 as a beginner freshman in high school the first season I marched with a souzy.

Right now on eBay there are some import Wick 3 copies that are going really cheap. I haven't been able to get a real one here in this purgatory between Besson going down and Denis getting completely geared up on his own, so I bought one of the copies. Since it is made on a blank that has the same outside rim diameter as the Wick 1 and 2, the rim is effectively wider, but not as wide as a 24AW, with a little bit deeper cup and a little bit more funnel cup. I'm still in the getting used to it phase right now. As I play more, and start in on community band repertoire later this month, I'll post more of what I think about it. But it does have the smaller shank, so you'll have to look for the 3L version, if that's what you need.

I use the Denis Wick 2L that came with my Besson 981, both because I like the colour of sound I get and because I don't have to worry about intonation at all (as I do with the Bach 24AW, for example).
I have tried several other mouthpieces, and sometimes use a Dillon Sheridan S-3 for a sharper, more cutting sound, but the Wick is still my favourite.

Dillon PS (Patrick Sheridan) S2
Laskey 30F
Bach 24AW

With a Besson 983
Sheridan PS-3P for solo or when I'm the top end of a six member tuba section.
Wick 3XL (came with horn) when I'm the only tuba
PT-88 when I have delusions of a contrabass tuba. I think I can..., I think I can..., I think I can...

Big fan of the PT-72. It works really well on 4/4 Eb's. Awesome highs and good kick in the low register.

ME2 works pretty well for me, although an old Giardinelli Helleberg works nearly as well.

Hey, Belltrouble - it surprises me that you have trouble with the lower range with a Wick 3L. A friend of mine who is a bass trombonist and doubles on tuba uses a Wick 3L on his Meinl-Weston (Melton) 11 BBb, and sounds great in the lower range, all the way down to pedals, and it's the only mouthpiece he's used since college over 25 years ago.

Hey, Belltrouble. It does not surprise me that you don't like either the Bach or the Wick rims, as they are similar.

I do know that from what I've seen, Denis does make his throats a little different than a lot of other manufacturers, so there may be a point of departure in that regard.

Well, your post demonstrates why we're all glad there are numerous makers of mouthpieces so we can all get one to play that suits our particular embouchure.

Thanks for your comments.