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I'm currently just gonna be getting started on the good 'ol F tuba. Obviously, a mouthpiece is personal preference, but I wanted to know where I should maybe start looking and what models/brands are good for this. Thanks everyone.

I have a Giardinelli 25 which worked well for me an a smaller Eb.

See my MP thread over in the For Sale section.

I'm using and liking the Mike Finn MF-4H on my little pea-shooter Cerveny F.

I just went through this - tried a bunch of mpces, finally came to a GW Alan Baer - I was trying to get the F to sound like my CC and BBb mental picture, by using inappropriate (read BIG) mouthpieces. Had terrible intonation issues. Nice big sound though - just not on pitch -- Still learning to control the F - patience and practice will prevail ! Good luck! (Wanna buy some mouthpieces?)

I would suggest trying mouthpieces that are shallower than your contrabass tuba mouthpiece of choice, with a well-rounded bowl, but with a rim that's as close as possible to the one on your contrabass mouthpiece.

I find that using a mouthpiece like that gives you a rim that your mouth can immediately relate to, while giving you the inner dimensions that will make the instrument respond better and play better in-tune, is a win-win situation. My personal Rudolf Meinl RM-9 mouthpiece has a rim with a diameter basically the same as my CC mouthpiece, but a much shallower cup and a corresponding backbore that makes switching from CC to F less painful. I have see too many folks try to play an F with their contrabass mouthpiece, which generally results in a woofy, difficult low register, intonation problems (how about that G near the top of the staff?!), and a dismal, difficult high range.

The good news is that, once you cut through all the hype about mouthpieces, there are some great F tuba mouthpieces out there.

When I was playing an F, I kept hearing and reading that I should use a shallow, bowl-shaped cup. Those never worked for me. I preferred a smallish-rimmed, deep funnel like the Schilke 66 or GW Matanuska.

You gotta try several and pick one you like rather than listening to folks like us on the 'net.

I recently acquired a PT 66 that hits a home run with my Rudi 5/4 F. The 64 and 65 were both good, but the 66 helped clean up articulations and still kept the character of me and my horn, along with plenty of breadth to my sound. I previously used an RM 9 with a 7.8 backbore and it served me well until I started looking for something else, and luckily, found it. Good luck in your search.

I like bach 32E's, PS5's, or churadas.


I think the biggest issue I hear on F tubas is people playing mouthpieces too shallow. The entire horn becomes thin, airy, and often breaks up at high volume or in difficult passages.

What mouthpiece do you use on your contrabass tuba? Maybe that will help some of us know what we could suggest that would be an easy transition.

I play on a 69C4 on my F, because it's comfortable, and I like the way I sound on it.

I'm a big fan of the Pt-65 or 65S. But you need to go try stuff to figure out what you like and sound good on.

I bought a Mike Finn MF-4 for use on my B&S. I've compared it with a range of mouthpieces, including the PT-64, and found nothing better. Most of the "standards", again including 64, did not have the same clarity or singing quality.

I had been using a deep funnel mouthpiece on my Yamaha 621 to take best advantage of its excellent low register. After playing the MF-4 on the B&S, the Yamaha sounded fuzzy. I tried the MF-4 on it, and now that's the mouthpiece I use for both my F tubas.

The MF-4 produces a clear, colorful voice on the F tuba. If you want the F to sound like a contrabass, try something else.

Rick "avoiding woof at all cost" Denney

Rick, please check your PM's....

I actually use a Mike Finn on my CC. Not sure which model it is. I might wanna saw the MF 4, but it's been EXCELLENT on the horn. I havn't gotten ahold of the F tuba yet. It is some sort of new 6 valve miraphone, but I'm not positive what model. I wanna get it in my hands first and then mess around with some mouthpieces, and I very much appreciate the comments and suggestions.

Just to get backon the subject...
I lent out all my F-tuba mouthpieces to the two youngsters starting tuba on F-horns in our community band.
(24AW and I forget the name of the other)
I wore off the silver plating off of my Bruno Tilz 7, so that one is out of use altogether.
So I use the next smallest MP in my arsenal for F playing: the PT50+. Works fine. Can´t really get more specific about it.
I never had that ultra-high register above the F4, not even with small MPs. Figured that THAT was what Euphoniums were invented for, anyways.

The other two mouthpieces get used with the CC exclusively.

yeah, it may be a firebird. It's 5 rotors on the right and one on the left. Everyone here says it's real nice, but I havn't gotten a chance quite on it yet. Though, that is what this summer is for.

pierso20, have you decided on a mouthpiece for F yet? I think Lee is spot-on in his advice. Pick a rim that is similar (or the same) as you are using on your contrabass and find one with a shallower, bowl-shaped cup and appropriate backbore.
I use Doug Elliott mouthpieces, I'm able to use the exact same rim on my contrabass cup and shank as I am on the F. Perfect for me. I can also use my rim on euph, too. Best mouthpiece investment I've ever made. Good luck!

I have a Firebird as well. I just switched from the TU 23 to a PT-64, which really cleaned up the sound for me and gave the horn a nice, round tone. However, it looks like everyone else has found something better than the 64... maybe I should have skipped the middleman and gone on to the next step up.

wpw, all this advice and only a couple of months after the initial post... ha

thanks

Bob1062 wrote: Can anyone recommend anything with a rim like the 18, but that is much shallower?

I unfortunately do not have a Bach 18 for comparison, but I'm as positive as I could be under the circumstances that the Schilke 62 is noticeably shallower, and it has a somewhat rounded rim, though probably flatter than the Bach and a little wider. Cup is relatively funnel shaped. It has a larger bore than my C4. Fun to play.

I have a Conn 3 that's very shallow, and a little smaller than a Conn 2, but they aren't common these days and there may be some nomenclatural confusion - either there's a different Conn 3 for trombone, or maybe some were marketed for either bass trombone or small shank Eb tuba.