Stainless Kellyberg - about time!!!!

MartyNeilan · Post by **MartyNeilan** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 6:03 pm

Many people recommend the helleberg as a great all-around mouthpiece before moving into the "boutique" stuff. However, there are lots of people like myself who just can't stand the rim (and find the stock model a little stuffy, hence all the drilled-out variants.) The lexan Kellyberg had addressed the rim and airflow issues, but lexan just doesn't seem to have the same punch as brass or stainless, plus many people have issues with how the plastic shank seats in a metal receiver. Also, you either loved or hated the feel of lexan on your face after a few hours playing.
Now, they have come out with the same improved, comfortable design in stainless steel. If I had to recommend a mouthpiece for all purpose playing to a student from advanced middle school through high school to first years of college, something like this would be perfect. Way to go, Kelly!

Marty (who has not been paid a cent for this)

Doug@GT · Post by **Doug@GT** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 7:02 pm

I just got the email from them about it. Looking forward to seeing/trying one sometime.

lgb&dtuba · Post by **lgb&dtuba** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 7:23 pm

Replied to the email and I'm hoping to get one on order asap. I use the Lexan Kellyburg a lot when we play outside and I'm looking forward to getting one in stainless for inside gigs.

dtemp · Post by **dtemp** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 7:34 pm

Anyone care to share the contents of the email?

Doug@GT · Post by **Doug@GT** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 7:43 pm

dtemp wrote:Anyone care to share the contents of the email?

Jim Kelly wrote:Hi - KELLY Mouthpieces announces their newest product:
.....the Stainless-Steel KELLYberg Tuba Mouthpiece!

Many tuba players already have a lexan KELLYberg in their arsenal.
Now, with the professional tubist in mind, we've added that same
great design in surgical-stainless-steel!

Benefits of the new SS KELLYberg:
1. Great feel - very smooth surface finishes are acquired with
the dense, hard, surgical-steel!

2. No plating - no chipping or worn plating ever - solid to the core!

3. Hypo-allergenic - like our lexan material, the stainless-steel is
used extensively in the medical field for its inert properties!

4. Fantastic response - excellent response whether playing
extremely soft or full!

5. Great price - $130 includes vinyl carrying pouch!
Please add $14 for UPS shipping in the U.S.A.
Please add $26 for USPS international shipments.

Get one today!
Please reply to this email to purchase one TODAY!
We will offer it on our website very soon!

Thanks, Jim Kelly

The Jackson · Post by **The Jackson** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 8:01 pm

I am totally jumping on this. I love my Kellyberg, but my director does not

If any of you got another email with more than the info about the steel Kellyberg, I am really interested in a Kellyberg-II or KT-50

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 10:12 pm

Marty, I play a Kelly 18 exclusively outdoors. Regarding punch: wrap a circle of golfer's lead tape around the base of the bowl where the throat is. That will really help dynamic response and keep the mouthpiece from "tone cracking." Regarding seating in the receiver: it is made for a true "American" standard receiver with the .520 tip and standard Morse taper. Of course, if the receiver is any different, it will not fit properly, whether the receiver is simply sized different, like some of the new Conn 5XJ receivers that will take both the "American Standard" and the now slightly larger .530 "European Standard" mouthpiece shanks, or just if the receiver is worn and wobbly.

lgb&dtuba · Post by **lgb&dtuba** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 11:35 pm

bloke wrote:I'm not picking at any individual. I've seen it plenty of times before:

What is the lexan-outdoors / metal-indoors thing?

Doug Elliott charges huge $$$ (with a considerable wait) for lexan rims...

??

bloke "about ready to order a new sparkly gold Helleberg 'piece to go with my rainbow-Kameleon fiberglass sousaphone...

...which could have been an 'indoor' sousaphone, were it 'carbon-fiber' "

It's a fair question.

I don't know about other people, but it's a comfort thing for me. Not a looks thing. We play a lot outdoors through Oktoberfest season.

If it's below about 55 degrees outdoors a metal mouthpiece gets uncomfortably cold for me. Below 50 degrees it's a bitch to keep it warm. There are a number of times each year where I'm in those conditions or colder for 3 or 4 hour gigs. I've had my lips get bloody under those conditions with a metal mouthpiece. Keep in mind that in the kind of music we play, the tuba rarely just sits there counting measures of rests. Not too many pp passages either. It's keep pumping all the time. I can't afford to have a lip blow out. Not halfway through a gig and no backup player there.

It's not that a metal mouthpiece cannot get warmed up as you play, but if you can't keep it warm enough between numbers not only will it be uncomfortable and even be a lip splitter you'll sound like crap while getting warm again.

Since I play with a bell mounted mike I can't be constantly removing and reinserting the mouthpiece to put it somewhere warm. Too much noise into the sound system between numbers. So the mouthpiece stays in the horn and gets cold in a hurry.

A lexan mouthpiece like the Kellyberg just doesn't feel as cold or take as long to warm up under those conditions. It can stay in the horn. I've never had my lip split using a Kelly mouthpiece.

Inside I don't need that, so I'll usually play with a metal mouthpiece there. Normally a Tuba Exchange Rose model that needs retiring as the plating is disappearing in the cup. Yet another point for stainless (or Lexan).

So, it's not about colors, it's about a comfortable cold weather mouthpiece.

Sometimes it's about endurance as well. We have one job every year in late October where we play 14 hours across 3 days - 4 hours Friday night, 3 hours Saturday afternoon and then 4 hours Saturday night, and then 3 more hours Sunday. All outdoors regardless of the weather or temperature. Some years it's hot. Some years it's cold. Some years it's either depending on what time it is. Lexan really helps under those conditions. Whether it's a totally Lexan mouthpiece like the Kellyberg or a screw on Lexan rim, the reason would be the same for me.

I'm going to get this new stainless steel Kellyberg in hopes that it has all the advantages I've heard about regarding stainless steel and is physically the same dimensions as the Lexan Kellyberg. I'll use it when temperature isn't a problem. And use the Lexan one when it is a problem.

lgb&dtuba · Post by **lgb&dtuba** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 11:38 pm

I meant to add that I use Kelly Lexan mouthpieces on my euph and my trombone as well when it's cold. For all the same reasons.

Jeffrey Hicks · Post by **Jeffrey Hicks** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 8:08 am

If Conn Selmer owns Kelly Mouthpieces (according to their website they do) why not make a stainless steel Conn Helleberg? Or is the Kelly that close to the real deal?

MartyNeilan · Post by **MartyNeilan** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 9:10 am

Jeffrey Hicks wrote:If Conn Selmer owns Kelly Mouthpieces (according to their website they do) why not make a stainless steel Conn Helleberg? Or is the Kelly that close to the real deal?

IMHO, the Kellyberg is a slightly better design for the "Average Joe"

than the "standard" Conn Helleberg (which has changed so much over the years), hence the origination of this thread (better rim, more free blowing, etc.)
Plus, for those who want a "True Authentic" stainless helleberg, you can't get much more original than the ones Paul Sidey sells; they are far more "authentic" tha what C-S currently rolls out.

SplatterTone · Post by **SplatterTone** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 2:59 pm

lgb&dtuba wrote:So, it's not about colors

Well, oh yeah? My ten colors of Kelly 18 beg to differ. We don't need no stinkin' steel Kellyburg. What we need is the pretty color anodized aluminium like those aluminium drinking glasses from the 1950/1960-ish era. That would be cool.

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 10:16 pm

Greg wrote:I agree. I really like the Kelly Berg rim and cup. I don't know what the difference is in the cup but it feels like the kelly has a bit different contour. I like it. However, I don't want to use a plastic mouthpiece for visual and sonic reasons. It seems like the Kelly doesn't break up until I am playing VERY loud but that's the point at which I definately don't want to be sorry I'm not using a metal mouthpiece.

Wrap a strip of golfer's lead tape around the bottom of the bowl where it meets the shank, where the throat is, and it will not "break up" at high dynamic.

Tubaryan12 · Post by **Tubaryan12** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 10:34 pm

SplatterTone wrote:
lgb&dtuba wrote:So, it's not about colors
Well, oh yeah? My ten colors of Kelly 18 beg to differ. We don't need no stinkin' steel Kellyburg. What we need is the pretty color anodized aluminium like those aluminium drinking glasses from the 1950/1960-ish era. That would be cool.

Speaking of that: a year or so ago I tried to have my kellyberg vacuum coated to give it a silver appearance. It may have worked if I was willing to put out for the proper fixturing to go into the chamber to hold it so that the coating didn't shadow. It would have been cool, though. We could have had mouthpieces with a colored mirrored finish...kinda lile the stuff in the lower pic found here:

http://www.nacl.com/index.php?option=co ... 4&Itemid=5

SplatterTone · Post by **SplatterTone** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 10:39 pm

Another possibility would be to make it out of Mood Ring plastic.

The Jackson · Post by **The Jackson** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:19 pm

I can get this and rub it in my director's face.

I CAN AND WILL USE A KELLYBERG IN CLASS.

TubaRay · Post by **TubaRay** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:26 pm

schlepporello wrote:
Jeffrey Hicks wrote:If Conn Selmer owns Kelly Mouthpieces (according to their website they do) why not make a stainless steel Conn Helleberg? Or is the Kelly that close to the real deal?
You wouldn't mind backing this up with a link to this information would you? The last I heard, Jim Kelly still owned Kelly Mouthpieces, according to Kelly Mouthpieces website.

That is my understanding as well.

JB · Post by JB » Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:49 pm

TubaRay wrote:
schlepporello wrote:
Jeffrey Hicks wrote:If Conn Selmer owns Kelly Mouthpieces (according to their website they do) why not make a stainless steel Conn Helleberg? Or is the Kelly that close to the real deal?
You wouldn't mind backing this up with a link to this information would you? The last I heard, Jim Kelly still owned Kelly Mouthpieces, according to Kelly Mouthpieces website.
That is my understanding as well.

Similar understanding here also.

http://accessories.conn-selmer.com/

However, Mr Hicks may be confusing the information provided on the Conn Selmer website listing accessories (including items such as Yamaha Silent Brass, Hamilton Stands, Bach mouthpieces, Tom Crown mutes, and Kelly Mouthpieces) as meaning something other than what is intended.

Jeffrey Hicks · Post by **Jeffrey Hicks** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 9:27 am

Ok I was confused. My apologies if I was wrong.

WakinAZ · Post by **WakinAZ** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 12:59 pm

So the next question is when will someone make a 7B in stainless with the classic/traditional/flatter-sharper rim? I've noticed the rim on my older 7B is wider and more rounded than on my regular, newer Conn Helleberg, even thought they are supposed to be the same. The most consistent thing about the Conn designs seems to be their inconsistency over time.

Eric "who switches between a Schilke 66 and a Conn Helleberg 7B on his little Olds tuba" L.

TubeNet

Stainless Kellyberg - about time!!!!

Stainless Kellyberg - about time!!!!

Kellyberg

Re: Kellyberg