TubeNet

Hi folks! I am currently trying to figure out what my options are for mouthpieces for the small 3/4 4 valve yamaha Eb tuba I just bought are. Could someone suggest some small bore types and where to find them? I am a grad student at Tennessee Tech and have played CC for years and feel inadequate when it comes to equipment questions of this sort.
Thanks in advance.

tubaluna

Tubaluna,

I would try the mouthpiece that comes with the instrument, I think it is a 64D but I am on the road right now and will let you know which mouthpiece came with mine when I get home. Another good option would be a Laskey 30F or one of the smaller Dennis Wick's like a 3 or 5.

Of course your best bet is to take the horn to a retailer that has multiple mouthpieces for you to try. Bring a tuner and a second set of ears that you trust and plan on spending some time.

Henry

When I played one of these Yamaha 321 Eb horns, I used a Yamaha 65 and it worked very well. I think the 64 would also work well but did not have one around at the time. If you have to have a special mouthpiece, try a G & W Churada. This is what I use on my Eb horns, now and I am quite satisfied with it.

I've been experimenting on mine and the Mike Finn 4H seems to be a good match with this horn. Oddly enough, the Kelly 18 also works great if you need a nice, cheap workhorse mouthpiece to use while you do your own search for the holy grail of mouthpieces.

--T. J.

Frankly, I don't think this model really performs well with a stainless steel mouthpiece.

In the past, my stock answer would be a Wick 3L. But that can be really deep for some people.

Alliance has a new line of mouthpieces that ships with the new Bessons, and their new Sovereign 3 or Prestige 3a (a tad shallower) are meeting good reviews, as they have been developed and playtested with James Gourley and the Grimethorpe band.

You can read about them here: http://www.4barsrest.com/reviews/products/inst038.asp" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank and order them here: http://www.rogerwebster.co.uk/store/index.php?view=home" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

Since the Yammy is modelled after the Besson, it might be a good choice.

Has anyone had experience with the loud mouthpieces? Would he f mouthpieces work on the Eb? I am mainly concerned with a mp that will fit the horn. I am not particular.

tubaluna

I was satisfied with the Schilke Helleberg 2 with a 381S Yamaha back in the late 80's to early 90's. That was my quintet and (sometimes) Dixie horn back then and I was able to keep up with the group. The Yamaha Eb will take any size mpc you want - I used everything from a old Miraphone C2 upto a custom 35.5 mm Zattola on them (I had a 321S in the early 80's, switched to a Besson Eb, then to the 381S.) As usual, play with a lot of mpc's; and pick the one that is comfortable and sounds right to you and your friends.

Ive' used many different mpcs on mine. At Tech, I used a Schilke 62. It tended to be too bright. After college I started using a Conn Hellerberg. That worked well until soloing with a brass band on the Gregson Concerto. I felt that the Hellerberg just didn't cut through enough. Now I use my dad's Meinl Weston 78. That added enough color to the sound and still allowed for the articulations to cut through. Oddly enough, this is the mpc that I use on my Boehm and Mienl C. For what its worth.

Conn 2.

I use my G&W Diablo on my 321 and have gotten fantastic results. Occasionally I'll use my Taku if I'm going for a more lamenting sound (ex. Mahler 1).

I feel the LM-7 worked very well on the YEP321, but before I used that, I used the PT64 (the all around bass tuba mouthpiece) and that worked fairly well.