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The 983 came with the Denis Wick 3L mouthpiece. This tuba has been said to be very mouthpiece sensitive. When I hunted for an Eb back in 1999, I was warned off from testing the 983 with the DW1L, as the tuba was supposed to go flat with that mouthpiece. Hence we tested the pitch of the 983/1L combo thorougly with a tuner, and pitch plus tuning was all fine. As I wanted a bigger sound, I took the 981, but the 983 is still a fine instrument.

Aside from the DW 3L, Mr. Sheridan had a mouthpiece designed for the 983.

All this aside: If the mouthpieces you already have work for you in respect of pitch, being-in-tune-with-itself, sound, and playability, then use them. None of them appear to be extreme in the context of this tuba.

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

And yes, it's likely there is a specific shank for that instrument.

eupher61 wrote:And yes, it's likely there is a specific shank for that instrument.

When the 983 takes the Denis Wick L stems with no problems, what would then make its receiver special?

Why would Besson first change their tubas to having normal receivers and then come up with something special for the 983?

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

The Bach 24AW work well with Besson Eb's with many top players in the UK (orchestral and band) using this mouthpiece. I have never played a 983, but the 24AW provides a good all around mouthpiece on the 981 or 982.

I'm using a Monette 95 and love it for me though I don't know that I would have paid full price for one It was reccomended to me to try a PT-72, DW 3L, or any of the three Patrick Sheridan models that Dillon had made (these seem to be rare and hard to find). I tried the 3L but liked the Monette better but am still looking for a deal on a PT-72 or a Dillon PS02

These exact comments are why the new Alliance series of mouthpieces was developed. Before now, I would also talk about the standard chestnuts: Wick 3L, Bach 24AW, MF4, some of the PT's, etc. The new kid on the block has lots of promise, with input from James Gourlay and play tested by Grimethorpe. The new Alliance Prestige 3A is designed to do exactly what the original poster wants. You can read about it here:

http://www.4barsrest.com/reviews/products/inst038.asp" target="_blank

and purchase it here:

http://www.rogerwebster.co.uk/store/ind ... duct_id=36" target="_blank

My Boosey Eb (with modern receiver) LOVES my Yamaha Self mouthpiece.

J.c.S.

The PT-84xs is a very popular choice for the Besson Eb tubas here in Australia!

The xs is for the shank size appropriate for the Sovereign models. (at least up til now!)

Simon McCauley
Besson Eb 982 (before they went bad)
MW Thor
Australian Army Band Sydney

Wick 3L is my strong recommendation. I've posted on this before. When I tried mine out at WWBW in 1998, I started out playing them on a PT I had been using on my 184. Not one of the 6 or 8 (!) Charlie had in stock worked for me. When per his advice I tried the 3L, my "ears' eyes" cleared up very nicely and I was able take the pick of the litter. Now I use that MP on both horns.

A competent repairman would be able to turn down the stem for a proper fit. The catches are:

The rim shall not be damaged during the process. I have seen that happen.

The proper morse taper shall be kept.

Better test fit and pitch frequently. It is hard to put the shavings back on the stem.

Klaus

I've tried other mpc's like the LM-15, Wick 1L, MF3H and they all played way to open around the Bb in the staff (not enough resistance). As a result, the timbre changed to much and sounded 'hollow' when I really brought up the dynamics...

Long answer-
If you like a flat, narrow rim; you have to use the Conn Helleberg. It keeps the low register pretty open, the high register clear, and still has resistance for the notes around the Bb in the staff; so you can 'pop' them (and play loud without it sounding 'hollow') like any other note on your 983.

Short answer-
The C.H. allows the 983 the play quite evenly.

I traded the 3L that came with mine for a 2SL, and haven't regretted it. The 3L was just too small for me, and the 2L (which I also have) doesn't provide the same flexibility I get out of the 2SL.

jon112780 wrote:I've tried other mpc's like the LM-15, Wick 1L, MF3H and they all played way to open around the Bb in the staff (not enough resistance). As a result, the timbre changed to much and sounded 'hollow' when I really brought up the dynamics...

Long answer-
If you like a flat, narrow rim; you have to use the Conn Helleberg. It keeps the low register pretty open, the high register clear, and still has resistance for the notes around the Bb in the staff; so you can 'pop' them (and play loud without it sounding 'hollow') like any other note on your 983.

Short answer-
The C.H. allows the 983 the play quite evenly.

I play a 2L on my Besson 982, and have settled on that particular choice as my go-to mouthpiece selection. I tried an Erikson 2 and the typical Wick 3L and 24AWs. The detmining factor for me was getting the lower register to speak to avoid becoming a "one-trick-pony" with only a high register and nothing on the bottom...

I needed to be able to play the top splits in my brass band while being able to hold down lower register parts in my brass quintet. It just works for me...

Also, I just poster a Gold Helleberg 7B in the For Sale section if you want to go look...

Bob1062 wrote:

TMurphy wrote:I traded the 3L that came with mine for a 2SL, and haven't regretted it. The 3L was just too small for me, and the 2L (which I also have) doesn't provide the same flexibility I get out of the 2SL.

deniswick.com wrote:This [2SL] is a cup-shaped mouthpiece with a smallish throat, based on the Miraphone C4, but (crucially) with the backbore opened up massively. This gives an enormously punchy low register and a very lively response in other registers. It is the ultimate cimbasso mouthpiece, and gives a huge amount of volume, but with great crispness, on German-style F tubas. I use this on my Rudi Meinl F cimbasso for opera work and used it for soundtrack recordings such as Gladiator, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Tomorrow Never Dies.

Sounds fun!!!

It is, I assure you.

Really, though, don't get the wrong impression...one of the reasons I choose to stay with the 2SL rather than the 2L (aside from flexibility), is the sweetness of the sound. Both mouthpieces have a good low register, but I find the 2L to be a little too dark for my tastes...the 2SL has a sweeter quality to it, a richer sound to my ears that I like very much. It helps me get closer to my ideal sound concept, and ultimately, that's what counts.

Frankly, I love my 983. Every time I go to Dillon's I try as many horns as I can get my hands on...many of which I really, really like. But nothing speaks to me like my 983 does. I don't think I'll ever get rid of this horn.

I had a 983 for about a year and a half and there were several mouthpieces that work well for that horn. I really liked the Dillon PSS3, only problem is that they're impossible to find, it's a great all around mouthpiece though. I also liked the PT-72, which worked perfectly for small ensembles and some heavier solo stuff; I really really liked the sound of a PT-64 or 65 for solos but they seemed to really messed up the pitch, at least on my horn. My favorite was the Baer MMVI F mouthpiece, it gave the horn great flexibility and sound and the best news is that they aren't impossible to find like the Dillon...if you're willing to pay that much.
Good luck.