TubeNet

I was wondering what mouthpiece you guys have found that works best for you on the nirschl york? i've been playing a 28H and would like to liven the sound up a bit.

thoughts?

thanks,
seth

Try a Shilke Helleberg II. Maybe a Laskey 30H as well.

It sounds like you are thinking in the right direction to me. The worst thing you can do with a close copy of a York (like the NIrschl) is to get a dark sounding mouthpiece, it's a recipe for disaster.

Since you are on a Laskey 28, you might want to look at the new HG or TG series of mouthpieces by Warburton. These have a diameter similar to the 28 you are now playing (the HG-4 is a smidge wider than the TG-4).

Warburton is also selling an exact copy of one of Arnold Jacobs' stage mouthpieces but it has a much wider diameter than either of the other two. I really like these new mouthpieces of his but they are a little more difficult to access because they aren't at a lot of the 'regular' places.

I have also used a Griego 325XD and was pleased with it for a long time. You might want to test a Conn 2 or the 7B, because they might be easy to find and eliminate or accept.

The Loud LM-7 puts a lot of "front" on the note and gives a good illusion of more upper harmonics and "upper harmonics" sounds like that is what you are after. The finish on the sound is a bit dark but it's an interesting mouthpiece. It's also 33.5mm compared to your Laskey at 32.51, a big jump.

I would not recommend the Schilke mouthpieces, they were designed with "dark" in mind, it was a Schilke mindset and is reflected in most of their products. The Monette 94, often recommended, is also aimed at emphasizing the lower harmonics.

The PT-88+ works well on a lot of the Euro-York copies but the Nirschl is much more American and I think you may as well avoid most of the PT line, IF I interpreted your statement correctly.

Bottom line, the new Warburton HG, TG and J series.

I know that Andy Miller uses a Parke Offenloch piece on his and sounds great. Don't know much about that piece though.

I used a Miraphone Rose Orchestra in mine for over 10 years. I felt it worked very well. However, like you I have been looking for a little more zip and have found it in the G&W Caver. I'm really liking the sound and the feel of the stainless.

Try getting ahold of Ivan at G&W and see what he has to say. The guy is smart and very friendly. Good luck.

The Loud LM-7 puts a lot of "front" on the note and gives a good illusion of more upper harmonics and "upper harmonics" sounds like that is what you are after. The finish on the sound is a bit dark but it's an interesting mouthpiece. It's also 33.5mm compared to your Laskey at 32.51, a big jump.

I have a Loud LM-7. It has an inner diameter of 32.6mm, not 33.5mm.

LM-7
BBb or CC Tuba
CUP CHARACTERISTICS: Deep Cup, unique throat design extends well into shank.
RIM CHARACTERISTICS: Width 7.48mm. Inner diameter - 32.6 standard.
Optional screw rims 32mm, 33.2mm.
THROAT BORE: 8.35 mm.

The LM-3 has a 33.5mm inner diameter.

LM-3
BBb or CC Tuba (lg band or orch)
CUP CHARACTERISTICS: Very deep funnel.
RIM CHARACTERISTICS: Width 7.48mm. Inner Diameter - 33.5mm.
THROAT BORE: 8.6mm.

TubaBobH wrote:

The Loud LM-7 puts a lot of "front" on the note and gives a good illusion of more upper harmonics and "upper harmonics" sounds like that is what you are after. The finish on the sound is a bit dark but it's an interesting mouthpiece. It's also 33.5mm compared to your Laskey at 32.51, a big jump.

I have a Loud LM-7. It has an inner diameter of 32.6mm, not 33.5mm.

Their website has a listed diameter of either a 32mm or a 33.2mm, depending on which screw rim you get. I got my original measurement of 33.5 from a mouthpiece chart which has been floating around the web for a while, but it is obviously incorrect. I'll check the original website first in the future.

Thanks.

Alex C wrote:The PT-88+ works well on a lot of the Euro-York copies but the Nirschl is much more American and I think you may as well avoid most of the PT line, IF I interpreted your statement correctly.

The PT-48 is about the only possible exception. It's a larger mouthpiece but with enough bowl to put some harmonic zip back into the sound.

And I would add a Stofer Geib to the list of possibilities. It will add even more zip to the sound, and may even need a big tuba to keep from getting too "direct".

Rick "not the only BAT player who has followed the PT-48-to-Geib progression" Denney

Having owned my Nirschl for over 6 yrs now I have tried several different pieces in it. Only a few lasted for more than a month or so. Those are the Cooley Helleberg, Laskey 30H, SHII, G&W Baer(newer version) and a Pt-48s. Any one of these would be sufficient for every day use for me. They are all similar in their approach as am I(or try to be) when I play them. Slightly different I guess would be the Cooley due to the smaller rim diameter and the Baer due to it's stainless nature.
The past few years I have always found myself back to the 30H or the SHII. However, opposite of Alex C's comments after playbacks I found the SHII to take me to the brighter side sound wise over the 30H. Therefore, the 30H has been the go to piece for some time. I must say however that I have liked them all for various reasons. There is a real special type of ringing sound you can get in the hall with the Cooley Helleberg. Think Floyd on an old Holton on those Blomstedt recordings with SFSO.
The Baer SS mp is also intriguing in a lot of ways. I have not come across a more even playing mp anywhere. It really holds things together across the range of the instrument. However, I have sometimes worried about the blend with the rest of the brass section who are using "brass" mp's and the color of sound they get compared to what I am getting. This could be over-thinking I guess. In a span of some concerts with the Cincinnati Symphony I used the Baer piece including the new Pictures/Bald Mountain recording. Different mp for Bydlo however. I also used the 30H prior to that and on the soon to be released(I think) Shostakovich 10 and some Pops albums. So this will be a nice comparison I guess.

Well these are just some thoughts of one of many Nirschl users on the planet. Give a listen to my man Mike Roylance in Boston who uses a 30H on his Nirschl exclusively. Not to mention Gene Pokorny who uses one day to day on one of the Yorks.

Best,
Pete

I have a FEELING that you are playing on an American shank (standard 28H), which MIGHT make the sound a tad "darker" (more fundamental overtones, less higher overtones) than a European shank, which sticks out farther from the receiver.

If you like the 28H, you could have Mr. Laskey make you one with a Euro shank...

or you can try the above-mentioned suggestions, like the 30H, etc.

I am just guessing, but I think you want more resistance to blow against, which a Euro shank could provide and give you a bit more "zip".

Feel free to PM me, if need be.

Best,
CJH

Just to pile on to the other comments, I'm using a 30H in my Nirschl and have found no reason to switch. Wonderful intonation, great sound, flexible projection as I wish, a real ease of playing, all the things I look for. I'm not sure about the comments regarding the euro versus american shanks. I know Scott offers both mouthpiece shanks but I would assume only one fits properly into the receiver on the Nirschl. I would suggest checking with Scott and see what he says, he's really helpful and knowledgeable.

Regards,
Jay Bertolet

A mouthpiece that I have found that "livens things up" on large bell throat instruments is the PT82. It works really well on a rotary PT605/GR51 BBb, and on the 38K. I imagine it would work really well on just about any instrument with a moderate leadpipe, @.750 or so primary bore, and a large throat to the bell. Good solid intonation and consistency from bottom to top.

Indeed. And it is very comfortable. And very precise with almost razor-clean articulation. If I were an orchestral player, the LM-7 would be on my short list. But the slotting is so tight that I was riding slides like a throttle, which of course you do in orchestra to match the strings, but I'm just too lazy to do that in band, and prefer to set slides lip instead, only riding throttle when I have to.

Thanks for your comments guys, this helps immensely.

I had been playing a 30H which was recommended to me originally by craig knox. I love the rims on the laskeys but the 30H was just too smokey and not very focused for my buzz(which is not the most jacobs-esque, yet). upon switching eventually to the 28H I discovered what a tremendous difference it makes in the middle and high registers (meistersinger) without costing much on the low end. However, the mouthpiece that I have discovered works the best so far, even more so than the 28C which I also liked, is an old B. Tilz M-9 with a Rudolf Meinl stamp. It adds brilliance and focus without attenuating the lows despite its small diameter. I am happy enough that i may even stop looking around for a little while. Still on my list to try are the LOUD mouthpieces and the newer baer.

seth

Have to agree with Pete...the Cooley/Nirschl is just a glorious combo. Believe it or not, the Jacobs/Canadian Brass mouthpiece (Jake's modified Helleberg copy) also works very well...and it's an american shank.

Dave

Hey Seth,

Based on what you've said about the direction you're going with your mouthpiece choice, I would suggest you try out a Conn-Helleberg 7B if you haven't already. It sounds like you prefer a smaller mouthpiece and when I purchased my Nirschl, Floyd Cooley suggested to me that the 7B was his mouthpiece of choice for that horn. I had one and I tried it out but it was just too small for my face so I never used it much. Floyd was pretty clear he thought this was an excellent mouthpiece choice for the Nirschl, giving more ease of control. Since you're tending towards smaller mouthpieces, this might be right up your alley. Good luck!

Regards,
Jay Bertolet