Tuba Fads that Acutally SUCK

[Tubaing]

bell tone holes.

[TUBAD83]

CONVERTIBLE TUBAS

Yes I know they are still around, but thankfully they are disappearing from the scene!!

They all should be thrown in a huge bottomless PIT (like the one in the movie "300") and NEVER BE SEEN OR SPOKEN OF AGAIN ...EVER!


JJ

[tubashaman2]

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[tubashaman2]

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[ztuba]

Band Directors blaming the kelly mouthpieces for the bad playing of their kids.

"where's your "REAL" mouthpiece?"

[imperialbari]

bell tone holes.

[tubatroll1821lsu]

PT50+ mouthpieces and other large ones......dying out...

I actually just placed first in a mock audition on a PT-50+ in my studio..... just saying.....

[Kevin Hendrick]

Band Directors blaming the kelly mouthpieces for the bad playing of their kids.

"where's your "REAL" mouthpiece?"

Yup -- that one would be laughable if it weren't so sad.

[mceuph]

Someone please clear up the Kelly mouthpiece thing. I have never played a Kelly tuba piece, but have tried one of their 5G bone pieces, and it was HORRIBLE. No core to the sound, loss of definition in the high range...basically everything one would expect from a plastic piece. In fact, I've got a student coming in as a freshman music major next year who plays on one, and I've already insisted he get a metal mouthpiece. However, I see a few posts here inferring that these are good pieces on tuba. I personally can't see how these would be better than a metal piece in any situation except extreme weather conditions. Please let me know what I'm missing here.

[TUBAD83]

Someone please clear up the Kelly mouthpiece thing. I have never played a Kelly tuba piece, but have tried one of their 5G bone pieces, and it was HORRIBLE. No core to the sound, loss of definition in the high range...basically everything one would expect from a plastic piece. In fact, I've got a student coming in as a freshman music major next year who plays on one, and I've already insisted he get a metal mouthpiece. However, I see a few posts here inferring that these are good pieces on tuba. I personally can't see how these would be better than a metal piece in any situation except extreme weather conditions. Please let me know what I'm missing here.

I too would be most interested in this Kelly mouthpiece business. I know of no tubist who uses one for concert work. The last time I used a plastic mouthpiece was when I was stationed in Alaska and it was 2 degrees outside (we used "bugle call" marches and it was just brass & percussion--ww players stayed inside)

JJ

[The Jackson]

For a period of, maybe, a month-or-so, I used a Kellyberg as my exclusive piece because my teacher told me that that was the one I sounded best one. One day, the brass coach in my orchestra, an exceptional bass trombone player that I respect, noticed that I was using the Kelly and that I was sounding good. He and a local college student then had a little dialogue about how the trombone mouthpieces sucked and how the trumpet mouthpieces sucked. Maybe a bad mouthpiece combined with a bad player makes good sound!

[imperialbari]

Orfeo "Deck" model mouthpieces

"Why" would be as interesting to hear from people as much as "what" sucked.

So, why did these suck to you?

Well, I'm one of those guys that:
1 - Likes heavyweight mouthpieces

2 - LOVES huge mouthpieces (Bayamo is my normal piece, was old-style PT-10 in college)

But when I tried the Deck stuff in college, it just made everything sound dead. Flat, lifeless and dead.

RC

I think I'll have to second this. Years ago (around the time the Deck mouthpieces were first introduced) when I was selling some of the stuff that Orpheus was importing, I was offered one-or-any of these mouthpieces for (back then) a very attractive price. I tried them out (in their warehouse) for a while on several models of tubas...and declined.

No matter how true RC and bloke are in referring their experiences with this given mouthpiece, it actually may have worked for somebody.

I have my own ideas on mouthpieces and I strongly influenced the choices of my students. But I have heard people play very well on mouthpieces, which one would not expect allowing such playing. And some people may choose whatever mouthpiece and none will help them.

Klaus

[windshieldbug]

The idea that ONE horn/mouthpiece will work for everyone... or everything

[Alex C]

Heavy valve caps…

Hey, I've got to disagree. The change on my Alexander was an improvement immediately noticed by every professional musician I asked, even the skeptics.

Silver plate is bad, raw brass is good, lacquer is evil…

Lacquer is easy, silver is preferred, raw brass makes your hand smell like... well, not good.

Rotor "scooping"…

Aw, c'mon, you did it.

Leather belts, caulking, or lead tape wrapped around the bell near the flare…

Yes, this definitely sucks.

Skeletonized mouthpieces…

hmmmm...

Added mass mouthpieces…

Wait... too thin, too heavy, what the heck! You only like middle weight mouthpieces?

Rubber O-Rings on EVERY slide, even on ones you never move, when they are supposed to silence them when they are moved all the way in with a lot of force…

This is kind of like adding racing stripes to your tuba. It makes a statement. No suck here.

Acousticoils…

One of the single most stupidist ideas ever. Suck.

Pocket Rocket….

OK, suck.

Sorry, don't want to seem like I'm raggin' on you Eleph, you know I'm over the wall.

[pgym]

Any post by tubashaman2.

[pierso20]

Any post by tubashaman2.

and no punches pulled.....

[THE TUBA]

Any post by tubashaman2.

Ah-hahahaha!

[Mojo workin']

But when I tried the Deck stuff in college, it just made everything sound dead. Flat, lifeless and dead.

They didn't for Warren.

[Gator]

Getting back to the topic:

Cutting York Monster BBb's into C tubas.

[Biggs]

Any post by tubashaman2.

You're a braver man than I, Gunga Din!