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Hi everyone
Just wondering what mouthpiece choice Nirschl York owners have made?
Best wishes
Jonathan Baker
Principal Tuba
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
New Zealand

The Laskey's seem to do the trick. Personally I use a 30H on mine, but I do know some that use the 28H. I would also check out the Floyd Cooley HBerg too, very similar to the 28H with a few differences. I did find that the horn really rang the most on the HBerg 7B, but I couldn't get comfortable enough with the low register on it so I eventually settled on the Laskey 30H.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=32352&p=284468&hilit=+floyd#p284468

I have also tried many mpcs on this horn, and I always return to the Laskey 30H. Floyd's mouthpiece, like Pete says, does give the horn a special ring to the sound, but I always felt that one was a little too much on the small side, and I could never get the low range to open up the way Floyd could.

I've been happy with a Bach 7 Mega on my Nirschl York the last 12 years.

I would second the idea of trying a Parke Ofenloch mentioned on the linked thread.

I am surprised that nobody suggested a #1 or #2 BlokePiece yet. These pieces seem to work wonders on big horns.
Also, another vote for the Floyd Cooley Helleberg.

Some folks will claim that the Laskey 30H helps the intonation of big tubas and I don't really disagree.

I find that the Laskey 30H will let the player lip pitches further without sound degradation than most mouthpieces. It seems that the 30H will let the player put the pitch wherever he or she wants it. I think this helps out big tubas with wide slots in the hands of a player with a really good pitch center.

Unfortunately, I don't much like the sound that me, my equipment, and the 30H make together. It's too dark. It's not bad, I just like the sound of other mouthpieces (Joe Sellmansberger's Symphony) a bit better.


--Christian, whose big tuba is not a Nirschl

cjk wrote:Some folks will claim that the Laskey 30H helps the intonation of big tubas and I don't really disagree.

I find that the Laskey 30H will let the player lip pitches further without sound degradation than most mouthpieces. It seems that the 30H will let the player put the pitch wherever he or she wants it. I think this helps out big tubas with wide slots in the hands of a player with a really good pitch center.

Unfortunately, I don't much like the sound that me, my equipment, and the 30H make together. It's too dark. It's not bad, I just like the sound of other mouthpieces (Joe Sellmansberger's Symphony) a bit better.


--Christian, whose big tuba is not a Nirschl

Bingo. The 30H makes the horn very easy to play, but the sound is just too dark. I'm using a B.Tilz M9 and I'm really digging it.

NOTE: If you have one of those really big receivers (if you do you know what I mean) you NEED a EURO shank mouthpiece. I had a big receiver and the low end sucked if I used an American shank mouthpiece. I changed it out when I had a new leadpipe made and the horn became much more mouthpiece friendly.

Many thanks, gentlemen, for your informative responses. It is an expensive proposition to go trying different mouthpieces when you live in New Zealand so any guidance on what seems to be working is appreciated. I have a Floyd Cooley Helleberg #2 (Floyd tells me they are very rare) which has a slightly larger throat than the #1 and I do really love the sound and power you can get in the middle register but I am struggling, as others have, with getting the low range to open up. I've also tried a Laskey 30H and PT44 and both work well but, as others have said, are a little too dark for my taste and I would like a little more focus in the sound!! The search continues....
I searched Parke mouthpieces but he doesn't seem to have a web presence. Can anyone give me an email address or something?
Also, has anyone tried any of the Sidey Hellebergs on their Nirschl?
Best wishes
Jonathan

Jonathan Baker wrote:Many thanks, gentlemen, for your informative responses. It is an expensive proposition to go trying different mouthpieces when you live in New Zealand so any guidance on what seems to be working is appreciated. I have a Floyd Cooley Helleberg #2 (Floyd tells me they are very rare) which has a slightly larger throat than the #1 and I do really love the sound and power you can get in the middle register but I am struggling, as others have, with getting the low range to open up. I've also tried a Laskey 30H and PT44 and both work well but, as others have said, are a little too dark for my taste and I would like a little more focus in the sound!! The search continues....
I searched Parke mouthpieces but he doesn't seem to have a web presence. Can anyone give me an email address or something?
Also, has anyone tried any of the Sidey Hellebergs on their Nirschl?
Best wishes
Jonathan

I had the same problems with many mouthpieces. Either it gave me a nice low end but a VERY dark sound, or it was a lively sound but troubles in the low end. Sounds like you might have one of those big receivers. The Sidey is just too big for this horn, AWESOME low end, but you just lose all the color. Remember with this horn it sounds much bigger in the hall than it does in the back row. Your sound will get out with a smaller piece. If you are having problems with the low end and you have a big receiver (american shank laskey will go in all the way to the top of the shank) get a smaller F tuba piece in a EURO shank. Try the bloke solo in EURO. I played an american shank one and wished I had gotten the euro.

Jonathan,

You might try the Laskey 28H. This summer I purchased a B&S 3198 NY Edition and it plays VERY much like a York. I also found the 30H to be extremely dark while the Cooley Helleberg is great for the opposite end of the spectrum...just cant get it to sound quite like him on his Holton!! The 28H seems to me to be the compromise for full low end with enough color on the mid-to-high range as well. I'm working on acquiring a Cooley Helleberg #2 copy as that seems to be an incredible mouthpiece combination...I'm already using the Cooley Helleberg on my B&S F.

Congrats on getting the Nirschl. Floyd is bringing a new one back next week from Walter's (for sale) that I'm sure we will all salivate over in the studio....we'll have 3 in one room at once.

-Josh Wirt

Jonathan Baker wrote:I searched Parke mouthpieces but he doesn't seem to have a web presence. Can anyone give me an email address or something?

Jonathan

http://www.mouthpiecerentals.com/servle ... BA+1-PIECE" target="_blank

If they have them in stock, you can rent for a short time and return, make a one-time payment, or make payments until you've paid it off. Not a sales pitch, just stating their terms.

I'll just put another plug in here for the Bloke MP's. . . definitely be sure to get the Euro shank to properly fit the Nirschl receiver. The solo MP allows plenty of color and power, while (possibly/probably due to Joe's reverse taper thing) feeling surprisingly great in the low range. It has been my favorite 'piece on the 6/4 for about a year now.

--T. J.

My Holton is certainly different from your Nirschl, and I'm certainly different from you, but I find that most big tubas tend to a woofy sound. A superlative player (which I am not) can overcome that, but it seems like work. Those I know who have been playing the big tubas for years started with Hellebergish funnels and have ended up with Geibish cups. The reason is that the Geib-style mouthpiece adds harmonic color to the sound. A mouthpiece that might be too bright on a small tuba can still complement a big tuba excellently.

I have tried all the usual suspects, including a real Conn Helleberg and a Laskey 30H. They were woofy in my hands, lacking clarity and color. I switched to a PT-48, which greatly helped. It has more of a cup shape than a pure Helleberg, and it's big enough not to get in the way of rocking and rolling in the low register. Then, I tried an excellent replica of an original Geib made by Lee Stofer. The Stofer Geib is outstanding in many ways, providing a dark, but very clear and colorful sound. The Sellmansberger Symphony (No. 1) also has its roots in the Geib concept, but does open up the low register nicely in comparison. That's the mouthpiece I'm currently using for most things on the Holton. A Laskey 30G is supposed to be in the same vein.

I suspect that great players can easily get good clarity and color on their big tuba using a Helleberg, but I'll bet it's more work to do so.

I cannot make much use of small-diameter Helleberg designs (Conn 7b, Laskey 28H). They just don't fit my face, so they have never been an effective option for me. I could probably make better use of them with stronger chops.

Rick "who wants the big-tuba sound and resonance without the big-tuba woofiness" Denney