Harrison Wedge Tuba Mouthpiece

[Sasha Johnson]

I wanted to let people know about a recent mouthpiece modification I had done. The design is called the Wedge, and it was done by Harrison Mouthpieces in Vancouver. Up until now he has done mostly trumpet and trombone mouthpieces, but a few months ago he did the Wedge modification to one of my Schilke Helleberg IIs, and I have found the results to be quite favourable.

Basically the idea is that the contours of a flat rim are changed to sloped outward on the sides, which allows for less contact on the sides, and in theory frees up your corners to work and respond more efficiently. Here is the basic description, taken from his website:

"The parts of the rim touching the corners of the embouchure slope away from the center of the mouthpiece. This shifts the high point of the rim toward the inside, and makes the sides narrower than the upper and lower parts of the rim. The parts of the rim touching the middle of the upper and lower lip are the same width as a conventional rim, but have a gradual slope, with the high point shifted to the outside. The combination of rim contours produces a slightly oval shape in the upper part of the cup." (http://www.wedgemouthpiece.com" target="_blank)

I have found the result of this change to be a significant improvement in response and clarity, particularly between the registers. In recordings, and in playing tests with my students and colleagues, the general feeling is that the Wedge design maintains the fundamental qualities of the sound production, but with more immediacy of clarity and centre.

Dave Harrison will be working in the next months to produce his own blanks, and we will be hopefully testing them in the spring. In the meantime, I have attached a photo of my modified SHII. (The Wedge mouthpiece is on the left)

Thanks,
Sasha Johnson
Principal Tuba, National Ballet Orchestra

[Doug Elliott]

A narrow rim has pretty much the same effect, but almost nobody makes truly narrow rim tuba mouthpieces. There are are a lot of advantages to a narrow rim, at least for some players. It allows you to breathe easier through the corners without losing contact with the mouthpiece.

[tbn.al]

Be careful what you ask for.

wedgie.jpg

[iiipopes]

Mt Vernon Bach 18 rims have a similar falloff, as does a 7C trumpet mouthpiece (to help beginners learn to get a good "seal" on the embouchure), although not to the extent to actually contour to the convex aspect of the embouchure. Thanks, but for the price, I'm very, very happy with my two customized mouthpieces that have the Mt Vernon rim.

[DrDave]

I should point out that the fall off on the outside of the Wedge rim is unique in that it only is present at the sides. The part of the rim in contact at the top and bottom, 12 and 6 o'clock, are normal in width, or a bit wider than usual. The other feature of the rim is the lateral dip that does not show in these photos. The rim actually curves away from the embouchure, reducing pressure on the rim at the points where it is narrower. The result for most players is better comfort despite the narrower rim. These curves are more easily seen on a trumpet mouthpiece, but they are present in the low brass as well.

Cheers,
Dave

[Sasha Johnson]

After several months of trial and error, the new Wedge H2 is now in production. I wanted to share my experience and opinion of this mouthpiece.

Having tried it myself in performance for several months in several different orchestras, and done trials with my students and colleagues, there is absolutely no question that this design allows a significant increase in centre and response. The overall result it achieves is the response of a smaller, shallower mouthpiece, but with the sound properties of a larger orchestral one. It's the best of both worlds.

The Wedge H2 is designed around the rim, cup and throat dimensions of a Schilke Helleberg II, but with the Wedge rim. Having the shoulders gently taper away from the corners just seems to give the player a much more immediate response and core to every register. I have found that this design works particularly well with piston-valved instruments. The main horns I've used it on have been a 4/4 Hirsbrunner (HB2P) and a 6/4 Yama-York (826-S). After comparisons with many of the standard brands and sizes for orchestral instruments of this type, we found that the Wedge came out on top every time, no question. This was particularly evident with the Yamaha, which, already a fabulous instrument with an amazing response, seemed to have even more centre, focus and facility of response.

The result with rotary horns has been similar, though not quite as definitive as with the piston-valve horns. I am looking forward to the more bowl-shaped cup "Geib" design for rotary instruments that Dave is currently finishing up. We are also working on a smaller solo model, as well as a mid-sized Helleberg design.

I'm certain there will be skeptics or critics of this design, but the bottom line is that in the context of orchestral playing, the Wedge H2 achieves an incredible balance of sound and response.

Sasha Johnson

[DrDave]

Two members of TubeNet have now taken advantage of our special offer (posted in the Sponsors section) of $50 off the price of a Wedge H2 mouthpiece for forum members . One of the mouthpieces has been shipped and should be in the hands of the player any day. The other will be machined tomorrow. Perhaps someone will soon add their own perspective to Sasha's comments about the mouthpiece.

[arminhachmer]

This improved a-symmetrical shape requires orientation?
Is this just a matter of simply lining it up
in the receiver by sight? Is it easy?


Sounds like the new shape produces only good results.
Armin

[pgym]

There's a line scribed on the outside of the rim.

Insert the mpc with the line at 12:00, and you're good to go.

[Ben]

A Wedge H2 mouthpice showed up with my doorman yesterday. Compared to the Schilke Heleberg II, there is a noticeable difference in the response of the Wedge in not only every tuba I own, but also in buzzing the piece sans horn. While the general sound color of these two mouthpieces are nearly identical the advantages of the Wedge were numerous- more comfortable, clearer sound in high registers, and more rapid response. While not "magical" there was an efficiency improvement in the playing. As I have only had a few minutes to test the piece, I can say this, I was markedly impressed. I was initially very skeptical of this design, but it appears to be a significant improvement to traditional rims, lived up to its claims and I will be keeping it. While it is still early in my assessment, I suspect I will be looking to apply this rim contour modification to my current selection of custom pieces.

I recommend trying out one of these if you are interested in the Schilke H2, the 2 week trial guarantee is what motivated me to try the W2 out. I was not solicited for this review, but thought it a curtsey to Dr.Dave in gratitude for his tubenet discount offered earlier this month. If anyone finds themselves in the NYC/NJ area, I'd be happy to let you try it out.

Regards,

[sailn2ba]

What might account for the rotary/piston difference? Is there pressure on the embouchure from the valve hand angle?

[DrDave]

I can modify the rim of any mouthpiece by scanning it and machining the rim to have a Wedge contour. I can do this with a screw rim mouthpiece, but it is best to send the entire mouthpiece so that the underpart can be used to secure the mouthpiece in the CNC mill. Otherwise I have to machine a custom mandril to hold the rim. Only the rim is altered.

Cheers,
Dave

[DrDave]

Since a number of members have requested it I have extended the special offer on the Wedge H2 mouthpiece until the end of January. Order before then and receive a $50 discount. Just enter the coupon code TUBENET at checkout to get the special price.

[akniffen]

I have tried the Wedge and find Dave and Sasha's descriptions of its qualities to be accurate. My embouchure is not terribly disciplined and the Wedge made consistency much easier to achieve. Slurring and focus were noticably enough improved that I will be getting a Wedge for keeps once I figure out what I want to use (I'm currently more in a learning phase about mpcs). Thinner rims do help achieve what the Wedge achieves, but not as quickly. I must comment, as I mentioned to Dave and Sasha, that, for me, it appears that the lack of pressure on the corners causes an increase of pressure at the 12 and 6 positions on the mpc. I also have an embouchure somewhere between 2/3 upper - 1/3 lower and a 50/50 embouchure. This made me wonder, if one is going to bother sloping the mouthpiece where the corners make contact, perhaps having the corners actually line up with the maximum slope area would be just as easy as a 'one-size-fits-all' location. In other words, have the slope at 4 and 8 O'clock rather than 3 and 9 if that's where my face in particular is when I play. Sounds picayune, but probably costs roughly the same, i imagine. Dave wrote to me that he has done a large number of prototypes, so I would place some trust in his advice.

[LCH3]

I've used the Wedge for two two-hour rehearsals and a 1-hour concert of mostly Sousa marches (along with Them Basses) and find it to be all it claims to be. Notes center better, range is improved, ability to move about the scale smoothly is enhanced and no "fat lip" feeling after the rehearsals or concert. It's a keeper for my Besson 981.

[DrDave]

Thanks for the feedback Larry.

I have just sent Sasha the latest Wedge versions of the 7B, Solo, and SG mouthpieces, and an H2 with a Euro shank for evaluation, so hopefully we will have an expanded line soon. Meanwhile, tomorrow is the last day of the special $50 off for TubeNet members purchasing a Wedge H2.

[JHardisk]

Add me to the list of Wedgeheads!

After some discussion with Tony, I got a Wedge H2 mouthpiece of my very own. My current mouthpiece was a Shilke Helleberg II. Since the Wedge H2 is a close relative, I thought "why not?"


The moment I plugged it into my 6450/2, it was an amazing transformation. I sat in my living room with the intent of just fooling around a little before giving it a thorough test the next day. After the first few notes, a picture dislodged itself from our wall, and my wife perked up with a, "holy crap!" The amount of added core and clarity to my attacks (particularly the fronts of the attacks) was phenomenal. I knew after 1 minute of tinkering with it that it was a keeper.

I have to say, the Wedge design might just be the most comfortable mouthpiece I've ever played. The contours completely fit my face, and I benefit from added consistency in my embouchure. I play with some minimal shifts, and this design seems to aid the smoothness between them, nearly eliminating the need to shift between registers.

Day 2 and 3 of the Wedge test are over, and I have formulated more thoughts about it. I've played for a few colleagues and the comments are all in the same ball park. The added clarity, core, and consistency between notes is phenomenal. It's a huge difference from my standard SHII (of which I own 5, and I play tested my "best" one in blind tests). Slurring is easier, and playing in the upper tessitura is less demanding. The corners of my embouchure are getting used to less support, and I feel as though my chops are more free to buzz. It is far easier to get more "meat" from my lips in the mouthpiece with this design, which may explain the added core. The trombone section has a far easier time sitting on top of this sound, than they did the "wider" sounds from the SHII.

The Wedge H2 absolutely lights up my 6450/2. There is a real sense of added brilliance and sparkle to an already beautiful sounding tuba. My endurance is beefed up noticeably. Overall dynamics, and more specifically, attacks at pianissimo are quite easy. The mouthpiece retains core in even the softest whispers, and I find that my airballs are drastically reduced (Mahler 2 Chorale, Ein fauste Overture). Facility between registers is highly improved as well. I felt up to Chris Olka's 5 octave scale challenge today, and worked up to the G scale in 5 octaves. While I have far more imperfections in my playing that Chris, I was able to do it musically, and pretty consistently. (No..not well enough to put on youtube!) I find myself wiggling far more with the SHII... a mouthpiece I've been playing for a couple years now.

Now, I'm not without complaints. First, I will need a Euro shank mouthpiece. I'm hoping Dr. Dave starts to mass produce these soon. I think the marked improvements I'm experiencing will only be magnified by the correct shank size relative to my receiver. Second, I'm getting "addicted" to the Wedge design. It is simply the most comfortable rim I've ever played on. Going back to my F tuba mouthpiece (a PT65 with a laskey 28 rim) feels alien, and far more taxing. I'm hoping to work with Dr. Dave on designing an F tuba mouthpiece. In the meantime, I've got to figure something out before I play a couple solo gigs in a couple weeks.

If you're a fan of the SHII mouthpiece, do yourself a favor and pick up a Wedge H2! Dr. Dave is a fantastic person to work with, and his responses to inquiries are extremely quick and thorough. If you've got a favorite mouthpiece, do consider sending it up for to get a "wedgie" rim. It's remarkable what this design does, as it conforms more to the anatomy of the face. I'm surprised it hasn't become widespread before now! I can't wait to see what's next in my journey to find a more suitable mouthpiece for both tubas!

[bud]

Dr. Dave, can you modify my stainless steel mouthpiece? Do I understand right that you modify a mouthpiece that I send to you?

[DrDave]

Hi John,

Thanks for the review. I am actually going to program the H2 with .530 Euro shank tomorrow. I should have some in a few weeks.

I can indeed machine a stainless steel rim. I have also done titanium. The machine times are long but the results are excellent.

Cheers,
Dave

[Sasha Johnson]

I wanted to let everyone know that I've received the latest prototypes of the new Wedge mouthpieces, and they are just amazing. I've spent the last day recording and testing, and so far the results are quite favorable. The three models are the Solo, based on the Yamaha Bobo Solo, the 7B, based on the Conn Helleberg/Cooley Helleberg, and the the Geib (based on the Schilke Geib).

So far the mouthpiece I've tested the most extensively is the Solo, having tested it on my B&S F. This is the second version of this mouthpiece. I asked Dave to sharpen the inside rim, and narrow the cup diameter slightly from the first incarnation. The sound and response are now extremely close to the Bobo Solo, but the Wedge holds together much more in the louder dynamics, and has a fair bit more weight in the low register. What is remarkable is that with the added weight, it retains the finesse and agility of the Yamaha. In short, this is exactly what I have been looking for in an F tuba mouthpiece for years. I've not found an F mouthpiece that has the quality of sound and response of the Bobo, but I've always felt the sound was not quite large enough for my orchestral playing. The Wedge Solo seems to be exactly the right balance. (I should note that it, and all the other new prototypes are unplated, and there my be small changes to response, etc with the plating.)

Congratulations to Dave Harrison for another successful new mouthpiece. I will report back with more when I have tested the other new models.

Thanks also for all of the other testimonials from others on this forum. Having been the first to try these new mouthpieces, and having such immediate positive results, it's just great to know that others find it as well.

Sasha Johnson