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Hi all, my first post here.

I am playing a Besson 994 in a brass band, made in 2002, and finding it doesn't speak well for me in some crucial middle register (Ab in the bass stave up to Eb) nor in low register from Eb-B. I played professionally for many years using a Sovereign Eb and a Mirafone CC and did not have this problem, so even after a long layoff I assume the horn is the problem.

I think a different mouthpiece may help and am looking looking for advice - I have tried the supplied Wick 2L and a Bach 7. Have now gone back to the mouthpiece from old days, a Perantucci 68, which has improved the middle register response but not much better in the low register.

Of course people may have other ideas about how to deal with this, glad to hear them.

Gavin (Canberra, Australia)

PS I don't have particularly big lips and so tend to prefer a rim not too wide.

I am no basher of compensating low brasses, yet I don’t remember ever having heard any nice words about the Sovereign BBb basses.

The Bach may be too deep for your purposes. I like DW mouthpieces for tenor trombones and for baritones. I am much less convinced about about the DW models for larger brasses. But living far from stores myself I am aware about availability being a factor. So my first suggestion would be to get a DW1L on trial.

One factor not to be underestimated with BBb tubas is about the cup being wide enough. So within the options available to you I would try out mouthpieces wider, and still not too deep, compared to your present line-up.

Klaus

The main success stories over in the UK band scene with 994's are with 24AW's, Bach 12's, PT88 ( and +). I've tried all of these at the very highest of levels with bands, and since 2002 have been using a Mike Finn MF3. Tried all sorts since, and keep going back to it on any of the 994 clones.

YMMV obviously.

Thanks... Andy, I recently spent some time playing alongside Dean Morley at Brisbane Excelsior, he uses the Bach 7 on his LMI and it sounds amazing, but then he does have rather bigger chops than me

tonebuddha wrote:Thanks... Andy, I recently spent some time playing alongside Dean Morley at Brisbane Excelsior, he uses the Bach 7 on his LMI and it sounds amazing, but then he does have rather bigger chops than me

He's rather good, isn't he? I prefer the MF3 to everything I've tried. Good through the range, and clean too. If you see Dean soon, send my regards. I have a very similar LMI!

As you suggest Klaus, availability is the issue for me. Very little to try in Canberra, although the National Band Championships are coming up (Adelaide at Easter) and I should be able to try a few there. For the heck of it I mail ordered one of the plastic Kelly 18s today for $55AUD.

Hello.
I use a Dennis Wick 1 with my British compensating BBb tubas because of their smaller receivers. I use a DW 1XL with my larger shanked American and German BBb tubas.

Andy is a top cat, so what he chooses is right.

But there are considerations about playing traditions and styles.

Andy also is a physically very strong player allowing for a higher wind pressure. I have a Mike Finn 3H, which is the same as Andy’s only it has a flatter rim with a sharper inner edge. I bought it for my BBb basses, but found it too small there for my slow air, which does not like resistance too much. Whereas it sounded very convincingly on my Eb Besson 981.

I now use a different brand which allows me using the same rim for basses in F, Eb, and BBb, but with 3 and potentially more different underparts. I stand by that choice, which is no secret here on TubeNet, but I am not out advertising anything specific.

I will try to set up some pairs of parameters:

Wide cups allows wide ranges, but take strong embouchure and very steady air support. More narrow cups may favour the higher range, but can act with a choking effect on slow air.

Round inner edges favour endurance and flexibility over ranges, but may worsen problems with the attack phase. Sharp inner edges may be sensed painful by some players, and they make a cup feel more narrow than the same cups with round edges. Some, including myself, say that a sharper edge improves attack.

Shallower cups improve response and presence. Deeper cups improve fullness. Too deep a cup for a players air support leads to dullness and sloppiness.

There may be discussions over funnel versus cup inner shapes. Most modern mouthpieces are hybrids. The MF3 as well as the blokepieces plus likely a lot of others add a funnel at the transition from cup to throat. Appears like it eases the low range without detracting from the upper range.

And then there may be other factors causing your problems with specific sub ranges.

The valves may be out of alignment, or there may be other obstructions of the airpath. There also may be the question whether the adapting process to an instrument different to the ones played during the professional career actually has been completed.

Klaus

imperialbari wrote:
I will try to set up some pairs of parameters:

Klaus

Thanks, great information. I have fast air and good flexibility, spent most of the intervening years in between playing an Elkhart Bach 50B with a Bach 1G mouthpiece. The low register has opened up some on the Besson over the past few months so as you say adjustment may not be complete, but given I used to be a low register specialist it is frustrating, I expected better results by now after 18 months back of reasonably solid work. The MF3 sounds like it is definitely worth a crack but I will have the vales looked at too.

I agree that the Wick 1L is the best mouthpiece for these tubas, as it was designed by Denis Wick specifically for them. I'm assuming that you have a newer tuba with the larger receiver that takes a .520 "standard" or "American" shank mouthpiece, rather than the older British .490 shank.

I play BBb in brassband and wind band, and I'm using the Bruno Tilz WH-B2. (on a willson non compensating 3100-RZ-4)
Works fine for me.

Wim

Correction! It was a 1L that came with the horn, and left me with the problems mentioned above. I also don't like the sound it produces.