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Hello all,

After a year long break from playing I'll be going to uni and then Japan for a year so I'm looking into getting a bunch of new mouthpieces to take with me.

I've got a Dennis Wick 1XL, a Bach 24 AW and a German one (somewhere, I can't remember the name but its a really shallow bowl shape) already.

I'm looking to buy a Jet Tone R&S Helleberg Heavy (if anyone has one, send me a message), but has anyone any ideas of the biggest / deepest mouthpieces available at the moment suitable for a BBb? Also, do any of the regulars here know of any places that custom make them?

Cheers

RanmaSyaoran wrote:Hello all,

After a year long break from playing I'll be going to uni and then Japan for a year so I'm looking into getting a bunch of new mouthpieces to take with me.

I've got a Dennis Wick 1XL, a Bach 24 AW and a German one (somewhere, I can't remember the name but its a really shallow bowl shape) already.

I'm looking to buy a Jet Tone R&S Helleberg Heavy (if anyone has one, send me a message), but has anyone any ideas of the biggest / deepest mouthpieces available at the moment suitable for a BBb? Also, do any of the regulars here know of any places that custom make them?

Cheers

Deepest I'm not sure about, but largest cup I.D. would probably be found here:

http://www.mundstueckbau-tilz.de/

(click on Produkte, then on B-Tuba, then on Spezial_Tilz_231)

• * 231-B5: 35mm cup ID, 7.8mm throat, (medium-shallow?) cup
  * 231-T5: 35mm cup ID, 7.8mm throat, (deep?) cup

There are 36mm wide mouthpieces available from Alexander. They are the widest standard offering that I am aware of, though there may be even larger offerings out there.

If depth is defined as rim-to-"backbore," it's got to be the Dr. Young mouthpiece...really deep.

EDIT: I'm not sure that I'd go out of my way to purchase either one of these to actually play my tuba with, by the way, though both are "interesting."

I think it was Giddings and Webster who had a gigantic titanium mouthpiece on display a couple of years ago at the Army Tuba Conference. It was about 6 inches in diameter and a foot long, but remarkably light. -And unlike the Dr. Youngster, it was shaped like a real tuba mouthpiece.

Perhaps Bloke could make a screw-rim version for you?

Bruno Tilz currently makes two models of a 35mm diameter mouthpiece.

Ah, by largest I meant deepest, but that Dr. Young one is HUGE!

I wonder, would it be possible to make one like this (and Bloke, if you are interested... How much?):

PT-88 (heavy) shaped outside
Rim of a Dennis Wick 1XL (tapered version)
Depth of a Dr. Young
The outside thickness of the R&S Heavy (Tin Can model).

If so, what's the beast liable to sound like do we think and how would it be possible to avoid lowering the pitch to the point its useless. ((I'll be using it on something like an old big bore Besson Sovereign)

KiltieTuba wrote:Dr. Young's mouthpiece. It's the largest I've come across, I use mine on the Holton.
There's no backbore, just a straight tube on the end of the funnel - which is huge. I can stick my pinky all the way in to the knuckle - it's something like 1.5 or 2 inches deep. An overgrown french horn mouthpiece.
PM me and I'll send you his info (if I can find it again)

What are your thoughts on it?

The largest mouthpiece I ever ever seen is when I visited the mouthpiece manufacturer Werner Schmidt in Markneukirchen, Germany. He had one there with 48mm cup. I could not even get a sound out of it.

Jonathan "who tends to think a huge mouthpiece is not required with large tuba"

Neptune wrote:The largest mouthpiece I ever ever seen is when I visited the mouthpiece manufacturer Werner Schmidt in Markneukirchen, Germany. He had one there with 48mm cup. I could not even get a sound out of it.

Jonathan "who tends to think a huge mouthpiece is not required with large tuba"

48mm O_____O

I'm only after a MEGA large mouthpiece for the ultra dark and sonorous sounding tones it could probably produce with lots of practice, plus the look on other Tuba players faces in Japan is going to be priceless :'D

One question: what do you hope to achieve with "deepest/largest"?

sloan wrote:One question: what do you hope to achieve with "deepest/largest"?

It'll probably create some kind of new weird sound at first, but mainly a deep, rich and sonorous tone and supprised looks on other peoples faces

In all seriousness, I know it's possible to go about getting the sound I want with other mouthpieces, but I'm only going to live once, so what the heck might as well try it out!

I like the "last frontier" attitude. If you were really counting on a great sound out of this hypothetical extra large mouthpiece, I'd worry that you would be disappointed, but the world always needs people who are willing to try things that probably won't work!

The deepest/largest mpc's do produce a very sonorous and dark tone for some players.

I've been using 34.5 - 36 mm inner rim diameter mpc's for over 30 years now on a variety of large Eb and BBb horns in wind ensemble, brass quintet, swing bands and trad jazz. My current favorite is this one I recently acquired: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=39365&p=344028&hili ... an#p344028

It's very similar to the Reynolds Dr. Young mpc which Kiltie alluded to (also in my collection). Both of these work nicely in my 6/4 Holton, Martin Mammoth and Conn 20J. I used to use a very large 35.5 mm custom Titanium piece which was almost as deep as the Dr. Young in the 5/4 Rudy Meinl BBb which I recently sold to get the current crop of 6/4's mentioned above. The upper register is a bit more problematic with this type of mpc but it can be done. Pedals and false tones just jump out of my big horns with these mpc's. YMMV

This project will have to go on hold, I contacted the brass band only to find my instrument has been lost / stolen from the bandroom (worse bit is I can't find the serial number details).

I can't afford a new one and they are arguing it isn't covered by their insurance, so I think the next best step will be contacting the police :/

pauvog1 wrote:

RanmaSyaoran wrote:This project will have to go on hold, I contacted the brass band only to find my instrument has been lost / stolen from the bandroom (worse bit is I can't find the serial number details).

I can't afford a new one and they are arguing it isn't covered by their insurance, so I think the next best step will be contacting the police :/

Oh man, I'm so sorry. If you tell us the make/model and where it was lost you may find that some tubenet friends may help keep an eye open for you. I hope it turns up soon.

It's an old (20 years+) 1/4 (or 3/4 depending on how you'd describe it) 4 valved EEb bass in silver plate with next to no dints or blemishes at all, the case is an old style on with a tatty red lining (the case is too large for the instrument). Also missing is a Denis Wick 1 and a german shallow bowl mouthpiece.

With the amount of instruments I've played and the fact it was locked up for a year I can't even remember who made it, but I can be thankful I only paid £150 for it.

I did however manage ensure my FF/Eb helicon was safe (which will go for sale towards a new bass if it doesn't turn up unfortunately) - The only problem is, I don't have a mouthpiece any more to play it!

In case anyone wants to see it, here you go:
It's made my "MARCEL" and has the letters "FF" and "DC" on the mouthpiece receiver, I call it a FF/Eb because it jumps so much when it's cold.