TubeNet

I just purchased used a first-run 2-piece Imperial. Let me know if you want to try it after I've had a chance to see if I like it.

Also, have you tried the solo with the 4mm spacer to make the cup deeper?

[Also, have you tried the solo with the 4mm spacer to make the cup deeper?[/quote]
GoodMorning ...How does a spacer or deeper mouthpiece affect the sound?

bigbob wrote:GoodMorning ...How does a spacer or deeper mouthpiece affect the sound?

Explained here:
http://www.housermouthpiece.net/delrinextenders.html" target="_blank

iiipopes wrote:Also, have you tried the solo with the 4mm spacer to make the cup deeper?

Yes, that is an excellent combination for a BAT.

I have a solo #2 that I have used with a spacer and without. The solo with the spacer seems to have a better sound when I use it with my Helicon. I suspect it is very much like the Imperial. I used a Symphony and with my Kanstul and my Martin (both are 4/4 Ebs). The solo is for my Helicon and Bubbie. I usually keep a #2A med narrow on the solo and a #1 Fair Dinkum on the symphony. Sometimes I use a #1A .

I tried a Blokepiece Imperial on the Reynolds 'glass souzy I recently acquired. Screwed down, it felt a little stuffy. Screwed out the 4mm, it opened up nicely with less resistance and a more even response from register to register.

bloke wrote:You might just need a regular Conn Helleberg.

Actually, the mouthpiece that works best so far on the Reynolds souzy is the Kelly 18 in marching maroon I purchased a few years ago just for the purpose: outdoor gigs.

Having a very positive experience with my Bloke solo and custom rim on my 6/4. On a lark last September I contacted Dave Houser and asked if he could make me a rim with the "extender" built in. In this case a C4LA with an extra 3mm of depth on it. Add that to the bloke solo and it makes a great option on the big horn. Biggest win has to be (for me) control in the low register. It's a tad more warm and velvety than my Grand Orchestra, but also more tolerant and reins me in better if I overblow. I have the delrin extender (4mm?) in my cache but I prefer the more secure "in there" feeling of the custom rim and not worrying about it feeling like it is going to unscrew on me. It never has but I like not having to think about it.

Houser's shop is a busy place and it did take 9 months from email to receipt (just got it last week), but in this case a very nice payoff. Cheers to Joe and Dave for an excellent selection of tools.

Introducing the new Bloke 4-piece line of mouthpieces (rim, extension, cup, shank).

+1 for solo + extender on the BAT!

Bloke sent me an extender for my Imperial, and it is just right to open up the mouthpiece for a little more depth and smoothness. Thanks!

I'm using the Grand Orchestral cup with the new extra large bore shank and the rim from the Arthur Heller custom mouthpiece I bought a few years ago. This rim is about 8mm deeper than the Blokey rims and has a 34.5mm inner diameter. This works for me in all my horns - 6/4 Holton, 3/4 Miraphone Eb and 4/4 King souzy.

EDIT TO ABOVE POST ABOUT EXTENDER

First, this may seem like a digression, but give me a paragraph, and I will bring it around.

How many of you have fit a carburetor to a high-performance engine? If you have, then you know the spacer between the carburetor and the manifold is critical: too little depth, and you don't get the full advantage of the air/fuel velocity to develop the most horsepower. Too much depth, and you lose throttle response.

Likewise on a tuba: the mouthpiece is the carburetor; the extender is the spacer into the manifold (throat & backbore). Yes, it is a good analogy, because a mouthpiece and a carburetor work the same way: Bernoulli's principle.

The blokepiece cup extender is the same way. On my Imperial, I was finding I was losing a little response. So, on bloke's recommendation, I took a piece of sandpaper, a smooth work surface, and sanded down the extender from .160" to .080" after experimenting with screwing on the rim to different depths to determine what, for me, was the best balance between response and tonal depth.

So, I encourage everyone who thinks their mouthpiece is close, but lacks just that little something, to experiment with the extender, and to experiment without it and screw down the mouthpiece to different depths to determine your best personal balance, then sand down an extender accordingly. Use a medium grit paper, moderate finger pressure, and rotate and check frequently with a micrometer to make sure you are sanding evenly.

Thanks again to bloke for a great mouthpiece.