MW-2165 Mouthpiece choice

TubaKyleH · Post by **TubaKyleH** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:21 pm

Hi, I was just wondering to anyone that plays on a MW-2165 or MW-2265, what kind of mouthpiece and size do you play on?

Chen · Post by **Chen** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 1:11 am

You gotta try the Parke Ofenloch on that horn. I have a friend he has one for sale, if you are interested I can put you in touch with him. Maybe he will give you a trial period.

runelk · Post by **runelk** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 7:19 pm

I have a 2165, and I play it with a PT-48. Used to play on a Deck MP but the 48 offers a cleaner attack and an easier response in the high register.

me · Post by me » Thu Feb 24, 2005 12:41 pm

i have a big doug elliot for sale that is well suited for a large tuba. i've played it on a VMI Neptune and it sounded really good. definitly a huge sounding combo

joh_tuba · Post by **joh_tuba** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 2:56 pm

Conventional wisdom dictates that the Parke Offenloch is the best match for those horns. I own a 2165 and use the P-O. I would atleast give it a try and perhaps use it as a reference point when judging other mouthpieces. My other go to big tuba mouthpiece is the PT88. It worked as well.. in some ways I prefered the sound with the PT88 but overall product(intonation and clarity in particular) was more consistant with the P-O.

phoenix · Post by **phoenix** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 7:13 pm

Something big...

TubaTodd · Post by **TubaTodd** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 9:08 pm

bloke wrote:
bloke wrote:First, I would trash the way-too-big mouthpipe and have a reasonably-tapered one installed
The w-a-y oversized (read: "kazoo-ish") mouthpipe should be replaced with something like a MW F tuba mouthpipe...but bent to fit a 2165.

bloke "not meaning any rudeness, but trying to direct the reader's eye to part of a word that can easily be over-read"

I used to own a 2165 and I had a lot of luck with smaller mouthpieces. The last one I used on it (before I traded the horn in) was a Schilke 67. The small mouthpiece helped makeup for the kazoo-ish leadpipe. I must say when I studied with Ed Diefes I tried his 2165 with the smaller valves and I found that it was WAY more responsive than mine with the big valves. Did the older models have a better leadpipe?

TubaTodd · Post by **TubaTodd** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 9:23 pm

bloke wrote:
Did the older models have a better leadpipe?
Not that I recall. I remember pulling two or three (from a l-o-n-g row of them) off of a lower shelf at the old Orpheus Music in San Antonio many years ago (when they were the "new" thing).

' same resistance: none.

Perhaps the reason Ed's horn was easier to play was the valve set. ::shrugs::

Matt Good · Post by **Matt Good** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 4:04 pm

After playing a MW2165 for ten years and a MW2265 for the past two, I have had the most success with smaller mouthpieces. For a long time I used a Schilke-Helleberg II but have since gone to playing a Laskey 30G or the 30H. The Laskey 28H or a Conn Helleberg works also very well too. My experience with large and or heavyweight mouthpieces is that they have always hindered my response and projection.

Bloke is correct that if you own one of these tubas and you have the money, you should order a 45SLP leadpipe for your 2165 from Matt Walters at Dillon Music. The 45SLP leadpipe offers a stronger venturi after the mouthpiece, giving the horn more resistance and flexibility. The leadpipes are made by Meinl-Weston, factory pre-bent for a 2165 and are lead-filled. I had Dillon Music ship it to me here in Dallas and took a trip to Memphis to have Mr. Bloke install mine. It was a major improvement and I would never go back to the old leadpipe.

-Matt