Silent Brass for euphonium as a tuba mute

[Tubaryan12]

In one of the for sale posts, a member states that he removed the handle from a Silent Brass euphonium mute and uses it in a tuba. Has anyone else tried this? A very interesting concept, but before I get out the Dremel and sandpaper, I'd like to know if anyone else has done it and how did it work out for you?

[bighonkintuba]

That was me.

It worked really well with a borrowed Conn 14J (small) Eb tuba without modification since the handle wasn't in the way. A dish towel wrapped around the body was used to change the position of the mute, which influences intonation. Slotting with that horn (my mouthpiece, face etc.) was pretty good. The horn is difficult to play ergonomically (not for people with other than small hands), so I returned it.

I also tried it with a Yamaha YBB201 after removing the handle and with a towel around the middle to keep the mute in place. That didn't work so well. I then wrapped some foam (cut from a camp sleeping pad) around the open end and secured it with duct tape, extending the original foam (neoprene?) to keep it in place. Intonation was just o.k., but slotting was difficult for certain notes. I made it work for a while, but dropped that arrangement once I set up a practice space at home where I can now play any time without disturbing anyone.

At any rate...
The handle is easy to remove with a thin Dremel cutting wheel, which I also used to grind the nubs flush with the mute body.

[bighonkintuba]

a follow-up (included in an email reply):

I've never used a tuba mute (silent brass or otherwise), so can't
compare. I found the euphonium mute perhaps a bit louder with the tuba
than with euphonium, but still very quiet. It was a temporary measure
until I secured a proper mute-less practice space.

I didn't use the euphonium mute handle as I removed it by grasping the
edge of it and the hole in the middle, so I found the handle to be
superfluous. I suppose that removing it decreases the resale value, but
it isn't worth that much anyway (only $215 new at Dillon Music).

I also suspect that it will work very differently with different horns
(as all mutes do).

[b.williams]

As a condo dwelling practice mute user on all instruments, the euphonium mute doesn't work as a tuba mute. I have tried it with various tubas with all kinds of modifications. Stuffing a towel in the bell works just as well.