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I don't the specs off hand, but I'll bet a "King 2" is identical to a Conn 2, which is in turn still made by Conn-Selmer - probably under a different model number just to confuse everybody. It is the only "heritage" tuba mouthpiece they continue to make - everything else is a Bach clone since they own Bach too. Too bad since many other King and Conn mouthpieces were pretty good too.

The King/Conn 2 was good enough for Harvey Phillips, and might be suitable for you. Easy to control although you'll have to really support the breath to get a lot of sound out of it. Very predictable and easily replaceable.

FYI Kings - back in the day - came with H.N. White #26 mouthpieces. Quite a few fine players used these - William Bell, Don Butterfield (his signature Giardinelli mouthpiece was a "skeletonized" King 26), and Lew Waldeck among others.

If you need specs look "Conn 2" - it's out there.

Mark Heter

Uncle Markie wrote:a Conn 2, which is in turn still made by Conn-Selmer - probably under a different model number just to confuse everybody. It is the only "heritage" tuba mouthpiece they continue to make

Still made? Where do they sell them?

I would have said the Conn 2 hasn't been made for decades, maybe since the '70s or something.

Post-merger there was a 2-____ mouthpiece - some longish number that looks like it was designed to prevent any recognizable identity - with a different exterior, and I'm guessing that's the King 2. Commonly believed to be the same as Conn 2 inside, but if there were small changes I'm sure no one would have noticed. I believe this too is no longer in production.

On the other hand, someone's still making the Helleberg 120S and 7B models, aren't they? If not Conn, who?

The Conn 2 and 7B have roughly similar interior dimensions.

Donn wrote:
On the other hand, someone's still making the Helleberg 120S and 7B models, aren't they? If not Conn, who?

Conn still sells these two Helleberg models. I believe they are made by Lausmann in Germany.

F

Donn wrote:

Uncle Markie wrote:a Conn 2, which is in turn still made by Conn-Selmer - probably under a different model number just to confuse everybody. It is the only "heritage" tuba mouthpiece they continue to make

Still made? Where do they sell them?

I would have said the Conn 2 hasn't been made for decades, maybe since the '70s or something.

Post-merger there was a 2-____ mouthpiece - some longish number that looks like it was designed to prevent any recognizable identity - with a different exterior, and I'm guessing that's the King 2. Commonly believed to be the same as Conn 2 inside, but if there were small changes I'm sure no one would have noticed. I believe this too is no longer in production.

On the other hand, someone's still making the Helleberg 120S and 7B models, aren't they? If not Conn, who?

The Conn 2 and 7B have roughly similar interior dimensions.

I got a new one with my new style King 2341 back in 2002 labled UMI 2 and it is exactly the same as my old Conn 2 from back in the 60's both in exterior and interior dimensions/look. So they were made past your statement of last being made in the 70's and at least as late as 2002.

So even though you can't find the later UMI version for sale, with the different exterior, maybe it's still made to be shipped with Cing/Konn tubas, including the 2370 sousaphone as proposed above.

Uncle Markie wrote:
FYI Kings - back in the day - came with H.N. White #26 mouthpieces. Quite a few fine players used these - William Bell, Don Butterfield (his signature Giardinelli mouthpiece was a "skeletonized" King 26), and Lew Waldeck among others.

Mark Heter

If you want specs on one of these, I've got one