jeu-naturel mouthpieces

[circusboy]

I'm seeing these beeswax-impregnated wooden mouthpieces for sale on a certain auction site. Made in France. Anybody tried one?

[Zoop Soup]

Can I get a link?

[circusboy]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tuba-wooden-mou ... SwMmBV2jwF

[Three Valves]

I tried reading this description with a Cleese-like French accent and I'm still rolling!!

Wooden mouthpieces gives a mellower , more velvety timbre than the brass ones and the lip comfort is improved by the pleasant contact of the wood and the fact that it is nourished by a balm that hydrates your lips as you play .The touch feels softer and less slippery than a plated brass ,that improves the precision of your lip moves and gives you a better support ,therefore a better endurance.

[toobagrowl]

No kidding, I'm kinda curious about that mpc. At least it's different and looks well-crafted, and the price is right. Might be a fun "shits and giggles" mpc, if nothing else.

[MikeW]

I think I would be more concerned by the lack of specific design information. Yes the internal dimensions of the cup are in the same ballpark as a Dennis Wick 1, but what is the shank size? How big is that clumsy looking rim ? Comparing the rim with the shank size, the rim has to be like a 24AW on steroids, unless the perspective of the pictures is totally screwed. The fact that it is made of wood is unlikely to influence its playing properties, given that a plastic kelly plays a lot like a stainless steel Kelyberg: the material it is made of just ain't relevant.

[MikeW]

I tried reading this description with a Cleese-like French accent and I'm still rolling!!

Wooden mouthpieces gives a mellower , more velvety timbre than the brass ones and the lip comfort is improved by the pleasant contact of the wood and the fact that it is nourished by a balm that hydrates your lips as you play .The touch feels softer and less slippery than a plated brass ,that improves the precision of your lip moves and gives you a better support ,therefore a better endurance.

Ahem - Mr Cleese did his best to represent the traditional mutual hatred between French and Brits, but he was probably not aware at the time that the accent he used was quite recognisably French Canadian, although by now he has probably got rather bored with being told about it. His spelling of "ni" is also at best dubious.

[proam]

There are and have been quite a few wooden or partially-wooden mouthpieces for trumpet.

Benterfa is one I have; the whole cup and rim is wooden with a metal shank/backbore threaded into it (not compatible with Warburton backbores, though).

Kanstul makes a piece they call "woody" that has a wooden cup with a metal rim that fits their (and Warburton) metal backbores. There are other brands with a combination of wood and metal (The Perfect Wood which uses a wooden cup-rim insert that resembles the old Conn bakelite visible embouchure mouthpiece).

I have seen many all-wooden pieces like the Jeu-Naturel but have never tried them.

A wooden piece is different both in feel and sound, at least on a trumpet. It takes the edge off. I have never performed with mine; just have it as sort of a curiosity.

[Donn]

I think I would be more concerned by the lack of specific design information.

Well, yes, that's sure what counts. I'd be mainly concerned that he might have compromised the backbore for the sake of a stronger shank tip, which seems like otherwise a delicate spot on a wood mouthpiece. But as noted above, the price isn't so high that a person couldn't take a gamble on something interesting. There is some reason to imagine that it could sound different, inasmuch as rim surface can conceivably interact with lips at some dynamic level.

[meadsie]

I have one of those said mouthpieces from a certain Auction site.

It is a beautifully crafted item, I saw them and thought it must be worth a punt!

The one I had made is very similar in sizes to a Denis Wick 4/ 5. The top register absolutely sings with this mouthpiece - the low register forget it!

Joking aside, it is a lovely mouthpiece to play on. No there aren't any splinters, it just feels very comfortable and you can play it for a very very long time without getting tired.
The photos aren't to scale at all - it is in fact perfectly proportioned.
So.. how does it feel on the lips? Well, it is surprisingly comfortable, no "hardness" or coldness to it - fits and feels very good If I am honest. I prefer the feel to metal. It does take some getting used to and also having the smell of wood right underneath your nose!

Sound wise - It certainly isn't a dark sounding mouthpiece. It is a very warm sound, with no harshness or edge to it. It is a thinner sound to what I am used to though. Normal artillery is a 24AW, I have to admit I struggle with the very top register, always have done - but with this I can fly upto top Bb's no problem - Le Corsiare overture and Bydlo are no longer a problem The middle register is also much easier to play, no effort at all but as you start to go below the stave things get a bit tricky, no depth to the sound if I'm honest. I'm an orchestral player who can really belt out the low register on an Eb and a BBb, I struggle with this though.

Would I buy another one? If he did bigger sizes , yes. I would be tempted.

The easiest way to describe the sound is this..

Metal mouthpiece = Black Coffee.
Wood Mouthpiece = cappuccino with lashings of cream.

I know some of you may think these are novelty items and cant be taken seriously, That was me till it arrived and I started to play it. The jokes then stopped.
It is a very good mouthpiece that delivers a very warm and delightful soloing sound. I wouldn't use it for normal orchestral playing, but pieces that demand extreme high register then yes I will be using it. For solo work it is ideal.

Richard

[roweenie]

I think I would be more concerned by the lack of specific design information.

Well, yes, that's sure what counts. I'd be mainly concerned that he might have compromised the backbore for the sake of a stronger shank tip, which seems like otherwise a delicate spot on a wood mouthpiece.

Maybe this could be remedied by building the mouthpiece with a metal shank, and the wooden cup could screw into it. There was a smoking pipe, called a "Falcon", that used this principle...





Just an idea....

[Donn]

That rings a bell, maybe we've just been over that idea here before. Simplest thing would probably be to buy a shank from Elliott or someone, drill and tap, and then put it together with some kind of cement with enough elasticity to maintain a seal when the wood swells.

[pecktime]

I have one of these coming to me in the mail. I talked to the seller and found him quite knowledgeable about tuba mouthpieces.
Mine will be a helleberg as that is what I'm used to.
I will report back when it arrives.

[imperialbari]

I have one of these coming to me in the mail. I talked to the seller and found him quite knowledgeable about tuba mouthpieces.
Mine will be a helleberg as that is what I'm used to.
I will report back when it arrives.

Is the rim of that Helleberg type mouthpiece flat with a well defined inner edge?

Is it possible to order wide cup diameters?

Klaus

[pecktime]

I've had my Jeu wooden mouthpiece for 6 months now. If I had to choose one word to describe it, that word would be "wooly". My normal mouthpiece is a stainless steel Kellyberg and the Jeu MP is a Helleberg copy.
I find the bottom register tough to get on the wooden piece. The feel and response reminds me of playing a saxophone with a hard rubber mouthpiece- you can push into it without fatigue.
It's definitely quieter and mellower, i like using it for practicing as slurs and tonguing is more diffuse.
I played it once on my weekly trad jazz gig. It worked alright but when I switched to the Kellyberg After the first set i felt like i could really lay a foundation under the band.
Definitely an addictive mp though. looks great on a tuba too!

[iiipopes]

Forgive me, but with the perishable nature of wood, even hard wood impregnated with beeswax, at that price, I'll stick to my conventional mouthpieces, and for the "velvety" tone, I'll pull out my Kelly 18 with a 'glass souzy.