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I'm looking to find some kind of intelligent compromise in a mouthpiece for my Holton Monster E-flat. Right now I am covering high tuba parts on a Perantucci PT-62 and doing oom-pah stuff on a Holton copy of a Bach 7.

What I wish I could do is get the control, precision, and velvety clarity of the PT-62, yet still be able to belt out privileged A-flat and lower tones with the ease of the Holton 7.

Back when I bought the PT-62, I tried about fifteen PT models at Custom Music with the guidance of their consultant Jeff and the 62 was about the only thing there that didn't make my Holton wallowy or woofy sounding. So I don't think I'll be paying them another visit.

Looking at mouthpiece charts, I see Marcinkiewicz has a range of large-diameter cup models with modest throat openings (a la the PT-62). I think something like the W2 could be a nice do-it-all solution.

The bore of the Holton measures out at .671"

Any suggestions?

The monster Eb"s are sometime picky on mouthpieces. My Martin does well with the Sellmansberger Impertial (rim to fit your face).

Eb Giant Bass is out on loan, but when I was playing it, it seemed to get along pretty well with larger throated mouthpieces like a Conn 7B for example. The dimensions don't necessarily tell the tale, though, it isn't like this is a recommendation for larger throats per se - there are other factors like rim contour and backbore that have to add up. I just think that C4 type mouthpiece with the widish cup and small throat bore is unusual for a reason, it isn't optimal for most people.

Donn, you mentioned a factor I neglected--the backbore. Mouthpiece charts are full of measurements for cup width and throat size along with a description of cup shape and depth, but often there's nothing said about the backbore.

I have a roundish mouth with thick lips and need a little something to push against to keep an even buzz going. MPs with broad, flat rims along with some built-in resistance seem to be the best solution.

If only Warburton made its interchangeable cup and backbore system available for tuba, I think I'd find a solution there.

Curiously, my sousaphone isn't fussy at all about mouthpieces. It plays well with nearly everything I've tried on it. A Holton 12 that I've been using for decades seems just perfect.

Well mpcs are very personal since everyone has a different embouchure. But I have found the following mpcs to work pretty well for me as "all-around mpcs" on my Holton Monster Eb tubas (one 5-valver, two 4-valvers):

- Bach/Faxx 18, Kelly 18 (slightly larger cup than Bach 18), PT-68, Marc. N3, and King 7B. The King 7B is a funnel mpc and the Marc. N3 seems to be a funnel-bowl hybrid mpc. The other mpcs are more bowl-shaped on the inside.

The Bach 7 mpc you mentioned (Benge 7 in my case) is a very large bowl mpc with a wide diameter. I honestly find that mpc really only good for low-register playing or if I want a big fat overtone-y sound.

I agree with Donn on the C4 mpc. The rim is fat (maybe too wide) and comfy, but the backbore is so damn small it feels like a peashooter. There is so much resistance on that mpc that I found it hard to center pitches, so I drilled out the backbore a bit. I hardly use that mpc.


Keep in mind that bowl mpcs tend to give a rounder sound with more overtones. Funnel mpcs tend to darken and narrow the sound. And they all vary, greatly.

toobagrowl wrote:But I have found the following mpcs to work pretty well for me as "all-around mpcs" on my Holton Monster Eb tubas (one 5-valver, two 4-valvers)

Now we're going to have to see a picture of them!