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In terms of entirely plastic mouthpieces (not just plastic rims), are there any options besides Kelly mouthpieces?

My son is increasingly interested in playing my tuba... (he will be 2 in a few weeks), and for both him and me, plastic seems like a very good idea.

Planning to buy him the smallest-size plastic tuba mouthpiece I can find.

Any other options?

FAXX but I've only seen one on line, never saw or played one in person.

Kelly used to sell there multi colors for 1/2 price, now they are just $10 less and it's getting more difficult to get them through retailers.

I got mine last time direct.

Wedge also has plastic versions of their mouthpieces. They're pretty expensive though especially in comparison to Kelly's.
http://www.wedgemouthpiecestore.com/pro ... -sg-pl.htm
Pete

Josef Klier shows them in their own catalogue, but never seen one retail. If you could arrange to get a JK T9C in Plexiglass, that would supposedly be a half millimeter smaller diameter than the Kelly 25 (but don't hold me accountable for that!)

library

Thanks everybody! The Wedge was the one I was thinking about, I remember that picture -- thank you!

timothy42b wrote:library

^ Zuh?

A lot of libraries now have a maker space with a 3D printer.

Create a file (use 123Design, or online TinkerCAD, or if you're computer literate OpenSCAD), print yourself a mouthpiece.

Whoa... I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the heads-up!

If you use an explicit drawing program like 123Design or TinkerCAD, you will get a file that outputs an exact shape and size. Or, check Thingiverse, there may actually be an existing file.

3D modeling programs also come as parametric programs, like OpenSCAD. For these you can set parameters once you have the basic design in. So you could print different sizes easily.

But not quickly. I haven't done it but would guess it takes 3 or 4 hours for a tuba mouthpiece to print.

You can also buy a 3D printer in the $300 to $500 range. They've come way down.

3d printing is cool, but the topic is a cheap mouthpiece for a two year old to play tuba.

edit: knowing the amount of spit and goobleness that kids put out I would recommend buying a cheap 2nd hand cornet for your kids use.

We were SO poor, my Daddy told me to go blow on an empty beer bottle we found on the beach.

bloke wrote:The surfaces are not particularly smooth, and the plastic used - typically - isn't particularly durable.

You can smooth the surface considerably by increasing the layer count. Of course that also increases the time. Or, sand it and polish it a bit.

If you're getting a freebie at the library, your plastic will be PLA. Durability depends on your specified density, which again affects processing time. But you can specify it as solid as you want. The default is going to be low, like 30%, which is fine for pokemon critters like most kids make at the library. Double that and you'd have a reasonably solid mouthpiece.

If you're paying for it at a commercial firm (any big city has multiple) you can choose any material you want. PLA, polycarbonate, reinforced nylon, even aluminum some places. I wouldn't do that with a prototype, but if I'd printed a few variations and come up with a design I liked, might be worth it. The big advantage of 3D is for experimenting and customizing without an investment in tools or machining skill.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I went for the easiest and cheapest solution, which was a Kelly. We'll see where that takes us!

timothy42b wrote:...which is fine for pokemon critters like most kids make at the library.

Is THAT what's going on in "libraries" these days??

I want my money back!!

As a final project for my sophomore engineering class I modeled my mouthpiece, to the best accuracy I could. It is a bach 24aw if anyone would like the file just pm me.

I'd be interested in hearing more about how you went about doing that.

I have played the Kelly, the Astro, and tried a couple of others. The Kelly are superior for tone.

However, the point is probably moot since bloke and others now have the lexan rims that can screw on a conventional mouthpiece cup. That is what I have done - see my signature.

That said, everybody should have a Kelly lexan as a spare, or a buzzer, or warmup mpc, just because they are so reasonable in price.