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Hello All,

I bought a Jinbao 700 3+1 Compensating Eb tuba last year (Copy of a Besson 981) and I have recently had my sound compared to that of a Euphonium player. I feel that it is warm and mellow. This is fine for playing solos, but I use this instrument primarily for playing in an orchestra. Do you all have any suggestions of mouthpieces that would open up my sound? I am currently using a Laskey 28C. Comment or PM me. I look forward to any and all suggestions.

Jinbao 700
stcloudtuba

You could get a Laskey with a deeper cup. The C cup is very shallow. I would probably stay away from stainless steel, as those kind of mouthpieces tend to add more zip to the sound. You could also contact Doug Elliot (http://www.dougelliottmouthpieces.com/" target="_blank). He could definitely make a good recommendation for you.

Good luck,
Dan Bradley
Uranus

I have the Wessex version of this horn.

After much experimentation with a number of different mouthpieces I settled on the Wick 3XL and find that it really works the best (at least for me) on this horn. The Wick mouthpieces were pretty much made for these horns. You at least ought to try the Wick 3L, 2L, 3XL, and 2XL.

I prefer the XL rim contours and find that the 2 size is just too big for me on this instrument. It does give you a bit easier access to the very low compensating range, but in my experience the 3 size is just a better match overall, and especially if playing near or above the top of the (bass) staff. I confess that I'll put the 2XL in at times when I have to play some Wagnerian bottom-scraping stuff or otherwise live down in that range for most of a piece. However, it ain't a contrabass tuba, and I think the Wick 2 is more of a contrabass mouthpiece. But you can play everything you encounter on a 3, and it will sound good.

The Bach 24AW worked very well for me when I owned a JinBao 700(Schiller version). I own a JP 3 + 1 Compensating EEb now, and the Bach 24AW also works well for me on this tuba. However, the Bach 24AW doesn’t work well for some people due to their relatively small inner diameter and fat/wide rim. For some reason, it works for me so I haven’t “upgraded.” Another alternative is the Kelly 24AW. It worked very well for me when I tried it in my EEb and BBb tubas. The Kelly 24AW has a wider inner diameter(roughly 32 mm) and a narrower/thinner rim. Kelly makes the 24AW in lexan and stainless steel. Good luck on your search! The 3 + 1 Compensating EEb tubas are great multipurpose tubas once you figure the right mouthpiece combination and the right approach, particularly in the low register.

The PT24+ works well, but like a bach 24AW is quite small in inner diameter and has a very wide rim.

The PT84 is also nice.

For brassband use, I currently settled on a Tilz WH-B1, for the biggest sound.