What Was Your FIRST Horn/Mouthpiece Combo?

[Three Valves]

We were the first class enrolled at our brand new middle school and it was chock full of new stuff. (1973)

I didn't know the make of the sousaphone or mouthpiece then, I didn't care!!

Upon reflection they seemed to be King fiberglass sousaphones, in a Wenger chair and a Bach 24AW.

This lasted until High School. (77-80) There I had a Conn 20J (We called her Betty) for concert band. I preferred the funnel shaped Conn#2 mouthpiece to the Bach 18s we had. That was what we got. It never occurred to me to buy my own mouthpiece or tuba. We did get two shiny new concert tubas. I don't know their make but they had thin metal and made a tinny sound that I didn't like.

I was really into band. I took up the upright bass along with tuba in 5th grade, but stopped after 9th grade. The orchestra didn't travel or do half time shows!!

[opus37]

When I was upgraded to tuba, I played a 38K with a Conn 2 mouthpiece. A year later, they purchased a Meil Weston 25 which had a bach 18 mouthpiece. When I purchased my first horn, I used a herco small shank on a 1912 Martin Eb. The herco was about the size of a Denis Wick 3.

[adsteve]

EDIT: I didn't read the thread! My first horn I ever played was an old E flat tuba my grade school owned. For the life of me I don't remember what brand it was, but I know it was small and silver. I had a Bach 24AW that I paired with it. After a few months, the school bought a little 3/4 Yamaha, 3 valve, front piston, BB-flat tuba.

My first horn I OWNED was a Yamaha YCB 661 piggy horn with the left handed 5th valve. If I'm not mistaken, I bought a PT-88 and that was what I used the entire time I used the horn. Great little horn and I wish I hadn't "upgraded." I was convinced to go to a PT-20 rotary horn. Immediate buyers remorse.

[Tubajug]

My first horn was a school-owned instrument and mouthpiece. It was just a little 3-valve something or other. I have no idea what the mouthpiece was.

In high school I bought a Conn Helleberg because someone told me they were good mouthpieces. I used that one all through high school in marching and concert band. In high school I discovered a 5-valve Miraphone 186 BBb in the back room and convinced my director to let me use it.

During my first year or two of college I had bought a second Helleberg (gold plated this time!) and used my original as my marching band/spare mouthpiece. I used that gold plated Helleberg on the school Kalison DS, and then on the tuba I purchased for myself: a Mirafone 186 CC with 4 valves.

I still have both those Hellebergs, but have gone through several horns since.

[Bnich93]

The first horn that my elementary school handed me was an older Yamaha YBB105 and whatever mouthpiece was in the case.

In high school I happened to be there when they got a brand new round of silver King 2341s which we used Helleberg style mouthpieces(maybe conn, don't remember).

Marching band we were equipped with a fleet of silver king sousaphones. Summers of bleeding shoulder made me quite jealous of schools with fiberglass horns.

[Sousaswag]

YBB 103/ Helleberg

[bort]

I think it was an Olds 99... but what I remember most was that the 1st valve stem had snapped off some time in the past, and there were no funds for repairs... so I had to hold the valve stem in place in order to play it. Kind of a miracle that I stuck with it. I guess it was either that, or the trombone with a major dent/hangup around 4th position (or the one with the same thing at 1st position). What a wreck.

Shortly after I knew I liked playing tuba, I bought a Bach Megatone 18 -- the description sounded pretty good to me, it was for all around playing, and I liked "sonorous" (whatever that meant! ). I used that mouthpiece through college and for a few years beyond. It's no longer my favorite, but it's still "home" for me.

[Billy M.]

Silver Yamaha 201 3 valve BBb tuba with a Vincent Bach 18 mouthpiece.

The school was brand new and we were the first to use the instruments and the mouthpiece recommendations were either Bach 18 or Yamaha 67C4.

Mom and dad decided to get the Bach 18.

[Bill B]

My first tuba in 7th grade was a large Martin 3 valve rotary BBb that I used a Conn "EZ Tone" mouthpiece on. After that, it was a Conn 20J with a Conn 2 mouthpiece. When I purchased my first tuba in high school, it was a Miraphone 186 BBb that came with a C4 mouthpiece.

[sousaphone68]

Started playing age 12 on a BH 3 valve Imperial Eb. I think it came with a Kosi Cup I bought my own mouthpiece a Denis Wick 5 not long afterwards.

[KingBassTrombone]

The first time I played tuba was as a senior in high school, filling in the bass role in pep band for one game.

That horn/mouthpiece combo was a King 2350 sousaphone with a Conn "S" Eb tuba mouthpiece, shank wrapped in duct tape to fit. It worked better than one may think.

[Ace]

Cuesnon Eb with Schilke 60 bass trombone mouthpiece.

Ace

[MaryAnn]

I really have no idea....I took the music ed brass class in college, and had a three upright valve "baritone" with whatever mouthpiece they gave me. I didn't get more serious about euph until 25 years later.

[humBell]

The group what put up my infantile tubaistic flounderings at ripe old age of 35 has a Miraphone (184?) with 4 rotary valves and a yamaha 67c4 that i used prinarily for the first yearish. They also had a ybb-321 with both a Conn 2 and a Bach 18. Occasionally for one reason or other i would play the Yamaha with the Conn and think "so much easier to get notes!" I don't care to admit how long it took me to finally try the Conn 2 with the Miraphone and realize it was the mouthpiece that was easy to sound, not the tuba.

First owned? I got me a craigslist Hüttl sousaphone sans neck. A local repair shop sifted through a nbin of sousaphone parts and came up with an Olds neck and worked it to fit. I was grateful enough to purchase a Bach 18 from them as well. The misleading question is which cast more: sousaphone? or neck and mouthpiece? The answer being the tax was the difference...

So much easier to answer the first pair than what i use now, as i kinda waffle around a whole bunch...

[Three Valves]

I could tell that was 1978 just by the hair!!

[tubapix]

First horn in middle school was a school owned BBb sousaphone (I think it was a Conn) with a Conn 2 mouthpiece. Not the right mouthpiece but I still have it. My next horn was a Reynolds BBb sousaphone (new in mid 70's) same mouthpiece. High school band director bought me a 24AW and I played that on the Reynolds and the Conn 20J's that we had. When the silver plate wore off I bought a Bach 18 and that really opened up the horns. The first horn I personally owned was an old Besson Bell-front 3 valve compensator I bought for $300 and used the Bach 18. This horn ended up at a local middle school where it was promptly run over by a truck. The next horn I purchased was a new Yamaha YBB641 for $3095. Purchased it in '88 or '89 and I still use it today with a Miraphone Rose Orchestra mouthpiece.

[tmmcas1]

Yamaha 103 BBb tuba with a Yamaha 66 mouthpiece. I switched to a Rudy Muck mouthpiece about 6 months later.

[GC]

A horribly abused school-owned Miraphone 186 recording bell horn with a Bach 18. Some idiots decided to polish the lacquered horn with Brasso a year or two before I started band. What was left of the lacquer had turned green and loosened from the brass on most of the horn; that is, what had not already flaked off.

[The Big Ben]

Okay, I just found a small section of our full band photo from 1978 (about 150 kids) and I am the goober in the Red Circle of Death, DOC in hand, thinking I am cool. I am pretty sure these are not 3+1 but simply 3 banger compensators. I really liked them a lot when I was in college. However, for some reason none of the tuba players in that band did well as tuba players. However, four of the trumpeters in that photo detail were Texas All-State tuba players in later years, and two of us play for a living now. Go figure.

You look good with a trumpet in your hands!

Me? King 1140 and Helleberg. I decided I wanted to play the tuba after playing trumpet and french horn for many, many years so I bought something cheap, had some repairs done and played.

[TubaGuy304]

I had whatever my school could provide. A Jupiter JTU700, and an old Yamaha mouthpiece, model number worn out from abuse.