Recommended Mouthpieces

[Chen]

I'm looking for a mouthpiece to play on a 3J. I use a PT-48 on my BBb, but would like to use something different for the Conn. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

I have no experience with the 3J so cannot share tell you anything about the choice of mouthpiece for this tuba from my experience. But I think it'd be more helpful if you tell us about what you want from a new mouthpiece, and what the PT-48 is not doing for you on the 3J.

[adam0408]

The overblowing feeling you are getting could be a result of the smaller horn, or a combination of a small throat? (I am really foggy on the correct mouthpiece terminology) on the mouthpiece and a smaller horn. It may be that your PT 48 is a one trick pony for you that works fine on your Bb but is totally unsuitable for your smaller horn.

What you need to do is not get a different horn if you really like the conn. You would probably serve your interests better by trying out a bunch of different mouthpieces to find what works for YOU. And don't worry, you wont have to find the right mouthpiece, put it in your horn and play and you will know. It will find you.

All that sounds very Kung-Fu, eastern sort of karma stuff, but thats kind of how it happened for me.

[Gorilla Tuba]

I sure do miss my 3J. I only tried a handful of mouthpieces on my 3J, but did find a few that worked well for me. I often use a PT48 on my bigger CC tuba, so it is likely that we may have similar mouthpiece needs.

With my 3j I used a Yamaha 67C4 for light playing in Quintet. For a darker sound I used a Mirafone TU29. Although I am not comfortable playing them, I did get a really nice sound on the 3J with a standard Conn Helleburg. I suspect that a Mike Finn 3 would really mellow that 3J out and make it so blatting would almost never happen. I tried the PT48 on my 3J and found that I sounded too blatty and raw.

For what its worth, I often prescribe Mike Finn mouthpieces to tame smaller tubas such as 3/4 horns and Mirafone 185-186 sized horns.

[mTaUrBkA]

I was looking for a suggestion from anyoen here really about mouthpieces. To be hoeset, I don't know much about what different sized throats and cups do. On my BBb Mirafone 186 I have used 3 mouthpieces. A Conn-Heleburg, which I absolutely don't like at all. I generally use the mouthpiece that came with my horn. It's a Miraphone TU29. I love it for low and mid range and my tone is best on this mouthpiece. I can also produce more volume with it when needed. I have also used a Bach 24AW which I liek for mid and high range, but not low range. With the 24AW my tone isn't as great as with the TU29, unless it's in the higher range. Does anyone have any suggestions on mouthpieces I shoudl try? Maybe something in the middle of the two?

[mTaUrBkA]

If anyone had any advice...it would be greatly appreciated!

[Chen]

If it's possible, I suggest that you try Bach 18, 12, and 7, (as a starting point) to find out which direction you should go.

[mTaUrBkA]

thank you very much!

[Lee Stofer]

There is a lot of good to be said for the Conn Helleberg mouthpiece, which is generally an excellent choice for a Conn tuba. I would suggest trying the helleberg, even if you don't particularly like it, for at least a month. I have had a teacher in the past that had me use a couple of mouthpieces that I initially did not like at all, but I learned a lot as I learned how to play them. One of those mouthpieces will never be a favorite of mine, but I now have the experience of knowing what that mouthpiece will and won't do, and the other of those two is a must-have in my collection now.
If the Helleberg's sharp rim is the main issue, the Kelly lexan version has a softer, more rounded rim, more like the really old Hellebergs, and the fact that it is not metallic means that it will not get a metallic ring at high volumes, therefore it will play loudly without the sound breaking up. Another recent favorite of mine is the CKB 18, put out by Conn-Selmer-LeBlanc. I initially expected it to be a re-badged Bach 18, but it is a different animal, actually made in Germany, that slightly resembles a Wick mouthpiece on the outside, has a quite comfortable rim, and is just deep- and large enough to render an exquisite sound.

[mTaUrBkA]

Maybe I will try the helleburg out......I haven't used it recently. My playign was much different when i used to use it.