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What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 2:42 pm
by IsaacTuba
I myself personally use a Dennis Wick 2.5CC, one of the deepest ones they sell. For me, it gives strangely better accuracy and notes crack less often with soft air, and it gives my 4/4 tuba a 6/4 sound.

What about you guys?

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 3:17 pm
by tclements
I been using Mirafone Theinhert Models, orchestra (on CC tuba) & solo on F tubas.

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 3:17 pm
by Leland
Bought a G&W Bayamo in titanium about ten years ago and haven't even shopped for anything else since then. Switching from a Bach 18 to a Conn Helleberg was the first big jump in playability that I experienced, and every subsequent mouthpiece was a gradually smaller increment in approaching my idea of sound quality. Got to the Bayamo and that was plenty good enough for me.

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 4:23 pm
by dopey
I also bought a G&W over a decade ago and for better of worse just use them. Back then I got the mmvi for my BBb and never looked back. When I got an Eb I ordered their F model.

I recently started using the contrabass mouthpiece on my Eb since it just feels better. Not entirely sure if I'm doing myself a disservice, but at the same time considering what I want to play..have the low end pop more easily feels better than having the "F feel" on the Eb.

I have been thinking about reaching out to bloke for a recommendation, but wasn't sure if international shipping and me being me would deter him. My main reason be out of curiosity.

I think I just decided long ago that while a mouthpiece is important, I personally have plenty of things to improve on that a different mouthpiece won't change...I remember convincing myself that gold or SS was so much "better" but eventually recognized that "___" player could run circles around me on any mouthpiece.

Now a days, I'd like to buy a bloke piece to have and try. Not because I think it'll suddenly make me a professional.

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 4:41 pm
by KKORO
I started with a Bach 18. Didn't like it and gave it to a jr. hi. kid who needed one. Tried a 24aw and didnt like it either. Conn Helleberg was pretty good but wasnt quite the sound I was after. Went to Custom Tuba in SW MI and tried every moupiece they had. Their pt-36 and pt-50 were like night and day better for my chops. I have both now and can't make up my mind which to make my go-to piece. The 36 slots a bit better, but the 50 has more the sound I'm after.

Best advice is to try as many as you can. Everybody's chops are different.

KKORO

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 5:28 pm
by Chris Mayer
Just wanted to draw your attention to the page of Franz Windhager mouthpieces, were you could find some interesting summaries on mouthpieces. He studied Bass Trombone and is very very knowledgeable in finding the right mouthpiece for you AND your instrument.

https://www.whf-mouthpieces.at/kataloge ... F_Engl.PDF" target="_blank" target="_blank

Chops and instruments are different as well as playing abilities and characteristics and hence mouthpieces are highly individual in combination with your specific instrument. Combining all factors (flex, comfort, durability, core, sound, efficiency, pitch, low and high) in a mouthpiece can be quite frustrating as the desirable mouthpiece would work overall but finally could be „better“ in rim diameter, bore, cup depth etc. Various supplier cover a certain combination range of bore, depth, rim and cup shape, but i found a system were you could select the „right“ rim, diamter, cup shape, bore and backbore (and stay exactly with the same rim and diameter in changing instruments) very useful to fine tune and improve as it was offerd in the past (Giardinelli) or today (eg bloke pieces) It can be a little more expensive, ok who has only owned 1 mouthpiece during the last years, but with a professional guidance on focusing on the „right“ combinations, results in changing sound, response and pitch with the right chops / instrument interface can be quite surprising.

regards


Christoph

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 10:59 pm
by Donn
My mouthpiece is a Conn 1 replica. It isn't for everyone. Only for those who like the pure, deep sound of the contrabass tuba to come out in its full glory, undiluted by a mouthpiece with a bottom.

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 11:50 pm
by Donn
bloke wrote:bass-knob-all-the-way-up/treble-knob-all-the-way-down experience
You could be right about the Holton 52, I've never seen one. It doesn't sound at all like what I hear out of the Conn 1. You have to listen kind of close to even hear the difference, but in audio signal terms it sounds to me like less clipping.

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2019 2:16 am
by Donn
The external dimensions sound more like my King 26. If it matters, the Conn 1 would be milled from a 3.83" long rod of 1.96" diameter. The other parameters are similar as far as it goes, but that isn't very far. Just looking down the bores of my mouthpieces, they all look pretty much the same to me, but I have the impression there are significant differences even so. The Conn 1 funnel is deep, but that doesn't tell me how similar it is. Would it be weird if it turned out that these two mouthpieces turned out to be different, and that's why the effect you describe with the Holton 52 doesn't sound like what I get from the Conn 1? How does the Dr. Young match up to the description, is that the same too?

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2019 7:26 am
by oleirgens
IsaacTuba wrote:I myself personally use a Dennis Wick 2.5CC, one of the deepest ones they sell. For me, it gives strangely better accuracy and notes crack less often with soft air, and it gives my 4/4 tuba a 6/4 sound.

What about you guys?
Denis Wick 5386 AT4U (Aaron Tindall).

Designed for use in rotary valve CC tubas. It has a bowl-shaped Fred Geib-style cup. A good fit for my Rott (Cerveny) Cc horn.

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2019 8:14 am
by tubapix
I use a Rose Orchestra on my BBb and a Wick 3L in my Eb. They both produce a very grand sound on these instruments.

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2019 8:39 am
by adsteve
One that is comfortable and I don't have to think about.

My two favorite pieces I've owned are a Giddings and Webster Bayamo and now my Blokepiece. Both for the big horn.

For the small horn I'll use a bobo solo or the blokepiece if it isn't up in the stratosphere.

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2019 6:43 pm
by GC
Wick 3CC for ordinary brass band Eb parts on my antique Conn Monster Eb. I've gotten much better response from Helleberg-style cups on the old monsters than with bowl cups. I have a 2CC for concert band parts, but I've retired it and migrated back to a Kellyberg for parts that hang around in the basement. I'm probably going to sell the 2CC soon.

The 2.5CC is actually between the 1CC and 2CC in size.

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2019 8:07 pm
by Matt Walters
20 years ago I settled in on a great sounding mouthpiece that is very comfortable for me to play. I hope to master that mouthpiece in the next 20 years via my 20 minutes of practice each month. If I'm still playing 20 years from now, I'll think about a smaller tuba that works well with the mouthpiece I already like. You mouthpiece junkies are blowing the tuba from the wrong end.

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2019 10:32 pm
by Mark E. Chachich
I have played a Bach 7 since 1983. It does what I need it to do and I see no reason to change mouthpieces.

Mark

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2019 2:12 am
by Donn
You two are really missing out on one of life's pleasures. Live a little - get a Kellyberg or something!

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2019 5:34 pm
by toobagrowl
I have found over the years that I prefer bowl mpcs -- medium or shallow depth, medium-ish opening/width. The backbore varies, as does the rim. But I generally like a 'cushion' rim because the sharp rims hurt my lips after a while. In short, it depends on the tuba I'm playing. But I have a couple Yamaha mpcs that I use regularly, as well as a PT-68 (no longer made model) that I like a lot. The PT-68 is a great all-around bowl mpc that I can use on all my tubas -- it has a slightly brighter, yet more mellow & refined sound compared to the old standard Bach 18. In the recent Kaiser thread, I have found my old Schilke 69C4 with/drilled-out backbore to work well on my Kaiser BBb. The cushion rim is kinda wide, though.
I have other mpcs that I use every now-and-then.

So for me, medium & shallow bowl mpcs with a cushion rim and a decent-size diameter/opening give me the playability & sound I want :tuba:

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 10:42 am
by Three Valves
Bach 24AW~Sounds great, too small
Bach 12~Much improved overall
Conn 120S~Sounds great, rim too flat/sharp
Faxx HB~Same as above, improved rim
RT44~Felt great, sound was off
RT50~Feels good, sounds good, too big

Mouthpiece shopping is just part of the fun!!

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2019 8:13 pm
by sugawi
Recently I have been reminding myself that I have to many mouthpieces and not enough time spent playing. So I took a tuba lesson from the best teacher I could find locally. He helped me choose one of many I had for now and set up practice plan, checked my embouchure, breathing, etc. which was priceless. Those who like me who don’t play enough but have too many mouthpieces need a reminder of how things went across the world back in a day in the USSR.
Here is a rough translation (with help of google translate) of interesting events on how tubas were chosen and an amazing skill blind person had to design a mouthpiece by feeling face and lips of a musician. I have read that there were several custom mouthpiece makers but non of them were allowed to leave their names or initials due to strict government laws.
In 1957, 9 tubas from the Leningrad factory of musical instruments were sent to the All-Union Competition of Musical Instruments. The competition was held in the State Academic Bolshoi Theater of the USSR - "behind the screen". On all 9 tubas played V.Dosadin. They selected 3 tubas. After the contest, one of these tubas was acquired by Big Symphony Orchestra, the other by performer himself and another by Bolshoi Theater. V.Dosadin played on his tuba throughout his entire performing activity and was very pleased with it. * The mouthpiece, in which V.N.Dosadin played for 30 years, was made back in his student years by Moscow master Samsonov. This master was blind and was not a musician, but he had such an extraordinary talent that he could, feeling the face and lips of the performer, then carve (handmade?) the mouthpiece, which exactly matched the musician.
http://www.tuba.org.ru/kniga20.php

Re: What kind of mouthpieces do you guys prefer?

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 3:51 pm
by Tubaguyry
Is your Wick of the Heritage series?