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Just prodding the hive mind for this one, what are some of the biggest (rim and cup size) mouthpieces that have been made over the years?

I try my best not to worry too much about equipment, I just find it interesting to learn about different instruments and mouthpieces. I have a Dillon H3 mouthpiece which is huge compared to even my RT 50+.

I remember seeing some interesting mouthpieces made by a Spanish maker but I can't for the life of me remember.

Also, while on the subject, what do my fellow 5/4 / 6/4 York style tubists play on? (I have a Kanstul 5490 that I use the Dillon H3 and RT 50+ and I have a MF3B on the way...)

Bruno Tilz has 35.0 mm mouthpieces on their list. I've seen one that I measured at 38 mm, but I don't remember where; I got the size using a tape measure. Lee Stofer spent years playing on a monstrous mouthpiece I used to call The Birdbath; I believe he said it was a Czech copy of a Tilz design. Of course, he sounded great on it.

The Spanish maker is Romera, and you may be thinking of the Culbertson model. That actually has a huge disk of metal, which makes it look excessively large, but I think the actual dimensions of the mouthpiece aren't quite so excessive. Theres a player here who owns several of these, maybe he can post about them.

Personally, I find even the PT88 to be huge, at 33.5mm... but it works for a lot of people.

GC wrote:Bruno Tilz has 35.0 mm mouthpieces on their list. I've seen one that I measured at 38 mm, but I don't remember where; I got the size using a tape measure. Lee Stofer spent years playing on a monstrous mouthpiece I used to call The Birdbath; I believe he said it was a Czech copy of a Tilz design. Of course, he sounded great on it.

Wow, 38 mm does sound gigantic

bort wrote:The Spanish maker is Romera, and you may be thinking of the Culbertson model. That actually has a huge disk of metal, which makes it look excessively large, but I think the actual dimensions of the mouthpiece aren't quite so excessive. Theres a player here who owns several of these, maybe he can post about them.

Personally, I find even the PT88 to be huge, at 33.5mm... but it works for a lot of people.

I've used at PT/RT 88 and the rim felt wide, but the actual cup seemed really shallow to me. That's why I originally went for a 50 over the 88. And Romera does sound right, they have a really unique appearance.

The Dr. Fred Young mouthpiece that Reynolds made is the size and shape of the funnel I use to put oil in my car. Inner diameter is 33.5mm, but the overall length is a whopping 4.9", there is no cup per se. It is pretty much just a deep funnel, and has the same feel as blowing in a gallon bucket.

A few years ago I was given a Monette Prana (94 I think). I don't have the specs on it but it seems MUCH bigger than a PT88.

I'm not into equipment much either but it's just wonderful with a Fafner. And the gold plating patches the Fafner exactly (it's a gold colored lacquer tuba). Super cool.

Monette is big and heavy on the outside, but inside it's pretty normal. I like the Monette 98 a lot, I've owned a few of them... But the gold plating just turns me off every time.

I was told our local orchestral pro uses a pt 86 on his 6/4 Nirschl. I own one too, was using it on a compensated Bb tuba.

When I was 16 I was fortunate to go on a school music tour to Germany. I was playing a Besson 983 and saw a music shop. This was pre internet, I asked the German shop for a bigger mouthpiece, maybe something got lost in translation but they sold me a Bruno Tilz T5. 35mm with a large shank. In hindsight it probably made me really flat and totally unsuited to the Besson. Occasionally used it on a Pt6 I later owned - low register was awesome. I later bought a T34 (34mm). The t series isn’t excessively deep and they have quite a small throat.

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