TubeNet

http://cgi.ebay.de/Holzmundstuck-Tuba-/ ... 500wt_1156" target="_blank

"Not available in the United States" -- well, foo. Nice-looking 'piece, though. More information "wood" be useful: kind of wood, rim shape, "standard dimensions" (cup I.D., cup depth, throat I.D., shank size). Not a bad price!

Being a lot better wood turner than tuba player, I'm going to make a go at this just for a lark. I've been poking around my wood for extremely dense woods. I'm going to try pear and greenheart for a start. (Been shoving that greenheart around for twenty or more years; it's an offcut from the keel of a replica of one of Columbus's ships that was built in Virginia a couple of decades ago.)

I do wonder though, whether this can be anything more than a novelty. I doubt it. It seems to me that if serious mouthpieces made of wood were desirable, they'd be a lot more widely available.

talleyrand wrote:I do wonder though, whether this can be anything more than a novelty. I doubt it. It seems to me that if serious mouthpieces made of wood were desirable, they'd be a lot more widely available.

They were more popular B.L. ("before Lexan") as outdoor (esp. winter) mouthpieces. I've had mine for over 8 years (it's made of rosewood), and it has held up well with an annual re-oiling inside and out. Used it Saturday night for one movement of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet ('Frère Laurence') -- worked well. Just one more (useful) tool in the toolbox ...

Cool. How fragile is the shank? That's my biggest worry. Are the shank walls thicker than a metal mouthpiece?

talleyrand wrote:Cool. How fragile is the shank? That's my biggest worry. Are the shank walls thicker than a metal mouthpiece?

Not noticeably -- the outside dimensions are the same, and I would think the inner ones are similar as well. The shank is the "worry point" for me -- I'm careful to not put a lot of 'side pressure' on the cup when I'm playing, and take it out of the horn when I'm not (so it doesn't get bumped). It may be a needless worry -- never tested one to destruction -- but why take the chance?


EDIT: here's a link to an old post with a couple of pictures of mine:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=24234&p=207316&hili ... ce#p207316

The picture is fuzzy, but this is my first effort.

I chose to do the first one in maple, because it's hard, dense, and inexpensive (compared to the other species I was thinking about).

The shank is too short. Otherwise not bad. It's a deep bowl shape. Sounds surprisingly good!

talleyrand wrote:The picture is fuzzy, but this is my first effort.

I chose to do the first one in maple, because it's hard, dense, and inexpensive (compared to the other species I was thinking about).

The shank is too short. Otherwise not bad. It's a deep bowl shape. Sounds surprisingly good!

SANY0222.JPG

Looks good too! I've wondered about maple -- seemed like it would work.

I've wanted one for a while...if anyone has one they wanted to sell I would be interested. Like you said, just another tool in the box.

Homerun wrote:I've wanted one for a while...if anyone has one they wanted to sell I would be interested. Like you said, just another tool in the box.

I'm satisfied enough with yesterday's initial effort to propose an experiment. If you'd like, let me know (PM or email?) what you'd prefer in terms of OD, ID, general shape of the rim ("flat" or "round") and cup shape ("bowl" or "funnel") and cup depth (to within 1/8" or so), and whether you'd prefer dark or light wood, and I'll see what I can come up with. Perhaps we could do it as shareware. If you don't like it, send it back to me, and I'll try again or not, as you wish. If you do like it, we'll agree on a price.

Just remember it's wood, and I'm holding the cutting tools in my hand, not on a gear-driven sled, so the dimensions can't be overly precise. They'll change with the humidity anyway. A good bit of precision is possible, especially in the very hard woods that are appropriate for this, but not like in metal.

In the words of Bugs Bunny, "this could be the start of a beauuuuuutiful friendship."

Has anyone done a ceramic MP yet?

What about a glass mouthpiece?

k001k47 wrote:What about a glass mouthpiece?

A guy on youtube has made a glass mouthpiece and trombone, it seems to sound really good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AXJRw6TH8" target="_blank

TubaTinker wrote:Has anyone done a ceramic MP yet?

Does sculpy count?

k001k47 wrote:What about a glass mouthpiece?

You wouldnt have to worry about an out of round shank cause if you drop it it would just break

TheHatTuba wrote:

k001k47 wrote:What about a glass mouthpiece?

You wouldnt have to worry about an out of round shank cause if you drop it it would just break

Pyrex (or other toughened glass) might help with that ...