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Wooden mouthpiece

Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 3:04 pm
by Brown Mule
Any one ever made or tried using a "wooden Mouthpiece"?

Re: Wooden mouthpiece

Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 3:12 pm
by tclements
I played one once, a Helleberg copy. It TASTED awful - YUCK!!! The attacks were weak and the sound was unfocused. Maybe with a harder wood, it'd work better. This was a red wood; mahogany or redwood.

Re: Wooden mouthpiece

Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 7:43 pm
by normrowe
They can be just like a metal mouthpiece: some are great, some are awful, and the rest are somewhere in between. And what's awful for you might be great for someone else. As for the taste, that could possibly vary as well. I've never tried one, but I've seen some awesome photos of them.

Re: Wooden mouthpiece

Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 11:00 pm
by Tubachin
I purchased one at TubaChristmas a few years back, it plays reasonably well on my old Helicon. I use it exclusively for cold outdoor events (TubaChristmas in Maine) because the wooden mouthpiece doesn't feel cold and won't stick to my face...

Re: Wooden mouthpiece

Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:03 am
by Carroll
I own a Benterfa large trombone mouthpiece in ebony. The mouthpiece plays ok, but it is not the right size for me. I typically use a Shilke 59 or a Loud 25. As for the taste... it is really more of a whole face experience. I find it un-enjoyable, but I do not like reeds either. On the positive side - it is very light and does not get cold!

Re: Wooden mouthpiece

Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:53 am
by Dan Schultz
The two Alp Horns our German club purchased a few years back came with wooden mouthpieces. They work fine in this particular application. Making a tuba mouthpiece from wood has been on my 'list' for some time. My plan is to use the shank from one of the old DEG Astro-Cup mouthpieces and just make the bowl. Maybe some day....

Re: Wooden mouthpiece

Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 12:54 pm
by Kevin Hendrick
Here's an earlier thread with a couple of pictures of my rosewood 'piece -- scroll down to the last post:

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

:tuba:

Re: Wooden mouthpiece

Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 8:36 pm
by opus37
I made a buzzer to hold the mouthpiece when buzzing out of walnut. It works great. I will have to try a mouthpiece just to see if I can do it. I would think coating it with wipe on polyurethane would be a good choice because most other finished would have a problem with moisture. Rosewood is a dense wood and thus a good choice. Ebony would be very expensive. There is something called diamond wood which is a laminate. That might work good and be very colorful...... Maple might be good too.