Dreaming, I know, but WTB 3/4 Rudy CC

[Kevin Hendrick]

I may get into trying Doug Elliot mouthpieces... I have one now that a friend lent me to try on my F tuba. It does work noticibly better than my PT 64. It has the N cup (?), which I need. If I could find a deeper cup that is also not wider, I might try it on the CC. I have a 7B which I used for a while on both the CC and the F, and while it got me a deeper sound I didn't seem to have the chop strength to use it. (remember that what for you is a mouthpiece, is for me a teacup on my face. No corners are visble; I am essentially free buzzing into the cup, since there is no "support" from it. It sits on my face bones, not my lips.)

Just looked at Doug Elliott's website -- these are the available cup depths:

TU G - shallow, for euphonium doubling with a tuba rim ... it works!
TU J - medium-shallow, good size for cimbasso with a tuba rim
TU L - medium, for solo or quintet, quick response, easy high range
TU N - medium, good solo or quintet mouthpiece for any size tuba
TU P - medium-deep, all-around mouthpiece
TU R - deep, Helleberg style, excellent on all 4/4 and 5/4 tubas
TU T - very deep, Helleberg style, huge centered sound on large tubas.

(so your "teacup" could actually be a "T cup", if that one works for you)

Hope this helps!

[IkeH]

[quote="tubacdk"]I traded my Piggy to Ike Harris as partial payment for my 3/4 RM. The RM is a more powerful, darker horn than the pig. It has a clearer core to the sound and can play a lot louder without breaking up.

[quote]
Since my name was brought up, I thought I would chime in. I had the same horn Chuck mentioned above and now have his old Piggy(as well as former owner of a 188, 184, among others). I have a different take on the differences on the two very same horns. I thought the Piggy was darker, but in a less complex way. The Rudy projects like a cannon and has a nice blend of overtones to give a rich, more complex tone. I had very few problems playing in tune with this horn and it doesn't have the problematic top-line Ab attack as a lot of German style horns have. I got it after going through various Miraphones, looking for something in-between the 186 and 185 but a darker tone(pungent, as Fletch says).

The leadpipe was a little low, so I had Lee Stofer raise it for me, as well as some other mods. The problem is, once you do that and sit in a fluffy chair that raises the horn up, you may have the worse problem of it being to high.

At this point, for me, the Piggy is just fine. Fat, lightweight, and a nice easy playing allrounder.

Ike

[tubacdk]

I thought the Piggy was darker, but in a less complex way. The Rudy projects like a cannon and has a nice blend of overtones to give a rich, more complex tone.

The leadpipe was a little low, so I had Lee Stofer raise it for me, as well as some other mods.

At this point, for me, the Piggy is just fine. Fat, lightweight, and a nice easy playing allrounder.

ya, that piggy is a great horn for a lot of things. I still miss how light it was for playing stand up gigs. You're making me double check my memory of how the piggy played, and I think I'm comparing the piggy's tone with the Self mouthpiece to the RM with the much larger Dillon G3. I think using the same mouthpiece on the two horns, you're right about the piggy being darker.

Also, it's interesting that even though you raised the leadpipe on the RM, it still fits me fine sitting on my lap. I really wonder how different the leadpipe heights might be on different RMs, considering others earlier in the thread had said they were rather tall.

-ck

[Chen]

If the Rudy CC you played was Doug's Rudy CC, it is actually the 3/4 (model 43), not a 4/4 (model 45). The discussion becomes moot if that's the case because Rudy doesn't make a smaller CC than the 43.

[Allen]

I don't know if it is clear here, but we should take note that Rudy Meinl sizes are about 1/4 different from other makers. Their 3/4 is equivalent to most makers' 4/4, and their 5/4 is certainly what most people call a 6/4 tuba. [Of course, there is the Rudy 6/4 for the giants among us...]

Another tuba that perhaps should be on your dance card is the Meinl Weston model 32 CC. It is the same size as the Rudy 3/4 CC, and some (including me) think it has a great tone. It's certainly worth a try.

Allen Walker

[Lew]

...

Regarding leadpipe height, I always had to sit my Rudy on a paperback novel which was placed on the chair so the leadpipe would reach me. These days, we have tuba stands. I bought one, and anyone who doesn't use one ought to have their head examined. There is NO mid and lower body tension, no upper back and arm tension. The less tension, the better. The stand does the work, and the arms simply balance the horn. Put it at any height you wish. The MA's and Schlepps of the world finally have a solution to height issues. A stand is a small investment with a great reward. Buy one.

...

I have a K&M tuba stand, and owned a DEG and I have to disagree with the absolute nature of your statement. I have never been as comfortable using a stand as just having the tuba on my lap. In fact I find more back tension created by using a stand because I can't hold the horn as close to my chest.

I use the stand for my King Bill Bell model tuba because the thing weighs a ton and is too much for my lap, but I am more tired after playing using the stand than when I had it on my lap, my thighs are just not as sore. To each their own.