I bought this in October, and it has only left my house once. Maybe a few very small insertion marks on the shank, but otherwise it has been very lightly used. I *really* like this mouthpiece, it makes a very clear and colorful sound, especially in the middle and upper register. I was actually really surprised how much better I liked the sound I made with this mouthpiece than on the Tilz that I used before it.
The rim is very comfortable, not too wide, relatively flat, and a pretty sharp but not too sharp inner edge. The cup is not super deep, and the bore is modest. However, my tuba seems to do better with deeper cups and larger bores... so I bought a Thein RCC, and that has been a better match for me. I really like the RCMF, but I can only play one mouthpiece at a time, so... time to sell the other one.
Here are the specs. I'm not sure what mainstream mouthpiece this might be compared to, but please chime in if you know:
* Euro shank
* Inner diameter: 32.7 mm
* Outer diameter: 47.8 mm
* Bore: 8.0 mm
* Cup: medium-deep, bowl shaped
* Thein's description: orchestral, more pressure, good highs
I think it is a VERY well made and nice looking mouthpiece, and probably the best silver plating I've seen. There are also some cool hand-etched details on the shank/cup "joint." I will post a photo tomorrow.
Thein is a high-end company, their products are very high quality, and they are not cheap. They make their mouthpieces to order, and make them all by hand. They don't make many tuba mouthpieces either. But if you're like me and like rare and unique stuff that nobody else has... and will likely never own a Thein tuba, then it's still kind of cool to own something at least made by Thein.
Since I'm not in Germany, I avoided paying the 19% VAT, and I paid 265 Euro for this... plus PayPal, currency exchange, and shipping fees. In all, I think I paid about $325 for it. Prices went up in 2017, and the cost is now 292 Euro before all of the fees.
Priced to sell at $250 + shipping (worldwide, at cost).
Not interested in any trades.
Thanks!
