Bobo TT thoughts?

[Chen]

Hello everyone,
Does anyone have any experience with the Bobo TT (tenor tuba)? I know it's got a tuba rim and the rest of it is supposed to be a large-shank euphonium mouthpiece. Does this mouthpiece work well on euphoniums? I believe Arnold Jacobs called the euphonium the "piccolo tuba," I guess in the same sense as a Bb trumpet and a Bb piccolo trumpet. Can I safely assume this is an appropriate comparison? I mean, at least some trumpet players do keep the same rim on their piccolo trumpet mouthpiece with smaller/tighter underpart, and sound very good. So, theoretically, the concept should apply to tuba and euphonium as well, your thoughts? I mean, I understand that the purpose is for tuba players to keep using a tuba rim while playing euphonium, and if the cup/throat/backbore are tightened enough so the cup volumne becomes the same or close to the same as that of a euphonium mouthpiece, shouldn't it work well? Of course, it should be taken into account that the proprotion (rim:cup:throat:shank, etc) aren't the same anymore as well. So the sound may well be very different. Share your thoughts on this topic please!

Have a nice day!
Chen

[imperialbari]

I would love to be able to give a relevant reply, but I have ordered this mouthpiece 2, 3, or 4 years ago. It hasn’t arrived yet, even if I have had several other items arriving from the same Copenhagen dealership within the same period.

It took me 2 days to get my Yamaha Yeo Signature in 1998, so the Bobo TT does not appear to be an item, into which Yamaha wants to invest much interest.

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

[Chuck(G)]

I've had one for a couple of years and strongly advise you to make sure that your instrument has a tuning slide that can be pushed in far enough to compensate for this large (for a euphonium) mouthpiece.

(My euphonium is a Willson 2975)

That being said, I don't like it much. The sound that comes out to my ear is neither fish nor fowl--it's not a tuba sound, more like a euphonium with all the "sparkle" removed. Sort of what you might get if you played a tenor trombone with a tuba mouthpiece.

I've pretty much consigned the thing to the "curiosities" pile.

[king2ba]

like a euphonium with all the "sparkle" removed

This has to be the best description of this mouthpiece I've heard. I've tried many times to explain this mouthpiece to others and I can never seem to come up with the right words. This is perfect!

[tbn.al]

For Chuck. I've been looking for someone with a 2975. I just lucked into an old Marzan which I believe is very close to a 2975. The valve section appears to maybe have originated on a F tuba. It is rather outsized for the rest of the horn. My valve springs are also very stout making the action sort of clunky. Is this usual and if so is there a fix. The horn sounds wonderful. I'll put up with the valves if I have to.

[Chuck(G)]

For Chuck. I've been looking for someone with a 2975. I just lucked into an old Marzan which I believe is very close to a 2975. The valve section appears to maybe have originated on a F tuba. It is rather outsized for the rest of the horn. My valve springs are also very stout making the action sort of clunky. Is this usual and if so is there a fix. The horn sounds wonderful. I'll put up with the valves if I have to.

Sounds like the valve section is a graft. The 2975 uses a 4-piston front-action compensating valve block. The valves on mine are very good--no clunk and the valve springs would be about equivalent to normal universal "baritone" springs.

All slides with the exception of the 4th, but including the main should be on top.

[quinterbourne]

I know a guy, a good fellow, who was asked to switch from tuba to euphonium for a big wind ensemble concert. He had a very large Willson front action 4 valve compensator euph and used a big "tuba-esque" mouthpiece along with it. He kept telling (borderline bragging) that he was playing "tenor tuba" and not euphonium.

He sounded like a high tuba (perhaps define this sound as a tenor tuba) but all the parts said "euphonium" on the top left of the page, not tenor tuba. As Chuck(G) mentioned, there was no "sparkle." The sound was extremely dark and had no color in it.

The regular euphonium player, who happened to be at the concert, was not impressed with the performance, and I have a hunch the music director felt the same. I doubt he'll be asked to do it again... which is too bad because he really enjoyed it.

What my point is... when you play euphonium you need to think "euphonium." Almost everything you do (air, articulation, oral cavity shape, etc) will need to be different on euphonium so you sound like a euphonium, and not like a tuba. If you use a mouthpiece that reminds you of your tuba mouthpiece, you may start to use tuba technique on the euph.

The exception is if you plan on actually playing "tenor tuba" music, where you are not expected to sound like a euphonium. You know, if you are preparing for Mars, Bydlo, etc.

Just my opinion.

[Steve Oberheu]

I own a Bobo TT mouthpiece. It's basically made for a tuba player that wants a more familiar, more comfortable rim than a real euph mouthpiece. It's geared to the tubist who only breaks out the euph maybe once in a while (I'm in that group....it's been 3 years since my last time playing euph).

If you're only doing occasional euph playing, it's a good piece. I agree it doesn't deliver a typical characteristic sound on a euphonium, but it's enough to get by for situational playing. If you're going to be playing euph regularly, probably just better off getting a proper euph piece.

At least, that's how I see it.

[iiipopes]

I believe the Bobo TT mouthpiece may be summed up as follows: a singular mouthpiece, for a singular musician, for a singular purpose, with superlative execution in its context, and only in its context.

[joshwirt]

Ok, I'll bite....

I'll admit, even though I own the original prototypes of the Bobo TT and I have played Roger's Alex tenor tuba with his final version, I have not played the Yamaha production model of the Bobo TT.

That being said, using a tuba mouthpiece on a euphonium/tenor tuba can be a bit tricky. I've used a smaller Bach tuba mouthpiece on a vintage Besson and it worked great on short notice. When I got the prototype TT's, I found them to work pretty well on my MW451, but they sound a bit 'tubby' to my ears. I've found that these mouthpieces seem to make the middle and high registers fairly easy for a tuba player, but going there's a huge gap in stability around F to D below the staff.

Having played euphonium and bass trombone for almost as long as tuba, I made the decision to ditch the TT idea and go with a REAL euphonium mouthpiece. For me, the Mead SM2 was the way to go on my 451. I get an even response, faster attacks, better pitch top to bottom and the horn just sings!

I think if I didn't already play euph/bass bone as much as tuba, I'd probably consider the Bobo TT a lifesaver for someone who only touches the euphonium a few times a year.

-Josh

[TonyZ]

Some folks have no problem switching. If you haven't heard the Boston Brass, you should check out hornist J.D. Shaw. At the end of the show, he picks up a trumpet and blows as the third of a trumpet trio on a screaming "Caravan" rendition. To top it off, he goes back to the horn for the encore. He says that the horn embouchure and the trumpet embouchure are exclusive, one residing inside the other, and they don't affect each other. Crazy stuff, but you must hear it. Myself, I need a consistency of rim for effective playing. When I did the Lion King touring show, I used a small tuba mouthpiece in my bass trombone. No problems with pitch (that's all ear, right?) and no problem switching. I have also done the same with euph. with no ill effects. Tone production and quality are ear driven, not equipment driven!

[iiipopes]

Yeah, but to be able to make the really small adjustments perfectly with a slide, instead of having to lip them for the most part on valved instruments, is a definite difference that the horn does, not the person, even if the piston instrument has pretty wide slots.