Conn 56(55)J mouthpiece help for chamber music!

[Steve Inman]

Your playing situations mirror mine very closely -- quintet, church orchestra, brass choirs (a dozen or so folks), community band, occasional pit orchestra for community theaters. I have a collection of mouthpieces but I keep going back to the standard Conn Helleberg (the bigger one). The quintet seems to like its sound the best.

Roger Lewis suggested a C4 or equivalent. I tried a Schilke 69C4, and it did brighten up things, but the quintet still prefers the Helleberg.

I haven't tried smaller cup mpcs such as the 7B, but I have one (and also the slightly smaller Schilke Helleberg (~31.8mm)). I tend to use these with my Yamaha Eb for a lighter sound.

If you like a 7B-type or size mpc, but not the rim, you might try a Wick 2L. It has about the same inside diameter (32mm) but a little different rim profile.

For a little larger mpc, the Wick 1L is about half way between the Conn 7B Helleberg and the bigger Conn Helleberg (32.5mm diameter).

For a similar sized mpc to the larger Helleberg, but a little less deep, try the Bach 12. For a Bach in the next smaller size, try the Bach 18.

Also -- what playing characteristics improved when you removed the 5th valve from you 56J? I notice a few notes that seem a little less free-blowing than others. Did this change provide a more open feel? I'd hate to give up the 5,4 low F ....

Thanks,

[ken k]

I too have been experiencing some mouthpiece wonderlust lately and have been trying different pieces. I am not sure if I want to go smaller or larger, or what kind of sound I want to try to get. I would like to get two different sounds. One a bit more focused for the quintet work but a second with a bit more breadth for the occasional pops orchestra, I play in. FYI, I play a Boosey & Hawkes Imperial Eb, which is a fairly large Eb but in the overall world of tubadom it is a small 4/4 size. I started out on a Denis Wick 2 and then went to a 4 for many years which was very small. I loved the clarity of tone, but my low register sucked. So i started gong bigger. I put a larger leadpipe on the horn and then went with a 2L for awhile. Then I got one of the R&S heavyweights which really opened up the low register and broadened the tone but I felt it was too much for the quintet. I lost the edge I liked with the smaller pieces. Now I have been playing a SSH helleberg and i like it but I am not 100% sure yet.

Have you tried a regular Helleberg on your horn? This thin stainless steel helleberg is very responsive and it seems to have some nice overtones in the tone.

I also wonder if I should use a smaller mouthpiece when playing Eb tuba parts in the brass band. Since the BBbs are there for the broad sound, should the Ebs have a more compact sound? don't know. that may be a question for another thread on teh forum.

ken "afraid analysis is leading to paralysis" k

[iiipopes]

I can vouch for the "factory look" of the job and how much better the tuba sounds. Perfectly even tone all the way to the bottom.

Hey, it really is alright if you like the UMI 2 that came with the horn. If it works, use it!

Somewhere archived on the forum is the quote, I believe from Bill Bell, who, when asked what mouthpiece to use with a certain horn, said something along the lines of how about the one that came with it. So you're in good company.

PM me and let me know how everything is going, and remind me to bring my Schilke 67 to the next practice for you to try.

[Steve Inman]

BTW -- mpcs I have tried on my 56J include the standard Helleberg, Schilke 69C4, Bach 12, Bach 7 Megatone, Parke-Offenloch, and a Marcinkiewicz / Tuba Exchange Rose model LS. I may have tried my Wick 1L but I don't remember. I have another half dozen choices and I'll be happy to try the 7B. Part of the mpc equation is to be sure it matches your embouchure well enough -- neither too large nor too small. When I choose a smaller diameter mpc, it does seem to limit the fullness of the sound I get. I'm assuming I have "average size lips" and I have increased the size of the mpc I use over the years (not drastically) from a Bach 18 up to the Conn Helleberg. I use the Bach 7 Megatone for a larger church orchestra when I want a wee bit fuller sound, but I like the slightly more bowl shaped bottom, compared to say the Schilke Helleberg II, which is approximately the same cup diameter as the Bach 7, but more funnel shaped, iirc.

Of all the mpcs listed above, the Helleberg seems to be the easiest to play with good facility and the quintet likes the sound the best. They didn't cringe too badly at the 69C4 however, but it was easier for me to get good results with the Helleberg.

I'd be happy to try a few other mpcs as well and I'll let you know what I think.

Regards,

[glangfur]

As a doubler, I can't play the big tuba mouthpieces - anything much over 31.5 mm ID at the rim is too big for me and I start scooping into the pitch of ever note. So I did a hard target search when I bought my own horn (a 4-valve Conn 3J). I tried the Helleberg 7B, the Schilke Helleberg and 66, Yamaha 66, a Joseph Klier 7B, Bach 24AW and 25, and a couple of others.

What I settled on was the Floyd Cooley Helleberg. On the face it feels exactly like the Conn Helleberg 7B, but the pitch lines up better all over the horn, and the sound is rich, textured, and beautiful. It's small for many tuba players, but if you like pieces in that size range it's really fantastic.

One other mouthpiece I really liked but couldn't quite play was the Laskey 28H - and the 28F actually. The ID of the rim is just a bit too big for me, but for a dedicated tuba player I think it's also a great choice.

[tubatooter1940]

I rarely post on mouthpiece discussions. Everybody's face is shaped differently but I love to nag people into trying my equipment.
I pulled out my old Shilke 66 the other day after a year on my Kelly 24AW(playing Eb tuba). I thought, at first, the two mouthpieces were quite similar but now the Shilke cannot cut it.
Guess I grew a different embochere.

[Kyle Turner]

I played a special made Conn 54J in the NY Phil. for about 6 months, and when I played chamber music, I used a Yamaha 67C4. It works great with the Conn 52j, 54J, & 56J'S.

[MileMarkerZero]

I have 2 mpcs that I use on my 56j:

I have a Doug Elliot bucket that I play on for community band and other large ensemble work, as well as my normal practice routine.

When I need to lighten up for solo/chamber music or if there is a piece with extensive high-register demands I switch to a PT-34.

Both work very well on the Conn and the tuning is spot-on with both.