What is the largest practical euphonium mouthpiece?

[Norlan Bewley]

I now use a Monette BT2L, which is like a Bach 1/2G. I keep thinking maybe it's too big, but it sure plays well. I was using a Bach 1/2G Megatone before I started using the Monette.

[joshwirt]

I've played Bobo's Alexander Tenor Tuba with his actual mouthpiece and it was great. I then bought the set of prototypes with a copy of the final product and couldn't use it at all on my MW 451......just not right.

I've doubled for a long time on bass bone and euph and my face is adjusted to the smaller mouthpiece. For me, I've finally settled on my Ferguson 'Jeff Reynolds L' mouthpiece for my Getzen 1052FDR bass bone and my 451 euph. It sounds great on both and the bass bone doesn't sound like a slide tuba! If I'm having to play a lot of high euph stuff, then maybe I'll plug in the SM2, but I find that the Reynolds responds well for me and how I blow the horn.

As a sidenote, a lot of people talk about how the Meinl euph's blow painfully sharp, but I've found that with the right mouthpiece and slowing the airstream on certain notes, you can make a most envious sound (that's in tune) with what I think is a fantastic instrument.

-Josh

[Chuck(G)]

My dream euphonium is one of those Getzen/Willson/Kurath/... front action NON-COMP euphoniums with a honking big mouthpiece.

I'm befuddled.

Why the non-comp one? I've got the 2975 and love it--the low end is plenty open.

[lgb&dtuba]

Maybe a big mouthpiece would be useful for pedal tones, but in the music I play an extended high range is a lot more of a requirement than pedal tones. I find the Shilke 51D to be way too large for that. It gave good low end but was too difficult (for me) in the upper register.

After trying quite a few mouthpieces, both large and small, I've found that the p.o.s. no-name or number mouthpiece that came with my p.o.s. Selman oval euph is actually the best match. After that, a Kelly 5G works almost as well. The Selman is a European shank horn, so using an adapter for small shank trombone mouthpieces may have been a factor in them not working as well. Or not.

On trombone I typically use a Jet Tone Urbie Green UG-S model. The trombone is a King 2B Urbie Green and that's the mouthpiece that was intended for that specific horn. If you were Urbie Green, that is

The point is, if you're going to do any amount of doubling there's really no substitute for putting in the hours and work on all your instruments so that your embouchure is conditioned properly such that you can use the best mouthpieces for the sound you want out of each or your horns.

Anything else is, at best, a crutch.

Think of it this way. If a Conn Helleburg is what sounds best on a given tuba, then you'd probably not advise a bass-bone player to find something closer to what he was used to playing instead of putting in the hours on the Helleburg to build up his embouchure. Not if he was serious about playing the tuba well.

Same argument against using a bass-bone mouthpiece in a euph. YMMV

[Chuck(G)]

I've never liked the idea of compensating instruments, even though the Miraphone played absolutely fantastic.

Also, I would think that the non-comp version (if I can find one!) would be hella cheaper than the comp.

Big "if". Neither is very common.

So, you'd pass up a Besson 983 Eb because it was a compensating instrument? Wouldn't it be better to judge an instrument on how it plays instead of what the plumbing does?

[Chuck(G)]

Chuck, by any chance have you tried your tenor tuba mouthpiece in a small old Eb?

Yup, but I like my Wick 3 better. I've also got a ridiculous old Revere tuba mouthpiece (reminds me of a Rudy Muck) that actually has a smaller cup than the Bobo TT. The cup on my old Johnson-Hoffman Eb mouthpiece is about the same size as the TT.