Mouthpiece Manufacturers

[TubaCoopa]

Same question as my other topic, (should be below this one) but for mouthpieces.

[Tubaryan12]

Same question as my other topic, (should be below this one) but for mouthpieces.

Just so that this makes more sense, if the 2 post get so far apart you can't see the original:

*Often times reading posts here on tubenet, I become clueless, as I have no idea which companies makes consistently higher quality tuba mouthpieces, or not. If some of you old tuba vets could provide me with a buyers guide to tuba mouthpiece brands and some of their best models, it would be greatly appreciated.


* edited for clarity

[SplatterTone]

One company takes some brass, puts it in a CNC machine, silver plates it, charges about 50 bucks give or take. Another company takes some brass, puts it in a CNC machine, silver plates it, charges about 120 bucks give or take. Another company molds some plastic, charges about 30 bucks. In the end, it's a mouthpiece. It either works for you or it doesn't.

[The Jackson]

If you are worried about the actual quality of the product, I think most all of the "brand names" will deliver. Fewer things can go wrong in a mouthpiece than on a horn, so quality should not be your biggest concern.

It's not farfetch'd, though. There was a thread from not too long ago which had some people discussing inconsistencies in mouthpieces. You might want to check that out, but again, I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

[Rick Denney]

One company takes some brass, puts it in a CNC machine, silver plates it, charges about 50 bucks give or take. Another company takes some brass, puts it in a CNC machine, silver plates it, charges about 120 bucks give or take. Another company molds some plastic, charges about 30 bucks. In the end, it's a mouthpiece. It either works for you or it doesn't.

Yup. A mouthpiece's usefulness is defined by its shape, not by its craftsmanship. Craftsmanship comes into play when considering:

1. Plating durability, especially with gold-plated mouthpieces

2. Plating adhesion, though I've only heard and never experienced a mouthpiece whose plating is peeling off.

3. Consistency from one mouthpiece to the next. This is an issue when buying one sight-unseen and then comparing it to a trial model that you found to be perfect. It does not come into play when trying out mouthpieces--just get the one that works.

4. When the mouthpieces is made with an adjustable cup or with interchangeable parts.

In my experience: Gold plating on Conn mouthpieces is applied over the bare brass and consequently the mouthpiece becomes unusable when the gold plating wears through, which it will do quickly. I've never had another problem with a mouthpiece that I considered a construction quality issue.

Price is determined by what people will pay for the mouthpiece, and people will pay more for mouthpieces that work, or that they perceive will work based on some endorsement. Some mouthpieces must be sold at higher prices because of material costs or because they are made in small quantities, so that the seller can actually make a little money on them. But they must be good mouthpieces (i.e., their shape works) or nobody will buy them at that price. Most expensive mouthpieces are that way because the words engraved on them encourage people to buy them at a high price.

When you find a mouthpiece that really works (and you have sufficient experience to be able to ascertain that), buy it. If, after an appropriate trial (for me that requires at least three months), it doesn't work as well as you thought, sell it and go back to your previous mouthpiece, or keep it for another trial in the future. If you buy a mouthpiece that doesn't work as well, to "compromise" based on price, you'll end up buying the more expensive mouthpiece anyway.

If you don't have money or sufficient experience to know what you want in a mouthpiece, get a cheapie clone of a Bach 18 and a cheapie clone of a Conn Helleberg, and sell the one that you end up not using. By the time you've explored the potential of the one you kept, you'll know what you want and how to pay for it.

Rick "who measures quality only by what comes out of the bell" Denney