Isn't a Kelly 18 closer to a Bach 12 than a Bach 18?

[cjk]

Off topic: Anyone have a link to info on the Kelly 50? I've never heard of it, and no mention of it on the Kelly site.

It is (was?) a copy of a PT-50. I do not know if is a regular production piece. If you search tubenet for "KT50", you'll get a few hits, one or two from Mr. Kelly himself.

[TubaBobH]

I bought a Bach 12 a few months ago and FINALLY have had a chance to use it in a contrabass tuba (rotary Mirafone, I THINK it's a 187). Works fine for me, and I generally love my 18.

A Bach 18 is also one of my favorite mouthpieces, and I was toying with the idea of trying a 12, thinking that it might perhaps have all of the characteristic of an 18 that I like, while maybe adding a little more heft in the lower register due to it's larger inner diameter. Since my King is a relatively small bore tuba, I am thinking that a Bach 7 might be overkill for me. How would you compare playing a Bach 12 to a Bach 18?

[SplatterTone]

The biggest difference is that the rim on the 12 is a little fatter and a little flatter than the 18. It plays entirely different than the 18. I like the 12, and I like Bloke's characterization of it as a good glove box mouthpiece. I think the Kelly 18 is like a Bach 12 rim applied to an 18 size.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

The biggest difference is that the rim on the 12 is a little fatter and a little flatter than the 18.

The rim on my Bach 12 is noticeably thinner than the rim on my Bach 18.

Well, for crying out loud, which is it?

Is the rim on the 12 "fatter" or "thinner" that the rim of the 18?

[Dan Schultz]

Off topic: Anyone have a link to info on the Kelly 50? I've never heard of it, and no mention of it on the Kelly site.

As some posters have already mentioned... the KT-50 is/was a Lexan copy of the PT-50. A few of them were made off of a prototype mold and sold for $50 each.... quite a bit more money that the other Kelly mouthpieces. Apparently there wasn't much interest in the MP so a production injection tool was not built. I don't have a clue how many were actually made. I think Jim Kelly used to be a TubeNet sponsor. Maybe he'll chime in here. A friend of mine who owns an Internet music business gave me this one in return for some repair work I did for him a while back.

I use mine A LOT. It's a good MP for me. Of course... I thought the LAST MP I had before this one was the best, too!