parke ofenloch tuba mouthpiece

[jon112780]

What other mpc's could you compare this to? I've only played on one, years ago and the player who's was playing it on his PT6 sounded awesome...

From what I can gather, they are pretty scarce... Aren't made any more?

[imperialbari]

Below here the best visual reference that I could find for the size of an Ofenloch. Ofenlöcher aren't that common any more.

Klaus

[imperialbari]

So do we just call him Mr. Brick-Oven?

Nice, Klaus!

Peoples’ official names often have funny origins. Elephant is obvious. Bernstein is amber. Ofen is oven. Loch is a long lake in Scotch, but a hole in German. The LEO dictionary proved me right in Ofenloch being oven mouth, which I found well fitting for telling the size of a large mouthpiece.

The only illustration of an Ofenloch I could find happened to come from the German humorous poem Max und Moritz, which in turn inspired The Katzenjammer Kids, which then again ended up as Knold og Tot in Danish. The funny thing is that I was raised in Germany, and went directly for my grandfather’s pile of the popular magazine, which publicized this cartoon whenever I visited him in Copenhagen.

The family name of Ofenloch probably can be traced to a family mastering the skill of laying the bricks, or even granite stones, so that the oven mouth wouldn't collapse. When my other grandfather built a new residency on his farm in 1915, he had such oven installed.

The combination of my own middle and last names say: the blacksmith’s farm on the hill. Which in the old days could be a very sensible name to carry. Today my permutation of names is unique. Only three persons are named Smedegaard Bjerre, and I am the only of these with the first name of

Klaus

(To save grumpies from posting: Pfft)

[bydloman]

The Parke/Ofenloch mouthpiece is available at mouthpiecerentals.com
Some of the professionals using the Parke/Ofenloch mouthpiece are Steve Domrowski (Colorado Symphony), Mark Tetreault (Toronto Symphony), Michael Moore (Atlanta Symphony), and Andy Miller (Alabama Symphony). For whatever it's worth, I use the mouthpiece exclusively on my 2165.

Gary Ofenloch
Utah Symphony Orchestra
Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra

[bydloman]

OOPS! Sorry for the typo! It's Steve Dombrowski. Sorry Steve!

Gary Ofenloch

[imperialbari]

The Parke/Ofenloch mouthpiece is available at mouthpiecerentals.com
Some of the professionals using the Parke/Ofenloch mouthpiece are Steve Domrowski (Colorado Symphony), Mark Tetreault (Toronto Symphony), Michael Moore (Atlanta Symphony), and Andy Miller (Alabama Symphony). For whatever it's worth, I use the mouthpiece exclusively on my 2165.

Gary Ofenloch
Utah Symphony Orchestra
Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra

Thank you for the reference to mouthpiecerentals.com, which holds information on pricing, but tells absolutely nothing about dimensions, types of rim or cup, or anything else one would want to know before shelling out an amount the double of other valid tuba mouthpieces.

The rental game is nice, but why enter it blindfolded?

Googling your mouthpiece gives references to this discussion forum, but I found no references to a site combining buying options with precise information.

And no, I am not just doing a stunt in consumer politics. I am hunting mouthpieces for my large tubas where large as well as small receivers are represented (fitting Denis Wick’s L and non-L stems respectively). Presently I play these tubas through two PT-50’s, which after backbore modifications suit me very well. Only I don't like the wide and very round rim with its lack of an inner edge. I want a mouthpiece with a cup diameter of no less than 33.5mm

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

[Cowgo]

I use my BA Ofenloch on my Conn 34J BAT. Sounds great. I tried several other MP's with it, Wick, Geib, Helleberg, a couple different Miraphone MP's, and didn't get a consistent result on any. The Ofenloch finds the sweet spot every time.

The MP is very thick walled and hefty. Put it in a sock and I could do some serious damage out in the prison rec yard.

[imperialbari]

I don't have exact dimensions for you but I did own one for a few years. I think it is a 33.5 mm rim and very deep. The rim is flat and wide with a very sharp inner edge. I was trying a few mouthpieces from GW and it was very much like the Bayamo to me as far as feel and size. The rim of the ofenloch was unique and there was really nothing else like it that I have ever tried.

Aside from the rim being wide, the dimensions sound interesting. Do you know of photos of this mouthpiece?

Not that mouthpieces are easy to make relevant photos of. The profile tells about the weight distibution but not much more. Photos of the cup often are spoiled by reflections. But a few photos taken almost parallel with the plane of the rim have shown the nature of the inner edge.

Does this mouthpiece also come with a stem fitting the small receiver of a 1970 Besson new standard BBb?

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

[MartyNeilan]

I used a P-O mouthpiece on my MW2145 for about two years. I found that it was the absolute best mouthpiece for that particular horn, after trying many (including the intimitable Warburton-Neilan). I insisted on selling the mouthpiece with the horn, as it was the "right" combination.
The ONLY thing I did not like about it was that the OUTER rim seemed a little too wide and too sharp for my face. Not nearly as wide as the first generation G&W A/B mouthpieces, though. I was quite happy with the inner rim.
The mouthpeice seemed to be a good balance of size in all other dimensions and I believe that had more of an impact on its positive playing characteristics than its "medium heavyweight" design. Blew well loud and soft, high and low. I used it for small, medium, and large ensemble playing and on one performance of a movement from "Kansas CIty Dances."
The one I had was a standard shank model. If I had a large shank one, I wouldn't mind giving it a blow on my big Kalison, I am sure it would work well. Right now the mighty W-N mouthpiece seems to be an excellent match for that horn - getting a big, dark, but still lively sound. The W-N proved just a little too much for the MW2145 and produced a more "dead" sound than the P/O. Unfortunately, "lively" is not a characteristic I would use to describe the large piston MW2145's.

[marktuba]

I am so satisfied with the Parke Ofenloch mouthpiece on my Hirsbrunner HB-2P, that I have absolutely no interest in even trying another mouthpiece. It is that good.

Mark Tetreault
Principal Tuba- Toronto Symphony

[imperialbari]

Several mouthpiece makers have been ableto set up web pages with the standard dimensions for their various models. I am fully aware, that the numbers only tell a very little part of playing properties of a mouthpiece, but then especially the inner diameter of the cup is extremely important for me to know about. If it is below 33mm there are slim chances that I will get the low range dynamics of my liking on a contrabass tuba. I also prefer such large mouthpiece on my largest bass tuba. The cup shall be deep, the backbore shall be open/barrel-shaped, the inner edge shall be sharp, the rim shall be sharp, and preferably there shall be a variant for the old type British narrow receiver.

I respect the laudations by all these fine professional players with more talent and better equipment than mine, but I would very much like to see this mouthpiece model documented in photos, in a table of dimensions, and in a description by its maker. This is basic marketing in this field of business, and I shouldn’t have to get it privately.

The option of renting the mouthpiece is not of my liking. If I buy an item on basis of a reliable description, I usually stand by my buying.

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

[Toobist]

I am so satisfied with the Parke Ofenloch mouthpiece on my Hirsbrunner HB-2P, that I have absolutely no interest in even trying another mouthpiece. It is that good.

Mark Tetreault
Principal Tuba- Toronto Symphony

Yeah, I bought mine from this guy above and I can't find a better match for my 4/4 Nirschl. My main orchestral mouthpiece was a SHII and I switched when Mark - who isn't one to talk too much gear - told me to come over and try the thing out. I should have seen it coming! He just wanted me to buy his silver-plated one so he could switch up to the gold plate!

Thanks Mark!

[RRW]

****

[Chen]

The L has larger shank than non-L. the non-L fits the Miraphone better, and the L fits the 2165 and the like better. I haven't seen the L but the non-L fit the Hirsbrunner CC I used to have just fine. L may fit better, I don't know. I have used this mouthpiece before (on and off for like a year), and if you play mostly in the mid and low range, this is a good mouthpiece (for your CC/BBb, obviously). Big, warm, addictive sound. It's huge though, may not be for everyone (for example, me).

[joh_tuba]

Could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure 'L' just means large shank.

I have one. It's in the same family as your typical helleberg design. Funnel shape, sharp rim.

Not my go to mouthpiece but works well for big horns that need 'tamed'.