blokepiece arrived

[imperialbari]

Fetched my blokepiece on the post office today (rainy and cold, not my prescription for a stellar day).

Despite made by Houser, it is not built like a house. The immediate visual impression of the cup made me think of the Bach 12C trombone mouthpiece scaled up and with a short cylindrical portion near the rim, which is necessacy on bassbone and tuba mouthpieces, where the lips will buzz rather far into the cup in the lower range.

I tried it first on a tuba for which it was not specifically made: the 1870 Besson Eb with its small receiver and its very long cylindrical bore of about 0.635". I like the sound of that tuba, but I haven’t so far found a mouthpiece that will allow flexibility, range, and dynamic bandwith. Søren made that tuba sound very well through a Conn Helleberg with a turned down stem.

The unmodified blokepiece will sit tightly and with no wiggling in that small receiver. I got the feel of being in command of that tuba more than with other mouthpieces, especially the DW4 & 5, yet it didn’t crack up like with the DW1, which obviously is too big. The general picture was to my liking, but there are notes that I will have to work on. Bottom of the staff G is fine in attacked form, but it may be dull when entered in legato. That very likely is about the finer details of my technique having to adapt.

Next tuba was the one for which the blokepiece really was bought: the 1923 Boosey 3+1 compensator in F for which the PT-50, the Conn Helleberg, and the Mike Finn 3H were to large and the DW4 was too restricting. The blokepiece certainly brings out that bouncing response, which I also like in the YEP-641 and in the Besson 981. It doesn’t restrict my playing, and its wider cup diameter helps intonation. If anything it appeared slightly on the big side for pianissimo high range playing, but again I have to adapt myself. And that general co-spirituality between mouthpiece and instrument will make further work worthwhile.

I also tried the blokepiece on the 981. Very playable, but the sound became too shallow. The Boosey F and the 981 have the same bore, yet the 981 is a very much larger tuba better served by the MF3H. The blokepiece also was tried on my 1970 Besson New Standard BBb 3+1 compensator. Not the real thing for very low playing, but funnily enough it sounded like being good for playing marches. Very exact attacks.

Klaus

[bububassboner]

Very cool.
A question, can one still buy this from houser? I thought it was a one run thing but maybe it's not.

[imperialbari]

Very cool.
A question, can one still buy this from houser? I thought it was a one run thing but maybe it's not.

My understanding is that bloke himself is the only retailer. He doesn’t stock them. You are put on a waiting list. When that list is long enough to warrant an economical run (which takes a certain minimum number), you are asked if you still are in. I wasn’t asked to pay before the piece was ready for shipping, but then I am a regular customer with bloke. Yet I only bought from the second production run because bloke doesn’t really advertise this piece.

Klaus

[imperialbari]

Klaus, have you tried sticking this in your G baritone/euphonium yet?

I haven’t and I hardly will unless I get very bored some day.

For a period last fall I played one of my bassbones, the old Sovereign, through the DW5. It gave some benefits in the low range, but It didn’t fit with my general perception of the modern 2 valve Bb bass trombone. I am a brass generalist rather than a specialist, but even I have to limit myself.

My Bb bassbones, the 641, and my Eser Kaiserbariton in C are played through the Yeo signature from Yamaha.

The Kanstul .547" baritone, B&H Imperial G&D bassbone, the Kühl & Hoyer circular Eb bass valve trombone, the Cerveny Bb Kaiserbariton, and a few more are played through the DW SM2M.

I have by now the remedies for trying my ideas about making a fake cimbasso by combining the valve section of a tuba with a baritone branch and bell via a 3/4" hose. The first run was with the bell resting on the floor (thick carpet). Kind of worked, but no killer effect. I have some mike stands, and the set-up likely would project better, if I mounted the bell on a boom. The blokepiece might prove itself right for these upcoming experiments.

Klaus

[tubatom91]

I bought one and recieved it a couple days ago and have been playing it in band/orchestra for a few days now. I am pretty happy with it, although I'm strictly a Contrabass tuba player and I don't own any bass tubas (F in particular). I am eager to somday try it on an F and see what it's like. I am quite fond of the way this mouthpiece plays, I will however admit that it will not be my primary mouthpiece anytime soon. It's quite able to take on most challenges but for alot of the playing I do I like somthing a bit larger and bowl shaped (PT-88[+]). I am really not able to make a final judgment about it as I have been sick with Bronchitis for the past week and that did quite a number on my lungs (everytime you go for an adequate breath ya gotta stop and cough, ).

[Uncle Buck]

Love the engraving!

[imperialbari]

I bought one and recieved it a couple days ago and have been playing it in band/orchestra for a few days now. I am pretty happy with it, although I'm strictly a Contrabass tuba player and I don't own any bass tubas (F in particular). I am eager to somday try it on an F and see what it's like. I am quite fond of the way this mouthpiece plays, I will however admit that it will not be my primary mouthpiece anytime soon. It's quite able to take on most challenges but for alot of the playing I do I like somthing a bit larger and bowl shaped (PT-88[+]). I am really not able to make a final judgment about it as I have been sick with Bronchitis for the past week and that did quite a number on my lungs (everytime you go for an adequate breath ya gotta stop and cough, ).

I see no conflicts between your views and mine. Our smallest BBb instruments are close, only mine has one more valve. As I have read the writings on the blokepiece so far, it has not been promoted as a contrabass tuba mouthpiece, even if its cup diameter is up in the league with some contrabass mouthpieces.

As hinted in my original post I got the feeling when trying the blokepiece version 1 on my B&H Imperial BBb, that this was the thing which would make me survive, if I had to be the motor of a long session of playing marches. I have tried pushing a band forward on my York Master with its larger bore through a PT-50. That was hard work.

Klaus

[tubatom91]

On my CC I prefer the bigger bowl mouthpieces, and my 21J. I actually really enjoyed playing my little 1270 with this mouthpiece. It really opened the little horn up. (The thing does have a slightly bent/choked leadpipe to combat already). My Besson just seems to like any mouthpiece I plug in to it (I've really gotta get a "normal" sized receiver put on it!)

[imperialbari]

If somebody claims to sell all-round tuba mouthpieces fitting all sizes of tubas, I am guaranteed to stay away.

In trombones I like Denis Wick’s line. I use the smallest ones for my alto bones and the 4BS for my King 2B+. I also have used the DW 7C for the 3 of these, but I tend to want more diversity in sound these days. My large tenor is a Jupiter which is very good and reliable, but it was not remarkable with the DW4AL, which was good on the large Sovereign, that I sadly had to sell while marriage spoiled my economy. Søren gave me a Conn Remington. I had no special expectations to that piece, but it gave a bite, which really brought that trombone to be alive. It is marginally smaller than the DW4AL, but there is not much visual difference. And the best DW bassbone/euph mouthpiece happens to be the Yeo signature made by Yamaha.

Ideally we want a fat BBb sound in marches, but what makes that kind of music move is a very clear attack. Hence the not so likely observation, that the debated bass tuba mouthpiece works for marching type music on a medium large BBb.

As I interpret Pachy, the blokepiece adds some high overtones to the “bland” YFB-621. Slighly OT and only based on intuition from liking some Yamaha instruments more than others: Have you tried to mess with the alignment of the rotor in the leadpipe. One, technically maybe close to perfect, alignment may dim certain interesting formants, whereas a very slightly skewed alignment might add colour to the sound.

Klaus