What mouthpiece are you using on your big Eb?

[Captain Sousie]

I really like the feel and the sound of my Helle 7B on my EEb for all-around playing. I haven't tried the others so I can't comment. I also have liked the feel of a Bach 36 (maybe a 38, I don't have it with me) for soloing on the eefer. It just comes down to what sound the I want at the time on my antique-y horn.

Sousie

[Rob Wilson]

I use a Mike Finn 3B for large ensembles and a Mike Finn 4 for solo work. Ninety percent of my practice is with a Mike Finn 2 because it is a happy medium and has a consistant tone quality for general work. I play a Willson 3400 EEb.

[ken k]

I have a Boosey & Hawkes Eb tuba comparable to a Besson 981.

I had used the Denis Wick 2L for a long time and then about a year ago I bought a R&S heavyweight Helleberg and it just opened up the horn unbelievably, especially the low register. I have been using the R&S for mostly all of my playing. If I want a smaller more compact and lighter sound I will go back to my DW 2L. I have used the smaller Denis Wicks over the years also, ei the 3L which has a big bowl similar to a Bach 24AW but with out the funky fat rim. I would like to try a 3SL which has a shallower cup for solo playing, but I just haven't had the opportuinty to get one yet.

ken k

[Jay Bertolet]

I use the Laskey 30F with my Willson. Works great.

I used to own a B&H 981 and that horn is similar in design to the MW2141. On that horn, a Conn Helleberg 7B worked great, though I had a bit of trouble squeezing my face into the thing. If you like the rim feel of the 7B, it might be an excellent choice for your new horn.

[The Impaler]

On my Besson 983, I've used a PT-63, a Mike Finn MF4, a Dillon PS3 and PS1, and now am pretty settled on my Dave Houser MJT E-C (with a B rim - don't really know what it means, I just like the feel). Yes, the stainless steel does feel noticeably different, and, better. On this piece, I'm able to get the smoothness and agility of the S3 while also getting the openness, big sound, and lower register quality of the S1. I think I'll be tooting on this one for awhile. Well worth the money.

[Dean E]

For you eefers out there: What are you guys using . . . .

DW1 for the York Eb 3 top valve Monster (ca 1914-17), but the original York MP does a very good job and is not as much work because it seems to slot better. However, the original MP does not help fill an auditorium in my community band situations the same way the DW1 does.

DW3 for the York Eb 3 front valve bellfront (ca 1927), but only because I had to shorten the shank to avoid interference with the receiver, and I don't want to cut any of my other DWs.

[Mark E. Chachich]

I use a Bragunier model made by Giardinelli (sp?) with my E flat for all of my E flat work. It is a shallow mouthpiece with a rim that is similar to a Bach 18. I use this mouthpiece because I like a sound that is different then my contrabass tuba sound. This mouthpiece / tuba combination gives me good response in all registers. My opinion is, use a smaller mouthpiece on the bass tuba then the contrabass.

good luck,
Mark

[UDELBR]

Bach Megatone 7 on my huge HN White.

[Dan Schultz]

Conn Helleberg 7B or Bach 18 on my King 'monster' Eb.

Rogo Bobo Solo on my Mirafone 183-4 Eb.

[Chuck(G)]

Used to be a Miraphone C3 on my Willson; then switched to a 7B, then an H2--am now using a plain old Conn Helleberg. Every once in awhile, I'll try out a different mouthpiece, listen hard and decide what I like or don't about the sound. I figger if I keep after it long enough, I'll wind up with a Bach 18.

[Philip Jensen]

On my 4/4 1930 Holton Eb I use the G&W Bora for all playing. I tried the Matanuska and the sound was too unfocused. I also tried the Churada and while it was bright and loud as all the dickens (which I liked), the mouthpiece is just too small for me.

Before that I had used an ME3 and a PT-72. I thought these two and the Bora all sounded relatively similar, but I find the Bora easily beats them in terms of playability. I was looking for a larger dia. mouthpiece to ease the switching back and forth with the huga Bayamo I use on my Bb horn.

[Kevin Miller]

Believe it or not, I use a Monette 94 on a Besson 981. I recently bought a VMI 3302 and bought the Monette for that horn only. After playing the Monette on the big horn, I found it difficult to go back to the Marcinkiewicz CH H2 on the Eb horn. I tried the Monette in the Eb and found it to work fantastically and have used it exclusively ever since.

[Lew]

I've been using the Denis Wick 3L that came with my Besson 983. I tried a MW2141 when I bought the Besson. They seem like very similarly sized horns, the main difference being the compensating valves on the Besson.

I have tried a number of different mouthpieces with this including a Helleberg 7B, Dillon PS2, regular Helleberg, and Mike Finn 3. I keep coming back to the Wick for some reason. The cup sizes of these mouthpieces don't seem that different, but the backbore on the Wick is larger and that seems to make the difference for me.

Denis Wick also has a 3XL that they claim is the "professional" version of this, but I haven't seen one and the specs that they report seem to be the same as the 3L. Either way, the DW mouthpieces are inexpensive enough to try one out.

[Jay Bertolet]

Boy they seem really different to me! One is a a 5 valve non-comp large bore and the other a 4 valve mid bore 3+1 compensator.

Ouch! They say memory is the first thing to go and mine must be showing that. I was thinking that the 2141 was the 3+1 Eb that MW used to make. I say "used to make" because I just went on their website and can't find any reference to it (a 3+1 compensating Eb) at all. Am I missing something? Maybe it wasn't MW at all but it was Miraphone that made the horn I'm remembering? So many models these days, it's hard for me to keep them all straight. Obviously, the 2141 bears no similarity to the Boosey 981 other than that they're both in Eb. Sorry for the mistake.

My advice to the original poster changes with this new (to me) information. The Laskey 30F or 30C, assuming that diameter fits your face, is a good choice for this kind of horn. They work great on my Willson which is similar in design but somewhat larger. The nice thing about the Laskey is that he makes them in different diameters so that you can find the size that fits you best.

A couple of posters have recommended mouthpieces that I would normally associate with contrabass tuba playing. While I'm sure these folks use those mouthpiece to great effect, I would encourage the original poster to not jump at a larger mouthpiece right away. One of the blessings of the Eb tubas I play is that they play so similarly to contrabass tubas in many ways. They even accept really large mouthpieces and work very well that way. But my experience has taught me that you lose something in the quality of the sound by using an overly large mouthpiece. Eb tubas are capable of playing very light, just like an F tuba. But you have to use a smaller mouthpiece to get that sound. Further, these horns are designed with a smaller mouthpiece in mind because they are bass tubas. Using a larger mouthpiece will often yield really unusual intonation. All that said, it's really nice to have a great Eb tuba that can sound like a variety of different horns just by switching the mouthpiece. As long as you find mouthpiece that yield workable intonation with each tyope of sound you're trying to achieve, it's all good.

[tubatooter1940]

Hi Doc,
I use a Shilke66 for my King E-flat recording bass.Thanks to Mary Ann I
ordered the same mouthpiece gold-plated.It's a bit small for some folks
but it gives me enough highs and the ability to quickly bottom the horn out.
Dennis Gray