Tuba Fads that Acutally SUCK

[Tuba Guy]

The writing is on the other side...i could take a picture if you want...
BTW, were you serious about being able to send it back and they would replace it?

[iiipopes]

I keep a Kelly 18 for inclement weather. I find it is a good mouthpiece. Not a great mouthpiece, but a good mouthpiece. I can use it on all three instruments to good effect: the Besson 3-v comp, the 186 and the 38K. I find it blows very similarly to a "real" Bach 18, especially those made in the larger 1.28 cup diameter instead of the "spec" 1.26.

I have put a ring of golfer's lead tape around the throat to stabilize it at dynamic extremes.

What is not good about it? The lexan has a lower resonance, and can therefore selectively damp frequencies, so it is not as consistent or responsive from register to register as, say, the PT82 on the 38K.

So, the Kelly is not a fad that sucks, but rather is a specific purpose oriented mouthpiece. Everybody who gigs on a regular basis should have one as a spare, as they are so inexpensive.

OK, now back to the thread: tuba fads that actually suck. My vote would be for the tuba du jour fad, of which the PT-6, the Thor, and a couple of others recently have been, and which the Miraphone 1291 almost became. Granted, these are all great tubas. But no greater than the person playing them. I cannot justify any of these, from either a playing ability or a personal finances perspective, even used.

[ztuba]

http://kellymouthpieces.com/" target="_blank


Look at the bottom ... there is a picture that says "Lifetime Guarantee" Click that for instructions. Kelly Mouthpieces are much like Oakley Sunglasses and Zippo Lighters ... you just send them in .. no proof of purchase necessary. That is one way you know a company stands by their junk

[bort]

My vote would be for the tuba du jour fad, of which the PT-6, the Thor, and a couple of others recently have been, and which the Miraphone 1291 almost became.

If I'm remembering correctly, the 1291 was NOT all that expensive when it first came out. Now every new "tuba du jour" seems to be in the $8.5k+ range. (Blah, blah, blah, inflation, Euro/USD, cost of materials.. )

[TUBAD83]

http://kellymouthpieces.com/" target="_blank


Look at the bottom ... there is a picture that says "Lifetime Guarantee" Click that for instructions. Kelly Mouthpieces are much like Oakley Sunglasses and Zippo Lighters ... you just send them in .. no proof of purchase necessary. That is one way you know a company stands by their junk

I think I get it now...and hope this fad goes away quickly!

To iiipopes: Amen Brotha and Thank You!!

JJ

[lgb&dtuba]

Following all the posts about the Kelly lexan mouthpieces leads me to this conclusion. All mouthpieces are fads on some level.

Every time a new mouthpiece comes out there is a rush to be the first to try it and then either declare it crap or the ultimate mouthpiece. Over time different mouthpieces gain both fans and detractors.

But no one mouthpiece is really "better" than another. Just different. Every single mouthpiece has its pros and cons under different playing conditions and musical requirements. What's sounds good in an orchestra situation may not sound good in a quintet. Or Dixieland band. Or Oom-pah band. Or brass band. Each mouthpiece will sound a little different from player to player. We're all physiologically different.

The real question is, do you have any idea what characteristic sound you want to produce? Have you found a mouthpiece that you can use to produce that sound? On your particular horn? If you cannot get a particular type of sound from a given mouthpiece then that doesn't mean that there's a problem with the mouthpiece. You're just not getting the sound that's in your head, assuming there is one there, with that combination.

When you find a mouthpiece that you can get "the sound" on then stick with it and count yourself lucky that you didn't have to go through any more mouthpieces before you stumbled on that one. But you didn't just find the ultimate or best mouthpiece. You found the one that you could get your sound on.

When that happens it doesn't matter even a little bit if it was made of brass, stainless steel, or lexan.

All that said, if I'm freezing my *** off outside you better believe I'll use the lexan Kelly that comes the closest to my sound and be glad I have it.

[iiipopes]

Following all the posts about the Kelly lexan mouthpieces leads me to this conclusion. All mouthpieces are fads on some level....The real question is, do you have any idea what characteristic sound you want to produce?

And if you don't, have a heart-to-heart with someone like Matt Walters, Dave Fedderly, Roger Lewis, or Jeff Rideout, like I did, and who have all given me great advice, and saved me many hundreds of dollars on the ever-elusive mouthpiece safari.

Another fad that should die: the tuba and mouthpiece safari. Call one of the above guys and get it done with.

[TUBAD83]

- ANYTHING that Kelly makes (25/18/K'bg) is better than a mainland chrome plated Communist Chinese "18-24".

Well how about these over hyped, overpriced, overgrown behemoths from Europe sold here to people who tend to have "more money than common sense"??

JJ

[lgb&dtuba]

But no one mouthpiece is really "better" than another. Just different. Every single mouthpiece has its pros and cons under different playing conditions and musical requirements..

Your statement is a bit too broad:

- ANYTHING that Kelly makes (25/18/K'bg) is better than a mainland chrome plated Communist Chinese "18-24".

- There is no mouthpiece that is better than a glitter-gold ANYTHING.

I stand corrected.

[Chen]

Bobo sound.

[tubacrow]

Bobo sound.

Are you referring to Roger Bobo?

[averagejoe]

Bobo sound.

what's wrong with that?

I wish I could have his sound.
ps. Bobissimo is one of my favorite albums of all time

[Nick Pierce]

That does not have the Kelly "stepped" center section. Either it is a VERY early version or it is not a Kelly at all, but some other blue plastic mouthpiece. (Maybe a Tru-View? Though I have never seen one in blue, so that is just a guess.)

My KellyBERG does not have the "step." However, I believe a Kelly 18 I saw did.

Just a theory.

[Tuba Guy]

My solid red and blue, and my crystal blue (what the dog got to) don't have the step...my peaches and cream does...actually, i think it has a lot of steps, come to think of it...

[Tuba Guy]

aside from the teeth marks, they all feel the same

[windshieldbug]

[Kevin Hendrick]

I understood that the Kellybergs WITHOUT the ridges to be the current production.

... and definitely without the tooth marks!

[Mike Finn]

My solid red and blue, and my crystal blue (what the dog got to) don't have the step...my peaches and cream does...actually, i think it has a lot of steps, come to think of it...

That's odd, my red one (which my dog chewed) does have steps while my crystal green one doesn't.

[MikeS]

My solid red and blue, and my crystal blue (what the dog got to) don't have the step...my peaches and cream does...actually, i think it has a lot of steps, come to think of it...

That's odd, my red one (which my dog chewed) does have steps while my crystal green one doesn't.

Any of you band directors out there heard, "Sorry, I couldn't practice; my dog ate my mouthpiece?"

[TUBAD83]

My solid red and blue, and my crystal blue (what the dog got to) don't have the step...my peaches and cream does...actually, i think it has a lot of steps, come to think of it...

That's odd, my red one (which my dog chewed) does have steps while my crystal green one doesn't.

A question to the guys who own these mouthpieces: Do you use these for your serious concert work indoors?

JJ