Titanium mouthpieces

Ivan Giddings · Post by **Ivan Giddings** » Fri Nov 19, 2004 11:26 am

More great news!!!

Due to a great find on titanium, we now have our tuba mouthpieces available in titanium for $395 each. If you like the stainless steel mouthpieces you will love the titanium mouthpieces.

We have also added a new mouthpiece to our CC/BBb line of mouthpieces. There have been requests for a mouthpiece that would fill the gap between the Bayamo, and the Williwaw. The new mouthpiece "Taku" has the same rim diameter as the Williwaw but with a darker sound than the Williwaw.

Take care

Ivan

WoodSheddin · Post by **WoodSheddin** » Fri Nov 19, 2004 1:29 pm

Ivan Giddings wrote:Due to a great find on titanium, we now have our tuba mouthpieces available in titanium for $395 each. If you like the stainless steel mouthpieces you will love the titanium mouthpieces.

Any chance I could have you copy a mouthpiece in titanium for me? I admit it, I am after the coolness factor. Bling bling bling.

Leland · Post by **Leland** » Fri Nov 19, 2004 7:37 pm

Now do part titanium and part carbon fiber. They do mufflers like that these days.

W · Post by W » Sat Nov 20, 2004 12:56 pm

wnazzaro wrote:
TubeNet wrote:Any chance I could have you copy a mouthpiece in titanium for me? I admit it, I am after the coolness factor. Bling bling bling.
Really Sean, isn't putting a titanium mouthpiece on a sousaphone a bit like putting lipstick on a pig?

nice

Ivan Giddings · Post by **Ivan Giddings** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 10:20 pm

Sean,

We can copy mouthpieces. Here is what you can expect to pay for a mouthpiece copy

$350 machine set up,
$60 hour for labor (5-8 hours usually)
and of course $135 each for stainless, and $395 each for titanium.

If you have a mouthpiece you know you and about 10-15 of your closest friends would want, all of you could order the mouthpiece copy, and get the Machine set up and labor for a great price when split among 10-15 people.

Or you could try the mouthpieces we currently make in stainless and see if one does what your current mouthpiece does (or better) then trade up to titanium inthe same model.

Take care

Ivan

TubaRay · Post by **TubaRay** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 10:46 pm

$1095!!! Why that's almost ELEVEN dollars! Seriously, that would have to be one VERY special mouthpiece. In fact, even if it were that special, that would probably price me out of the market.

WoodSheddin · Post by **WoodSheddin** » Sun Nov 21, 2004 9:47 am

cc_tuba_guy wrote:Unless I'm doing my math wrong (and feel free to correct me if I'm misinterprating this) but for a titanium copy, would it cost someone $1095 for ONE copied mouthpiece? (Given 5 hours of labor.)

I respect the time and costs involved, but that is too much money for even a person as filthy stinkin rich as myself.

Perhaps I should stick to what is already in the inventory.

W · Post by W » Sun Nov 21, 2004 11:32 am

ya, I'd rather buy a Bach 18 and make it work.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Sun Nov 21, 2004 1:10 pm

Ivan brought some of his mouthpieces to TubaChristmas yesterday, including a titanium one. I was very impressed. The low notes just pop right out and the high range is very good.

If I could afford a titanium, he would have gone home with an order from me. They play great and they are very cool.

Leland · Post by **Leland** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 12:15 am

I also got to play on a couple titanium versions (can't remember the model names offhand) this week during AFTEE rehearsals at the Army tuba conference.

Really, really neat. I'm trying to decide whether 1) I can spare the cash, and 2) I can really keep the thing safe.

I'm hoping to get a chance to try more of them tomorrow and Saturday.

Leland · Post by **Leland** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 2:21 am

So I've had some extra funds, and I tried out a few G&W mouthpieces this weekend at Ft. Myer.

The Diablo, while really nice, was brighter than what I'd need (especially considering that my contra already plays on the bright side with a lot of midrange). I quite liked the Caver -- really clear articulations, plenty of presence. The Bayamo was even better, with the breadth of sound that I get from my PT50 but with those clear attacks like I got with the other G&W's.

Now... Stainless or titanium?

Well, like I said, I had some extra funds... I went for the bling.

The stainless is really, really good. Plays solid, plays clean, hardly any interference at all between my face and the horn. The titanium, for whatever reason, does the same thing -- but more easily. It even warms up more quickly. Both materials in G&W's designs are different parts of a realm of mouthpiece design that's nearly separate from what anybody else is doing. While the steel was quite a step apart from other mouthpieces I've tried, the titanium was even beyond that -- the sound just happens.

Over the past year, I've been playing on a Kellyberg, and have done just fine. I'll still use it now & then, especially when we're in the cold or performing on pavement. But, I haven't been excited enough about mouthpieces to even consider a new metal one until this weekend. Now I'll take it on tour and play the bejeezus out of it to see what it'll really do.

As always -- Your Mileage May Vary.

Bob Mosso · Post by **Bob Mosso** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 11:41 am

Ivan,

Are the euphonium/trombone mouthpieces also available in Ti? $130 for SS, ?? for Ti?

Could you help translate approx sizes:
Euros = 51?
Boreas = 52D?

Also, are the tenor mpcs small shank?

Thanks,
Bob

Leland · Post by **Leland** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 10:37 pm

Leland wrote: Now I'll take it (titanium Bayamo) on tour and play the bejeezus out of it to see what it'll really do.

After two weeks of ownership and one week of hard & loud outdoor playing...

This sucker honks. It's so clear, too. As with any mouthpiece, I have to play it a little bit differently, but it goes right down the center of the horn so easily.

I'm sitting here, trying to describe what's different about it, and I just can't quite put it into words. I'll say this -- I haven't felt compelled to say much about a new mouthpiece in a long, long time.

It plays as easily as a trombone but sounds as big as any big mouthpiece I've ever played. I think of the sound and it happens.

It does not save me from fracking notes or overblowing the horn. But, it's easy to get it to sound really stable at way-too-loud volumes. I've had some moments where I just start laughing because of how easily I can put up a wall of sound.

A few drum corps hornlines talk about higher volume levels in terms of "expanding the bubble" of sound. Well, my potential bubble is now a lot bigger.

Temperature-wise, the titanium warms up in a hurry. Whereas I would have to play for two or three minutes straight to warm up a regular brass mputhpiece, this one feels pretty good in thirty seconds or so. I used to spend pre-concert time in college with my mouthpiece in my pants pocket to keep it at body temperature because I hated how rigid my chops felt when playing on a cold mouthpiece. Now, I don't have that concern.

If you're shopping around for mouthpieces for a little over a hundred bucks, seriously consider the stainless steel G&W range. If you can justify the extra expense, and you're already happy with how the stainless ones play, you have got to try the titanium.

Tubadork · Post by **Tubadork** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 12:48 am

how much are the titanium mpcs?
Bill Pritchard

Leland · Post by **Leland** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 1:45 am

Mine was about US$360.

The similarly-massed mouthpieces from Titanovations are about 50 bucks less (239 Euro), but not counting shipping.

This material ain't cheap to acquire or manufacture.

JayW · Post by **JayW** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 6:21 am

since the topic seems to be going I'll ask: How does the titanium compare to stainless? gold plating? in terms of comfort/smoothness/softness or whatever word you would use? I am curious since I love my stainless GW and am "THINKING" of perhaps dropping the $$$$$$$$$$$ to get the same in Ti. Thanks

Ivan Giddings · Post by **Ivan Giddings** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 9:53 pm

I had a little time, and wanted to try to answer your questions. We have been working hard to reduce our titanium mouthpiece prices. Our main expense at this time is the titanium itself. Titanium is quite expensive, and difficult to obtain (due in part to military usage going up dramatically). There is titanium available from Eastern Europe that is less expensive, but because of shipping expense, and our desire to support companies in the United States we are not willing to go that route. At this time we are buying our titanium from small local companies in an effort to support our local economy.

Our prices are as follows:
Tuba Stainless Steel $135 Titanium $365
Euphonium/Trombone Stainless Steel $130 Titanium $325
Trumpet Stainless Steel $125 Titanium $265

Our Trombone mouthpieces the Boreas, and Euros, are very similar in size to a Schilke 51. The Boreas has a larger throat and sound than the Euros. The Euros is more for chamber and small ensemble playing with a light crisp and clean sound that I really like in this setting.

The difference between titanium, stainless steel, and brass is difficult to put in words. Those who have switched from brass to stainless steel notice the front of the note happening quickly, with a resonate tone, that projects more than a brass mouthpiece. Those who have switched from stainless to titanium notice that everything is less physically and mentally demanding, and that the mouthpiece just does everything better (I guess I'm trying to say that the mouthpiece becomes transparent to you making music on the instrument).

As far as feel goes, the finish on our mouthpieces is smooth, slippery, and very user friendly. Actually most people are somewhat surprised at how good stainless steel or titanium can feel on the chops.

Let me know if you have any other questions

Ivan

Leland · Post by **Leland** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 5:07 pm

Another experience --

Normally, after a day or two off the horn, it's uncomfortable for me to play. After a week off, well, you can almost forget about it -- it'll take me another two weeks to really get to where I'm satisfied with myself.

So, what do I do but end up with a week off of the instrument! Okay, well, that's fine, there's no solo playing or anything of similar exposure coming up. But, I still want to play well.

I got the horn out of its case, and noticed that I had left an extra, "standard brass" mouthpiece in there before. I figured that since I hadn't played on that one in a long time, I might as well give it a shot.

Ugh -- same as always after a break. I don't feel flexible, I don't like my sound, etc. Just rough.

So I pop in my titanium Bayamo ("BayamoTi"?), and I sound good, I play well... everything works better. I go through a multi-hour rehearsal the next day, and I'm having fun because I sound so much better than I expected (which does leave a lot of room, you see).

The shape of the mouthpiece certainly has more to do with it than the material, but overall, it's almost like I didn't have a day off.

Years ago, I had written off the idea of a mouthpiece making such a drastic difference. But, dang, this is nice. This is really good stuff.

TubeNet