Just wondering if anyone can give me some suggestions on a smaller mouthpiece to be able to play on with my 1292. Currently playing on a TU-26 but i tried out a friends helleberg 7b and i like the clarity i got out of it and easy high register. I find the TU-26 a tad big for solo stuff. Looking for something similar to 7b just to have some options.
Florida Grand Opera - Tuba/Cimbasso
Palm Beach Symphony - Tuba
DMA University of Miami '21
From what I've seen so far, you're not going to find much that's really like the 7B. I mean, it's almost like Conn has a patent on that cup shape. I'm sure lots of current mouthpieces are vaguely similar, but they're more similar to each other than to the 7B, and of course many of them are significantly more expensive. If it works for you, don't pass it up.
For a small diameter but a deep cup, the Mike Finn "H" has been fantastic for me (based on a very old Helleberg design). I'd love to give that a try on a 1292 sometime.
As a busy bass trombone player and only occasional tuba doubler, I don't have the time to learn to acclimate to a large tuba mouthpiece. I tried as many mouthpieces in the size range of the Helleberg 7B as I could get my hands on, in order to make my job as easy as possible with results that I like the sound of.
Based on all that research, I have two recommendations:
1. Warburton TG3
2. Floyd Cooley Helleberg
I replaced number 2 with number 1 last summer. The Cooley Helleberg (which you can still buy direct from him as of a couple of years ago) feels nearly identical to the Conn 7B, but the sound, pitch and low register response are all better.
I found that the Warburton TG3 does everything I like about the Cooley but somehow with more clarity and a warmer sound at the same time, at least for me and my tuba.
Gabe Langfur
Bass Trombonist
Rhode Island Philharmonic
Vermont Sympony
Lecturer of Bass Trombone, Boston University
Guest Artist/Teacher in Trombone, U of RI
