Comfortable Bass Trombone Mouthpiece for a Tuba Player?

[Funcoot]

Before you post. I know mouthpiece selection is a very personal thing, but the stores around here do not keep them in stock, you have to order and have them shipped.

Since it is my senior year, I am able to have two band classes the last half of the year, which I am opting to do. In the top ensemble, I play tuba. In the lower ensemble, my band director is going to switch me to a different instrument (most likely), bass trombone. I was wondering, what have some of the people here who play both bass trombone and tuba, what is the most comfortable mouthpiece for you?

Ones first thought would be to just get the biggest bass trombone mouthpiece available, but I remember reading that was actually not the best idea. So I was looking for some advice from some people who may have converted, or play both. What mouthpiece do you find to be the most comfortable and affect your playing the least.


Edit:
I should have clarified that I would PREFER to spend around $100. I am willing to spend a little more though for the benefit.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

I use a Griego (New York style) .5 mouthpiece and love it. I don't feel like I have to change my embouchure much at all and it allows me to get a huge volume of air through the instrument.

For the occasional crazy low parts in trombone choir, I've had some success jamming my PT-88 in there, as well. Sacrilege, I know. Too bad...it works well for me.

[Funcoot]

Marcinkiewicz Jim Martin signature series.

http://www.marcinkiewicz.com/mouthpiece ... nature.htm" target="_blank" target="_blank

I am un able to spend around $180 on a mouthpiece for bass trombone. Sadly. Thank you though.

[Funcoot]

I use a Griego (New York style) .5 mouthpiece and love it. I don't feel like I have to change my embouchure much at all and it allows me to get a huge volume of air through the instrument.

For the occasional crazy low parts in trombone choir, I've had some success jamming my PT-88 in there, as well. Sacrilege, I know. Too bad...it works well for me.

$150 is pushing it for an instrument I am not very well acquainted with, but I will indeed keep it in mind. Thank you.

Please keep the suggestions rolling.

[Funcoot]

I think you looked at the wrong line ($180 is the price for the Pro-Line Concert Hall models). Look under the standard body mpcs.

Trombone, Bass Trombone $80

Standard Wall models showing as $49.99 on Mouthpiece Express... they don't show the Martin Model but they could probably get one. The Pro-Line Concert Hall models have the wacky looking heavy exterior.


The standard weight models look like this...

Oh wow. I found the model (Contrabass 106). $65. I will definitely keep this mouthpiece in mind.

[averagejoe]

You could try a Yamaha Bobo tenor tuba mouthpiece. It has a tuba rim but the correct depth for your euph and bass bone playing.

[imperialbari]

Starting this search without apparent experience on the instrument is not bound to lead to an ideal result, so why not take the cheapest road to a bassbone mouthpiece:

http://www.kellymouthpieces.com/kmtromb ... /index.asp ?

You may even join one of Schlepporello’s classes on the topic of decorating Kelly mouthpieces for whatever season of the year.

And the relevant one is the 1 1/2G.

Klaus

[Funcoot]

Starting this search without apparent experience on the instrument is not bound to lead to an ideal result, so why not take the cheapest road to a bassbone mouthpiece:

http://www.kellymouthpieces.com/kmtromb ... /index.asp ?

You may even join one of Schlepporello’s classes on the topic of decorating Kelly mouthpieces for whatever season of the year.

And the relevant one is the 1 1/2G.

Klaus

My band director probably wouldn't let me take that road. I've played the bassbone before. I sound fine, have a decent sound. It just felt rather uncomfortable and closed. It was a smaller mouthpiece. I was looking for a bigger one, but just wanted to see which ones people have had success here with.

[imperialbari]

If plastic mouthpieces work for a player, why would a director object? Of course some colours are less discrete than others, but Schleppy appears getting away with playing Kelly plastics in his church orchestra without being considered an agent provocateur.

Did an eBay search. Probably narrowed it down to much, and then the relevant auction wouldn’t open for me. Likely because I am not in the US. Anyway you may try this link:

http://instruments.shop.ebay.com/i.html ... m270.l1313

Klaus

[imperialbari]

Manipulated the link a bit:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Marcinkiewicz-Bass- ... 0708784762

The shipping quote looks odd, and there are no specifics on the payment modus. Still the mouthpiece could be relevant.

Klaus

[AHynds]

Back when I was playing bass bone and tuba and a more or less equal basis, (well, more like 70% tuba and 30% bass bone,) I eventually settled on the Schilke 59 mouthpiece. I find it is large enough for a substantial low range, yet not too large as to cut off the higher end of the horn. And, it is different enough so that you don't have to really think about which horn you are really playing. In my experience, that is a definite advantage, but to each his/her own.

Here's the mouthpiece, for price. It looks like you only need to drop around $50 for one of these.

http://www.dillonmusic.com/HeleoCart/Pr ... SC-59.aspx

[Chadtuba]

I'll second the Schilke 59. I've been using one for a few years now as my main bass bone mp and have never had a complaint. I can hit the low pedals easy enough, yet keep up with the 2nd & 3rd bones in the big band upper ranges with litle problem.

[Doug Elliott]

You won't like the narrow rim of most bass trombone mouthpieces, and most likely the ones with wide rims are out of your budget. This is listed as an Eb tuba mouthpiece but it's the right size for bass trombone and will (almost) fit properly in a bass trombone - might need a little tape on the shank, but it will do what you want. Also I doubt that it's really nickel plated, more likely silver.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nickel-Eb-Tuba-Mout ... 20b5c53751" target="_blank


I can't tell much about this one. Cheap enough, buy both.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Conn-Eb-Tuba-Mouthp ... 2eb1ffcc18" target="_blank

[finnbogi]

+1 for the Schilke 59.

[b.williams]

Hello.
I play both tuba and bass trombone. Try a Bach 1G or 1.5G. Mouthpiece express has them including shipping for around $55. They also have a nice return policy. Try them both send back what you don't want.

[imperialbari]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nickel-Eb-Tuba-Mout ... 0488554321

This mouthpiece, which I didn’t pay attention to before Doug Elliott’s posting, also is interesting in a quite different context than bassbones.

Very often posters ask for relevant mouthpieces for old American Eb tubas with huge bells and small receivers. With current mouthpiece models the 2nd partial notes often are very flat. This mouthpiece may represent what was intended for this old Monster design.

I have considered this mouthpiece being relevant for my own small bore Besson Eb 3+1 tuba from 1870, but I will not bid, as I am not likely to feel comfortable with an inner edge being that much rounded.

Klaus

[toobagrowl]

So anyway, I bought a cheap single-trigger bass bone recently. Mostly for shits-n-giggles; maybe one day I will get semi-serious on it as a "doubler". But the no-name mpc that came with it seems kinda small, more like a regular tenor trombone mpc.
I have an old Marcellus bass bone mpc, but it hardly fits into the mpc receiver. Are there similar bass bone mpcs that have a smaller shank for cheap? Thanks.

(bump)

[Donn]

Thread emerges from the grave.

Well, Klaus' advice from years ago, on the preceding page, is still good - that Kelly 1-1/2G is a fine mouthpiece, and quite economical. I can testify in particular to the tonal quality of the Crystal Green version, but likely enough they all sound the same.

[Radar]

I play both Tuba and Bass Bone (have actually been playing bass bone longer), I use a Doug Yeo Signature Mouthpiece from Yamaha (you can get one without the gold plating in your price range).

[swillafew]

I find a Bach 2g (maybe 3G) to be big enough to get a classic bass sound, but not so big that you have to have very developed bass chops to make it sound good.

Too large a mouthpiece before you're ready will just sound woofy

This has worked fine for me too. I have a tenor trombone and when people ask me if I play bass trombone, I say "yes".