Liking the new Blokepiece!

[Tom Holtz]

I got Joe Sellmansberger's new Imperial mouthpiece a few weeks ago. It's the mid-size cup that sits between the Solo and the Symphony. I've been using it on my work horn, a B&S PT-22. Joe intended it for Eb or small CC tubas. My big eefer is a good match. I've played the last few summer concerts on it, a few quintet jobs, and plan on taking it on tour this fall. It's great, folks.

Both Joe and Dave Houser have been very good to me. I've totally moved away from Helleberg-style rims. I much prefer wider, rounded, cushioned rims all the time. All of the rims that Joe offered (up until a few weeks ago) were narrower and sharper than what I'm accustomed to using. The Imperial came with an HLB2 rim, and even though the sound was really happening, my chops weren't. Joe and Dave hooked me up with the first C4LA rim off of the lathe. It's wide and rounded like the old standard Miraphone and JK mouthpieces, and similar to the wide-rim Perantucci mouthpieces like the PT-80. I may be in the minority, preferring the "bubble--rim" mouthpieces (Joe's term, it works,) but that's how I roll, and they made it happen. The machining is just beautiful, too.

I like a mouthpiece with a deeper cup for ensemble use. Past a certain point, though, certainly on the smaller tubas I use, the deeper cups will adversely affect pitch, especially in the upper register. They will also mess with clarity, and response, especially in the lower register. If you're looking for CC color and weight on an E-flat, forget it. Big mouthpieces aren't going to give you those things, and they will just make your job a lot harder. This is why the Imperial really shines. I get a true ensemble sound, lots of core, that really fits in a section without screwing up the E-flat tuba color. Doesn't screw up the pitch, either. My horn isn't perfect, and will always need some slide pulling, but the Imperial doesn't add to the problems like my larger mouthpieces.

The real fun with the Imperial is in the response. In a band, you learn quickly to not be behind the beat, ever. I hate being that split-second late on entrances, especially on lower-register stuff that takes all the air you've got. There is NO DICKIN' AROUND waiting for the sound on this mouthpiece. Lower register notes speak clearly and on time, which isn't the case when I try the deep cup mouthpieces meant for CC tubas. Takes a lot of the stress off of some of these band charts.

Bottom line: It's a winner.

[cjk]

[Tom Holtz]

Update:

I've been using the Imperial with the C4LA rim on the PT-22 at work. It rocks. Makes a big, full sound on my Besson 983, too, but I like a tighter sound for quintets and other small group stuff. Plus, the C4LA rim came at a 32.6mm diameter. For most of y'all, that's right down the middle, but it's about as wide as my largest piece, and I'm used to narrower stuff on the Besson.

So, I asked Dave Houser about the possibility of a new rim, and he knocked out a C4LA at 32.3mm. It's a subtle difference, but the comfort factor went way up for me. Did several 6-hour recording sessions on that setup and the Besson and I acquitted ourselves quite well. Thank you, Dave.

I took some time at TUSABTEW last week and put that smaller C4LA rim on a Sellmansberger Solo, and waded through the elephant room with it, trying out various horns--Besson 983, Mirafone Bel Canto, Kanstul Eb and CC... That's a tight sound. It's especially clean on the 983, which is really sensitive to different mouthpieces. I picked up a Solo cup there at the conference, and it's a great match for the Besson. Thank you, Joe. He told me I'm not the only one buying the C4LA rim, which was good to hear. Now I know I'm not totally crazy.

Right now, I've got the narrow rim on the Solo, and the medium rim on the Imperial. Playing them A/B on the Besson, it's almost like two different tubas. What a difference. Not as big an impact on the output of the PT-22, but the difference is there. The best part is that I can swap the rims around should the situation call for it.

Awesome stuff, guys.

[smitha79]

+1 I have been using the Imperial with C4LA rim on my 983 for a few months now. It opens up the lower register with getting too tubby. I settled on that after going back and forth between the Dillon PS3, Bobo symphonic, and DW3L.

[TubaRay]

Count me as another Blokepiece customer who is pleased with his purchase. I got the Symphony model w/Helleberg rim. I may have finally found a good match for my Rudy Meinl.

Obviously, I prefer a very different rim from what Tom listed above. I wonder if that's why he can play so much better than I can. Hmmm.

[Gilligan]

I've been using the the Symphony on my 5/4 BBb and the Imperial on my Eb. I have the #2 32.3mm medium round rim for the Imperial and the #2 Fair Dinkum 32.6 with depth extender on the Symphony. Both are great pieces.

[stainlessmpman]

Hi Everyone, Check out my post in the sponsor secction.. we're haveing a drawing for a "free" rim. Dave

[Kory101]

Don't you mean TWO?

The prize for being the 500th "like" on this page is to *receive two free blokepieces (two rims/two underparts) of your choice.