Recommendations for my next step up mouthpiece

[Tubamax7]

This will be my second step up. I played Yamaha 67 c4's from 7th grade until last year (junior year of high school.) For the past year I've used a perantucci pt-50. I like the perantucci but I marched this last season with it and just want to use it as a marching mouthpiece through college. My private lesson teacher recommended the mouthpiece he uses which is a Marty Ericsson 5. I've played on his and it's given me the best tone I've ever had(for the crappy Yamaha "professional" tuba I've played all through high school.) I'll try to make the best decision based on your recommendations, my private lesson teacher's, and most importantly my future professor's recommendation. Thanks guys

[Bob Kolada]

Bach 18, works well on just about everything. I've screwed around with PT's and LM's and still come back to this. It's not a great small/high F mp (works fine on big Eb's) but does great on contrabasses.

[Tubamax7]

Oh yeah, I forgot to add this it needs to be a BBb/CC mouthpiece but yeah, the Bach does fit that criteria anyway

[Tubamax7]

Those are both 2 piece right? I' not sure I fully understand those just yet. The imperial and the symphony are the shanks right? And your saying you just unscrew one from your rim and replace it with the other right?

[PaulTkachenko]

After some 20 years playing, many of them as a pro, I've gone back to the yamaha stock mouthpieces and find I'm getting the best sound and tuning.

May not work for everyone of course, but don't be so quick to dismiss the yamaha mouthpieces. I also own 3 'professional' series Yamahas and can't say I find them crappy at all.

[TubaRay]

I'm highly honored that Hal recommended that you try my mouthpieces, but I'm not sure you're going to get much of any type of response here other than "well, I like this/that/the other..."

Think about it: How can anyone really (including your teacher, for that matter) answer your question in any way other than that...??

( I would NEVER play on ANY mouthpieces that any of my teachers - all FINE players - play or have played. )

A mouthpiece is going to have to be something that YOU like because it does "this, that, and the other" for YOU.

You're not going to find any way around 1/ trying something for a while, 2/ evaluating it, 3/ keeping it and using it unless you find something better - or selling it and retreating back to the last mouthpiece you used.

It took me a year to figure out what mouthpiece works best for me on smaller tubas. I had to design it myself about 35 years ago. It took my about thirty years to figure out what mouthpiece works best for me on most larger tubas. I had to design that one myself as well.

Go to some "tuba thing" (symposium/etc.) somewhere where there are several vendors with selections of mouthpieces. Find a place off in a quiet corner to try out some that seem promising. Write down a few notes about some that seem to work better than others. Eliminate them one-by-one. Buy one (or two), take them home, and try them for a few months. Make measured observations, form valid opinions, note strengths/weaknesses, and decide whether they are what you need for the time being. Other than "five minutes before some important performance", don't be afraid to try out different mouthpiece whenever you have an opportunity. What not? People try out different INSTRUMENTS all the time...so why not mouthpieces? It's not as if your face forms some sort of "mouthpiece-shaped dent" and can never "learn" to blow through a different one.

In my opinion, you won't receive any better advice than this. If this advice doesn't suit you, and your private teacher's advice doesn't suit you, I'm not certain what answer you are seeking.

[Tubamax7]

Yeah I like bloke's advice. What I personally like in a mouthpiece is a rich, deep sound that's comfortable in my whole range and may even extend my range a bit, and from the Yamaha to the perantucci I experienced just that. I personally like the idea of some of these stainless steel mouthpieces based on what I read about the stainless on the giddings and webster site. I also saw that you had some stainless mouthpieces bloke and I'm very curious about those.

[tofu]

I make no claims about stainless steel (in regards to tuba mouthpieces) other than
- If properly polished, it feels as nice and smooth as a newly gold plated mouthpiece, and can potentially stay that way (with reasonable care) for a very long time.

What are you using to polish?

Chrome polish? Or paint polish (and I mean polish not wax as some folks erroneously use the terms intechangably or are are we talking wax such as pure carnuba wax used on paint and furniture?

[Lectron]

I like the steel MPs from bloke....
There's something about'em. Also the exterior. Light weight!
Think I've ended up with seven different ones so far

I remember a review of a lyle Lovett album

Lyle Lovett? Yes I do!

Kinda that simple with bloke pieces as well....
Even if it's not your favorite MP, you keep it, course theres something about it..

I favor the symphony but have good fun with the Solo (kinda impressed me the most
as it was a shape cup I'd never usually go for).

I also had even larger cups made custom with the blokepiece exterior to keep the lo-mass

[Tubamax7]

Thanks for the advice guys. And I know someone said something about the yamaha professional mouthpieces but I was referring to the tubas. My old band teacher bought them who was primarily a trombone player who just loved yamaha's. My new band teacher(who is a tuba player), private lesson teacher and I have come to the conclusion that for $8000 horns, they suck(and we have 6 of them and 2 St. Pete's)

[PaulTkachenko]

8000 dollar Yamaha tubas do not suck - you are simply wrong there. They may not be to your taste, but they do not suck.

There's nothing wrong with their mouthpieces either. Again, they may not be to your taste, but they are well designed and made.

I propose that the people you cite have encouraged you to reach a poor conclusion.

If you can't do what you need on an 8000 dollar Yamaha tuba (obviously correct type of tuba for the job granted), then you probably won't be able to do it on any tuba.

There are, of course, many other excellent makes of tuba and mouthpiece.

[tubadavid94]

Laskey 30H. the go to mp for any gig. it plays great top to bottom and produces a clear sound.

[iiipopes]

Every player/mouthpiece/horn combination is different.

Contact someone like Matt Walters, Roger Lewis, or Jeff Rideout. Tell them what you play. Tell them the direction you want to go with your playing. Tell them what you like about the fit and performance of your current mouthpiece(s). Be frank and honest, especially about your shortcomings. They will then recommend a mouthpiece that will take you through the forseeable future.

Matt did that for me, and I don't ever see myself getting another "serious" mouthpiece. I may get another or two over time just to see what they are about or to try something different, but Matt nailed it for me after a thoughtful discussion as to the horn, repertoire, performance groups, and playing strengths and limitations.

[Tubamax7]

Suck may not have been the best word. But yes, might just not be our taste maybe it. I mean it has excellent response from the rotors, and yes a nice tone, but there's also the fact that other than routine maintenance every couple years, they haven't been taken care of very well by students in the 10 years we have them. And a really weird 2nd and 4th valve B natural(really sharp even when E, C, and F are in tune, have to make all of those out of tune just to play across all 6 tubas.)They may have led me to the conclusions based upon European horns they play like Miraphone or Willson. The Yamaha tubas can certainly get the job done and sound good doing it, we just think they're a little weird in some areas.

[tubeast]

Tubamax7,

what You described in Your last post makes me wonder a little.
E,C, and F are notes fingered using ONE valve on a BBb tuba.
I´m positive both Your band director as well as Your private tuba instructor are aware of the necessity to either lip-correct or trigger the "4 + any other valve(s)"-combinations.
As to the original question, I don´t really have to add anything that hasn´t been written already.

[Tubamax7]

Yes, they are. E is second valve, and C and F are fourth. B is second and fourth. You have to pull both valve slides to get B in tune. No amount of lipping has gotten it in tune. Even for my private lesson tried and he couldn't lip it either. First, second and third fingered B are always in tune. That tuba doesn't matter soon anyway as I'm going to college and playing a different one.