Are bach megatones any good?

[GhostlyBoy08]

Or can you recommend anything other than louds? im looking for heavy and deep

[Billy M.]

Probably could recommend the PT+ series, Mike Finn mouthpieces or the G&W mouthpieces... PT and MF make their mouthpieces from brass, GW uses stainless steel or titanium.

[Heavy_Metal]

If you like the Bach-style rim, a MegaTone will work as advertised. I'd use the biggest one you can handle. The biggest they make is the #7.

If you like a Helleberg-style rim, Tony Clements is producing heavy Helleberg-type mouthpieces of his own design. These look like, but are not quite the same as the late lamented R&S/Jet-Tone heavies. Go here for a description- he even goes into which mouthpieces he uses with which tubas:

http://www.lowbrasswerks.com/accessories.html" target="_blank

To contact Mr. Clements, go here and scroll down:

http://www.lowbrasswerks.com/contact.html" target="_blank

This is in addition to the other possibilities that have been posted.

[Jay Bertolet]

If you like the Bach-style rim, a MegaTone will work as advertised. I'd use the biggest one you can handle. The biggest they make is the #7.

If you like a Helleberg-style rim, Tony Clements is producing heavy Helleberg-type mouthpieces of his own design. These look like, but are not quite the same as the late lamented R&S/Jet-Tone heavies.

I'm glad that someone is still producing mouthpieces using similar design as the old R&S mouthpieces. In my experience, those R&S mouthpieces were one of only two heavyweight mouthpieces I ever tried that really worked. The other was a Mike Finn product that also uses the common sense notion that if adding mass around the cup will have the desired effect (whatever you think that is), put enough extra mass there to really make a difference. I have a Bach MegaTone 18 and it is gathering dust. I don't like it nearly as well as a standard 18. In addition to the changes they made to the inside dimensions between a standard 18 and the Megatone 18, I never felt like the added mass on a MegaTone was nearly enough. People used to laugh at how big those R&S mouthpieces were but I liked the ones I tried a lot and I used them regularly.

All that said, how has the OP arrived at the conclusion that a heavyweight mouthpiece will help him be "heavy and deep"? I'm not really sure what he even means by that. There are very specific implications associated with a heavy walled mouthpiece (also hotly debated as to any real effect, but that is another issue) and maybe if the OP could be more clear about specifically what he's looking for/trying to achieve then maybe a real discussion about possible outcomes with different style mouthpieces is at least an option. Otherwise you're just going to get the same old "this mouthpiece works best for me" sort of answers.

[bort]

I used a Bach Megatone 18 for about 10 years, from HS through college and beyond (used it on a Yamaha BBb turd, PT-3, Conn 20k, Olds 99, and VMI/MW-30). It was the first mouthpiece I bought, and I bought it because I liked the (verbal) description in the Giardinelli catalog (that kind of stuff makes sense to you when you're 14 years old). Then, I was a broke HS and college student -- it was all I had, so it was all I used (and I was still one of the few people who owned his own mouthpiece). It worked just fine, and I can attribute none of my shortcomings or successes to the mouthpiece. Just the opposite, I think 10 developmental years on the same mouthpiece had a lot of benefits.

It still feels like "home" when I go back to it, but now it is dinged up and beat to hell. It is the one mouthpiece that I will never ever ever sell.

[Dan Schultz]

I tend to like large, heavy mouthpieces and played on a Bach 7 'Megatone' for several years. I liked the MP very much. My next 'regular' MP was a PT-48+. Recently, I'm using a Mike Finn 2B. Don't know what's next but I really like the Mike Finn MP.

[brian_c]

Are R&S heavyweight mouthpieces that prized?

I have an R&S Helleberg II Heavyweight gathering dust. I like smaller Hellebergs, but I never developed any particular attachment to the heavyweight version.

[UDELBR]

Been using a Mega 7 for more than 15 years on a variety of instruments and in various settings.

[GhostlyBoy08]

The mouthpiece i am looking for has to have weight near the shank and can project sound with out distortion. The size has to be in between a 18 and 24aw. I cant purchase anything from the internet

[GC]

The one issue I've seen with Megatones on different instruments is their length compared to ordinary mouthpieces. If your main tuning slide is normally all the way in and you put in a megatone, you'll probably end up playing flat.

[GhostlyBoy08]

well i use a conn 20k but im currently using a king 2350 so would this be a problem with either instrument?

[UDELBR]

,,, and can project sound with out distortion.

You're gonna have to do some of this by yourself.

[Kevin Hendrick]

The mouthpiece i am looking for has to have weight near the shank and can project sound with out distortion. The size has to be in between a 18 and 24aw. I cant purchase anything from the internet

"In between an 18 and a 24AW" would be a 22 ... and yes, it's available as a Megatone:

http://www.mouthpieceexpress.com/catalo ... s_id=14941

[bigtubby]

If you want weight near the shank you might try to find an R&S TUHH-II. To me at least they feel very much like a Bach 18.