bruh

[DylanYogi9670]

dodo

[Donn]

I'm no expert in these matters, but I think there's a real possibility that you could use one of these mouthpieces, say the Blessing 18, for marching and everything else too. Might be easier that way, even.

[Rick Denney]

Nominally, the Blessings are copies of the Bachs, but there are always small differences.

The Bach 18 is better for nearly everyone than the 24AW, in my opinion. You might also try the Kellyberg--a plastic version of the old Conn Helleberg. That one is particularly well-suited for marching and outdoor playing, particularly when it turns cold.

Rick "whose Kellyberg glows in the dark" Denney

[Donn]

One could have it all - Kelly item TU18GD - Bach 18 copy, glow in the dark.

Blessing's 18 copy is well regarded, I guess, but so is Kelly's. Personally I believe that the "crystal green" ones are better.

[Kevin Hendrick]

I've long thought that the crystal blue ones might be more persuasive ...

[nycbone]

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[WC8KCY]

I've never been a fan of the 24AW. Pitch tends to wallow all over the map, and the rim design is conducive to imprecise and missed attacks.

If you must stay with the Bach system (?) of tuba mouthpieces, the 12 represents the best of the bunch and is the first model that should be tried, in my opinion. I find the response more dependable than the 18, and the tone quality delivered by the 12 lacks the blandness and blattiness that can plague the 18.

Bach tuba mouthpieces, and the commonly available copies of them--Blessing, DEG, and Holton--are very often shoddily made. Be sure to check the backbore of any that you're considering for gouges, grooves, out-of-roundness, and otherwise rough machining. Insist on a flawless mouthpiece.

[nycbone]

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[Donn]

It's truly a Blesson.

Dang, meant "Blessing" of course.

[nycbone]

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[iiipopes]

I have played both the Blessing 18 and several Bach 18's. To me, the Blessing is the best 18 Bach never made. The only reason I don't play one regularly is that I prefer a 1.28 cup inside diameter rather than the Blessing's 1.26. The Bach mouthpieces are so inconsistent over the years that you can find wide rims, narrow rims, sloped rims, flat rims, and every cup diameter from 1.25 to 1.30. The Jim Neighbor's character, Gomer Pyle, on the Andy Griffith Show comes to mind every time I open up a box with a new Bach 18 in it: "Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!" (OK, I'm showing my age, but that's how I feel about Bach mouthpieces.)

I would go with the Blessing mouthpiece. It has a slight slope to the rim that will help with good contact on the embouchure without using pressure; it is consistent; and I think it has a slightly smaller throat that will help with air management.

There is one other option, for a few more bucks, but if you like the 1.26 diameter, it is better than the other two, has the smaller throat, and I had a 1.28 version custom made for me: The Kanstul 18. It is the best of the three, in my opinion, of having played all three manufacturer's mouthpieces, for consistency, both of manufacture and from register to register, and responsiveness and matching to the particular instrument.

Then in addition to the conventional brass-silver-plated mouthpiece, get a Kelly 18 in school colors for inclement weather, and wrap one ring of golfer's lead tape around the throat to stabilize it for dynamic extremes. A few years ago, when I asked my community band director and a couple of low brass guys who were also band directors to see if they could tell any difference between the conventional 18 and the Kelly 18, from as close as across the band from back to front they could not.

[WC8KCY]

the 12 represents the best of the bunch and is the first model that should be tried, in my opinion. I find the response more dependable than the 18, and the tone quality delivered by the 12 lacks the blandness and blattiness that can plague the 18.

Wouldn't that vary, depending upon the player's face, horn and sound concept goals?

Yes, yes, and yes. But you gotta start somewhere. And after 30+ years at the tuba, I find the 12 is the most useful place to start--whether matching a mouthpiece to a borrowed tuba for a gig, or fitting a kid for a new mouthpiece.

Recommending a specific brand/size mouthpiece without knowing these details is akin to recommending a specific brand/size tire without knowing the make/model of car and driving habits of the owner.

Yes, it sure is. But we're talking about Bach and Bach-copy mouthpieces here. A student is going to go with a 12, 18, 22, 24AW, or 25. A player can sensibly start with the 12 and migrate to the smaller sizes if it's a mismatch, or start with the 25 and work one's way to the larger models.

[nycbone]

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[iiipopes]

Yes, it sure is. But we're talking about Bach and Bach-copy mouthpieces here. A student is going to go with a 12, 18, 22, 24AW, or 25. A player can sensibly start with the 12 and migrate to the smaller sizes if it's a mismatch, or start with the 25 and work one's way to the larger models.

I respectfully and completely disagree with this reasoning. Following this reasoning almost assures that the OP will need to purchase a second mouthpiece and be saddled with trying to unload the one that doesn't fit. That is not reasonable or practical for a person of limited financial means, like most high school students. The OP is in high school. He has not matured in stature to handle a 12, unless he is a really a big guy for his age. From his post, he seems to have already "outgrown" the 25 and the 24AW. Even acknowledging that opinions on this forum are like tuba bells, everybody has at least one and many more than one, I am firm in my recommendations because of my experience of playing souzy in high school marching band myself: Blessing 18, and if a few more bucks are available, Kanstul 18, and if a few more bucks become available after that: add a Kelly 18.

[nycbone]

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[iiipopes]

One would think that band programs would have a set of standard mouthpieces that kids could try before they buy.

No. Unfortunately, unlike the "Bach trumpet mouthpiece case" or the Custom Music "Perantucci tuba mouthpiece case," nobody has more than two or three mouthpieces in stock, except the big box stores or Mouthpiece Express; and they all have a restocking fee at best. The majority of stores do not stock tuba mouthpieces, due to limited demand. The usual reply is, "We can order that," meaning you order it - you buy it. No exceptions.

[iiipopes]

bloke, it's all in the perspective. If any of us mis-spends $200 or more on a mouthpiece, we turn around and sell it here, take a 50% lump on it, chalk it up and go on. A high school student who mis-spends $50 has wasted a considerable amount of either allowance or part time work earnings, and it takes him much longer to recover. So yes, this thread, from a sincere young man wanting to make the right decision, does matter a great deal indeed.

[nycbone]

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[Donn]

One factor that makes this funny is, there isn't a gigantic difference. See a thread from a few years back Isn't a Kelly 18 closer to a Bach 12 than a Bach 18?, wherein one of us who's competent to do this measured the difference between the Kelly 18 and Bach 12 inner diameters at 0.007 inches. Roughly, a gnat's eyelash.

Or one could go with the Kellyberg.

[tofu]

Bach and Blessing tuba mouthpiece for marching?

From the title the OP is looking for a marching piece - seems like a no brainer for a plastic Kelly - like the 18 or the Kellyberg. Cheap and easy to resell and recapture most of what was paid if a piece doesn't work or to keep as a backup or car glovebox spare. If it hits the ground no damage and anything that lowers the weight of the horn while marching/standing is a good thing in my book and can't be beat for cold weather work. Wished they were around when I marched in HS & College. I use the Kelly 18 now when I march with either a King or Conn sousie and a Kellyberg for the Helicon.