Review - Blokepiece Symphony and Profundo rim

[Billy M.]

A little under a year and a half ago, I decided it was time to purchase a new mouthpiece that made my old horn sound even better.

After trial and error which included pulling out older mouthpieces I owned at the time (Monette pre-Prana 98, Dillon Rose, Laskey 30Ge, Warburton CB Arnold Jacobs Helleberg) there seemed to be something missing.

The Laskey 30Ge I had been using for a solid 9 months was really fine but not everything I hoped for. There were still little nuances I was fighting to eliminate and the rim didn't quite have the bite I prefer. The Monette provided a ridiculously dark and wide sound with lots of core but the tight throat made range below G1 very difficult particularly with doing jumps of more than a 3rd. The Dillon Rose's rim was enough to eliminate it from competition let alone the very bland sound that it produced through my 188. Finally, the Jacobs Helleberg had a very nice rim, but the thin walls made it have a leaner sound than I appreciated and all around the sound was more brittle.

A colleague of mine from whom I purchased the Laskey recommended I check out the Blokepiece. He raved about how the interchangability made the pieces so versatile that one could truly create a mouthpiece that suited their every need.

I have seen multiple testimonials here regarding these unique mouthpieces and figured it was worth a shot. I called Mr. Sellmansberger (the bloke, himself) and started telling him my wants and needs: a great all-around mouthpiece that would help open up the notorious low end of an older Mirafone 188 without sacrificing the high end plus a rim that had a similar feel to the Stofer-Geib mouthpiece.

Joe set me up with a Blokepiece Symphony with euro shank and a #2 33.2 rim. He felt the rim had plenty of bite with enough rounding to make it comfortable for longer play periods.

So all things considered, only one question remained: Was it worth $200.00 (the asking price of time)?

The answer is an unqualified "yes."

The mouthpiece I received did exactly what I wanted it to do. It opened up the low end of my beloved 188 while not sacrificing stability and clarity of high register playing. The rim was comfortable yet still had plenty of bite for making clean and clear articulations. The sound was colorful and meaty with less vibration being lost sympathetically. When he described "less trash" in the sound, he was right! Surprisingly enough, intonation (which I was having negligible issues with) was even better with notes slotting more in tune without having to do pulls or lipping. I could almost take for granted the 188 moniker of being as close to point and shoot as possible.

I have no regrets with this purchase.

In Louisiana there's a word called "lagniappe." Lagniappe means "a little something extra." Earlier I said that the Monette produced a dark and wide sound. This was that lagniappe I was sorely missing. Joe had spoken about these rims adding sonority without sacrificing intonation or other important attributes to his pieces so I called Mid-South music again roughly four months ago asking about the Profundo rims that were getting ready to be put out for sale.

Two months ago, I had one of the first production batch Sellmansberger #2 33.2 Profundo rims in my hand and ready to put on my Symphony cup.

Placing the standard rim next to the profundo rim showed the difference in depth between the two. Bloke has a picture of the difference posted in the Sponsors section that is worth checking out.

I started the practice session by warming up and playing for a solid 15-20 minutes on the standard rim to provide a good idea of the sound I had been generating for over a year. As I said before, meaty and colorful, clean and clear. When I put the profundo rim on, just playing one note made me stop and grin. There was no way it could be that dramatic a difference. I played some more notes and laughed a little. It was a return to that really dark and wide sound I had experienced with my Monette. But it had all the perks and benefits of the Blokepiece: clean and clear, meaty and colorful and a more open low range! I had to adjust the tuning slide a little to compensate for the depth change at the small end but beyond that, intonation remains excellent.

It is hard to quantify the change in words other than what Bloke has previously said: it makes your horn sound more "bassy" but without sacrificing the things one already loves about these mouthpieces. The sound is gorgeous.

The real test followed by going in to the community band I play with and getting some feedback from colleagues. I was immediately approached by my bass-bone friends and the other tubas in the band with praise about the way it made me sound. Lines were getting thrown around like: "Wow, your sound is so much warmer," and "Man, you sounded great before but that's incredible!"

In short, it's a big success that has worked wonders for the larger ensemble stuff. I have kept the standard rim for small ensemble and solo stuff as well as having a backup rim for my Symphony and Solo 'pieces as necessary.

Joe, this is a fantastic addition to your product line and my own personal arsenal of equipment.

I heartily recommend it if you are using the Blokepiece line and looking for that little something extra or want a unique way to positively change your sound without sacrificing other areas.

I'm not paid to represent Mid-South Music or Houser Mouthpieces in any way, these are just my ramblings about what I purchased. If anyone has questions regarding the products from someone other than the designer/maker (although Joe is a straight shooter and provides exceptional recommendations) feel free to PM me.

[Worth]

Great post and review, I'm very much in agreement. Just played a patriotic community band concert this afternoon and went with the 33.2 #2 Profundo on a Symphony cup and shank. The Symphony and Orchestra Grand pieces (both on the reverse taper Symphony shank) are well suited to the Wisemann 900 IMO. Although I will most likely keep a straight Symphony setup for quintet (yes I'm using the 900 for quintet), the Profundo Symphony combination has proven an exciting win-win for both Concert Band and Orchestra application. Oh and if you've ever wondered about Bloke Buttons they've lightened up my action and are a pleasure to play on. Thanks, Bloke!

[Worth]

Try the Symphony £ (small) shank with the Wiseman 900 (either the Symphony or Orchestra Grand cup - whichever type of sound you prefer). That shank virtually eliminates the so-called "gap" (downward taper drift between the exit point of the mouthpiece and the beginning of the expansion of the mouthpipe tube). It really kicks the Wisemann 900 low range in the butt.

Your American Shank fits the 900 the best of any shank I've tried, closest to the "ideal" gap for a CC instrument suggested in forum archives. Eliminating the gap with this purpose in mind is an intriguing suggestion... my only concern is the amount of main slide pull required, in general, with the 900 design. I've checked with a professional forum member and he confirms the need for considerable main slide pull on his 900. Not like it's falling out, but it's out a good three fingers worth and I'd prefer to not have to pull it further. In your opinion would the slight added insertion depth of the small shank cause the need for added main slide pull?