Kellyberg SS

[bgozdowski]

Does anyone have any experience with the Kellyberg Stainless Steel mouthpiece?

I have middle school student with a brass or nickel allergy. We switched her to a plastic Kellyberg plastic mp in 6th grade. There also pans to wrap much of her tuba to protect her skin from the horn.

[Three Valves]

Shouldn't she play the violin??

[Dan Tuba]

It's hard to say whether or not the Stainless Steel model will work. If she is highly allergic to nickel, the stainless steel will probably cause some irritation. If she has a brass or zinc allergy, then the stainless steel model should work.

Why do you want to switch to the stainless steel model?

[bort]

Shouldn't she play the violin??

I agree. I respect the effort to try and make it work, but if I were allergic to something, I wouldn't want to hold 20 pounds of it within inches of my face... wrapped up or not!

How about a titanium mouthpiece? Not cheap, but it's another metal that might be non-reactive for this person.

[swillafew]

I play on the plastic one and don't feel that it lacks anything in quality. If I had allergies I would have more reasons to use it.

[PaulMaybery]

I'd like to recommend the Wedge MP in Delrin. Comes in a variety of sizes which include what is close to a Geib Helleberg, Schilke Helleberg and a smaller solo MP. I believe there is something akin to a PT50 as well.

http://www.wedgemouthpiece.com" target="_blank" target="_blank

I picked up a few two years back and intentionally in the (black) Delrin, for several reasons. I was curious about MPs manufactured from alternative materials to brass for both the acoustical properties as well as the feel on the face of non metal.

Delrin is nice - comfortable, particularly on first touch to the chops. There is no cold sensation that sometimes causes the embouchure to tighten or flinch a bit.

The sound, at least to me compared to metal mouthpieces, is a bit lighter or you might say more transparent. IMHO, the Delrin is not a 'power' MP like the heavy wall models. (Though Wedge does have a heavy wall mp in brass)

The lighter sound can be somewhat compensated for by the addition of an appliance (purchased from Wedge) that fits around the base of the cup giving a bit more mass to the piece. I do have one of these and it does its job.

Wedge mouthpieces do however have a unique feature and that is the contour of the rim.
It is pretty well explained on their website. I find absolutely no problem with it at all, but it is not for everyone.

While it is rather costly, Dave Harrison at Wedge did custom make for me a MP with a Delrin rim on a heavy metal brass body which I had gold plated. So that is an option.

There is also from Paul Sidey a 'Classic Helleberg' in stainless which also has a Titanium H coat in gold. I like the one that I have - the Titanium might even have less allergic properties. You may need to special order that from Paul Sidey as I do not see it on the Sidey website anymore.

I believe the stainless Bloke MPs have a coated rim as well - and Joe can probably chime in on this one along with Dave Houser.

Then a Cadillac mp would be a solid titanium from G&W. But they are frightfully expensive, and yet for a discerning artist something to seriously consider.

I hope this has been helpful. There are other options out their, and probably some mp companies might relish the opportunity to create something from a material that would be beneficial.

[bort]

Hey Paul, good to see you back here.

Question on the G&W Titanium, if you know... is there any difference in how it plays/responds/"works" as compared to stainless steel?

[PaulMaybery]

Hi Brett,
Yes, it is a bit, albeit very subtle. My take is that it has a bit more shimmer and quickness to the response. Might be something the player might detect more so that the listener. But there is a difference for what it is worth. It would strike me that if you are leaning toward a light mass mp like the skeletonized thin wall Helleberg style, then it might be just the thing as the titanium is rather light by comparison to brass/bronze or even stainless. The plastics, even though lighter, I do not feel possess the 'character' (whatever that means) that the titanium does. I'm about half way through my mouthpiece 'research journey' and have learned quite a bit, most of which reaffirms that there is no 'silver bullet' but the exploration has been a 'hoot.' And it makes me practice more . lol. Good to hear from you too. We should get together again sometime soon. Paul

[bort]

Thanks Paul, I appreciate the info! I guess the thing to do would be an A/B comparison with stainless and titanium, but that would be quite expensive.

Also, glad to hear you're only halfway through your mouthpiece journey... assuming that it started about 40 years ago, you've got a long and prosperous future ahead.

[PaulMaybery]

50 is more like it.

[Greenbenches]

I have a Conn Helleberg and the Kellyberg Stainless. I can't tell the difference except the stainless feels smoother and a bit warmer.