Thoughts on "Kelly" Plastic mouthpieces....

[dopey]

i got a kelly too, but i got the wrong one.. I got the 24aw, i meant to get a helleberg.

anyway, I also got a pt-48 to replace my current helleberg. I love the new pt48 and I can tell a pretty big difference between the metal mps and the plastic.


Dont' get me wrong, i like the mouthpiece but it won't be my main MP except during marching season(reason I got it). My high range seems much more stuffy(could just be the fact its a 24aw?) and overall range feels stuffier. Again whether this is hte plastic or style of hte mouthpiece is agruable.

It does however feel more comfortable especially to my unwarmed up lips, and when my lips are worn out. Not to mention they don't get frozen cold, or hott.

I think they have their place, and im sure some use them 24/7 but for me they have their place which is marching season, but I wouldn't use this mouthpiece for a solo.

[Kevin Hendrick]

... My high range seems much more stuffy(could just be the fact its a 24aw?) and overall range feels stuffier. Again whether this is hte plastic or style of hte mouthpiece is agruable.

There are a couple of ways you could determine that -- get a Kellyberg (to compare with your current mp) or a brass 24AW (to compare with the Kelly that you have). I suspect the differences you've noticed are probably due to the different mouthpiece designs, rather than the material used. I bought a Kellyberg in December, and have been using it ever since (have played several concerts on it). There are some small playing differences that I'm sure are attributable to the Lexan, but I haven't noticed the high (or low) range being stuffier.

[Joe Baker]

I've got a Kellyberg, and find that it doesn't seem to "feel" quite the same up high or down low. I wouldn't say it's stuffy, though... more like I don't get the same resonance I get with the brass Conn Helleberg. But that's only above the staff and below low F; everywhere else it feels fine. The reason I never use mine in performance (I would in extreme cold, but that's not likely for our band) is that in a blind test it came out thinner sounding than the brass one.

BUT!

The value of this mouthpiece for me is in that my practice is caught a few minutes at a time. With the brass mouthpiece, by the time I got warmed up I'd usually have to go answer the phone, or stir the soup, or SOMETHING. The net result is that I'd wind up getting frustrated and not even trying to practice. With the Kellyberg, I sit down and actually PLAY for five or ten minutes, several times a day. Occasionally the stars line up just right and I get to play for 20 or 30 minutes or even an hour at a stretch. But the main thing is that I'm playing all through the week, so when our band rehearsal day comes up it hasn't been a week since I've played . I also use it when I first arrive at band to warm up. I put the metal one in my pocket to physically warm it, and get the chops moving on the plastic, then switch before rehearsal starts.
___________________________________
Joe Baker, who practices in nickels and dimes, and can't afford to waste a penny!

[Doug@GT]

BUT!

The value of this mouthpiece for me is in that my practice is caught a few minutes at a time. With the brass mouthpiece, by the time I got warmed up I'd usually have to go answer the phone, or stir the soup, or SOMETHING. The net result is that I'd wind up getting frustrated and not even trying to practice. With the Kellyberg, I sit down and actually PLAY for five or ten minutes, several times a day. Occasionally the stars line up just right and I get to play for 20 or 30 minutes or even an hour at a stretch.
___________________________________
Joe Baker, who practices in nickels and dimes, and can't afford to waste a penny!

That's exactly how I use my Kellyberg, too. That and TubaChristmas. The kids love it.

While it may not be (to me) a "performance" mouthpiece, it is by far my most "useful" mouthpiece.

Doug "who needs to get a bright yellow one for marching band"

[Joe Baker]

Doug "who needs to get a bright yellow one for marching band"

I've GOT a bright yellow one ("yellaberg", Bloke calls it ). Maybe we could trade; what color have you got?
_____________________________
Joe Baker, who would prefer MOST other colors.

[Chriss2760]

I first played a Kelly last fall during Octoberfest. It was the 18. I loved it. Specifically, I felt that I could move my lips around on it with much less effort than the original Bach. I also like that the thing isn't freezing when we are palying outside in the winter. (Bummer trying to lay down some smokin' bass line when your valves freeze, huh?) But at least with the Kellys my lips are happy. I think it has a softer, warmer fell than a metal mp.
I really feel funny liking a $30 mp as much as I do this one. I believe that we all can create whatever musical experience we want, and for me, a lot of the time, that means using a "serious" horn and a "serious" mouthpiece. But I gotta tell ya, I think we all could probably use the Kellys 90% of the time and no one would know the diff. A yellow, (or in my case blue or orange,) mouthpiece, does take some getting used to, though .
The Kellyberg rocks, too, by the way, but really needs to be bigger.
Bottom line? They're cheap enough that almost everyone can try them for themselves.

[tubaspmcc]

Here is my assesment of the Kelly Mouthpieces

FOR:
Price is very good
Saves your chops whilst marching
As above, but also for hot and cold weather

AGAINST:
Plastic absorbs some of vibration: hence
sound is more stuffy

Conclusion:
This mouthpiece is good only for marching gigs, unless you can afford a mouthpiece with a plastic rim (e.g. Josef Klier, Doug Elliott, etc.) which I believe gives better results.


Simon McCauley

[tubatooter1940]

I haven't recorded with my Kelly 24AW yet but I plan to use it on our next C.D..I bought a gold one to prevent allergic reactions but it doesn't look enough like gold to make people think I have big bucks so I am thinking candy stripe color for my next one.The kids'll like it.
I notice some playing differences from my metal mouthpieces but they are controllable and minor.The sound appears to be the same but it's a little harder to blatt with a Kelly.
www.johnreno.com/

[MaryAnn]

I find my Kelly more comfortable on the face, but for horn I couldn't get a replica of my regular mouthpiece, so I don't use the kelly. I can hear a differece on cornet between the Kelly and a brass mouthpiece, and I like the brass mpc sound better, but it is not a huge difference. I didn't buy a tuba Kelley because I was trying the higher brasses first.

I think the best applications are:
If you have metal allergy problems
temperature extremes
ALL grade school kids and ANYBODY who has a tendency to drop their mouthpiece, should be on a Kelly
and anybody who just happens to like it, just like any other mpc!

MA

[corbasse]

I also use my Kellyberg all the time because I love the feel of the lexan. I'm nowhere good enough to appreciate the difference between lexan or metal, and for the moment I can't hear a difference at all when I'm playing. I think the possible difference in sound only becomes a concideration when you're past the stage of getting the right notes at the right time with the right intonation and a good sound, and start to really make music.

I did get the MC and MDC french horn as well, and tried them out. I don't use them only because I don't like the Farkas style mouthpieces. The moment a reasonable Kelly substitute for my Josef Klier 2BM gets out, I'm getting it!

[Kevin Hendrick]

... The moment a reasonable Kelly substitute for my Josef Klier 2BM gets out, I'm getting it!

Just checked the Josef Klier website -- I see their mouthpieces are available in plexiglas as well as metal. The price is higher (a lot higher than a Kelly), but it might be worth it (worth a try, at least).

[corbasse]

... The moment a reasonable Kelly substitute for my Josef Klier 2BM gets out, I'm getting it!

Just checked the Josef Klier website -- I see their mouthpieces are available in plexiglas as well as metal. The price is higher (a lot higher than a Kelly), but it might be worth it (worth a try, at least).

I know, but JK doesn't make them in Punk Pink, Crystal Purple or Glow-In-The-Dark

[punk_tuba]

i don't think much of them,
but i am going to purchase one for outdoor playing this fall

[elimia]

I poked around on one that was brought into rehearsal by one of the guys in my section. It was pretty comfortable and played pretty nice. Yes, the sound was different I'll admit, but I'm rethinking the sagely advice Joe mentioned that is a new angle on how practical they could be for a quick toot. I play a SM3.5 normally and would be a little worried about switching to a smaller piece on a regular basis (most Kelly euph mpcs are a little smaller than I use).

[elimia]

I poked around on one that was brought into rehearsal by one of the guys in my section. It was pretty comfortable and played pretty nice. Yes, the sound was different I'll admit, but I'm rethinking the sagely advice Joe mentioned that is a new angle on how practical they could be for a quick toot. I play a SM3.5 normally and would be a little worried about switching to a smaller piece on a regular basis (most Kelly euph mpcs are a little smaller than I use).

...except I just noticed they sell a 51D version. Hmm...that's not too far off.

[corbasse]

They're thinking about putting out a PT-50 version.

It should be available by the end of this year.
They're developing "silver" and "gold" colour as well so you can have one which is indistinguishable from a "normal" mouthpiece from a distance.

[Tubaryan12]

I'm sending my Kellyberg out to be mirror coated next week (the wife does that sort of thing for a living)....I'll let you guys know how it comes out.

[Tubaryan12]

Kelly mirror results: The mirror coating stuck to the mouthpiece but the color is not correct.....more tests to follow.