Stainless Kellyberg - about time!!!!

TUbajohn20J · Post by **TUbajohn20J** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:13 pm

http://www.kellymouthpieces.com/stainle ... lyberg.asp

TubaBobH · Post by **TubaBobH** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:24 pm

I just called the number on the packing slip (920-922-9888) and got a Kelly Mouthpiece recorded message to leave a recorded message. I have done so. Hopefully I will get a call back.

Well, I must say that I am duly impressed with the "customer service department" of Kelly Mouthpieces. Jim Kelly called me about 30 minutes after I left the message. And yes, there was a mouthpiece mix-up. Apparently a number of mouthpieces were pulled out of the Stofer Geib bin by mistake in the fulfilment of Stainless Steel Kellyberg orders. So, if any of you placed an order for the SS Kellyberg in the last week or so, you may be receiving a Stofer Geib mouthpiece by mistake.

Jim told me that the correct SS Kellyberg mouthpiece would be shipped to me immediately, and he just asked me to ship the Stofer Geib back to him.

Sorry to waste your time with three posts of absolutely no real substance.

chipster55 · Post by **chipster55** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:27 pm

price for Kellyberg SS: $130.00

total pd. for clear Kellyberg & Helleberg: $18.00

improvement in my play over Bach: priceless

I don't think I'll make the $130.00 investment.......yet.

lgb&dtuba · Post by **lgb&dtuba** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 5:40 pm

I too received the Stofer Geib instead of the Kelly mouthpiece today.

I did play it for about 30 minutes, though. Compared to my usual TE Rose the Stofer Geib was darker and didn't project as much. The TE Rose is a deeper and wider mouthpiece with much more of a funnel bowl compared to the Stofer Geib. As such I would have expected just the opposite. Shows what I know

That said, I rather liked the sound it gave. It felt good all through the range and I had no problems with it from pedal C through D above the staff (BBb tuba). It was smooth and comfy as well. I can't tell from the web link earlier if it's actually stainless or not. I don't believe it is, though. (Lee?)

Also, for what it's worth, after playing it for a while I googled Stofer Geib, got a few hits describing this mouthpiece and Lee's description of what it sounds like is spot on with what I experienced (without being prejudiced by the descriptions).

I'm going to send it back and get the SS Kellyberg I ordered, but not because I think there's anything at all wrong with this mouthpiece. I do need better projection than this to cut though the band I play with, though. Just a question of matching the tool to the job at hand.

k001k47 · Post by **k001k47** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:06 pm

It felt good all through the range and I had no problems with it from pedal C through D above the staff (BBb tuba).

Sounds good! Maybe I should get one of these Kelly 'pieces instead of a Perantucci...

The Jackson · Post by **The Jackson** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:15 pm

Does anyone notice the difference in design in some Kellybergs? I have an ebony/ivory Kellyberg, and it has a set of ridges around the throat. All the Kellybergs in the website pictures (except Glitter Gold) also have the ridges. You can see it here in this pic

Now, a friend of mine got a black Kellyberg a little while after I got mine and, just like the stainless steel Kellyberg, it has no set of ridges. It also looks a bit shallower.

Any ideas why the difference in design?

lgb&dtuba · Post by **lgb&dtuba** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 11:05 pm

k001k47 wrote:
It felt good all through the range and I had no problems with it from pedal C through D above the staff (BBb tuba).
Sounds good! Maybe I should get one of these Kelly 'pieces instead of a Perantucci...

Careful.

They sent me a Stofer-Geib by accident and that's what I was describing.

I won't know how the Kelly plays until they correct the mistake and send me one.

k001k47 · Post by **k001k47** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 11:08 pm

They sent me a Stofer-Geib by accident and that's what I was describing.

Must've read through the post to fast...

TubaBobH · Post by **TubaBobH** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:52 am

Now, while you still have that Stofer Geib, why not give it a toot and report back to us with your findings.

As suggested, I played the Stofer Geib for around 40 minutes earlier this evening, and although my mouthpiece reference points are somewhat different than those of lgb&dtuba (his reference was the TE Rose, and mine are the Conn Helleberg and the LM-7), my take away is quite similar to his.

The Stofer Geib appears to be a very fine mouthpiece. Its relatively deep funnel cup produced a dark, rich and strong tone, and its relatively flat rim and strong inner edge (kind of a combination of my Conn Helleberg rim and my LM-7/26 rim) produced a crisp clean articulation. The inner rim diameter did feel a little larger than my Conn or LM-7. Therefore, my lower register felt very strong and secure. However, I could not detect much of a difference in my pedal notes. My upper range also felt a little less secure. (But then again, my upper register seldom feels all that secure.) Finally, I did find it somewhat difficult to produce the type of lyrical ringing tone quality that I enjoy coaxing out of both my Conn and LM-7. That might be because the Stofer Geib seemed to require a little more air support than either of these two mouthpieces. Still, overall, a mouthpiece certainly worthy of consideration.

Again, these initial and very tentative observations are based on a mere 40 minute session on a mouthpiece that I had not even heard of 24 hours ago. I would love to keep it a few weeks and give it a real workout. However, I will be boxing it up tomorrow and returning it to Kelly Mouthpieces. Jim Kelly informed me by email Tuesday afternoon that the mouthpiece I had actually ordered, the Stainless Steel KELLYberg, had already been packed and shipped to me. I'm hoping to have it by the end of the week.

lgb&dtuba · Post by **lgb&dtuba** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 2:31 pm

I received my SS Kellyberg Friday as well. I also received a chocolate Kellyberg at the same time. No, not a chocolate colored Kellberg, but a Kellyberg made out of chocolate

Anyway, I agree with cktuba's comments.

Very comfortable to play. Maybe a little darker than the lexan Kellybergs, but not by much. It's kind of in between the smooth darkness of the Stofer-Geib and the overtones I get from the TE Rose. I need to play it outside to get a better feel for its power compared to the Rose, though. Of the 3 mouthpieces (SS Kellyberg, TE Rose, and Stofer-Geib) it's really difficult to say which I prefer.

The Stofer-Geib I received by mistake hasn't actually made it into sales yet. I've asked for a price and will likely keep it as well as the SS Kellyberg. It has a velvety smoothness to the tone that I really like.

Lee Stofer · Post by **Lee Stofer** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:07 am

Wow,
Isn't THIS an unexpected turn of events! Very shortly after I received my order of 80 Stofer-Geib mouthpieces, I received an e-mail from Jim Kelly, letting me know what happened. We do plan to make the mouthpieces available to anyone who mistakenly received one and would like to keep it. And, if someone has received a Geib model with an "A" shank (American-sized) and needs an "E" shank (Euro-sized), just let me know and we'll exchange it for you.

With my Gieb model mouthpiece, the idea was to provide a mouthpiece that is as close as is possible to the original Geib mouthpieces made some 75 years ago. I did not try to "improve" upon the design of the cup, rim, or any other dimensions. The only exception to this is a very small back-cut bevel at the end of the shank to ensure clean response. The mouthpiece is traditional, silver-plated brass, and since this mouthpiece is all about a particular traditional sound and response, I have no plans for a stainless-steel version. This mouthpiece is virtually identical to what Fred Geib played, which was a mouthpiece that Mr. Jacobs reportedly used quite a bit with his Yorks.

Now, as for Jim's new stainless-steel Kellyberg, I just received one of them yesterday, and will report back on it as soon as I've put it through it's paces.

Just to clear up any misconceptions, Jim Kelly and his sister run the machine shop that was once their father's, and specialize in very high quality precision metalworking. Since Jim is a low brass player, his interest in mouthpiece making came naturally. Besides the lexan mouthpieces, they have produced the Canadian Brass mouthpieces, which are very nice. Now, they are introducing the stainless steel Kellyberg, and have just produced my Geib model mouthpieces. Conn-Selmer does not own Kelly any more than they own the moon.

GC · Post by GC » Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:27 pm

Lee,

What are the dimensions on the Geib? Could you post a pic or two?