TubaForum.net

je wrote: ↑Fri Sep 27, 2024 11:38 pm

2nd tenor wrote: ↑Tue Sep 10, 2024 8:48 am I like the Wick range and now use a 2L on my EEb Tuba; for me the bigger cup energised the fourth valve range and gave a fuller quality to the sound, but YMMV.

This comment gave me an excuse to try a 2L as part of a broad search for mouthpieces that work well with my new Eb tuba (Yamaha YEB-632IIS). To my surprise, although the 3SL works well as a solo mouthpiece (beat only by the Robert Tucci RT-64), the 3L does *not* resonate very well, yet the 2L is among the best I tried, beat only by the Robert Tucci RT-65 and Sellmansberger Imperial (#1 rim), which remain in a dead heat for first place.

Your feedback is appreciated, and I’m glad to have been of some help to somebody. Congratulations on the Yamaha.

I’ve used Wick 4, 3 and 2 sizes in four valve compensating EEb Tubas and they all ‘work’ but, imho, not equally well in the fourth valve range; I found that the 4 didn’t really work in the very low range and that the 3 was a marked improvement. The 3 is a popular compromise in Brass Bands and I happily used a 3 for a few years; they are easier to use (than an 2) and the very low range is rarely called on. After persevering with a Wick 2L I now find it easy to use; for me it gives a slightly fuller sound in normal use (than the 3) and it speaks slightly better through the fourth valve too. So for me a Wick 2L is now the ‘Goldilocks’ size on my four valve compensating EEb.

Mostly the thing that helps me sound better is practise and improved technique; it’s best not to get too hung up on gear ‘cause it’s what you do with what you’ve got that matters. On the other hand I don’t practise enough, my technique isn’t great and if something relatively inexpensive might help then I give it a try; when we experiment we always learn something and eBay helped me find a not too expensive second hand piece to try out.