TubaForum.net

Even as I'm waiting for the last "modification" on the (LOL) "Sellmansberg II" mouthpiece (a smaller throat...and this is the last thing I'm doing as an improvement pursuit over the other Helleberg II/vintage Helleberg models out there),

...I've stumbled across a deep bowl design (not as deep as those two deep PT ones) that (for me, at least) plays the huge rotary Miraphone B-flat with more ease (so far...) than anything else.

I'd probably describe it (without exaggeration) as a "quantum leap" in my own playing (both slurs AND flexibility on that behemoth...and Mrs. bloke is noticing the RESONANCE more than those two previous things...as she can't tell how LESS hard I'm working, but can only hear it.

The issue is this:
When I try it on more normal tubas (and 4/4 - 5/4 C tubas), it seems (at least, to me) to just perform "OK"...so I have no idea whether I'll actually market it.

Americans do NOT (other than a couple of handfuls of folk) own tubas like mine, a FEW Americans own Cerveny 601 tubas (meaning no offense, a more affordable and more issue-ridden tuba which is in the same size/style classification as mine), not too many Americans own Meinl-Weston 195 rotary "Fafner" tubas, and - though quite a few central Europeans own those, I'm sure (and rightfully so) their reaction would be "so what the hell does some American know about a mouthpiece that's suitable for our Deutsch orchester kaiser tuben?"

(insert shoulder shrug here...no real point to this...just typing...Maybe I'll earn a well-deserved dp "pfft"...??)

Ok, pfft. Since you asked.

Why not ask Miraphone if they'd be interested in evaluating it, just for kicks?

Have you had the opportunity to try said mouthpiece on a piston 6/4 BBb or CC?

And the mouthpiece is a...?

It's called a Blokedeep.

It's just a medium-deep ("Helleberg"-deep) mouthpiece, but with a decidedly "bowl" cup...and no - NOT Bach 7-like (way better, but I don't pretend to to know anything about science - so I won't be tossing up any charts/graphs as attempts to explain why it works with this particular - enormous - tuba), nor why this old bowl mouthpiece is so much better than a Bach 7 bowl mouthpiece.

I cut off the wide "bubble" rim (me? I just can't play on those rims...at least, not very well), and barely changed the throat...

This is how I start with most of my stuff...

ie. "hmm...This thing is ALMOST great...I wonder if...??"

==================================
Per another forum...I'm at my LAST alteration (I'm not messing with it after this) of a mouthpiece to TRY to make the (popular with many) smaller Helleberg cup palatable to me personally (ie. "Helleberg II", "Jacobs model", "30H", etc...THAT cup style). I already like it better, but I still may not (??) end up actually liking it enough to personally use. Others (who already like that cup-style) may really like it, though. (??)

Mary Ann wrote: ↑Sat Sep 21, 2024 9:07 am It's called a Blokedeep.

Blokehole?

The "Blokendorfer 7.1"?

Yeah, whether or not I run off a bunch of them and offer them out (hype-piece...??), I'm glad to have it to use for myself with this particular instrument. It's so much easier to play this instrument with its mouthpiece, that suddenly I'm not doing some things that I was having to concentrate to not do - such as tightening my shoulders and stuff like that.

Since in the past I only found it to be a "pretty good" mouthpiece when I used it with other tubas, how am I supposed to know whether anyone else is going to like it with their tuba? ie. "Raise your hand if you own a Miraphone model 98." hmm...no one...??

anyway... I'm just a little bit giddy, and you typically don't see me posting the previous unless I'm being quite sarcastic about something.