TubaForum.net

This post dates to mid-April, 2025...

These are a good bit shallower than most all tuba mouthpieces, but are made on a tuba blank so to speak (though there's really no such thing as a "tuba blank").

It features my #2 profile narrow and gentle-on-the-face rim with a conservative 32.3mm opening, the throat is about the size of a typical large bass trombone mouthpiece throat, and the cup is perhaps 1/8 of an inch shallower yet than a Miraphone 23 aka C4.

I designed this as an F or E-flat cimbasso mouthpiece, but perhaps it would also work on one of those cute little 5/8ths inch bore little 14-in bell American E-flat tubas from a century ago. (??)

From now on, they will be $175 ea. + postage, I have a stack of orders for them already but I lack two or three to make it worth doing a "run" of them. If I can get a small number of you interested in them, I can go ahead and push the magic button. The finish is bright silver plate, and they are one-piece brass, as far as what they're made of.

If you use them for the two things I outlined above, I suspect you will be very pleased. If you purchase one and decide that it works great on something else, congratulations and let me know.

Since the price is now at the non-introductory price, I'm going to offer an optional weeklong trial, but - since these are silver plated brass and not stainless steel - I'm going to have to be really picky about nicks, scratches, and shank marks in order to allow refunds. I also can't return the credit card processing fee of 3% nor the postage cost out to you. Realize that the only things that I'm not offering to refund (refund, as long as the mouthpiece still looks brand new) are things that I cannot get back.

If you are hoping for the return option, I would strongly recommend cutting out a small rectangle of paper that will protect the shank from becoming scarred upon insertion, until you've decided that you like it and are keeping it. I think I would also recommend a nice close shave, because silver plated brass and gold-plated brass mouthpieces can even be scratched with whisker stubble. ... Just sayin'.

This is the same drill as always.
I'm not going to ask for any money until shortly before they're ready to deliver to you folks who are so kind as to buy them, but once the time draws near for delivery to you, I'm going to ask for prompt payment upon request.

Right now, I just need names and email addresses from those of you who would like to buy one. Addresses and phone numbers are handy as well, but I can actually collect those from you later.

Thanks for supporting me in the mouthpiece thing here.
It's actually kind of fun, I like hearing from people who are happy with what they got, as well as from one or two who might not be, but - so far - most seem to want to keep things that I sell to them...

just like this...except mine is "small" (bass trombone or old English tuba) shank, and all of this run will be STANDARD shank.
Oh yeah...My own is scuffed, carelessly inserted in the receiver, and non-returnable...' good thing it's mine anyway.

Too bad- I was recently gifted one of those little Eb horns, and it takes a small shank. BBC got it into playing condition, but now I need a proper mouthpiece for it.

Heavy_Metal wrote: Wed Apr 16, 2025 10:50 pm Too bad- I was recently gifted one of those little Eb horns, and it takes a small shank. BBC got it into playing condition, but now I need a proper mouthpiece for it.

If you're really interested, I can ask the guy who runs my stuff if he's willing to buzz one off with a small shank.

Very tempted…

I like mine. It is a very balanced mouthpiece despite what one might thinK based solely on Joe's physical description of its characteristics. I do not need this right now and will not use it much in my massive-stupid-big Kurath F tuba. However, I have plans to build a cimbasso in F with six valves and THIS will be the mouthpiece I intend to use with it, both as I design and build it, and hopefully in the orchestra when I need a cinbasso.

The next IBC USA will be in the summer of 2027 and I intend to use it in the pit for that for the two weeks it runs. It is a very big deal, so two years from start to fully developed and in regular use is not much time for me to get this done. I am glad that I do not have to suffer the burden of doing all this work and THEN having to dink around with 45 mouthpieces only to discover that none of them work. This one WILL. I am stoked to build a horn for it.

I imagine it would work equally well on those tiny Eb Yorks I see from time to time, and I would have loved to try this on my Yamaha YFB-621 F tuba. I struggled with finding a mouthpiece to add color to that bland, little guy for years. I went bigger and bigger for years until I reversed that trend. I used the smallest piece I owned in it for about five years before I finally sold it. I think this was the correct trend for me, but I never got this shallow, and I think maybe I should have.

I like this little mouthpiece. Good shape. Good depth. Good width. Excellent rim.

I thought a shallowberger mouthpiece, was a beginner piece, for string teachers, to start brass players at 5th grade.

Schlitzz wrote: Thu Apr 17, 2025 3:19 pm I thought a shallowberger mouthpiece, was a beginner piece, for string teachers, to start brass players at 5th grade.

I guess it could work for that.... ie. the 17mm bore small top action tubas...

I just delivered one of those back to a school today along with a bunch of other stuff. If I had been smart enough to think to try it out, I would have.

I am also intending to refurbish and sell a Couesnon Eb and a DEG Caravelle "commuter tuba" BBb at some point, and I want to try the "Shallowberger" in them, too. i think it will work well in those two student horns.

I'm thinking the "Commuter" is a semi-robust instrument...

If I'm remembering correctly (??) the bore size is 17.5mm (.689")

Usually top-action, but sort of an Olds O-99 size tuba, yet with a King bore.

Yes, removable bell flare so youg scholars could schlep it home and slap on a plastic flare. I always thought that was a dumb idea. I don't think that a second brass flare would have cost DEG much more than the terrible plastic one. And what sort of wimp kids did they have in Wisconsin back then, anyway? I carried a 186 in a hard case to and from school every day for years. It sucked, but it was what the situation required if I wanted to play the tuba, and I wanted to play the tuba.

the elephant wrote: Fri Apr 18, 2025 9:30 am Yes, removable bell flare so youg scholars could schlep it home and slap on a plastic flare. I always thought that was a dumb idea. I don't think that a second brass flare would have cost DEG much more than the terrible plastic one. And what sort of wimp kids did they have in Wisconsin back then, anyway? I carried a 186 in a hard case to and from school every day for years. It sucked, but it was what the situation required if I wanted to play the tuba, and I wanted to play the tuba.

yeah... I can think of an awful lot of differences between my school situation in the late '60s to early '70s and now, but every time I recall them here or elsewhere people are triggered and take what I report as a matter of fact as personal or some sort of groups of insults, so...

Well, I bought @MikeS 's small-shank Shallowberger and it fits this little Lehnert Eb nicely- the shank goes into the receiver a bit more than halfway.

And I had to download an Eb fingering chart. Feels like grade school again..............

But it works. Nice job, @bloke .

Schlitzz wrote: Thu Apr 17, 2025 3:19 pm I thought a shallowberger mouthpiece, was a beginner piece, for string teachers, to start brass players at 5th grade.

Then I might be able to use one of his mouthpieces.

anadmai wrote: Thu Apr 24, 2025 3:07 pm

Schlitzz wrote: Thu Apr 17, 2025 3:19 pm I thought a shallowberger mouthpiece, was a beginner piece, for string teachers, to start brass players at 5th grade.

Then I might be able to use one of his mouthpieces.

@anadmai I could use a couple more orders of this particular model to define a minimal "run" of them, if you would like to email me...(email in signature) with name/address/phone and (again) that you're looking for the very shallow mouthpiece.

I'm not asking for $$$ until they're nearly ready to ship.

bloke wrote: Fri Apr 25, 2025 10:11 am

anadmai wrote: Thu Apr 24, 2025 3:07 pm

Schlitzz wrote: Thu Apr 17, 2025 3:19 pm I thought a shallowberger mouthpiece, was a beginner piece, for string teachers, to start brass players at 5th grade.

Then I might be able to use one of his mouthpieces.

@anadmai I could use a couple more orders of this particular model to define a minimal "run" of them, if you would like to email me...(email in signature) with name/address/phone and (again) that you're looking for the very shallow mouthpiece.

I'm not asking for $$$ until they're nearly ready to ship.

I need a smaller diameter.