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name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2023 5:25 pm
by LeMark
I have a bach 32e, what else is there that would be considered a very small tuba mouthpiece, but also comes with at least an American shank?
I have some small british shank mouthpieces, but that's not what I'm talking about
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2023 5:32 pm
by bloke
Shallowberger
to the right...
...so NARROW cup or SHALLOW cup, or SMALL throat...??
This one is the 2nd and 3rd of those.
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2023 5:43 pm
by LeMark
that's smaller than the solo? what's the diameter of the rim?
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2023 7:30 pm
by bloke
LeMark wrote: ↑Mon Jul 24, 2023 5:43 pm
that's smaller than the solo? what's the diameter of the rim?
The rim is not wide, but are you really asking about the diameter of the top of the cup?
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2023 7:55 pm
by LeMark
Yeah, I'm looking for a smaller circle, not a 32e, but moving in that direction.
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2023 8:14 pm
by Jperry1466
There is also a 30E, just slightly larger than the 32E, if you can find one. I'm sure the ones I used with beginner band before I retired 17 years ago have been beaten into plowshares by now.
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2023 8:31 pm
by Jperry1466
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2023 8:52 pm
by LeMark
I was doing some tests between my 32e and my bloke solo to see if the the size of the mouthpiece effected intonation. so far they are about the same, but when I get my new leadpipe, I'll try the same test again. I had heard that some of the intonation challenges with a york could be helped by using a mouthpiece closer to what people were playing 100 years ago. we'll see
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2023 12:27 am
by donn
Denis Wick 5 / 5L is only 0.02 " wider than 32E, according to the chart - but it's deep enough that it isn't a super small mouthpiece in my opinion.
Back in the early days of jazz, supposedly woodwind players put stuff inside their mouthpieces, to reduce the interior volume and make a more strident sound. (I'm sure it would have changed pitch as well, but don't think that can be taken to confirm the hypothesis for a brass instrument.) A now defunct mouthpiece maker in Louisiana sold removable baffles for their mouthpieces. Anyway, what I'm suggesting is that with a little paraffin wax or something, you can make a mouthpiece real small.
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2023 2:56 am
by 2nd tenor
LeMark wrote: ↑Mon Jul 24, 2023 5:25 pm
I have a bach 32e, what else is there that would be considered a very small tuba mouthpiece, but also comes with at least an American shank?
I have some small british shank mouthpieces, but that's not what I'm talking about
Wick 5L’s work quite nicely in three valve Eb Basses and I’ve a Bach 25 copy that’s good too - both have large shanks. I’m maybe wrong but in my limited experience the older instruments - even some four valve ones - seem to work quite well with smaller cup mouthpieces; perhaps their (the old instrument’s) narrower bore helps in some way.
The Yamaha range isn’t that common here in the UK but I’d suspect supply might be better in the USA and worth checking out.
I buy a lot of stuff off of eBay, just checking it out now and then; it can be a cheap way to trial things.
Edit. The Bach 32E is listed as having a 29.5 mm cup, and the Wick 5L a 30.0 mm cup - as is Bach’s 30E model.
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2023 6:06 am
by hrender
The Josef Klier "Cologne model F-Eb-Tuba" line starts at 29.0mm inner diameter (model 216-1). See
here. Not sure about the shanks they have, but I recall I played one of the JK standard line briefly with my Gnagey and didn't notice any problems. Then there are the various vintage Eb mouthpieces that show up on ebay, like the King 24 and the Conn E-bass.
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2023 8:21 am
by The Brute Squad
Are we talking any or currently available?
Yamaha's John Griffiths model has a very small, very shallow cup (possibly bass trombone/euph-sized, never measured mine so I don't know exact dimensions), but AFAIK was only sold in Canada and not in several years.
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2023 8:31 am
by tclements
Clements Solo
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2023 8:33 am
by arpthark
name some small tuba mouthpieces
Alice, Jerry, Fran, Walter, Matthew, Bradley, and Steven. Let me know if you need any more.
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2023 9:21 am
by cktuba
Conn 7B or Conn 2? King 25?
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2023 10:02 am
by kingrob76
Doug Elliott has some pretty small rims... I used one of his cimbasso mouthpieces on my YFB-621 with pretty good success.
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2023 2:10 pm
by GC
The Wick 4L is still pretty small, but deep. Smaller than the 24AW. The 5L is bass trombone size with a tuba shank. I have a bass trombonist friend who occasionally doubles on BBb tuba, and he has plenty of low range and a good tuba tone with it.
The Bach 32E is tiny, but not hard to get a dark tuba sound from.
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2023 4:19 pm
by Mary Ann
The JK 8C that I have ended up with on the Star did the best job so far of meeting my needs: it is both narrow and reasonably deep; the narrow fits my face and makes the high range easier, and the deep still allows a robust low range. Not a "popular" mpc but probably should be for those with the same needs I have, which is a smaller circle and a non-bowl cup. I'd have to look it up to get the actual specs; it was in my "box o' mpcs" and I don't even know when or why I bought it.
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2023 8:47 pm
by Bob Kolada
hrender wrote: ↑Tue Jul 25, 2023 6:06 am
The Josef Klier "Cologne model F-Eb-Tuba" line starts at 29.0mm inner diameter (model 216-1). See
here. Not sure about the shanks they have, but I recall I played one of the JK standard line briefly with my Gnagey and didn't notice any problems. Then there are the various vintage Eb mouthpieces that show up on ebay, like the King 24 and the Conn E-bass.
JK also has a contrabass trombone lineup, I use the mid size rim with the shallowest cup option, the KBP 2C. Excellent mp for low range bass trombone and euph (much clearer than a Schilke 60), a little small for cimbasso and tuba. I've never found old Eb's to pay better with small mps. My 'medium' HN White King (about the size of a 621, the small was tiny) plays beautifully with a Bach 18, really a very nice sound. Both of the small Conn's I've had played just fine with the same mp.
Re: name some small tuba mouthpieces
Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2023 6:06 am
by donn
Mary Ann wrote: ↑Tue Jul 25, 2023 4:19 pm
The JK 8C that I have ended up with on the Star did the best job so far of meeting my needs: it is both narrow and reasonably deep; the narrow fits my face and makes the high range easier, and the deep still allows a robust low range. Not a "popular" mpc but probably should be for those with the same needs I have, which is a smaller circle and a non-bowl cup. I'd have to look it up to get the actual specs; it was in my "box o' mpcs" and I don't even know when or why I bought it.
JK Tuba "Exclusive"
If I'm reading the right line, that's 30.5 mm cup inside diameter, 8mm throat bore.