Posted by Doug Elliott on August 04, 1999 at 09:19:16:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Custom Mouthpieces posted by Jay Bertolet on August 03, 1999 at 08:58:27:
I actually don't get on the Internet all that often. It amazes me how active this board is- I could never keep up with it and still get any work done. First of all, I play trombone, not tuba, so for playability opinions I have to depend on feedback from players and what I hear. I don't remember specifics from particular horns, but as I recall, most tubas I have measured have no actual "gap", we're really just talking about how far the shank extends into the receiver; the leadpipe is actually larger than the end of the receiver. I would like to measure some horns again to refresh my memory on that before I step into a "gap" here. In my mouthpieces, I have tried to standardize one area, the distance the shank goes into the receiver, by making many different sizes and tapers of shanks. That way, some meaningful comparisons can be made using different backbores (the inside taper from the throat to the end of the shank). There is such an incredible range of tuba designs and receiver sizes, from the old Besson shank (smaller than a bass trombone shank) to the huge receivers on old Alexanders, and they all need considerably different shank sizes and backbore sizes. I make a graduated system of backbore sizes so that you can experiment on your own horn to find the best one. Every instrument (and player) is different. The right backbore can really improve the intonation, sound, and playability of a horn more than you might think. Most larger bore horns need a large backbore, and most smaller bore horns need a smaller backbore, regardless of the receiver size. Changing the "gap" or fit of the shank is one way to do it; I just chose a different way that I think is more effective.