Re: Mouthpiece for Returning Player


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Posted by Rob P-M on July 28, 2003 at 08:04:11:

In Reply to: Mouthpiece for Returning Player posted by Jonathan Schwartz on July 27, 2003 at 12:39:10:

The King 26 is a design that is contemporary with the York BBb, and was the standard mouthpiece provided with all King BBb and CC tubas and sousaphones into the 1960s. It is a fairly bowl shaped mouthpiece, unlike the various Helleberg variants which are popular now, and were standard issue in one form or another (Conn 2 is the cup depth and diameter equiavlent -but not the rim shape -- of the Helleberg 7B) on Conns of the same period. I'm not sure what the mouthpiece originally supplied with the Yorks looked like. A lot of players - Arnold Jacobs among the best known - played a Helleberg on big Yorks.

Among the most popular mouthpieces generally for amateur players are the Bach 24AW - a fairly deep cup with a wide 'cushion' rim and the Bach 18, which is a little bigger rim diameter, but shallower cup.

When I first started playing again after a 25-odd year layoff, I was lent an old York BBb. I had a Bach 18 laying around and a Conn 2. I used the Bach 18 for a while with reasonable results, but was never particularly happy with it. I bought a King 2341 and used the Bach 18 on it for almost a year, but it did not grow in my affection. I did find that I liked the Conn 2 better when I played a sousaphone than the Bach 18. Through various peregrinations, a Schilke Helleberg II came my way and I found it immediately improved my playing on the King.

While the King 26 is not a bad mouthpiece, it is no longer made, and if you end up liking it, it will be a problem to replace. I'd suggest trying the two Bach standards, 18 and 24AW as well as the two Conn (UMI) Hellegerg designs, the Helleberg and the Helleber 7B, which is a little smaller than the other one. None of those mouthpieces are very expensive, all are proven designs, and all are widely available and likely to continue to be available. Unless you get very serious, I don't think there's any need to move to any of the newer and more expensive mouthpieces you hear about on this BBS all the time.


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