I'm primarily a tuba player, but I play the euph a lot as well. Here's my recommendation for a few things to try. In general you can get these mouthpieces on a "try and buy" arrangement from various places that may cost you a bit on shipping/restocking if you return them. But it's worth the cost to do the trials.
I have two recommendations that are my go-to mouthpieces for tuba after more than 20 years, and may be of particular interest to you if you're primarily a euph player:
- Schilke 66. This is a medium size Helleberg (funnel) shaped mouthpiece that I've used on both Eb and BBb horns. For me it is the BEST Helleberg style mouthpiece.
- Miraphone TU-17. This is the mouthpiece I've settled on since returning to tuba playing. It can be thought of as the German-style (i.e., bowl instead of funnel) moral equivalent of the Schilke 66. It is the mouthpiece I use now on my BBb. I could use the Schilke 66, but I get better articulation ON MY HORN from the TU-17. On the other hand, the Schilke 66 feels better and seems better above the staff. It's always a compromise one way or another.
Neither of these is cheap. And I have very specific tastes in terms of the mouthpiece diameter and rim size. For tuba, I tend to prefer smaller mouthpieces (30 mm or about 1.25" or so diameter). For euphs I tend to prefer larger mouthpieces (27-30mm or larger). You need to pick a mouthpiece that is good for you, and this depends very much on your mouth size.
If you want to try some inexpensive alternatives, I highly recommend the Kelly mouthpieces. You can get one for $30 or less. To start with, I recommend trying the 25 or the 18. I've never liked the 24AW by any manufacturer.
I'd suggest trying some of these, picking one to start with (play on it six months or a year), and then based on what you've learned, evaluate others. You almost can't lose with the Kellys to start with. Look on Ebay for the best price and shipping.
Gary Merrill
Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)