Okay, one more time with feeling ...
Yep, that's an old Buescher Eb tuba all right. Notice the similarity to this one -- after I de-dented it, cut it to 440, and added the (still prototype) 3rd valve kicker. Also note that it is sporting the Denis Wick 5 mouthpiece (Heritage) that I picked up on Ebay for a really good price.
Does it help with the mouthpiece question? No. Pretty much everybody (except for some of the TubeNet dudes who are willing to speculate about something they've never seen or had actual experience with) is telling you the same thing: It's almost certainly not a mouthpiece issue, and you won't find a magic mouthpiece that will fix the problems you're having. You need an "appropriate" mouthpiece for this, but no mouthpiece will fix a fundamental pitch problem. Have you actually tried the tuner/scale approach at different pitches to see if it has a good scale at a lower pitch? Have you done the leak tests to ensure that it isn't leaking?
You can believe on the basis of some kind of faith that somewhere "out there" is a mouthpiece that will make that horn play in tune, but in cases like this an empirical approach works much better than a faith-based one. Asking the same question and getting the same response won't get you closer to a playable instrument. That's a nice looking horn you've got -- in apparently much better cosmetic shape than mine was when I got it. It's amazing how well the finish lasts on these things. It would be a pity to give it up because you're committed to believing that what it needs is just the right mouthpiece. But if you do, then someone will get a really nice instrument and then fix it so it plays in tune.
My horn plays so well now that I'm really enjoying playing an Eb for the first time in twenty years, and I've been using it for over a month in community band. I'll be using it there regularly for about another month until my new compensator arrives (it is currently motoring northward just off the coast of France -- contemporary ship tracking capabilities are amazing), and then this one will be retired to use in Tuba Christmas, small groups, playing when standing is required, or just when I want to have some fun with it. One thing I have noticed about it is that it seems to require a different embouchure than did my BBb contra bass horn. More like a big euphonium (surprise). And more of a difference in embouchure in the middle/high and the low/contra ranges.
Last edited by ghmerrill; 04-25-2013 at 08:05 AM.
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)