Originally Posted by
KKORO
Thanks for the info. I picked up the Tuba today. It came with a Bach 18. My luck, eh! Since I enjoyed trying different mouthpieces with my Euphonium, I'll be looking for a used Bach 25. The 18 does seem a bit big, but I think that's because I used to the Euphonium.
KKORO
There's nothing wrong with a Bach 18, but mouthpiece selection is highly idiosyncratic and really depends on your own facial structure. For that reason (and as a first mouthpiece) you may find it a bit large. But try it and see how it works.
I really don't like Bach mouthpieces -- preferring Schilke (if Helleberg style) or Miraphone (if bowl/German style). But I find the Bach 25 okay and it's on the "smaller" side for tuba mouthpieces -- so a good starting point. Often, tuba players go to larger and larger mouthpieces because (a) they believe that they should "use as large a mouthpiece as you can", (b) they want more "power" (volume), or (c) they are chasing a certain "organ-like tone" in the lower registers. Each of these goals has a certain fundamental problem.
Last year, my section mate went to a HUGE Perantucci mouthpiece on her Miraphone 186 in order to make her contra bass range easier and fuller. It does that -- as a quick fix -- but she totally lost the high range and now avoids playing anything above the F on the bass staff. With a larger mouthpiece, it's also easier to overblow and "blat" out notes -- particularly on medium to small size tubas. You lose control. And it's often difficult for players to control their pitch and intonation. And a mouthpiece that's too large is just fatiguing to use in long sessions.
Only experience (and some feedback from others who hear you play, and recording yourself) will tell you what's best for you. And you can expect it to take at least a number of months (if not a couple of years) before you feel comfortable enough to know what you really want in terms of a mouthpiece. It also depends on both you and the horn. I love the Schilke 66 for BBb tubas. But now on my Eb horn I'm using a Wick 3XL. I was using a 2XL for a couple of years, but I backed off to the 3XL because I was finding the 2XL too fatiguing to control and not giving me the easy and accurate intonation I want. However, I doubt that I would ever use that mouthpiece on a BBb tuba.
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)