Posted by Jay Bertolet on December 07, 2003 at 10:34:40:
In Reply to: Eb mouthpieces posted by turbod on December 07, 2003 at 09:50:40:
It depends on what you're using the Eb for. For many years, players in the US used an Eb tuba as a substitute for a true contrabass horn. Usually, this was done with smaller children who weren't able to handle the bigger instruments. Using it that way, you're actually trying to get a more contrabass type sound and using a contrabass mouthpiece makes a lot of sense. Further, many Eb players prefer a bigger mouthpiece on their horns anyway. Most notably, the late John Fletcher used a Bach 24AW on his Boosey Sovereign.
I have a couple Eb tubas and I use mouthpieces that fit the horns such that it makes what I think is a characteristic sound on the instrument. I'm not trying to make my Eb tubas sound like contrabass tubas generally so I choose a mouthpiece that fits me, produces a good sound in all registers, and also yields workable intonation throughout the ranges of the horn. Each one of my Eb horns uses a different mouthpiece because of this, depending on their relative sizes. As a reasonable starting point, I would suggest the following mouthpieces for you to look into:
Schilke Helleberg II
Bach 24AW
Laskey 30F
Conn Helleberg 7B
Those four mouthpieces are popular choices among players that play Eb, are readily available, and are not overly large or overly small. They also encompass different cup configurations. Surely one of these mouthpiece will feel better to you and perhaps provide a starting point towards finding the mouthpiece that best fits you and your horn. Good luck!
My opinion for what it's worth...