Posted by David Carter on October 07, 2003 at 15:43:15:
In Reply to: Re: Good Mouthpieces for Beginners? posted by Tony Clements on October 06, 2003 at 09:44:44:
As I recall the story behind the 24AW was that it was developed for the tuba section of the sousa band. Deep A cup for string bass like sound on the old warhorse transcriptions but with a cushion rim for marching. While no mouthpiece is right for all, or every purpose it may be the most commonly used mouthpiece in the United States. Many MPCs favored by pros today are just too big for many junior high kids. As far as a critique of the 24AW goes, the rim of those made in recent years seems to be even more rounded than the ones made years ago. The Faxx 24AW, a copy of a Mount Vernon Bach, has more definition to the rim, and I would recomend it over the current Bach 24AW, cheaper as well. Personally I wish Bach made this mouthpiece without the cushion rim. While many students do well on it, I have had high school students acheive a clearer sound on Hellebergs or Bach 18 and 22. Most serious students will change to a larger more pro oriented mouthpiece anyway, but the 24AW is a safe mouthpiece for band directors to put young players on, although by High school i'd rather have Bach 18 or 22 if the student can handle the larger size.
As far as the tonal qualities go John Fletcher had a very good sound on it, and it is a very good size for e flat tubas.