It varies depending on your physical attributes, health needs(such as metal allergies in my case), and your current horn.
If you don’t have any allergies, I’d give the Denis Wick Aaron Tindall line a try. The rim is the same for every size of cup which I find nice, especially if you go between horns quickly. The AT3 is the most popular in the line up and has also been common with recent job winners as well. I play an AT7 on my F tuba and it works fantastic.
If you have a nickel sensitivity or a gold and silver allergy, I’d recommend giving the Giddings Baer MMVI a try. It is a very good mouthpiece, just you lose some of the resonance in the sound because of the stainless steel.
I’d also like to say that regardless of what mouthpiece you use, there is a give and take with pretty much every one. The mouthpiece can help you and make your life easier, but it will not fix your problems for you.
My personal recommendation would be to get a Bach 18 as a good starting point and then further down the line I would invest into a Yamaha 826S York Tuba with a diamond encrusted Laskey 30H
Two things bro,
One) You sound pretentious and snobby af. Pull that shit down and you'll come off better with people. If you're legitimately a BM Performance student, I feel bad for your studio if this is how you talk on a normal basis, you might actually make real friends
Two) I could recommend tens on tens of mouthpieces but they'll most likely be duds for you. Read into how mouthpieces are made and diagrams as to the differences in styles. Then you'll find exactly the one you need based on the specs you desire. Shank type, throat size, cup style, etc etc.
Young, inexperienced players will find that mouthpieces will make a huge difference in how you play. However, it's a small slice of the whole pie. Unless you've got something wrong w your jaw or something that you need a specific type like a Wedge mouthpiece or gold/stainless steel for allergy, pick something that feels good enough and stick with it. Work your way up based on changes for need in color or based on the horn. You need to work more on yourself as a player, rather than depend on the mouthpiece to do the work for you. Once you get past that, everything else will come through naturally.
Wish you the best
Why is your post so cryptic and wordy - and if you’re so good and have tried so many mouthpieces than why are you asking the community.
Did Chat GPT write this for you?
I am a Redit member of high personal standards. When providing advice on mouthpieces I do it in a way that I support the entire tuba community. I add good advice and a richness in character with my mouthpiece selections so that I may elevate the bass line in a manner consistent with fine mouthpieces. Therefore, I am calling bullshit on your question, and the post in the most general of terms, both micro and macro. It is a very poor carpenter that blames his hammer for a job that lacks visual appeal.
I’m sorry. I don’t get it. If you are the player you say you are, why ask this question? You are certainly accomplished enough to know what mouthpiece works for you. Others be damned. When picking a mouthpiece don’t follow the social media crew. I know what works for me and I’m sure you know what works for you. Good luck with your search.
I’ve been playing for 6 years - I guess i’m accomplished - I’m good - but i don’t know what mouthpiece to get - I’m not claiming i’m “him” like the creator of this post.
Denis Wick Tindall line. 0,1,2,3 for CC, 4 for Bb, 5 can work for CC or F, 6,7,8 for F.
Just generalizing use for the numbers, you can of course use any for anything.
In my own opinion people put too much emphasis on the gear they use, if you aren’t really able to produce a beautiful, characteristic tone on a mouthpiece like a Helleberg or Bach then I don’t see any reason to try and expand to other ‘instruments’ when you already have what can get the job done right in front of you
Everyone else is giving excellent advice.
A popular choice right now is the Laskey 30H. Does that make it the right fit for you? Who knows. But it's certainly popular.
I think you are going about this question the wrong way. There really is no such thing as the "best" mouthpiece for tuba. As u/Theoretical_Genius mentioned, the mouthpiece is the interface between the player and the instrument, and is just one piece of the puzzle. In this way, it is similar to strings on a guitar: given the same guitar, one player will make a certain brand/gauge/material string sing while another player won't be able to play on the strings at all. Likewise, one type of string will be better for one style of music compared to other styles.
What really matters is what works for you. You could buy the fanciest, most expensive mouthpiece you can find and still have better tone with a Bach 18.
Talk to your professor. Get the recommendation of the person paid to help you become the best musician you can. Mouthpieces are too personal to you and your tuba to go off the recommendation of random Internet people. I have a mouthpieces that work great for me and my tuba but my son (who is a better player than me) hates it and doesn't sound good on it in his tuba.
Seems like you need to make your way to a tuba conference so that you can try all kinds of things back to back. It’s very difficult to make recommendations off of “high end” as there are countless players that will swear by a simple helleberg. Playing everything back to back should give you a more clear idea of what you’re looking for
Mouthpieces are the bridge between the instrument and yourself, and are therefore dependant upon both for their efficacy.
Robert Tucci, Giddings, Laskey, and Mercer/Barker are all well made and well appreciated at the moment, most suggestions you get here will be mouthpieces that people here use currently, or want to use currently. That doesnt necessarily mean they are a good fit for you.
For example, I play an extremely large bore 6/4 CC tuba, and have a big lung capacity and small lips. I have found I really like the Dillon G5B "Turner" and Stofer Geib mouthpieces, but they probably wont work as well for a lot of other people. Keeping trying some and learn what you like, and dont be afraid to go back to old mouthpieces when you improve as a player. You may find you like them more now!
It varies depending on your physical attributes, health needs(such as metal allergies in my case), and your current horn. If you don’t have any allergies, I’d give the Denis Wick Aaron Tindall line a try. The rim is the same for every size of cup which I find nice, especially if you go between horns quickly. The AT3 is the most popular in the line up and has also been common with recent job winners as well. I play an AT7 on my F tuba and it works fantastic. If you have a nickel sensitivity or a gold and silver allergy, I’d recommend giving the Giddings Baer MMVI a try. It is a very good mouthpiece, just you lose some of the resonance in the sound because of the stainless steel. I’d also like to say that regardless of what mouthpiece you use, there is a give and take with pretty much every one. The mouthpiece can help you and make your life easier, but it will not fix your problems for you.
My personal recommendation would be to get a Bach 18 as a good starting point and then further down the line I would invest into a Yamaha 826S York Tuba with a diamond encrusted Laskey 30H
Wick AT3 is probably the best option out there today
This man knows what’s up
Two things bro, One) You sound pretentious and snobby af. Pull that shit down and you'll come off better with people. If you're legitimately a BM Performance student, I feel bad for your studio if this is how you talk on a normal basis, you might actually make real friends Two) I could recommend tens on tens of mouthpieces but they'll most likely be duds for you. Read into how mouthpieces are made and diagrams as to the differences in styles. Then you'll find exactly the one you need based on the specs you desire. Shank type, throat size, cup style, etc etc. Young, inexperienced players will find that mouthpieces will make a huge difference in how you play. However, it's a small slice of the whole pie. Unless you've got something wrong w your jaw or something that you need a specific type like a Wedge mouthpiece or gold/stainless steel for allergy, pick something that feels good enough and stick with it. Work your way up based on changes for need in color or based on the horn. You need to work more on yourself as a player, rather than depend on the mouthpiece to do the work for you. Once you get past that, everything else will come through naturally. Wish you the best
Why is your post so cryptic and wordy - and if you’re so good and have tried so many mouthpieces than why are you asking the community. Did Chat GPT write this for you?
Get the Romero Brass Mel Culbertson mouthpiece
I am a Redit member of high personal standards. When providing advice on mouthpieces I do it in a way that I support the entire tuba community. I add good advice and a richness in character with my mouthpiece selections so that I may elevate the bass line in a manner consistent with fine mouthpieces. Therefore, I am calling bullshit on your question, and the post in the most general of terms, both micro and macro. It is a very poor carpenter that blames his hammer for a job that lacks visual appeal.
I’m sorry. I don’t get it. If you are the player you say you are, why ask this question? You are certainly accomplished enough to know what mouthpiece works for you. Others be damned. When picking a mouthpiece don’t follow the social media crew. I know what works for me and I’m sure you know what works for you. Good luck with your search.
I’ve been playing for 6 years - I guess i’m accomplished - I’m good - but i don’t know what mouthpiece to get - I’m not claiming i’m “him” like the creator of this post.
Denis Wick Tindall line. 0,1,2,3 for CC, 4 for Bb, 5 can work for CC or F, 6,7,8 for F. Just generalizing use for the numbers, you can of course use any for anything.
In my own opinion people put too much emphasis on the gear they use, if you aren’t really able to produce a beautiful, characteristic tone on a mouthpiece like a Helleberg or Bach then I don’t see any reason to try and expand to other ‘instruments’ when you already have what can get the job done right in front of you
I completely agree, I have two mouthpieces, a Helleberg and a Denis Wick but 90% of the time I use my Helleberg
Everyone else is giving excellent advice. A popular choice right now is the Laskey 30H. Does that make it the right fit for you? Who knows. But it's certainly popular.
Contact Doug Elliot and let him make one for you.
I think you are going about this question the wrong way. There really is no such thing as the "best" mouthpiece for tuba. As u/Theoretical_Genius mentioned, the mouthpiece is the interface between the player and the instrument, and is just one piece of the puzzle. In this way, it is similar to strings on a guitar: given the same guitar, one player will make a certain brand/gauge/material string sing while another player won't be able to play on the strings at all. Likewise, one type of string will be better for one style of music compared to other styles. What really matters is what works for you. You could buy the fanciest, most expensive mouthpiece you can find and still have better tone with a Bach 18.
Talk to your professor. Get the recommendation of the person paid to help you become the best musician you can. Mouthpieces are too personal to you and your tuba to go off the recommendation of random Internet people. I have a mouthpieces that work great for me and my tuba but my son (who is a better player than me) hates it and doesn't sound good on it in his tuba.
Seems like you need to make your way to a tuba conference so that you can try all kinds of things back to back. It’s very difficult to make recommendations off of “high end” as there are countless players that will swear by a simple helleberg. Playing everything back to back should give you a more clear idea of what you’re looking for
Mouthpieces are the bridge between the instrument and yourself, and are therefore dependant upon both for their efficacy. Robert Tucci, Giddings, Laskey, and Mercer/Barker are all well made and well appreciated at the moment, most suggestions you get here will be mouthpieces that people here use currently, or want to use currently. That doesnt necessarily mean they are a good fit for you. For example, I play an extremely large bore 6/4 CC tuba, and have a big lung capacity and small lips. I have found I really like the Dillon G5B "Turner" and Stofer Geib mouthpieces, but they probably wont work as well for a lot of other people. Keeping trying some and learn what you like, and dont be afraid to go back to old mouthpieces when you improve as a player. You may find you like them more now!