AMH Paul Mouthpiece - But stainless?

[Dopey]

Does anyone know of a mouthpiece with similar/same specs as the AMH Paul but offered in Stainless(or Titanium) ?

Specs:

• Cup: 32.0 mm
• Medium sharp inner rim
• Rim: 7.3 mm
• Cup shape: Deep funnel cup
• Bore: 8.85 mm

I find myself constantly swapping around mouthpieces on my Gnagey Eb. I keep returning to this one as my favorite sound, but I have always preferred stainless steel feel. The last time I tried to find a similar, stainless, it felt like the bore was very unusual?

I have a few G&W mouthpieces already but ultimately find myself gravitating back to the AMH Paul simply for how it sounds.

• G&W Alan Baer MVII (Nearly 20 years old, my first/original BBb mouthpiece in college). -- I actually like how this one plays/feels but I can't help but think I would be creating other problems if I used such a mouthpiece on an Eb tuba so I force myself back to a 'Bass Tuba' Mouthpiece.
• Alan Baer F -- Wrong shank size, I find this one a hassle to play in tune and quit using it some time ago.
• Jon Sass Titanium - I go between loving it and hating it. It feels at times a bit 'squeezed' on my embrochure, which I don't like and tend to go back to a larger rim. (I think is why).

If anyone is aware of a mouthpiece like/size of AMH Paul but stainless i'd be very grateful :) Or comments on whether using the BBb Alan Baer is ok or a recipe for disaster :x


..and am I the only one that cycles through phases of playing different mouthpieces for really no other reason than they are on the shelf and one feels a desire to..

[MikeS]

The closest thing I can think of would be a Kelly stainless 24AW.

https://www.kellymouthpieces.com/kmstai ... /index.asp

The 24AW rim will be wider, but they share the concept of a smallish diameter, a deep funnel cup, and a large bore. Certainly there are a lot of Eflat players that like it.

[Grumpikins]

"And am I the only one that cycles through phases of playing different mouthpieces for really no other reason than they are on the shelf and one feels a desire to.."

I have been doing this also. It seems like a shame not to use them. Strangely, I enjoy the old Conn 2 I bought from Blake very much.

[the elephant]

I was always taught that if you cannot home in on a mouthpiece for a horn that it is likely not the mouthpiece that is your issue; the horn is the issue.

My personal experience, however, is that your face changes over time, from one extreme to another, and that sometimes you just have to play whatever works THAT DAY and stop over-thinking it. If it works well on Tuesday, but on Wednesday morning it does not work as well, use the one that works on Wednesday morning.

[donn]

Strangely, I enjoy the old Conn 2 I bought from Blake very much.

Doesn't seem strange to me. The Conn 2 was a great mouthpiece. They aren't like violins or something, very good mouthpieces are commonplace.

[Dopey]

I was always taught that if you cannot home in on a mouthpiece for a horn that it is likely not the mouthpiece that is your issue; the horn is the issue.

Heh I think you nailed it.

Two things:
* My self claimed my own lack of ear, and self consciousness around it. I do not get complaints around my intonation, or tone quality but I've always been very self conscious and felt I lacked the ear of my peers in college. Any look from a person in rehearsal and I assume it's due to me being out of tune. Remember once in college a grad student shot me a look when I came in on a piece, I apologized after assuming it was tuning. It turned out he looked because it sounded so nice/good. It's like musician imposter syndrome. Even went for a medical checkup decades ago to try and understand it. That is what's in my head anyway, in real life my tone has been the most positive comment of my playing over the years. And I cannot recall ever being actually singled out for being out of tune -- I swear I feel being intune more in my lips than I do ears when playing with others.. Anyway.

* While I am very fond of my Wessex, The concern of QA or getting a 'bad one' comes combined with my above self consciousness since it is a chinese horn compared to a classic. Again only compliments received, but self consciousness.

Due to this at home I often grab a tuner and check things. I do find challenges getting Eb below staff, Bb in Staff, Eb in staff, etc all lined up cleanly. Some mouth pieces these line up better than other. This also is a bit of the ritual every so often to compare the collection, and try to find the 'best' one in terms of intune with itself. Most are very similar aside from one where the shank was incorrect, that one is quite bad.

But at the end it is also just how it sounds to me under the bell or on a recording. Which I've concluded I prefer the sound of the Paul MP, but the feeling of a SS or Titanium. It can also be a bit of guilt 'You spent how much for a titanium mouthpiece and for the SS Mouthpiece, and you are using a normal silver plated Paul???!?' So I switch back only to later gravitate back to the Paul. :D

[Dopey]

After my own research, I ended up finding the mercer and barker line of mouthpieces. These had some larger bore's closer to the Paul, and quite reasonably priced.

Going to give the M4W a try :) Worse case yet another mouthpiece on the shelf.

At some point can one consider these investment assets?