You never know what might work....

[Tubaryan12]

Years ago, during my search for the Holy Grail of mouthpieces, I purchased a no name, 67C sized mouthpiece with the thought of increasing the bore size a bit and using it on my Marzan. After I was done, I declared the mouthpiece a paperweight, and never used it again. Since then, thousands of dollars of mouthpiece have been plugged into that Marzan: Bought a lot. Sold a lot. Traded a lot. Finally, I found mouthpieces that I really like on the Marzan.

Fast forward to this year, I stumble upon a 3/4 sized tuba. Now the mouthpiece search starts again. I try everything I own in this thing, plus the 3 mouthpieces that came with it. None of them seem to be what I want. The closest thing was a Besson 24 mouthpiece I was gifted a few weeks ago.

Today, after a rehearsal, I decided to sit down and try every mouthpiece I own on the thing, which ranged from Sellmansberger Solo, Orchestra Grand and Symphony, Miraphone Rose Orchestra, Bach 18, 22 and 25, Besson 24 and just for kicks, I decided to try that 67C paperweight. Well that paperweight mouthpiece lit the little horn up like a Christmas tree. It was the clear winner by far. Notes speak easier...soft playing is easier. Loud is as easy as any of the others, and the notes speak as easily as if I were playing the Marzan.

Moral of the story (if there is one); the crappiest mouthpiece on your horn, may fit some other horn like a glove. Maybe, ever a horn you never thought you would own.

[Three Valves]

I’m glad it worked out!!

For me, the mouthpiece has to;

1. Fit my face

2. Sound good

My grail MP is the Miraphone TU25. Fortunately, it sounds good in small or large, piston or rotary BBb for me.

[bloke]

' glad you're finding something that works, and - if nothing else - it clues you in to look at similar mouthpieces that might even work 1%-2% better, yes?

I toss (sell) most spare mouthpieces, but hold on to a few - particularly if they're trombone/baritone/euphonium ones.

With my kaiser baritone (aka: "tenor tuba"), I'm also finding that that a great-big-ol' mouthpiece isn't really the best match for a great-big-ol' instrument.

The (large shank) mouthpieces that work best for me are mouthpieces from the 6-1/2AL size range to the 5GS size range...and there's also a not-huge very-"vintage" (old/new-stock...laying around at their factory...last one) MiraFone mouthpiece marked (simply) "562" that works well with it.

NONE of those mouthpieces are particularly large.

[Tubaryan12]

With my kaiser baritone (aka: "tenor tuba"), I'm also finding that that a great-big-ol' mouthpiece isn't really the best match for a great-big-ol' instrument.

The (large shank) mouthpieces that work best for me are mouthpieces from the 6-1/2AL size range to the 5GS size range...and there's also a not-huge very-"vintage" (old/new-stock...laying around at their factory...last one) MiraFone mouthpiece marked (simply) "562" that works well with it.

NONE of those mouthpieces are particularly large.

I have found the same thing. I've downsized to a Schilke 53 on my euphonium. The bigger mouthpieces just wear my lips out. Rehearsals always start great, then at the 3/4 mark, I'm usually out of gas.

I could have sworn I read somewhere years ago about small throat mouthpiece on large bore horn and vice versa.

[Yorkboy]

I've found that an original Conn-Helleberg works best for me on monster E flat tubas, especially for focus in the low register. I never would have assumed that possibility if not for a random test.