' any serious interest in these? (possible future production)

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bloke
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' any serious interest in these? (possible future production)

Post by bloke »

?? - ONE-PIECE COMPLETE MOUTHPIECE (silver plated brass) SOLO cup, standard shank, #0 throat, and 32.9mm #2 profile rim ($175, if produced)

?? - THREADED FOR RIMS (silver plated brass) SOLO underpart with standard shank and #0 throat ? ($150, if produced)

?? - - ONE-PIECE COMPLETE MOUTHPIECE (silver plated brass) IMPERIAL cup, standard shank, and 32.9mm #2 profile rim ($175, if produced)

?? - THREADED FOR RIMS (silver plated brass) IMPERIAL underpart with standard shank ? ($150, if produced)

------------------------------------------------

I'm running really low on all four versions of (silver plated brass) OG Ultimate BUT A FEW OF EACH (other than the one marked otherwise)

- complete mouthpiece - $tandard shank
- complete mouthpiece - €uro shank
- threaded for rims - $tandard shank (temporarily sold out)
- threaded for rims - €uro shank

------------------------------------------------

I still have a few of these: (in SILVER PLATED BRASS)

- SYMPHONY threaded for rims - shank size is BETWEEN $tandard and €uro (ie. the early-on PT shank size, along with vintage Miraphone, Schilke, etc.) still only $125...next batch will probably be $tandard shank and cost more.

--------------------------------------------------

I have the FULL LINE of 3-PIECE STAINLESS STEEL IN STOCK. :thumbsup:


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Re: ' any serious interest in these? (possible future production)

Post by gocsick »

Well being that I asked for a price on the solo setup in 3 piece... I would be up for a one piece or maybe the threaded rim... since I do like stainless..

Just something to consider before you invest time and money into it... that setup has essentially been available and popular as a modular design.. whereas the OG ultimate is essentially new... It might be that a good chunk of interested parties already have the modular version?
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bloke
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Re: ' any serious interest in these? (possible future production)

Post by bloke »

gocsick wrote: Tue Jul 08, 2025 4:15 pm Well being that I asked for a price on the solo setup in 3 piece... I would be up for a one piece or maybe the threaded rim... since I do like stainless..

Just something to consider before you invest time and money into it... that setup has essentially been available and popular as a modular design.. whereas the OG ultimate is essentially new... It might be that a good chunk of interested parties already have the modular version?
good points, but there are these points as well:
- new people looking for something past their dinged-up generic 18 or who might question their trust ol' Helleberg (etc.) every year
- somewhat lower pricing
- those who believe (and I don't have the energy/will to attempt in vain to convince them otherwise) that stainless steel and brass mouthpieces (otherwise identical) "sound" different.

to your points:
- I don't know whether there would be much demand for these products...thus: the freak jury survey. :teeth: :thumbsup:

Thanks for the input !!! :tuba:
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Re: ' any serious interest in these? (possible future production)

Post by Heavy_Metal »

@bloke , I'd say produce them. If they're as good as the ones you've already made, the tuba world needs them.
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Re: ' any serious interest in these? (possible future production)

Post by martyneilan »

Why the change from stainless to brass? Just curious.

I played stainless for the past two decades but have recently been using a goldplated brass Mr. P 5.0 because that is what works best for that horn and situation. The 5.0 is the latest "evolution" in this style mouthpiece and only comes in brass. Silver plating and I don't get along, so it has to be gold plated or stainless, unfortunately even the best goldplate doesn't last forever.,
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Re: ' any serious interest in these? (possible future production)

Post by bloke »

As soon as I post this everybody's going to think that I view my stuff as very special, just too amazing for most people to appreciate, and that I view myself as some "unappreciated genius talent in mouthpiece design".

I don't view myself - nor my stuff - in any of those ways, but what I have noticed is that mouthpieces - which are heavily promoted - sell and that there are flash fads in mouthpieces (and everything else, for that matter). I don't have the energy to stand behind tables for two or three days in a row at tuba shindigs all over the nation and around the world, I don't have the interest in running ads in the T.I.U.T.B.E.A.A. Journal, it's just not my nature to suck up to people and glad hand people, nor put on a mask and pretend to agree with all the academic crowd's non-music-related views.

My stuff is stuff that I like and some other people like it.
For a whole bunch of people, there's the "Bach 18 of the college crowd", the XT-50. 🙂 (I bought one, tried it out, and sold it after a couple of weeks. I just don't like them at all.) If I didn't have the stuff that people have helped me develop, I'd probably take a Conn Helleberg 120, round down the inner edge of the rim somewhat, turn down the outer edge of the rim a millimeter or so, and just use that. Otherwise, they're not wonderful, but they're not terrible.

Regardless of the cup shape and depth (which affect the sonority...but obviously not as much as a tuba or certainly the player does) I find that a whole bunch of tuba mouthpieces feature rims that are too wide, with interior turns from the rim into the cup which are too sharp, throat diameters that are too large, and claims about materials from which they are made (as well as how much material is left on the exterior) which are nonsensical. I also really like stainless steel rims, because - unlike soft metal rims plated with other soft metals - they stay smooth (you know: like against my skin for hours and hours, day-in, year-out) for a long long time and don't scratch very easily.

I'm not claiming not to wrong about some things and I'm sure I'm silly about others (such as being a skeptic, and still not being sure about believing something even if I see it - or that humans shouldn't be herded into categories or groups, and should be viewed as individuals), but I'm certainly not alone in these characteristics.

Y'all buy 'em if y'all like 'em.
If you buy them new from me, I can buy more soy burger patties, off brand chicken bologna, 10 lb bags of chicken thigh quarters, dollar store cans of French cut green beans, and manager specials at Kroger (yes, really).
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Re: ' any serious interest in these? (possible future production)

Post by Mary Ann »

If you'd make one with a 30.5 - 31mm rim ID I'd give it a try. But ya'll have all just got big mouths, apparently.
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Re: ' any serious interest in these? (possible future production)

Post by bloke »

Mary Ann wrote: Sat Aug 23, 2025 11:21 am If you'd make one with a 30.5 - 31mm rim ID I'd give it a try. But ya'll have all just got big mouths, apparently.
I'm going to leave mouthpieces of that size range for the Wick and Bach people.
That's such an adjustment that (a threaded rim) would define too much of a zig-zag to mate up with cup, and (one-piece) making the cup that much narrower would define a completely different mouthpiece.

I get it, but (me?) I'm just l'homme, not la société. :smilie6:
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Re: ' any serious interest in these? (possible future production)

Post by Mary Ann »

Don't forget JK. And you gotta big mouf too on occasion. :hearteyes:
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Re: ' any serious interest in these? (possible future production)

Post by bloke »

Mary Ann wrote: Mon Aug 25, 2025 2:16 pm Don't forget JK. And you gotta big mouf too on occasion. :hearteyes:
Oh yeah I forgot. The "scientists". :smilie8:

Not only do I have a big mouth, but I have a pie face, but even though I'm pie-faced (well maybe I'm semi-pie-faced), I've realized that I don't need to exceed a mouthpiece cup opening of 33mm, in order to play well, and that smaller mouthpieces that I use on smaller instruments benefit from narrower-and-narrower cup openings as well.

Hey...
Some of my mouthpieces feature cup widths which are under 25 mm... One of them is actually only 22 mm across. (Notice that I didn't say there were tuba mouthpieces.)

speaking of which, I guess I'd better go out and spray some lacquer.
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Re: ' any serious interest in these? (possible future production)

Post by Trmn »

I’m interested but can’t send a private message. What do I need to do
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bloke
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Re: ' any serious interest in these? (possible future production)

Post by bloke »

Trmn wrote: Fri Aug 29, 2025 3:12 am I’m interested but can’t send a private message. What do I need to do
I put my email in my signature below.
thanks!

I haven't decided on adding any of those proposed ones to the new "brass" line....
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Re: ' any serious interest in these? (possible future production)

Post by Pauvog1 »

bloke wrote: Tue Jul 08, 2025 2:22 pm ?? - ONE-PIECE COMPLETE MOUTHPIECE (silver plated brass) SOLO cup, standard shank, #0 throat, and 32.9mm #2 profile rim ($175, if produced)

?? - THREADED FOR RIMS (silver plated brass) SOLO underpart with standard shank and #0 throat ? ($150, if produced)

?? - - ONE-PIECE COMPLETE MOUTHPIECE (silver plated brass) IMPERIAL cup, standard shank, and 32.9mm #2 profile rim ($175, if produced)

?? - THREADED FOR RIMS (silver plated brass) IMPERIAL underpart with standard shank ? ($150, if produced)

------------------------------------------------

I'm running really low on all four versions of (silver plated brass) OG Ultimate BUT A FEW OF EACH (other than the one marked otherwise)

- complete mouthpiece - $tandard shank
- complete mouthpiece - €uro shank
- threaded for rims - $tandard shank (temporarily sold out)
- threaded for rims - €uro shank

------------------------------------------------

I still have a few of these: (in SILVER PLATED BRASS)

- SYMPHONY threaded for rims - shank size is BETWEEN $tandard and €uro (ie. the early-on PT shank size, along with vintage Miraphone, Schilke, etc.) still only $125...next batch will probably be $tandard shank and cost more.

--------------------------------------------------

I have the FULL LINE of 3-PIECE STAINLESS STEEL IN STOCK. :thumbsup:
I think the threaded for rims versions would be of more interest to me, if I were in the market (but you know I have my own stainless copies of all these already).

I kind of like the grand shank on the imperial, for what it's worth.
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Re: ' any serious interest in these? (possible future production)

Post by bloke »

yeah...That's not a perfectly smooth bolt-up, but it's extremely close, and produces a good sound. :thumbsup:
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Pauvog1 (Tue Sep 30, 2025 1:25 pm)
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