TromboneChat

One of my friends recently had a brand new miraphone tuba arrive (it looks like it dropped out of heaven) and I really, really want to try it out as a bass trombone player. He told me to maybe try getting a cheap 20 dollar mouthpiece, but I wanted to ask if it would really be worth it to get a 20 dollar mouthpiece that either would sound like trash, give me cancer, or would do decent for the sake of just trying out a tuba. Should I spend money on said cheap mouthpiece or beg my band director to try out one?

1. Beg the BD for a mouthpiece to try. It probably won't be perfect, so take that with a grain of salt. Most BD's will have an odd Bach 24 or 18 around.

2. Try it with your bass trombone mouthpiece. It's too small, but at least you can get a sound out of the thing. Extra points if you are using a Contra sized mouthpiece (Marcinkiewicz 105, 106, 107, etc.).

3. Borrow one from a classmate.

Do NOT buy a cheap tuba mouthpiece. It's probably in such bad condition that it will damage the instrument. By the way, you can't even find a $20 tuba mouthpiece. Figure at least $50 for something kinda old and beat. And if the shank is dented, don't even try using it if you still want to be on good terms with your friend.

Kelly plastic mouthpieces are cheap, and for your purpose it will play just like a tuba.

A Kelly is a good choice, Plastic one from the site is $41 plus shipping. I liked the Kellyberg, myself.

I got a marcinkiewicz for dale at a reasonable price

Josef Klier pieces are fairly reasonable. I've got one (JK Exclusive 3B) for sale (listed in the Classifieds).

Kelly mouthpieces are... usable for messing around in a practice room.

If the band director has a mouthpiece for you to borrow (with an undented shank, as Bruce has rightly emphasized) that's of course the cheapest option.

You can probably find a Helleberg in usable condition for like $50 or so, and it's a good enough piece that it's worth having around for any future tuba adventures.

The Chinese versions of the Conn Helleberg is pretty good and can be found for around $20. I keep one in the car incase I forget a mouthpiece and it has served me well.

A Faxx Helleberg should run you way less than $50 for sure. In my rather limited tuba experience, it's a good mouthpiece as well.

If you’re just trying out a horn and you’re in HS… just ask your band director for a mouthpiece to use. Since you’re not really a tuba player any mouthpiece will do. But if he has a Conn Helleberg 7B that would be best as a bass trombone player.