TromboneChat

Hey all, I was wondering if there was a difference between contrabass trombone mouthpieces and tuba mouthpieces. Do contrabasses use bigger bass bone mouthpieces or regular tuba mouthpieces? Thanks

Contrabass trombone should be played with contrabass trombone mouthpieces.

They're larger than bass trombone mouthpieces (even the big ones) and smaller than small tuba mouthpieces.

Bach makes two Contra mouthpieces: 30CB and 32CB. These are the same size as the smallest tuba mouthpieces but with a different shank.

While you can use a tuba mouthpiece on a contra (August Helleberg did 100 years ago), you are best off using a contra mouthpiece. A bass mouthpiece will be a bit small.

As said above, they are very different animals. My tuba (an old Conn EEb) started out with a bass bone receiver. With a standard bass bone mouthpiece, it sounded like a euphonium. I got a Marcinkiewicz 107 (contra piece) and it sounded better, but still like a very rich euph. I had it changed to a tube receiver, put in a Kelly 25, and now it's a tuba. Some day I'll get a Marc 25 for it. I also have an adapter for when I want that euph sound.