SM Solo Plastic Tuba Mouthpiece

General Description
The SM Solois the signature mouthpiece of Scott Mendoker of the Philadelphia Brass. The SM Solo was designed as a solo mouthpiece for the F tuba. However, it is versatile enough to allow excellent sound throughout the entire range of the instrument.

The SM Solo has a relatively large diameter and a shallow bowl shaped cup, shallower than the SJ Solo. The cup shape and entry into the throat is similar to the Giddings and Webster Alan Baer Beltane F. However, the contour had been changed to work with the Wedge rim, and the rim and cup have the unique oval shape used on our DOC trumpet and horn mouthpieces. This feature provides exceptional depth of sound and responsiveness from a relatively shallow cup.

Specifications
ID 1.316 at .05 inches into the cup
OD 1.97 inches
Throat .294 inches

Scott's Description of the SM Solo

"Dave's creation has surpassed anything I could have hoped for in a mouthpiece. As already mentioned, this project started as an attempt to essentially put the Wedge rim on a Giddings and Webster Beltane Alan Baer Solo F mouthpiece - a great mouthpiece in and of itself. The final version is a mouthpiece that allows me to play through the entire range of the instrument without color changes. And here is the truly unique and amazing thing - I can change the color anytime I want! This allows me to play the SM Solo in any situation, with any ensemble in which I choose to play a bass tuba - whether it's EEb of F. Response is effortless, as is articulation. The stability of the dynamic spectrum is rock solid. And when you factor in the added advantages of the Wedge rim, you have a mouthpiece that allows you to make musical choices rather than physical ones."

Delrin: 

• Feels softer on the chops because it has more give than metal. This is a great advantage for players with braces.
• Not as slippery as silver, giving more grip.
• Added grip makes Delrin mouthpieces feel smaller than their metal counterparts with the same size designation.
• Not as smooth as metal, so some players may feel slight chop irritation for the first day or two while they adjust.
• More comfortable to play in cold weather because they feel warm on the chops.
• Plastic mouthpieces are more responsive than brass, making soft entries more secure.
• Articulation less crisp with less point at the front of the note compared to brass.
• Darker sound than brass.
• Less core in the sound compared to brass.
• Sounds darker than brass mouthpiece when used with brass or stainless steel backbore.

Acrylic

• Feels softer than brass but less soft and Delrin on the chops.
• Less slippery than metal but more slippery than Delrin.
• Grip intermediate between Delrin and silver.
• Feel slightly smaller than the metal counterparts.
• Smoother than Delrin, very similar to silver.
• Comfortable to play in cold weather.
• Responsive to soft articulation.
• Articulation is clearer than Delrin, very similar to metal.
• Sound is slightly darker than brass and brighter than Delrin.
• More core in the sound than Delrin, but not as much core as metal.
• Sounds very similar to brass when used with brass or stainless steel backbore.