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bloke wrote: Fri Aug 01, 2025 8:26 am I've never seen any version of the Conn Chief mouthpiece other than the pictured one.
I've had two different people tell me that the inside shape of a Holton 52 is not the same as that mouthpiece (one being an overseas person who claims to produce a Chief copy, and another who claims to have a Conn 2 copy - which I also view as a reissue of the Chief interior dimensions, as I've held a 2 and a Chief in my hands at the same time), but I've also held both a mouthpiece just like the one pictured and a Holton 52 in my hands at the same time, run my finger down inside, done a visual inspection, taken a few measurements (in addition to all of the other extreme similarities).

At one time, Holton made a sousaphone for Mr Kuhn, and engraved it all up with American Indian stuff (I haven't seen this sousaphone in person, but I've seen several pictures of it). It seems logical to me that Holton would copy Mr. Kuhn's mouthpiece, so he would play a Holton mouthpiece with that Holton sousaphone (which also supplies a possible and viable explanation of the origin of the Holton 52).

52's are becoming less common, but still far more common than a Chief. 52's also no longer sell for 20 bucks on eBay, but are still way less expensive than a good condition Chief.
In later days, Holton would supply a 52 with the big model 345 tubas. I guess they figured their largest mouthpiece should go with their largest tuba. Whenever I restore and sell a 345, I try to supply a 52 with it, just sort of as a cool factor.

Personally, the only type of sound I can get out of (any of) those mouthpieces (Chief, 2, 52) is a "deep bass" sound, as if turning the treble knob on an amplifier mostly all the way down. Anyone can read this as a critique, but - to me - it's just a report. Mouthpieces do different things that different people like or dislike.
I'm a medium tall person, but the bottom of my nose isn't particularly far away from the opening of my lips, and as those mouthpieces feature really large cup opening combined with a large width rim, and they're obviously turned out of a full 2 inch diameter brass rod with almost nothing taken off the outside edge.. they mash up against the bottom of my septum cartilage pretty hard.

These days, there could easily be someone who might pay 500 bucks for a handsome Chief mouthpiece like that. The way I see it you've got a free sousaphone and enough money left over to buy several sacks of groceries, along with the gasoline required to get to and from the supermarket.

bloke wrote: Fri Aug 01, 2025 10:48 am I'm wrong (often) about models of tubas, but that appears to be a (rare) 6/4-size Holton (yes?), and I believe the Kuhn super-engraved Holton sousaphone (which I saw in pictures, years ago) was the same.

yeah...I'd strongly suspect (??) that the original mouthpiece - supplied with your sousaphone - was a 52.
That type of resonance (oversize sousaphone with an oversize mouthpiece) goes right along with the old-old-school adage,

"The 'basses" should be felt, but not heard."
(again: much like the modern-day "subwoofer" aural/tactile effect)