Very good!

The Giddings Jon Gross mouthpiece is well manufactured and designed. It has a notably shallow and wide cup that renders its sound generally punchy, yet it still retains the low end resonance necessary for concert tuba playing. The dragon's breath add-on changes the hardness of the stainless steel, but—unfortunately—don't expect it to look quite as vibrant and saturated in color as shown in the sample image. The laser engraving option is just as expected and comes in a pleasing font.

Personally, I am using this mouthpiece with a sousaphone for a college marching band. Our program features both corps-style field shows and bombastically-loud football stands tunes. The Jon Gross mouthpiece is good for this mixture of styles because it allows for “cranking” with massive air movement and for warm full-sounding sustains. Just from the month I have been practicing on this mouthpiece, I have increased my peak volume to over 128 decibels and vastly improved my non-cranking playing as well. Although I have a long way to come as a tubist, I have been playing for several years and have performed in many ensembles; with this experience, I firmly believe that this piece of hardware is a good one to have in my arsenal.

Furthermore, I think offering my insight into how this mouthpiece compares to some other standard ones might help an interested buyer determine whether or not it is the right choice. I have owned several mouthpieces for concert playing and marching, including the Helleberg 7B, Perantucci PT-88+, and Laskey 30H. The Jon Gross is far larger and produces a more colossal sound than the Helleberg any day of the week. The 7B is a very small mouthpiece that is really only good for F tuba for students transitioning from high brass to tuba. Despite the Perantucci PT-88+’s size, the Jon Gross outpaces it in all registers. The Gross's low-mid range (Bb below the staff to F right below the staff) is notably loud, something I have seen in no other mouthpiece as of yet. The PT-88+ has a remarkably warm tone but is hindered by its massive size, leaving its sound without much core. The Laskey is perhaps the most similar mouthpiece to the Jon Gross in terms of output, but the Gross simply has more to give at the most extreme dynamic levels.

The true pedal range of the Jon Gross is very strong, and I find myself bouncing low Fs off of the surrounding mountains when I really give it all I have. That being said, I can empty my lungs entirely while this mouthpiece mocks me and begs for more air! I will say that the higher registers of this mouthpiece are harder to control than the funnel-shaped Laskey. This is probably an issue with the player, not the equipment. All in all, this mouthpiece is excellent for playing ridiculously loud, and great for playing regularly as well. I give it five enthusiastic stars and can’t wait for my next marching season with it.