TromboneChat

So I’ve been in a bit of a rut when it comes to mouthpieces recently. I normally play on larger rims (104+). I’ve gone through quite a few options in the last few months and haven’t had much success. I typically have preferred lighter weight mouthpieces in the past due to my main issue of playing being in articulations and width of sound. I find that I get clearer articulations and a generally wider sound with lighter mouthpieces. Here’s a couple of pieces I’ve tried recently for an extended time in different settings:

Griego Alessi flavors (4D and 3D) - I loved the efficiency of these pieces and the articulations I was looking for, but I was missing the depth of sound and the richness of sound that I like. I tried these for about 3 months in many different settings so I definitely gave them a fair chance

Greg black Ny series in lightweight (3 and 3.25) - these are what I’m currently using and I can say that I have the exact opposite experience with these compared to the Griego Alessi mouthpieces. They seem to have a gorgeous and rich sound but are missing the clarity in articulations I want. They also seem inefficient for me.

That being said, I have an Ultimate Brass mouthpiece on the way to try and I’ve been trying to get my hands on the Willies custom brass Steiner model (if anyone has any advice on how to get one, please let me know, I’ve been trying for a while now). Does anyone have any recommendations for something I could potentially try?

Have you tried the other Greg Black offerings? I'd try some 3G rimmed stuff. I have a 3G/5G that is a bit chunky, but the 3.5GS I'm using now is very responsive and clear.

The Alessi mouthpieces are very heavy, so if they are one of the "lightweight" mouthpieces you have used, you might need to readjust what is heavy and what is light.

Those mouthpieces (at least the Alessi ones) have very large throats which will definitely affect ... Well everything.

You may want to try a mouthpiece with a narrower rim profile (OD minus ID). The fat Alessi rim might also be working against you.

To buy Wllies mouthpieces, you need to go through a dealer:

https://www.joybrass.co.jp/tb_mpl17.html

Finally, Doug Elliott mouthpieces, especially the normal, non-SYM models, are light. They have every conceivable configuration for cup and rim.

Good luck!

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 4:30 pm The Alessi mouthpieces are very heavy, so if they are one of the "lightweight" mouthpieces you have used, you might need to readjust what is heavy and what is light.

Those mouthpieces (at least the Alessi ones) have very large throats which will definitely affect ... Well everything.

You may want to try a mouthpiece with a narrower rim profile (OD minus ID). The fat Alessi rim might also be working against you.

To buy Wllies mouthpieces, you need to go through a dealer:

https://www.joybrass.co.jp/tb_mpl17.html

Finally, Doug Elliott mouthpieces, especially the normal, non-SYM models, are light. They have every conceivable configuration for cup and rim.

Good luck!

In reference to what I meant by light, I was talking more about the LW Greg Blacks, but in the grand scheme of things they are pretty heavy too. I'm going to be getting a GB Ny 1 soon to try. I haven't ventured into the 106 rim range in about 4-5 years, so that may help me get what I'm looking for.

I have a friend that has an unnecessarily large DE collection of all the rim and cup profiles you can imagine and I tried a bunch of different combinations and tried one for about a week and the rim profile felt uncomfortable to me in longer playing sessions.

Burgerbob wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 7:30 am Have you tried the other Greg Black offerings? I'd try some 3G rimmed stuff. I have a 3G/5G that is a bit chunky, but the 3.5GS I'm using now is very responsive and clear.

I haven't tried them in a while, but I need to try one of his regular offerings.

The Hammond 10ML and 10MXL work better for me than a Wick 3 or some of the GB stuff I've used from the 3-size family. I play the 10MXL almost exclusively on tenor and have used a 10S on alto to good effect in recital.

I'm curious about the Ultimate Brass Higgins models (especially the Recital). Might have to pick one of those up.

Work with Doug Elliott his 3 piece system along with his knowledge should dial you in