Denis Wick 6BS

[John]

hello.

I'm thinking of buying denis wick 6bs but I have doubts about which is better the classic, the heavy top, or the heritage

and I want to have a comfortable mouthpiece (I come from Vincent Bach 6 1/2 AL and Yamaha 48S)

and I am interested in it being versatile for jazz, salsa, and symphonic

and that you feel comfortable in high mids and lows

edit: I made this post because I want a v-type mouthpiece

and many say that they give a darker sound and this comment caught my attention because in the symphony they have told me that my sound is a bit too bright

smaller than 7 is a bit small for me

can you help me?

thanks

John

[jonzbonz]

The 6BS has a rather deep cup in relation to the 6.5 and 48, especially the latter. The 7CS has the same rim as 6BS with a shallower cup, more like the ones you've played and better suited for jazz and salsa IMO. Personally I like the heritage rims better than the classic but know Wick players who say the reverse.

[Vegasbound]

The current wick rims are flat, the original more semi round, the 6bs is a good all round mouthpiece like the 6 1/2

Why do you feel you want to change? For jazz (define this? If big band I would not want to play lead on a 6bs) as already mentioned you could try the 7cs although I preferred the 9 bs

As for which version, the classic is a plug in and play, the heritage takes a bit of practice to get used to the slightly different feel and the feedback the player receives from them is different (try it and you will get what I mean)

The heavy top is a hang over from the late 80’s early 90’s arms race the trombone world had.

But imho you have to answer the question why do you want to change?

[Doug Elliott]

Don't expect one mouthpiece to work equally well on .484, .500, and .525 bore horns, and for jazz, salsa, and symphonic. Any style of 6BS could work for symphonic on your .525 bore Yamaha, but it's not a good match for small bores.

[MrHCinDE]

hello.
...
and I want to have a comfortable mouthpiece (I come from Vincent Bach 6 1/2 AL and Yamaha 48S)
...

Am I reading too much into it by thinking you find the VB 6 1/2 AL and Yamaha 48S are uncomfortable and therefore are looking for something different?

If so, perhaps something with a similar rim diameter isn't the answer, even if the rim profiles and cups are different. Did you also try a range of rim diameters? You might be pleasantly surprised about how your chops get on with a wide diamter and shallow cup combo, or something in the totally opposite direction.

[Vegasbound]

Or save yourself time and money in the long run and talk to Doug, his rims are comfortable and the 3piece system allows you to change the cup and backbore to match your musical needs.

[BGuttman]

Or save yourself time and money in the long run and talk to Doug, his rims are comfortable and the 3piece system allows you to change the cup and backbore to match your musical needs.

Doug's system is great but it's kinda pricey to get involved. If you are well-heeled enough to buy a pile of mouthpieces to try out, he becomes a good alternative. But if you are on a budget and can't afford a bunch, asking questions like this is a good way to try to find what you want.

Of course, a Skype session with Doug could get you the answer in a half hour for about the cost of one of these mouthpieces you are asking about, and Doug doesn't force you to buy only his stuff.

[spencercarran]

It will be difficult, probably impossible, to find a mouthpiece that is appropriate for both salsa and symphonic playing.

One option (if you find Wick rims comfortable, which I do) might be to buy both a 7cs and a 6bs. As vegasbound noted, they have the same rims but the former is much shallower. Minimizes embouchure disruption while giving you a "jazz" mouthpiece and a "classical" mouthpiece.

Of Wick mouthpieces I like classic best. Heritage rims and my face don't get along. As jonzbonz's reply shows, that experience is not universal.

[Doug Elliott]

Nobody has to buy a pile of mouthpieces unless they choose to.
I play jazz, salsa, and symphonic myself and I know what works.
Five minutes by Skype for free, is enough for me to see what you need and recommend something, whether it's mine or something else.

[slidefunk]

The Wick 6BS is a versatile piece. I played on one professionally for a few years in a variety of settings. It did the job reasonably well. The depth of the cup and size of the venturi are a good combination, in my opinion. I've since found that prefer a wider cup diameter though and have moved on, though I keep it as a backup.

I prefer the classic models. I have a heavyweight 4AL that I wish was a classic instead, and I tried out a heritage 9BS for a while that just didn't feel right. I think the weight balance of the classic shape is ideal.

[John]

The current wick rims are flat, the original more semi round, the 6bs is a good all round mouthpiece like the 6 1/2

Why do you feel you want to change? For jazz (define this? If big band I would not want to play lead on a 6bs) as already mentioned you could try the 7cs although I preferred the 9 bs

As for which version, the classic is a plug in and play, the heritage takes a bit of practice to get used to the slightly different feel and the feedback the player receives from them is different (try it and you will get what I mean)

The heavy top is a hang over from the late 80’s early 90’s arms race the trombone world had.

But imho you have to answer the question why do you want to change?

i'm curious about denis denis wick mouthpieces

[John]

hello.
...
and I want to have a comfortable mouthpiece (I come from Vincent Bach 6 1/2 AL and Yamaha 48S)
...

Am I reading too much into it by thinking you find the VB 6 1/2 AL and Yamaha 48S are uncomfortable and therefore are looking for something different?

If so, perhaps something with a similar rim diameter isn't the answer, even if the rim profiles and cups are different. Did you also try a range of rim diameters? You might be pleasantly surprised about how your chops get on with a wide diamter and shallow cup combo, or something in the totally opposite direction.

the sizes close to 6 are not uncomfortable for me they are the appropriate ones for me the only thing I want is to experiment a little with the denis wick mouthpieces

[MrHCinDE]

Fair enough, you sound quite sure about the rim diameter which is at least half the battle.

I can understand the interest in the DW mouthpieces, the larger 4AM is my standard choice on euphonium and I find it very comfortable, even though I almost never choose to play my similar 4AL on trombone, it’s horses for courses I suppose.

Good luck with your search.

[bobroden]

Don't expect one mouthpiece to work equally well on .484, .500, and .525 bore horns, and for jazz, salsa, and symphonic. Any style of 6BS could work for symphonic on your .525 bore Yamaha, but it's not a good match for small bores.

Hi Doug -- I'm curious why you believe the 6BS is not a good match for small bores. I use that combination all the time very comfortably. What do you see as a problem, and how far in what direction would you go to reach a recommended combination?

[Burgerbob]

I have to agree with Doug, I have a 6BS that is very covered and diffuse on small horns. It made an Elkhart 6H I used to have very unfun to play compared to a normal Bach 6.5AL.

It works great on British baritone, though.

[atopper333]

I have a 6BS that I have used on a Bach 36BO. It seems to be doing okay on my XO 1632, but I definitely feel like I could get a better match for that horn.

Does great on my TR602F…so I guess I’m a fan of the mouthpiece on a .525 horn. Does good on the high range for me, and it really opened up the low range and F-Attachment the 602F, which always felt stuffy with a 6 1/2AL.

I am definitely wanting to get with Doug once I have a little money saved up. I’m growing rather tired as I feel like I am constantly trying to find the right fit for a small bore mouthpiece…

[Doug Elliott]

If you know anything about my mouthpieces, I design different backbores for different bore sizes - .500, .508, and .525 each use their own backbore. Think of the 6BS has having a backbore that works with a .525 but it's simply too big to focus easily on a smaller bore. You can make it work but it's not ideal.