1948 King Master cornet: special mouthpiece taper?

[abundrefo]

Hi,

I have just received a 1948 King Master cornet I bought on eBay for $170.
The body and all tubes are in great shape, with no dings and no signs of previous restoration.



But...
The mouthpiece receiver is bugging me. All the mouthpieces I tried wobble inside it.

The tip of the mouthpiece seems to reach the correct point, right by the beginning of the leadpipe. All the mouthpieces I tried have an engagement mark on them and these marks seem to correctly match the tip of the receiver.

But all my mouthpieces swing sideways. I can give them a twist to make them stay in there but I know this is not the way it should work.
I tested the following mouthpieces:
- Laskey
- Curry
- Olds (thin shank)
- Bach MT Vernon

Here is a picture. This is the Bach MT Vernon just sitting in there, with no twist to make it go further inside the receiver:


I inspected the receiver and there is no obvious visual sign of any alteration.




So, I'd like to ask you guys if this cornet will need a specific mouthpiece shank, like with Olds Los Angeles or vintage Conn cornets.

Thank you.

[Richard III]

I have an H. N. White cornet from that same time period and it has the same issue. Nothing fits except the one that came with it. It just has "Cleveland" and a C on it. So it's Cleveland cornet mouthpiece. I wish it were a little larger in diameter. I know I could send it off for scanning and sizing and have one made, but here's wishing someone else has a better solution.
_________________
Richard

King 1130 Flugabone
King 12C mouthpiece

[Grits Burgh]

You know, I've really been intrigued by what Trent Austin has done with some of the horns on his site. He has installed trumpet receivers on cornets. Frankly, I want one.

Perhaps you might be interested in having Trent install a new receiver on your cornet. I presume that he could install a modern cornet receiver as well, if you prefer.

In fact, if you are dissatisfied with the horn that you have, I might even be interested in taking it off your hands so that I can send it to Trent to let him work his magic.

Regards,
Grits
_________________
Bach Stradivarius 37 (1971)
Schilke HC 1
Getzen 3810 C Cornet
King Master Bb Cornet (1945)
B&S 3145 Challenger I Series Flugelhorn
Life is short; buy every horn you want and die happy.

[iiipopes]

Yes. I had my uncle's cornet for decades until my cousin (his granddaughter) wanted it, and I shipped it out. Yes, H. N. White had their own mouthpiece shank taper until at least the mid to late '50's. Yes, only the proprietary mouthpieces fit without wobble. I was able to get an M2 (similar to between a 1 1/2 C and a 3C) and an MC (deeper funnel cup) off Ebay some years ago inexpensively. They are quite expensive now.

The only other options are 1) have your favorite mouthpiece model sleeved and re-machined to the proprietary taper, or 2) install a modern receiver with the now-standard Bach taper.
_________________
King Super 20 Trumpet; Sov 921 Cornet
Bach cornet modded to be a 181L clone
Couesnon Flugelhorn and C trumpet

[Oncewasaplayer]

King Master cornets are fine horns and well worth taking the time to make them play at their best. Lots of vintage King mouthpieces out there. Adjusting the receiver can get complicated and needs to be done with someone with some experience. In the mean time, put a small strip of paper in the receiver and use your current mouthpiece. Enjoy.
_________________
Getzen 800DLX cornet
Selmer Sigma trumpet

[abundrefo]

[Bflatman]

Is it really such an issue I just went on ebay and found several King cornets with mouthpiece, there are H N White cornets as well, just buy another cornet and you get a mouthpiece that fits.

Ok the mouthpiece will have cost you 300 dollars or 600 dollars but you get a free cornet, you could even flip the cornet on and make the money back maybe, so you get the mouthpiece for free, or even make a profit on the deal.

Theres more than one way to skin a cat.

[Richard III]

[jon_norstog]

Mark Curry will make a 'piece for you with a special taper for a quite reasonable price. It doesn't take him too long either. Call him and if he cannot put his finger on the exact taper to use, then send an old 'piece he can copy. He did a 'piece for my Olds Recording cornet that was a perfect fit and deep cup, with a tone like old port wine.

jn
_________________
toot, toot!

[Turkle]

I have a '30s King Master cornet and my off-the-shelf Curry cornet piece fits just fine, FWIW.
_________________
Yamaha 8310Z trumpet
Yamaha 8310Z flugel
Curry 3.

[Richard III]

We never got a follow up from the OP on whether the new mouthpiece was "The One."

On a side note, I bought another H. N. White The Clevelander cornet last week. This is number two for me. It came with another Cleveland C mouthpiece. I now have three of these mouthpieces and two of the cornets. So now I have a spare for both. Interesting is that the original Clevelander cornet has a more finicky receiver. The new one seems to be more original. Also the mouthpieces are not all the same. One has a slightly more rounded rim and another is not perfectly round. I play that one with the C in the three o'clock position and its fine. The new one is perfect in every way. Fun stuff in the old days. These are the only mouthpieces I play for cornet. I also have a H. N. White mouthpiece for trumpet and that's all I'll play too. Of course that trumpet is an H. N. White "The Cleveland."
_________________
Richard

King 1130 Flugabone
King 12C mouthpiece

[abundrefo]