I found my holy grail, and now I'm terrified.

[jaysonr]

[Lionel]

[TKSop]

[bach_again]

If you have a brass allergy, you would know by now. There's no documented case of long term brass poisoning or loss of proficiency at performing due to un-plated mouthpieces. It's a non-issue. Especially since it is such a small amount in your case. I played for a year on a raw piece, only opting for plated because I wanted a smoother feel. I know people who have played 50+ years on a raw piece to no adverse effect; it's not some silent killer that's gonna get you. If you have brass sensitivity you will know, if not there's no bother. The lead in brass (which I assume TK is worried about) is both too little to do much in the ways of poison as well as the fact that it is in the mouthpiece; it isn't leaching out and into your lip/body/blood stream - well not at any significant rate.

Mike
_________________
Maestro Arturo Sandoval on Barkley Microphones!
https://youtu.be/iLVMRvw5RRk

Michael Barkley Quartet - Portals:
https://michaelbarkley.bandcamp.com/album/portals

The best movie trumpet solo?
https://youtu.be/OnCnTA6toMU

[Steve A]

[trickg]

My thought for you would be to get a quality copy of it made ASAP - that way if something ever does happen to it, you'll have a backup. With that said, I wouldn't worry about it too much - I still have the mouthpiece that I started using in 1989/1990 when the mouthpiece I had been using, a Marcinkiewicz #3, "walked away" when I was at the Armed Forces School of Music.

To be fair, it was my own fault - when we were putting our horns away after drill band, I'd left that mouthpiece sitting on top of the lockers - I'd meant to put it in my regular horn's case and it just got missed in the shuffle. By the time I'd remembered that I'd left it there, it was gone.

I walked down the road to a music store that was near Gate 5 at the Naval Amphibious Base at Littlecreek/Norfolk, Virginia, and picked up the next best thing the store had in stock - a Marcinkiewicz #2 - they didn't have a 3 and I figured I'd be better going one step bigger than smaller.

In any case, I still have it, nearly 30 years later.

As a drummer, I refuse to use a special signature/endorsee drum stick, preferring instead to find something out of a company's stock lineup. If they ever stop making that particular artist's stick, and it does happen, you'll have to hunt around to find something you like as well.
_________________
Patrick Gleason
- Jupiter 1600i, ACB 3C, Warburton 4SVW/Titmus RT2
- Brasspire Unicorn C
- ACB Doubler

"95% of the average 'weekend warrior's' problems will be solved by an additional 30 minutes of insightful practice." - PLP

[jaysonr]

I appreciate everyone's comments.

After reading them, I'm a bit more concerned about the raw brass in the cup, but I do want to be clear -- it's past the bite -- past the screw-rim juncture point. The 1C rim was not modified, only the 5B cup modified (widened) at the top to match up w/ the 1C rim.

I've seen some folks who lick, or even stick their tongue inside their mouthpiece before they play, and I don't do that.

Hopefully it will not cause me any issues, however I'm at a point with the piece right now, that until I find something else that plays similarly enough, I'm not sure I'd want to be without it to get it plated.

The closest experience to this I have ever had (the holy-grailness), I had with a Pickett 1.5SO some months back, which was during my phase of trying to downsize in diameter, so it was a bit small for me, and I don't think I had the right backbore (intonation w/ my C). I'm very tempted to try a 1SO or 1BC with a 24 throat and maybe their 10-2 backbore.

I hate to feel like a new safari is ending where one ended, however I do feel the concern about the plating, and it is a pretty unique piece. Even another 5B cup might not be the same, nor would it likely be modified in the same way that Jeff Parke modified this one. Scanning and duplication can also get quite expensive, and will result in another unique mouthpiece which may or may not play the same.

It's far easier to flip a Pickett or maybe a Parke that wasn't quite right than a totally custom mouthpiece.

Again, keep the thoughts and comments coming as they have given me a lot to think about.

J.
_________________
Isaiah 40:8
3 John 2

[TKSop]

The time it'd take to get it plated might not even be that significant - it may be worth emailing a few companies to find out how quick a service they offer... you may even find someone that will (maybe for a little extra fee) plate it the day they receive it and get it sent back out the same day on a 24hr service - you'd only be without it for a couple of days that way.

Getting it duplicated though.. that'd probably mean being without it for a bit longer.
Again though, probably worth emailing a few makers to see what their turnaround times are like - I would imagine the best guys would want to keep the piece until they're done (so they can compare their reproduction to your piece) rather than just scanning yours and sending it back.


In both cases, IMHO, knowledge is power - worth having the information to make a (more) informed decision.

[Arjuna]

The code is unlocked.
This begins the real fun part getting to explore your playing and potential.
Keep searching for even more perfect mouthpieces, the reason being you really learn a lot at this point since you are so close.

[trickg]

Go get it plated - it's pretty easy to find someone who can and will do that.

I have a friend who will do mouthpiece plating for me while I wait - he has a little electroplating setup. First thing he does is do some light (and I mean light) buffing, then he sonic cleans it, then he plates - he's got little tubs of electroplating solutions. Technically it's brush-plating, but because they are mouthpieces, it's like it's mini-tank plating. The whole process takes maybe 10 minutes.
_________________
Patrick Gleason
- Jupiter 1600i, ACB 3C, Warburton 4SVW/Titmus RT2
- Brasspire Unicorn C
- ACB Doubler

"95% of the average 'weekend warrior's' problems will be solved by an additional 30 minutes of insightful practice." - PLP

[Winghorn]

I agree that one should not "pick" (buy) a mouthpiece solely because they are used by a famous player.

But did you really mean to suggest that you should not "try" a mouthpiece for the same reason?

What better recommendation to use as a starting point for one's ultimate mouthpiece selection? Seems better than just taking the advice of posters on this forum you know nothing about, I would think.

Steve

[jaysonr]

[Winghorn]

Thanks.

I understand, and agree with you.

It is wonderful when the equipment all comes together and you can just concentrate on making music, isn't it?

Regards,

Steve

[Lionel]

I would be more concerned about the potential effect of any lead allow left in the exposed brass. But then again Ive been playing a raw brass mouthpiece exclusively for ten years now. It not only is missing some plating. But its 100% gone.

No ill effects at all. And Im already old...
_________________
"Check me if I'm wrong Sandy but if I kill all the golfers they're gonna lock me up & throw away the key"!

Carl Spackler (aka Bill Murray, 1980).

[TKSop]

[Winghorn]

TKSop-

+1

[jaysonr]

[jaysonr]

SO after much experimentation and trying some other pieces, a mouthpiece I didn't expect to be similar to this wound up being similar, and actually a touch better for me:
Bob Reeves Classical Series 1-1/4C

The rim is nothing like a 1-1/4C rim (which is good), it has a softer bite, is wider, and feels a bit more like a "smaller 1C".
The cup is nothing like a Bach 1-1/4C cup -- it reminds me of a Parke 280 cup. It's slightly shallower than this 5B cup, but has a very similar shape, and most importantly the throat entrance looks identical (which is where I think the magic is coming from).

Therefore: Slightly smaller (good), slightly tighter blow (good), Slightly more brilliance (good), even more resonant (good), and more endurance (good). Ding! Ding! Ding! I think I have a winner!

Another really good option I'm still experimenting with is a Stork 1B+26D. It takes a bit more work than the Reeves, but also rewards with a slightly bigger sound. The rim is very comfortable, and doesn't feel as large as the numbers say it should.
_________________
Isaiah 40:8
3 John 2

[Trumpetingbynurture]

So here's where you discover that the search for the grail never ends.

Right now, this piece is ah-may-zing. And you know, honestly, the mouthpiece ain't gunna change any. But in three months, maybe 6 months -- maybe even a year if you're very lucky -- You'll start thinking:

"This is great... but maybe I'll just grab that blah blah I saw on ebay to try" and then you'll end up buying 20 or so more and with one of them you'll be like: "Huh. This one actually works a little better for blah blah blah". So then you'll need to start searching for something that can beat both of them.

Before you know it, you're re-mortgaging your house and wondering if there isn't perhaps a way you can fake your own death and cash in on your life insurance policy. Because actually there is just one more piece you really think might be the one, ah but you're running a little short on cash right now because lord help me, mouthpiece just keep getting more and more expensive! And the resale value on those 2,547 mouthpieces you have in a specially built storage cabinet aren't really good enough to justify selling them, plus it's hard work and you don't have time to wait while you sell them or you might miss out on the one you think will be the ONE2.0.

And I mean you'll loose 40 cents on every dollar, and what if you actually ALREADY HAVE the one, but you just didn't realise because you were having a bad day when you tried it? And then you sell it because you needed the cash for that other piece, only to later have to hunt it down and buy it back.
But now the guy knowshow bad you need it, so the price just went up like - gosh darn it - 20 times! And...

...

Well, this is all just hypothetical of course.

What I really mean to say is - congrats!

[jaysonr]