Good mouthpiece to complement a Purviance 4*K4?

rhatheway

Hi, I'm new to this forum.

I just picked my trumpet back up last July after not playing for about 30-35 years. I joined a local community band and have now worked my way back up from playing 4th part to playing 2nd and some 1st parts. The music we play is mostly college-level concert band oriented (marches, classical transcriptions, movie soundtracks, Frank Tichelli type of concert band pieces, etc.), so it covers a wide range of styles.

My main mouthpiece is a vintage Purviance 4*K4 and I play a 1968 Getzen Eterna Severinsen. I really like that mp and can hit the full range, but the sound is sometimes a bit thin, especially in the upper registers. I'd like to try another mp that is similar but may give me a bit fuller sound (deeper cup?, wider width?), so am looking for any suggestions. I've also got a Schilke 11, Schilke 12, and Schilke 14A4a, along with a full complement of Bach mps, but the rims on those are a bit wider and rounder than I like. From the research I've done, it seems that a slightly deeper or wider cup might help, or possibly going to a mp with a larger bore/backbore? But that's more detail that I'm still learning about, so not sure, which is why I'm posting here.

Any thoughts or ideas?

Thanks!
_________________
Richard H
------------------------------------------
Working on getting my chops back...

“Without music, life would be a mistake” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

1968 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1958 Conn Director 14A

TKSop · Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 8:50 am Post subject:

If you want to stick with a similar rim, you'll want to go with the maker that was the spiritual successor to Purviance... Bob Reeves.

The closest thing to a 4*K4 would probably be a Reeves 42M or 42S.

If you're sure you want a deeper 4*K4, I'd look at a Reeves 42C.

kehaulani · Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 9:12 am Post subject:

Absolutely agree. A Purviance 4*D4/4*K4 and a Getzen Severinsen was my go-to equipment as a professional. I have vacillated between Reeves and Purviances for about a decade, now. I think you would find the best equivalence in rim etc. with a Reeves but with a deeper cup and/or, perhaps, a slightly wider diameter.
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird
"I wouldn't play like Wynton Marsalis even if I could play like Wynton Marsalis." Attributed to Chet

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet

rhatheway · Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 10:20 am Post subject:

TK Sop and kehaulani, thanks for your inputs. I've heard of the Reeves mps and that he apprenticed with Carroll Purviance. I also heard he inherited Carroll Purviance's actual tooling and equipment when he died (not sure if that is true though).

I looked on the Reeves website (under the Vintage Purviance section) and found the chart. It seems that perhaps the 4*3 (Reeves RP9, 1/64" larger diameter, same cup depth) or the 5*K4 (Reeves RP8A, same diameter, medium deep cup) might be good choices also. TK Sop, the three you mentioned also look interesting (except the S since it appears to be basically the same as the 4*K4 I have now).

I've also heard some of the other people in the trumpet section talking about a Monette mp, but from what I've seen online those are incredibly expensive. And yesterday at rehearsal someone mentioned a V type of mp, but not sure what that was specifically referring to? Any ideas?

The other question is should I look into a Bach 3C? I've never tried one of those, but they seem to be more affordable.

One last question. Is there such a thing as a mp try and buy program? I'd hate to spend a lot of money on a mp and then not use it.

Thanks for your help.
_________________
Richard H
------------------------------------------
Working on getting my chops back...

“Without music, life would be a mistake” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

1968 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1958 Conn Director 14A

kehaulani · Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 10:50 am Post subject:

Richard, some mouthpiece merchants have a return policy and some don't. You would have to read/contact the mpc merchants you're interested in for that answer.

A merchant that is pretty comprehensive and has a return policy is Mouthpiece Express.

https://mouthpieceexpress.com/catalog/faq.php#:~:text=A.%20We%20offer%20a%2015%20day%20trial.%20That,complete%20details%20about%20our%20Return%20%26%20Audition%2FTrial%20Policy.
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird
"I wouldn't play like Wynton Marsalis even if I could play like Wynton Marsalis." Attributed to Chet

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet

TKSop · Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 10:55 am Post subject:

It depends how much you're looking to shift away from what you're using now... And how much you're willing to spend in the process!

I, personally (!), wouldn't go wider diameter without very good reason - it's harder to go back narrower again, and unless your current piece is much too narrow (unlikely at the size you're using) you're unlikely to improve upper register sound, focus and endurance by going wider... Everyone's different, but it's not what I'd do.

I'd ignore Monettes, they play differently and it's not something I'd play with at this point into a comeback.

If you have a rim that works well for you, I'd personally either stick with something you know is the same or very close to.

A deeper cup might well give you a bigger sound in the middle and low registers - but will probably make the upper register harder work... Unless the 4*K4 is too shallow.

Having said all that... You're less than a year into comeback from a very long layoff - and it sounds like you're making very good progress.
It might be worth sticking with what you have for a bit longer - I don't think I'd be wanting to change too far away from something that's working well and facilitating good progress.

If I really wanted to experiment, I think I'd reach out to the guys at Reeves and see what they recommend.

rhatheway · Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 11:31 am Post subject:

Quote: A merchant that is pretty comprehensive and has a return policy is Mouthpiece Express.

Thanks kehaulani, I'll take a look at them.
_________________
Richard H
------------------------------------------
Working on getting my chops back...

“Without music, life would be a mistake” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

1968 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1958 Conn Director 14A

rhatheway · Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 11:34 am Post subject:

TK Sop, I like the rim on the Purviance I'm playing, so I'm looking to really change that, my thought was that mainly the cup, either the diameter or depth should maybe increase. The only reason I thought a slightly larger diamter or depth might help with getting a fuller sound is because there would be more volume in the cup. I admit I'm not knowledgeable about this as I'm just getting back into it, so is my understanding wrong?
_________________
Richard H
------------------------------------------
Working on getting my chops back...

“Without music, life would be a mistake” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

1968 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1958 Conn Director 14A

TKSop · Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 12:10 pm Post subject:

rhatheway · Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 12:40 pm Post subject:

Quote: If you like the rim and you're not having problems with the diameter then I'd, personally, leave it alone.

TK Sop, agreed. That's why I was asking about potentially changing the cup depth or width only. I know if you change too many things you can't tell what really made a difference, so that's why I was asking about the impact of changing the width/depth.
_________________
Richard H
------------------------------------------
Working on getting my chops back...

“Without music, life would be a mistake” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

1968 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1958 Conn Director 14A

TKSop · Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 12:46 pm Post subject:

rhatheway · Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 1:06 pm Post subject:

Quote: If you like the rim and you're not having problems with the diameter then I'd, personally, leave it alone.

Quote: Not sure if I'm misunderstanding you or you're misunderstanding me - by diameter or ID (inner diameter) I'm talking about the width of the cup.

It's probably that old "Two countries separated by a common language" thing!

I'll take a look at the Reeves mps.

Thanks for the comments.
_________________
Richard H
------------------------------------------
Working on getting my chops back...

“Without music, life would be a mistake” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

1968 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1958 Conn Director 14A