Anybody play a B cup on C trumpet?

PMonteiro

I have a Bach 1 1/2B and it's a great mouthpiece overall. I love how it handles on my heavywall B flat, although I feel it sounds a little tubby and dark. I like how it feels on C, but again it sounds a bit tubby and dampens that characteristic C trumpet crispness. I'm looking to hear other people's experiences with playing B cups on C trumpet, and which horn (Bb or C) the 1 1/2B would be ideal on. My initial thinking is larger instrument = deeper cup, so the B cup should stay on Bb. But I would enjoy hearing other viewpoints.
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Accord in C

trpt.hick · Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2021 4:23 pm Post subject:

I played a 1B as my main mouthpiece on B-flat, C, D, and E-flat trumpets my whole career. I learned this from Adolph Herseth, who used the same thing.

True, the tone is a little darker than the C cup, so I switched to a 1C when I needed a brighter tone and crisper attack.

If your tone seems too dark or lacks sparkle in general, I would not use such a deep V-shaped cup.

David Hickman

Jaw04 · Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2021 5:22 pm Post subject:

I have an old 3B that sounds great on my Yamaha B flat and also sounds great on my Bach C trumpet. It doesn't sound right on my Edwards B flat, a dark horn with a dark mouthpiece lacked sparkle when I played it. You just have to experiment. I would like to have 1 mouthpiece that I play on B flat and C but haven't been playing enough C lately to tell for sure.

Dale Proctor · Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:35 pm Post subject:

I used to have a Bach 3B and tried it on my Bach C trumpet. I didn’t care for it on the C at all. It was ok on my Bach Bb and had a really nice sound, but it was pretty demanding to play and I sold it.
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"Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away ." - Sir Thomas Beecham

huntman10 · Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:39 pm Post subject:

Andy Cooper · Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2021 10:38 am Post subject:

Just want to point out that not only does the 1 1/2B have a different cup, it has the 7 backbore rather than the #10.
If you have a 1 1/2B top cut and threaded, you could try it with different backbores.

ravel · Veteran Member Joined: 22 Oct 2005 Posts: 127

5b for Bb/C/D

PMonteiro · Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 4:42 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the replies everyone! I've been playing the 1 1/2B on C again and I find it sounds a lot better when I play it "properly" (with good air support and fundamentals). I run the B alongside a stock 1 1/2C that's brighter but feels a little too focused with the #10 backbore. I'd like to try a 24/24 one of these days.
_________________
YTR-6335HSII
YTR-2320
Accord in C

rockford · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 7:44 am Post subject:

The old Bach catalog indicates the B cup was a compromise between the no letter models designed for Bb trumpets and the C cups that were designed for C trumpets. Over the years tastes in tone and purpose have changed to where the old designations of mouthpiece cups relating to instrument type isn’t really accurate anymore, but that was the original intent.
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Bill Siegfried
NY/Mt. Vernon Bach trumpets. Yamaha flugelhorn and piccolo A/Bb, Monette and Hammond mouthpieces. Fender and Peavey Cirrus Bass Guitars. Ampeg and Genz-Benz amps. Embraer 170/175/190.

andybharms · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 9:26 am Post subject:

Probably worth pointing out that there are a lot of different b-depth cups and a lot of different shapes, and the rim shape changes the sensation and sound character a lot. Unfortunately no way to figure out what you like without trying a bunch, and not just for a few minutes each but for a protracted period. It’s really the whole system that creates the feeling of resonance and depth, trumpet included.

I’ve always preferred more room in the mouthpiece, be that rim or cup or both. In my classically oriented experience, 1, 1.25, and 1.5 are by far the most common mouthpieces for classical players, in both B and C cups or some other brand’s nomenclature, with a 26-24 throat and a 7 or 24 backbore equivalent. Even 1X size is not so strange. If you think a more bowl-shaped slightly deeper cup, I suggest maybe a Curry 1HBC, something in the Hammond ML lineup, Laskey 80MD or 84MD or D. They all use something like the “H” rim and a fairly bowl-shaped mouthpiece which feels deeper but retains the C cup sparkle, and these makers have all found a balanced formula so we don’t have to feel around in the dark so much. Just have to be conscious of pressure because the flat rim can be a little sneakier about that.

Hope this helps!
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Andrew Harms, DMA
http://www.andrewbharms.com