Pickett Brass cornet mouthpieces...

[RandyTX]

I tried a search for this and came up empty, so hopefully this isn't a retread of an older thread...

So, I'm curious if anyone has tried one (or more) of the models of the "British Cornet Mouthpiece" made by Pickett? Or maybe it was part of the Blackburn buyout originally? Either way, this link is what I'm curious about...

https://www.pickettblackburn.com/mouthpieces-cornet-c-107_109/1-piece-british-cornet-mouthpiece-p-682.html

As you can see, it comes in a bunch of rim sizes, and three different cup depths.

I'm wondering about trial experiences with any of the variants, and how they might compare to something like a Wick, or a similar piece used in the brass band arena.
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"Music is like candy, you throw the (w)rappers away."

[trumpjosh]

[Jason Draper]

For what it's worth I just tried a Pickett "British Style" 3 cornet mouthpiece w/ standard depth alongside a Wick 4. The Pickett was a little more shallow and sounded slightly more crisp. I am not sure about all of the specs. between the two but given the choice I'd take the Wick 4.

[Bájoc Music]

[mattdalton]

I play in a British style brass band the Pickett British is my main mouthpiece. I think they work very well, and play much more consistently and in tune than Wick mouthpieces. (But do consider that Wick Bb cornet mouthpieces just don’t work for me.) You can get an appropriate BBB sound with them, too. I like the MS version for front row playing, as there is just a little more resistance when going above staff which aids endurance. The M cup version is arguably better for 2nd and 3rd parts, depending on the sound concept of your band. Either the M or MS blends well with those playing Wick mouthpieces, so I wouldn’t let that be a concern.

The rims have the same profile (contour and bite) across all sizes. It may or may not be to your liking, but is generally workable for a large percentage of folks.

At the end of the day it will be about how well the mouthpiece matches your instrument and the way you play, but the Picketts are certainly worth trying. (As are other American-made BBB style pieces by Sparx, Curry, Frost, Greg Black - so many great options nowadays.)

The Pickett British piece design did not come from the Blackburn purchase, for what it’s worth.

Hope this helps.
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Matt Dalton

[RandyTX]

A lot more people have some experience with these than I thought when starting this thread. Thanks for all of the responses, especially @mattdalton most recently. Really good information.

I used to think the curry BBC got 'close enough' without the pain of the Wick rim (which, like a number of people, I can't abide at all). Lately though, after some careful listening, both my own ears and those of others I trust in a nice, resonant room, the BBC is really not 'quite there' when it comes to that sound you can get from a no-letter Wick, but not at the higher price in terms of ease of playing with the Wick variants.

Definitely less 'bright' or 'trumpety' than a number of more common options on this side of the pond. I'm not entirely sure what it is about the Wick that makes it so definitively in the other direction, the no letter variant almost more like a flugel in sound in some ways than most other cornet moutpieces.

I've also been told that the Yamaha 'gimme' mouthpiece that comes with the new Neo's (I have one on order, but won't have it in hand for another 6-8 weeks, probably) might be another option. I think it's sold as a "CR-16ES" but other than discussing it in PM's with another TH member, I haven't seen it discussed before. Supposedly very much in line with the usual British cornet mouthpieces, though.

I'm curious about the Pickett rim, is it comparable to some other 'reference' mouthpiece most people are familiar with? Hopefully, not the Wick?

I've long thought that maybe a Curry 3. rim on a Wick underpart might be the 'holy grail' for me, but I've yet to explore actually making that happen.
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"Music is like candy, you throw the (w)rappers away."

[mattdalton]

Compared to your Curry 3 rim, the Pickett has a sharper bite, the high point feels a bit closer to the inside, and is somewhat similar in outer contour, yet overall feels a bit flatter overall. I used to play a Monette 2 rim and had Pickett make a British cornet piece with it because they had a scan of it available. (Another cornet player in the band now has that mouthpiece and loves it.) So they can fix the rim if the stock Pickett is not to your liking.

My current setup is a Pickett “underpart” created by having Matt Frost thread a stock Pickett mouthpiece and adding an acrylic rim Matt also made - done because I have developed sensitivity to plating. So not a Pickett rim, but I have spent enough time with the Pickett and Curry rims to be able to offer the comparison.

I once tried an underpart that was modeled off a Wick before, and it was not great, even with a more palatable rim of my choice. I think you’d have better luck getting a more British sound with the Pickett than trying to fix a Wick, FWIW. Both the Pickett M and MS cups would be described by many people as “darker” than the Curry BBC (which is more Wick B cup like).
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Matt Dalton

[RandyTX]