Returning player after 55+ years. Alternative to 1.5C Bach.

[Wesley]

My high school and college trumpet professor was a student of William Vacciano and graduate of Julliard. I stopped playing over 55 years ago but have recently started again.

In the late 50's I chose the French Selmer heavy large bore over a Bach Stradivarius because of that huge, full sweet sound; my mouthpiece a 1-1/2C Bach.

All has changed since those days, especially me. I still love that full, dark sound but don't have the same chops or lungs as when I was 20.

CAN ANYONE STEER ME TOWARDS ANY OF THESE NEWER MOUTHPIECES?

I think I may need a larger diameter mouthpiece and rim with a shallower cup going to a MV OR V cup and appropriate back bore.
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WesleyR
1958 French Selmer, (.470) bore, 4-7/8 Bell
Flip Oakes Wild Thing
Ken Larson med. bore
1-1/2C Bach mouthpiece.

[Brassnose]

OK, here are pieces (or rather brands) I like, but this ENTIRELY (!!!) personal I prefer a round or round-ish rim without sharp inner rims: GR, Warburton, AR Resonance, Klier USA and Exclusive, Monette, some Yamaha, some Curry. I don’t like sharp of flat rims, such as Tilz and Bach.

If you want to start easy and cost effective I’d try a Klier USA model. Cheap, great quality, and very comfy, at least for me. The Klier Exclusive series is a little more expensive, but still on the cheap end of things. Great pieces with options towards dark sound if you pick a deeper cup.

Why do you want to change? A 1 1/2 C is large-ish but otherwise relatively standard - not sure another mouthpiece will be much more effective.
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2019 Martin Schmidt eXcellence
1992 Bach 43GH/43
1989 Kühnl & Hoyer Model 15 flugel
1980/2023 Custom Blessing Scholastic C 😎
1977 Conn 6B
1951 Buescher 400 Lightweight
AR Resonance, Frate, Klier

[Dayton]

[TKSop]

In my opinion...

The best time to seriously consider mouthpiece swaps is when you're in practice.

When you're out of practice, your playing itself isn't consistent enough from day to day to evaluate whether a swap is beneficial or not - a GIGO (garbage in garbage out) analysis, if I may put it bluntly.


Comebacks are a slow process and there aren't any magic bullets here - ALL mouthpieces are a compromise.

A wider ID will usually tax stamina harder, and a 1-1/2C is already on the large side.
It's not impossible that it's the correct width for you, but it's probably on the wide side of what you could be playing on - going wider might help, but you'd be in a minority.

I would personally either:
1) Just stick to your 1-1/2C for a decent period (say 6 months+)
Or
2) Pick a small number of varied pieces of different widths with medium cups, throats and backbores (eg: your 1-1/2c, plus a 3c and a 6c) and pick whatever gives you the best response and then stick with THAT piece (and no switching) for a good long while before switching again.

To begin with, don't focus on sound - that'll come into play once you've got control and consistency to work with... Trying to pick a mouthpiece based on sound alone and/or trying to actively manipulate tone will only impede progress and cause more frustration - the key is to get your fundamentals working well first.

Aiming at a very specific sound too soon would be like trying to run before you can crawl, IMHO.


I, of course, wish you nothing but the best of luck with the comeback!

[Andy Cooper]

Not a bad idea to stick with the 1 1/2 C for a few months. If you feel you must experiment, I would suggest a component system such as Warburton or Pickett.

If you like the rims, a Warburton 3M or 3MC top might be a good place to start and try the #6 and #6* bacbores. The 3M and 3MC cups will give a brighter sound but the #6 backbore is a little tighter than the standard Bach backbore but is, in my opinion, rather dark sounding. As you get stronger, you can move to more open backbores.

These are expensive - check TH Marketplace - you can sometimes get a deal on used mouthpieces. Stick with the standard #27 throat for now.

BACH 1-1/2C vs. WARBURTON 3M (PRE-FIRE)

[zaferis]

Having played most of my early career on a Bach 1.5 C.. I'm going to point you in the direction of a Curry 3C. A more comfortable rim, compares in measurement to a Bach 2 rim-but feels very much like my 1.5 C, sounds great, and Marks pieces are very consistent.
When I made the switch, I didn't lose much of anything, but gained consistency day to day, a little bit of range, a lot of endurance and the ability to get various shaped cups with exactly the same rim (great for switching from ax to ax)>

I don't think larger and shallower is the answer.. keep some cup depth for tone and a little bit smaller diameter for endurance.
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Freelance Performer/Educator
Adjunct Professor
Bach Trumpet Endorsing Artist
Retired Air Force Bandsman

[CaptPat]

I started my comeback in October after a break nearly as long as yours. I have a few thoughts based on my experience --

Your sound will change as over time, early on I could make sounds from the horn, but not music, now occasionally it sounds like music and it's happening more and more often. So just because it doesn't have the sound you are looking for today, you may develop the sound it with practice.

One adapts to the mouthpiece at hand, absent some unusual dental or embrochure problem I recommend using the 1/1/2C that you are already familiar with, why add another variable to the mix?

There are plenty of things to work on without adding a mouthpiece safari to the list. If you are dead set on getting a different mouthpiece get some advice from an experienced trumpet player who is familiar with your current playing characteristics.

I haven't found any shortcuts to getting better; one must put in the time in with practice.

Best of luck with your comeback.

[Andy Cooper]

I noticed that you have both a Wild Thing and a Larsen. One of those surely is a little tighter blowing than your Selmer. Why not pick one, stay with your 1 1/2/ C and log in the hours for a few months.

Warning - your technique comes back much faster than your chops. You should not spend extended time playing above the staff for quite some time.

Find a community band and play 3rd for a year.

[The Lip 81]

For a conventional-style recommendation, I'd go with a the Curry 1.5M (or 1.5ZM... Same mouthpiece). It features Mark Curry's ridiculously comfortable and functional 1.5 rim, a cup that maintains the shape of the C cup but has been made slightly shallower, and a tighter backbore. I found the sound and blow to be very similar to the 1.5C, but the changes to the cup depth and backbore made the mouthpiece more lively with clearer articulations, and it gave me more support in the upper register. It's a fantastic all-around mouthpiece in the 1.5 range, and I'd be hard-pressed to find a more comfortable 1.5 rim than Curry's. The quality is excellent and the price isn't bad, either.

If you want to test out something less conventional, I had excellent results moving from the Curry 1.5 to the Lotus 2 line, particularly the Lotus 2L2. I've since downsized to the Lotus 3 diameter. This brand features a shorter length and modified internal shape that changes the slotting and intonation in a way that works well for a lot players. After a slight adjustment period, I found I got more sound for the effort, and I really enjoy the tone and overall playability.

Just a couple options.

[Rhondo]

What CaptPat said.