Stomvi DaVinci Flex

[herpderp]

Stomvi USA just released a new mouthpiece- the "DaVinci Flex". If anyone has the chance to play one or has other opinions, we would be interested to hear what you think.


https://stomvi-usa.com/product/davinci-flex-mouthpieces/

[Goby]

Looks like they eliminated the choice of backbores from the old line and hiked the price. I like Stomvi USA, but this is no different than what Monette, ACB, Lotus, et al. are doing. Or maybe I'm just cynical...

[herpderp]

It looks like they did some fairly extensive r&d and found some specific ways to configure their equipment. All their older stuff is available for purchase. A little bit of innovation and change in the space is welcome at least to me.

[Brassnose]

„Make the slots wider“ is about the last thing I’d want. I want precise slotting while still being able to move from note to note (my pieces do that and the problem is the operator, not the piece) - but this description to me sounds like „we just made intonation more squirrelly because of huge targets“. Dunno if that is clever marketing (they might still be good pieces).
_________________
2019 Martin Schmidt eXcellence
1997 Blessing XL cornet
1992 Bach 43GH/43
1989 K&H Model 15 flugel
1980/2023 Custom Blessing Scholastic C 😎
1977 Conn 6B
*****
AR/Klier/Yamaha

[Destructo]

I'm guessing this is a rebrand of the "True Damping" mouthpieces they were teasings a few months ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6dOWM_Ik2U

[spitvalve]

I just picked one up on eBay for half the price - an S14A VR with the "D" stamped on the backbore. The seller said he liked it but had another Stomvi Flex piece he liked better. He bought it in June; I'm thinking maybe he picked it up at ITG. I already own an S14A VR with the VS backbore. I'll spend a few days comparing them and then I'll post my thoughts.
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Bryan Fields
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More horns than my wife knows I have...

[spitvalve]

I spent the past week playing my Stomvi S14AVR pieces exclusively, leaving my Warburtons in the case so I could acclimate. A few years ago I bought a Stomvi Flex S14AVR2.0 VS. The "2.0" denotes a heavier blank that was used - similar in shape and weight to the stock Stomvi mouthpieces made in Spain.

I don't use this mouthpiece much but bought it to satisfy some curiousity - when I've looked at the mouthpeice comparators online, the Schilke 14A4 rim contours are very similar to the pre-fire Warburton 4 tops I own. Indeed it is a very comfortable mouthpiece and I can make the switch between it and the Warburtons with no trauma.

But since I rarely use it, I felt I needed to spend a few days playing only the S14AVR pieces before I could legitimately review the new DaVinci model.

K.O.'s workmanship is outstanding. I could find no discernible difference in the rim and cup shape between the two pieces. They are both very comfortable on my chops. The heavier blank of the S14A 2.0 gives a very solid projection in the low, middle, and high registers, though I tend to bottom out once I get above high E. When I first played the DaVinci version, the low register was really squirrelly compared to the older one. My old S14A really barks in the low register and has solid slots up to high G, though I'll confess the high G is a bit thin.

As I worked my way up on the DaVinci the first day I played it, I struggled with the wider slots--the 4th partial (4th space E, Eb) were really flat and unfocused. I swapped out the #4 coupler that came with it and tried the 4.5 and 3.5 couplers I own, and still struggled. I decided to withhold judgement since it was the first day on the new piece and and it had been a long time since I'd played anything except my Warburtons.

The next day things were better--I did a more proper warm-up (the first day I just started blowing and kinda went bananas) and did some pitch-bending on both pieces to see where the sound was the best. The 4th partial locked in a lot better on the second day. When I went to the 5th partial (top line G) I overshot the note, like my chops were used to tensing up more than I needed to for that note. I did some flexibilities, changing out the mouthpieces and couplers and repeating the exercise on each combination.

By the third day I started feeling more secure and decided to do some more explorations in the high register, still switching back and forth between the two mouthpeces and trying the different couplers. In the blurb on Stomvi-USA's DaVinci page, K.O. advocates using the #3 or #4 couplers because of the way the dimensions of the new piece affect the gap. The piece I bought used didn't have the #3 coupler, just the #4. I found I got similar results between the #4 and the #4.5, with maybe just a little difference in the upper middle register.

When I started exploring the high register is when I really started to notice the difference. The high C on both pieces is solid, but on the DaVinci it is MUCH easier to play. As I went on up to high G, the DaVinci opened up and the high G was about twice as loud as on the other piece. And I felt like I hadn't reached my tension limit, and with a little stronger blow and a little more tongue arch the double C popped out clearly and cleanly, with about the same amount of effort I normally use for a high F or G. Keep in mind that I haven't played lead in 40 years and never had a double C back then.

I've played those notes on my Warburtons and know where the slots go. On my Stomvi 3FVR J6 with a Warburton 4 rim threaded onto it, I can drill a high A and it slots cleanly with the 1-2 valve combination.

On the S14A 2.0 I can usually squeak that note, but with the amount of pressure I'm used to using I can rarely nail it, and almost always bottom out when my chops swell. On the DaVinci I nailed, solidly, high G, G#, Bb, B and double C, but the high A was really squirrelly, and I could not get it to slot. I tried alternate fingerings (I've noticed that Louis Dowdeswell plays all of his high As with first valve). This is probably more a me issue than the mouthpiece itself, since I'm not used to playing that high all the time.

BTW I did all these tests using both of my Bb trumpets: Bach LR180 and Getzen 700 Eterna. The results were similar on both horns, with the Bach having more depth to the sound and the Getzen having more sizzle.

The thing I have noticed most, though, after playing the DaVinci mouthpiece for about a week, is that I don't have to use as much pressure up high, and unlike the first day I played it, the low register is opening up. Playing with less pressure is having a positive effect on my playing overall - I'm finding now that I can play high more easily on my deeper Warburton tops, especially on cornet.

Here's my thoughts after a week with this very interesting mouthpeice:

- it's not magic, but it does some things I really like.

- it's VERY comfortable on my chops.

- the high register is much easier and much louder.

- every gain in one area represents a compromise in another - while I can play the DaVinci well in all registers, my old S14AVR 2.0 has a little more oomph down low--likely because of the heavier blank, but I can't make it scream as easily as the DaVinci.

- K.O. makes dang good copies of popular stock mouthpieces that play a lot better than the originals.

Conclusion: it's a very good mouthpiece. Not sure I'd pay $325 for a brand new one (I got mine on eBay for $160 plus $10 tax and shipping). It's a nice addition to my collection and it will get played often. It's not the Mary Poppins of mouthpieces (not "practically perfect in every way") but it compensates for a lot of my limitations and the way I play.


BTW it works GREAT on my piccolo trumpet!
_________________
Bryan Fields
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More horns than my wife knows I have...

[Gonzalez]

Thanks, Bryan! Interesting read 😊
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Van Laar OIRAM light I
Antoine Courtoise TOMA quartertone
Bájoc & Breslmair mouthpieces

"Take it up an octave, even if you can't!"

[Chickynuggie]

Very long story short, I can echo spitvalve’s statements. I’ve been a 3C/3B player for the vast majority of my trumpeting career. I made the decision to grab a 3CVR with a 5 backbore. I found the claims to be fairly accurate - I was playing more in tune (without adjusting) and there was more sound for less effort.

Then these DaVinci pieces came out… No, it’s not magic, and I’ve been very happy with my 3CVR/5. But, it does what they say it does - the slots (for me) are more secure, easier to find. There’s even more sound for less effort, the upper register speaks easier. The octaves do feel compressed, slightly.

Another selling point (having just dropped the cash on the 3CVR/5 only a few months earlier) was the customer service! The 3CVR isn’t available from the drop down selections for the DaVinci backbore, but it was possible and readily available, and I don’t think I’ll ever switch away from this mouthpiece. And to speak of the quality control - the cups and rims feel exactly the same between the two.

I have found I need to switch couplers between my Bb and C, but that’s just another selling point (to me) for these pieces…

[spitvalve]

@Chickynuggie:

I've been playing the DaVinci now for almost four months and I absolutely love it. Still use my Warburtons as well, but I'm finding the DaVinci, even with the 14A cup, gets a fine sound in all registers that would be acceptable in a concert band if push came to shove. And I have to confess I'm playing a lot of high notes on it simply because I can now. I'm hitting double Cs with a lot less pressure than I used to. Yesterday I did a four-octave slur from pedal C to double C and back down, and then did the same thing tonguing the octaves, and afterward my chops felt like (to quote the late great Dominic Spera) "a baby's fanny." None of the usual dents that I get from mashing my lips against my teeth. And the high A is finally starting to lock in.

I'm having so much fun!
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Bryan Fields
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More horns than my wife knows I have...

[Jon Arnold]

I have had a 3DVR DaVinci in my hands for the past week and initial impressions are very positive thus far.

The tone is very full, resonant with an immense palette of color. Fast response and excellent agility. Comfortable rim. This would be a good all around mouthpiece and could be used for all styles of playing.

[Hellie]

Hi,
Are there more people who play or have played a DaVinci and would like to share their experiences?
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Adams A5
Carol Brass 5000L-YLT

[Hellie]

I'm playing a 3 SVR Vs Flex now and am wondering if a 3 SVR DaVinci would be a major upgrade.
_________________
Adams A5
Carol Brass 5000L-YLT

[spitvalve]

[Hellie]

Thanks! Now I have to have one.

Sounds like a big improvement on an already outstanding mouthpiece.
For me the Stomvi Flex is the best mouthpiece I've played in ease of playing and sound, and I tried many (GR, Reeves, Monette, ACB, Curry, Wedge and others).
It's a pity that Stomvi USA doesn't have a dealer in Europe (as far as I know), shipping and import duties are not cheap.
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Adams A5
Carol Brass 5000L-YLT

[spitvalve]

[TrumpetBeat]

For most of my playing career I had been playing on Schilke (standard) mouthpieces (mostly on a 14). After some dental work I struggled for 3 years and eventually called KO at Stomvi USA and he suggested trying his S14 GVR J6. I never regretted it, it certainly made things easier. After a few years I called KO again just to ask if I should try his 5 series. This is where he recommended to give the DaVinci series a try. The difference in sound was exactly as KO predicted. Occasionally I still use the J6. The rims are so accurately the same that the feel on the lips is the same! Perfect.

Of course being able to use the sleeves (Stomvi calls them flex couplers, but Reeves sleeves work as well) is important to adjust sound and intonations.

Beat
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Kanstul 1525 Flugel Bb

[spitvalve]

[HarryO]

I went into the Stomvi shop back in late 2023 before even hearing about the new DaVinci backbore and fell in love with the piece that I bought (7Gvr). K.O. showed me in depth the math and testing he had put into the design of his new line of pieces, and it truly shows in how they play. He explained that his math was all about even tuning throughout the range of the horn which leads to better endurance, which I have noticed in my own playing. It may seem like the mouthpieces are expensive, but I think the price is fully justified.