Getting a new mouthpiece

Trumpetman16 · Regular Member Joined: 04 Oct 2004 Posts: 15

As I posted before, my teacher was trying to convince me to get a new mouthpiece and now he has. I currently use a Bach 3c and have full lips and was told my sound was not full enough for a concert sound. I want to get a mouthpiece with a deeper cup and was looking at the denis wick mouthpieces and was wondering what would be the Wick equivilent to a Bach 1.5C?

Lowell · Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 6:57 pm Post subject: Suggestion

If you play a Bach 3C and find that you want more tonal volume why not try a FoKus PRINCIPAL 3? The hole is a #22 and the back bore very large.

http://www.cpinternet.com/lsteven1/FoKus%20PRINCIPAL%20Cup.jpg

You can order one from WoodWind&BrassWind for trial for a small fee.

Good luck and best of wishes.

Lowell Stevenson
http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/interview/fokus/

cjdjazztpt · Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 8:00 pm Post subject:

Hey Lowell,

Why are the Artist and Lead mpcs the same cup depth in the Fokus series?
For those of us who would be willing to try your pieces and don't want to play that shallow there is nothing in the middle of the road for us! I don't want a C cup either...something a little shallower but not so shallow to where tone suffers.... The Symphonic is like a Bach and that's exactly what I DO NOT want.
Anyway, why isn't the artist a little deeper than the lead piece??? When I think of a LEAD and ARTIST it seems more logical that the artist would be slightly deeper since it would be used for Commercial, Lead, Jazz, and Studio types of playing. Just my thoughts.....

Lowell · Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 7:09 am Post subject: Hi cjdjazztpt.

Hi cjdjazztpt thanks for the questions. I think to answer you fully I will have to go back to the beginning of FoKus and tell you why I came up the idea in the first place. I play in a community band. The band is made up of mostly music teachers that teach in the public school system. There are about 12 trumpet players in is 70 piece concert band. In this area most of the teacher/players continue to play a Bach 1½C or Bach 3C. They do not have time to practice to keep their chops in shape to play with that large a piece. So when I started to come up with the FoKus idea, I asked them what they wanted in a mouthpiece, and to a man, and women, they said something thing that will allow them to have endurance and play higher longer with only a minimum of practice time. So I went to my Box of mouthpieces and thought a Shallow cup will do that. But the problem with shallow cups is hitting the bottom, will actually the curve to the hole from the cup. That is why I came up with the FoKus Bowed up which is shallow put the bow gives room for the chops. There are several ways to give more tonal volume and the one I choose, so to keep my School teachers happy was to my the difference in timbre with the hole size and back bore size. As you well point out the FoKus LEAD and ARTIST are the same cup and rim, but the hole and back bore configuration is different. This changes the timbre of the very bright and laser projection of the LEAD to a bit less projection and brightness of the ARTIST but still keeping the support available by using the same cup.
So that is the answer to your question, the LEAD and ARTIST are the same cup to allow the person who has little time to practice to still be able to play high and long.

However, I have several customers that I have made adjustment to the LEAD and ARTIST. But these adjustment have been in changing the hole size. There are several that I would call high ?WIND POWER? players that prefer a #25 hole in the FoKus LEAD. Several that like a #27 hole in the FoKus ARTIST, and one player in Germany that likes the ARTIST with a #25 hole saying that the LEAD with a #25 hole was too bright for him. But several in France that like the ARTIST with the stock #28 to play with their Piccolo and D trumpets, they say it gives them just the timbre they want.

I play a Bach 37 and Bach 43* ML trumpets, most of the time. I use the FoKus LEAD with a #25 hole and the Bach 43* for the Rock Group I play with, the ARTIST #28 and Bach 43* for the big band, and the Bach 37 with the ARTIST #27 for playing at church and the community band that I play with. When I have to play something really dark I use the FoKus PRINCIPAL and my old Calicchio.
Sorry we do not have exactly what you are looking for in cup size but maybe changing the hole size, which will make the timbre a bit darker will be and answer for you?
If you think it will just send to me the FoKus you want to adjust and I will do it at no charge and return it to you.
Best of Wishes,
Lowell Stevenson
http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/interview/fokus/

cjdjazztpt · Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 7:26 am Post subject:

Thanks for the reply Lowell.

brad333 · Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 12:39 pm Post subject: Re: Hi cjdjazztpt.

Lowell · Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 8:07 am Post subject: Last weekend

Hi brad333,

Last weekend I played a gig with a rock band called Midlife Crisis.
Two trumpets and two T-Bones and Tenor sax is the horn section.

The other trumpet is one of those guys that I talked about. He is a software engineer and plays about 1 hour every other day.

He was keep up with me until the last couple of tunes in the fourth set.
on Friday night and Saturday night.

I know it works, the guy was stand right next to me.
He plays a FoKus LEAD 10.5/25 and a Yamaha 6335HSII.

Give a FoKus a try for 6 weeks, that's how long it takes for you to get used to a new piece. Then you will know for yourself.

What do you say??? What do you have to lose???

Best of wishes,
Lowell
I am the one without the Rasta
http://www.cpinternet.com/lsteven1/MLC101604b.jpg
http://www.cpinternet.com/lsteven1/MLC101604a.jpg

http://www.wwbw.com/item/?itemno=118830&match=1

buhdda316 · Veteran Member Joined: 09 Sep 2004 Posts: 187

Why do you want a wick? They are junk for trumpet, they are better for trombone. The guy is a euphonium player making mouthpieces for trumpet. Try a bach 1.4c Its not not to deep and still gets a full sound. They articulate well and are fairly flexible.

Conn V1 Stering Bell #34 Leadpipe

pushyred · Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 10:35 am Post subject:

Not enough sound on a 3C? Do you like your 3C? Hmmmmmm.

That's not exactly a tiny mouthpiece IMO. I'd be more inclined to concentrate on your air. Are you taking a big enough breath? Is your sound spreading too much resulting in less projection? Try doing some long tones starting soft, cresendo through 4 beats to ff for 4 (but don't let the sound spread and get ugly) and then back to mp. total of 12 beats. I bet that will help your sound more than a new mouthpiece.

Otherwise I have found the Bach 2C to be a very nice mouthpiece.

brad333 · Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 11:25 am Post subject:

Lowell, I'm sorry. I'm sure you make excellent mouthpieces but I don't buy that your mouthpieces give instant range without practice. It just doesn't work like that.

Now keep in mind that I'm the guy that sticks up for Monette and Harrelson every chance I get because there are people that bash them when they've never tried their product. Here's the reason. I basically understand their pitch as "We do unconventional things when we make instruments that look finda funny but we make a really good instrument. Give us a try!" Your pitch to me sounds like "I wanted to solve every trumpet player's problems of range and endurance while still preserving tone without practice. Try my mouthpieces." At least, that's how it came across in the above post(s).

I like your ideas. Find a rim that works and get a bunch of matching cups that will fit in with the ensemble/horn that you are using. It looks like a sound product idea to me. However, that's no way you've come up with the magic mouthpiece. Try promoting your products more along the lines of "They're really good, the system works, try them".

crzytptman · Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 11:58 am Post subject:

Back to topic:

dominicano224 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 24 May 2004 Posts: 673

how about a stork? they are great. they can also be ordered in any throat and backbore (from mouthpiece express, backbore only) and are available with big rims. i curently play the 1.5 rim, which is like a schilke 20, and its really good. if you don't want to go so big you can try a 2 or 1. my 1.5 E(26c) has a great sound that can match that of a 1-1/4 c and it has the range on a lead mouthpiece.
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