Curry mouthpiece consistency?

geezer · Veteran Member Joined: 22 Mar 2012 Posts: 239

deleted because nobody addressed the question I actually asked
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Richard III · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 1:31 pm Post subject:

Depending on the cup type and profile, the rim will feel different. My TF has a very soft inner rim and my VC has a bit sharper edge. Same size. Feels different. The TF feels like a bigger ID due to this. Guessing this is what you've been feeling. Unless you had a dot no dot issue going on. If all were of the same vintage, then the above would apply I think.
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Louise Finch · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 2:07 pm Post subject:

Hi

I believe that it is probably the difference in cup depth/alpha angle making them feel different at the rim.

If you think of a mouthpiece with a lower alpha angle as being a U and a mouthpiece with a higher alpha angle as being a V, you can see the difference in room at the top of the cup. Generally deeper cups have a lower alpha angle than shallower cups, but it of course depends on the individual cup shape.

If you have two mouthpieces with the same cup diameter and rim contour but a different alpha angle and cup shape, they could feel different. This is probably more noticeable to players who play with more lip intrusion, and whose lips therefore protrude further into the cup.

Take Care

Lou
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kristiner · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 2:43 pm Post subject:

Overall resistance and the initial slope of the cup have a lot to do with how the mouthpiece feels on the face. Mark Curry has explained this in some older threads. To me, the deeper Curry cups feel like they have more bite than the shallower ones - which is actually a good thing IMO, it's nice to have a little more "cushion" sensation on a lead piece. I've played just about all the cups in the 3-dot and 1.5 series, and find them to be extremely consistent in terms of the actual metal that's making contact. Try pressing them on your chops without blowing.
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jadickson · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 4:14 pm Post subject:

What Richard said. Because you change the Alpha angle when you change the cup, the rim feels different on the chops. The rim is actually the same, but that's only part of what you're feeling.

geezer · Veteran Member Joined: 22 Mar 2012 Posts: 239

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TrumpetMD · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 4:33 pm Post subject: Re: Curry mouthpiece consistency?

geezer · Veteran Member Joined: 22 Mar 2012 Posts: 239

deleted because nobody addressed the question I actually asked
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trumpetdon · Veteran Member Joined: 28 Sep 2003 Posts: 361

So many variables, even with "identical mouthpieces".

I can take the same mouthpiece, put it in another trumpet, and the rim can "feel" different. Different leadpipe resistances, bell shapes, receiver gap, piston wear etc, will change the reflection of the waveform to the lips, and then our lips respond with a different shape or intrusion, and the perception is a different feel.

Of course there are also differences in buffing and plating from one mouthpiece to another. Not just on the rim and cup, but tiny differences in shank buffing and plating means the gap will change.

Different backbores, throat lengths, shape of the throat entrance and of course the various parameters of the cup, all change the reflection back to the lips and the perception of feeling.

I am not discounting the perceptions and experiences of the OP. Just adding that other factors come into play even when two rims measure identically when them come off the CNC lathe.

I have had good results with Curry rims and consistency.

I recall Gary Radke talking about how the important the skill of the machinist is with CNC equipment to get consistent results. GR monitors room temperature and every possible variable of mechanics and environment. My GR mouthpieces are very consistent.

TKSop · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:45 pm Post subject:

If this level of consistency in the rim is noticeable (and important) to you, had you considered getting those pieces cut for screw-rims and screwing the same rim on whichever you happened to want at a given time?

So much in playing is mental - if you can perceive the rims as feeling a bit different and can't prove any better, you could be talking yourself into it being a bigger deal than it needs to be... if you were using the exact same rim (screw-on) then you'd know that the rim is the same and it's everything else making the difference, which may be reassuring (or not?).

Perhaps plastic screw-rims would be a touch more consistent than brass/buffed/plated ones if you needed more than one? (Not sure, thinking out loud).

Fuzzy Dunlop · Heavyweight Member Joined: 25 Jun 2011 Posts: 630

In my experience, Curry pieces are very consistent. My regular piece and its backup are identical as far as I can tell.

Louise Finch · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 2:31 am Post subject:

geezer · Veteran Member Joined: 22 Mar 2012 Posts: 239

deleted because nobody addressed the question I actually asked
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Richard III · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 6:01 am Post subject:

zaferis · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 6:18 am Post subject:

have a bag full of Mark's mouthpieces.. very consistent.

In my experience and the shoe box full of mouthpieces I have, I put his product on the top of the charts in this regard.
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geezer · Veteran Member Joined: 22 Mar 2012 Posts: 239

deleted because nobody addressed the question I actually asked
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jadickson · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 10:41 am Post subject:

Okay buddy a lot of us have answered your question to the best of our ability, but you don't seem to like the answers that you are getting or something. I don't know what you want to hear, but the answer seems to be no, we have not experienced inconsistencies with curry rims. That is the answer to your question. The answer is no.

Nobody is trying to invalidate your experience though. Anything can happen in the course of manufacturing a hunk of metal. It is entirely within the realm of possibility that you got a mouthpiece with a goofed up rim. It seems unlikely, but yes it is possible.

I'm not sure what else anybody here on the Internet can possibly tell you about your situation.

cheiden · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 11:10 am Post subject:

Richard III · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 1:21 pm Post subject:

BedfordTrumpeter · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 4:16 pm Post subject:

I'm not a terribly picky guy inclined to be bothered by the minutiae of rim contours. I used to play a mishmash of Bach, Wick and Reeves mouthpieces across my various horns, and it didn't bother me... much. It worked, and I was comfortable generally.

When I started playing a lot of quintet gigs and constantly switching horns, I decided to experiment with the Curry line because I'd heard the rims were consistent. For me, Curry delivered as promised. I regularly use the 3C., 3M., 3Z., 3BBC., and 3FLD. mouthpieces, and they feel remarkably consistent on my face. Of course the blow is a bit different on each, because of variations in cup, throat, backbore and the horns themselves contribute to the equation. However, the footprint and bite of each piece feels damn near identical to me. The most noticeable improvements for me were on cornet and flugel, where the Curry rim is much softer than the Wicks I was using, and my endurance on these instruments got much better.

To summarize, the Curry rims are -- in my somewhat limited experience -- the most consistent I think I could reasonably ask for.

Side note: I never found a Curry that could beat out my Bob Reeves piccolo mouthpiece. So I live with the slightly different rim size on my picc.
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