Bach 3 vs 1

[Pacific Blue]

Greetings --

Have been playing cornet for 45 years but fancy the trumpet now and again for its shimmering metallic tone. For the trumpet, have been using a Bach 3 ("straight 3") all this time but wonder what differences would be felt / heard given a switch to a Bach 1.

Perhaps a few of the vets out there have an opinion they'd care to offer up.

Thank you kindly!

-Blue
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Pacific Blue
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Flg: Kanstul/1525 ('07)
Crn:
-Kanstul/1530 ('05)
-Beuscher/400 ('47)
Trp:
-Benge/3X ('57)
-Benge/3X ('59)
- - - -
Flg: Warburton 5FLX; Bach 5C
Crn: Bach 5A, 7; Dick Akright 1v
Trp: Bach 3; Schilke 15B

[wilder]

[kramergfy]

Try a Bach 1X instead. It's not much larger than a Bach 3. For a deep cup, this mouthpiece has a brilliant, hammer on an anvil sound. The articulation is hard to beat.
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"I'm 73 and I'm still learning." - Maurice Murphy

Thread killer.

[JWG]

Happy New Year Blue,

The Bach 1 is a 17.50mm rim with a deep cup, and, more importantly, has a more extreme alpha angle than the 16.30mm rim deep cup Bach 3 or the 17.00mm medium-deep 1.5B. It feels quite different to the Bach 3 and 1.5 rims.

In my opinion, the moderate alpha angle of the 3 and 1.5 rims lend those mouthpieces to all-around playing and make them two of the most popular rim sizes for serious players.

As a 1.5 rim player, I can comfortably play on a 1X which has the same 17.00mm inner diameter as a 1.5 (but slightly wider outer rim) due to the 1X being a copy of the pre-1970's version of the 1, but the 1X alpha angle feels different and makes finding notes less predictable. So, I do not use the 1X for performances.

Instead of a 1 or 1X, I would suggest trying an (off-the-shelf) 1.5B with a 7 (Schmitt-style dark) backbore, rather than the standard 10 backbore that comes with unlettered and C-cup mouthpieces. If you like it, you could get its throat enlarged from the standard 27 throat quite cheaply, and do it incrementally by going from a 27 to a 26, to a 25, to a 24, and even larger if it suits you.

Alternatively, you can now easily find the symphonic 24 backbores (normally found on A cups) used in Bach's Symphonic mouthpiece series (so that you do not need to special order or customize). The Bach Symphonic series mouthpieces come with "Symphonic" 24 backbores only (so, these mouthpieces do not represent the wider variety of Bach mouthpieces in use by symphony players). According to the Conn-Selmer website, you can get them in 1C, 1.25C, 1.5C, 2C, and 3C rim/cup options (thus, this series does not offer as deep a cup as the standard unlettered, A, or B cup offerings, but the large Symphonic backbore makes these pieces "sing" compared to other Bach offerings). Additionally, Bach makes the symphonic series available in 4 throat sizes: 22, 24, 25, & 26—again, without any special order.

https://www.conn-selmer.com/en-us/instruments/accessories/bach-mouthpieces/bach-symphonic-series-mouthpiece

I hope this helps you simplify your mouthpiece safari options.
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Flip Oakes Wild Thing Bb and C with 1.5 TCC, XT, C, C-O, O, & L mouthpieces
Bach 183S (undersprung valves & straight taper pipe) with 1.5 Flip Oakes XF

[Pacific Blue]

Thanks for the responses and detailed information, which is quite helpful.
_________________
Pacific Blue
------
Flg: Kanstul/1525 ('07)
Crn:
-Kanstul/1530 ('05)
-Beuscher/400 ('47)
Trp:
-Benge/3X ('57)
-Benge/3X ('59)
- - - -
Flg: Warburton 5FLX; Bach 5C
Crn: Bach 5A, 7; Dick Akright 1v
Trp: Bach 3; Schilke 15B