How to start looking for a new mouthpiece?

[Turkle]

So I've been playing Curry 3. mouthpieces for 10+ years now. I play the same rim across all my instruments, but use different configurations for different instruments and situations.

Lately I've just wanted something more out of my mouthpieces and I think that my playing and my body have changed so much since I bought my Curry pieces that it's time for a change. I've recently played an old Monette B6 that I loved (!) and a Bob Reeves that was too big for me but got a gigantic sound... And they made me realize that it's probably long past the time where I should be looking for new gear.

I'm looking especially for a rim that gives me better accuracy and a setup that will generate a bigger sound... And who knows what else?

Here's the thing - It's been a very long time since I bought new mouthpieces and I actually don't know where to start! It seems that buying pieces and mailing back ones I don't like at a 10% restocking fee will get crazily expensive in a hurry and I don't want this to become a bottomless pit. Are there stores that carry full ranges of mouthpieces? Could I just stop by Dillon's or something? I don't really know the best way to go about this...

I am looking for your advice on how to go about choosing a new mouthpiece brand/line for the future.

Cheers, and thanks for your assistance!
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Yamaha 8310Z trumpet
Yamaha 8310Z flugel
Curry 3.

[cheiden]

Why not call Monette and tell them what you loved about the B6? That combined with what you want beyond you current Curry piece could make for some pretty specific recommendations.
_________________
"I'm an engineer, which means I think I know a whole bunch of stuff I really don't."
Charles J Heiden/So Cal
Bach Strad 180ML43*/43 Bb/Yamaha 731 Flugel/Benge 1X C/Kanstul 920 Picc/Conn 80A Cornet
Bach 3C rim on 1.5C underpart

[Richard III]

Make a date with a GR representative and really get to the bottom of it all. Talking to someone on the phone isn't the same as sitting down and really going through the options with guidance.
_________________
Richard

King 1130 Flugabone
King 12C mouthpiece

[kehaulani]

Are you in the city or up-state?
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[Robert1]

All good suggestions by previous posters. I might chime in and state that if at all possible, go to a store where you can try out numerous mouthpieces. In the past, when I have searched, I found it most important to have already played a couple of hours or more. For me at least, it was more important to see how a mouthpiece worked when I was well into my playing day--past the point of feeling fresh, or even feeling good. That gave me a pretty good perspective on how the mouthpiece would work when I was in a more stressful day-to-day situation. Just my take on this important topic!

[Turkle]

[Seymor B Fudd]

[Richard A]

[Jerry]

You wrote that you desire accuracy.

I've experimented with Bach, Schilke, Curry, Stork, Monette, Reeves, Callet, GR, the popular inexpensive plastic brand that I can't remember the name of, and probably others I just can't remember right now either.

When it comes to accuracy, of the the brands I mentioned, for me, nothing even comes close to GR. Nothing.

So I would second the idea of getting a fitting from a GR trained consultant.

[hose]

[CJceltics33]

I’m a Curry 3 player and I tried a Monette B3S3 yesterday tht I loved. Felt just the right size...that also may be worth a shot if you’re looking into the Monette field. Definitely try GR though, I hear a lot of good things! My GR was much too small for me, unfortunately. But a consultation should get you the right piece, and they are cheap/free if you buy a mouthpiece from them. Let us know what you decide!

[Grits Burgh]

[Richard III]

[Robert P]

I struggled with mouthpieces for years and stumbled onto a Jet-Tone T1A in a music store that was just sitting in a display case with no box. The Jet-Tones I'd tried before I found unplayable but this one was different. It was the first mouthpiece I'd played that really felt comfortable. I think I paid $25 for it if memory serves.

Fast forward a number of years and a sojourn of ironing out embouchure dysfunctionalities, for grins I tried a Schilke 14A4A and liked it, found I got better results than with the Jet-Tone. Then I stumbled onto a Yamaha Bobby Shew Lead, again by accident. I was in a Sam Ash store to try a different Schilke. The Sam Ash around here has a crap selection of mouthpieces but by happenstance they had the Shew. I didn't like the Schilke I went there to try but really liked the Shew.

Now I don't even like that Jet-Tone that I'd played for years and had once found so comfortable, the mechanics of how I play has changed so much.

I don't know how typical my situation is but it's likely your search will never end.
_________________
Getzen Eterna Severinsen
King Silver Flair
Besson 1000
Bundy
Chinese C

Getzen Eterna Bb/A piccolo
Chinese Rotary Bb/A piccolo

Chinese Flugel

[Yamahaguy]

[Lee Adams]

[LSOfanboy]

[jadickson]

I just wanted to offer some of my experience, because it sounds similar to yours. I tried for a very long time to make the Curry 3C work for me. Like you, accuracy was always a problem for me. So was intonation, and even dynamic contrast. I guess this is in large part due to the gap. his pieces seem to gap bigger than a Bach, and a Bach just does not respond the same way to them. But again that is a guess.

The piece I seem to play better on is the Austin Custom Brass 3C. Here’s what I wrote a few weeks ago about it. I hope this helps...

“Standard Series” 3C, standard blank. I have played this mouthpiece off and on since Austin Custom Brass’ first year in business. Since then, I have learned a lot and developed a lot as a trumpet player, and I wanted to contribute my current thoughts and experiences with this mouthpiece. I am a middle school band director and not the world’s greatest trumpet player, but I hope that my semi-professional perspective may benefit other semi-professionals considering this mouthpiece.

The obvious thing to do is to compare it to the current (2018) Bach 3C. I say “current” because Bach changes their designs about every decade. I think the most significant difference, and the most compelling reason why I prefer the ACB 3C, is the rim. The current Bach rim is fat, more similar to Trent’s MV3C. The ACB 3C rim is less fat, and feels much more like my current Bach 1C rim (I am talking rim contour, not cup diameter… I did not say the ACB 3C is as big as a 1C). Some people may prefer the fatter rim, but I find that my flexibility is much, much better on the ACB 3C. I also find it easier to execute soft entrances.

The tone is similar enough to “the Bach sound” that you could easily blend in a section of people playing Bach equipment. This is not an unconventional mouthpiece. I find the tone of the ACB slightly more full, like it has slightly more cup volume. I don’t know if it actually does or not, I am just speaking to what I hear.

ACB offers a choice of several blanks, and they matter. They make a significant difference, so much so that if you find an ACB piece you really dig, you should order it in a few different blanks to see which one fits you and your music the best. One will definitely stand out. The tone will be slightly different, in that you will hear different proportions of the overtones. For example, the Traditional blank has slightly more emphasis on the higher overtones than the Standard blank, and so the Traditional blank sounds slightly more like a Bach mouthpiece. The biggest difference made by the blanks is the response, though. They just blow or feel differently. My preference is the Standard blank.

I hesitate to comment on inner diameter / size. “Does it feel like the same size as a Bach 3C?” It is not that simple. Because the rim is so different, it hits my lips in a different way. So even though they may have the same diameter, there is much more to the story. And everyone is going to experience that differently because everyone’s lips are a different shape. If what you are really asking is, “will it feel the same on my lips as a Bach 3C?”, then the answer is no, but there is so much more to it than just diameter. Get size out of your head, it may be the least significant parameter when comparing these mouthpieces.

As always, you just have to try it to see how it will work for you. The ACB 3C is superior for me than the Bach 3C in almost every way.
_________________
Justin Dickson
Middle school band director. Still learning.
www.BandmateTuner.com

[O00Joe]

Check out Stork, particularly the Vacchiano line. I use them for C and piccolo and I've never been more impressed by a mouthpiece maker. The owners will also talk you on the phone and can do a fitting if you see them in person.

Somewhat offtopic:
I used a GR for a long time and this may have been because of the cup - a VC - but the sound had a slightly throaty "doh" instead of "dah" or "di" sound. It didn't have the full core of a Bach or other mouthpiece. It sounded great in the hall but in less acoustically forgiving environments it was obvious. The reason I bring this up is because I've never received feedback as to whether it was just that particular model or if it is just me. Everything else about the mouthpiece is outstanding. I really want to try the MX, L, and C** cups.
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1981 Bb Bach Stradivarius 37/25 ML raw - Laskey 60C
2003 C Bach Stradivarius 239/25A L silver - Stork Vacchiano 4C25C
2006 Bb/A Schilke Piccolo P5-4 silver - Reeves A adaptor - Stork SM SP6
Akai MPC Live II
Roland JD-Xi
Casio MT-68

[CJceltics33]

If you love the Curry rims, Monette isn’t far from them.