What does "S" mean on a trumpet mouthpiece?

[Tro.sy]

Hey guys,
I bought some mouthpieces, and one of them is very old, it's gold and on it the letter S is written. Does anyone know this mouthpiece?

[StartingUpAgainAt53]

Bach mouthpieces? I have one also. What size?

For Bach mouthpieces S stands for Symphonic and means a larger throat and back-bore than the normal Bach mouthpieces.

Been told they have size 25 throat with size 24 back-bore.

-Marc

[Tro.sy]

[TKSop]

Depends on the brand...

As noted, on Bach's it's a symphonic backbore, IIRC on some Benge CG pieces it meant a different shank.

[sounds7]

On Monette it means slap (Shape of inner cup)

[Yamahaguy]

Giardinelli/Warburton/G.Black and others use S to denote shallow cups...

[Tro.sy]

Thank you all for replying

Here is a picture

[img]https://ibb.co/WBD3Btt[/img]

I also noticed that i doesn't fit very well in my horn because it's a bit too thin i can play on it good but sometimes i am afraid that it might fall down because it doesn't fit very well inside the tube.[/img][img]

[ayryq]

_________________
Yamaha YTR6345HGS Bb
Bach "Philly" C
Bach 239 Eb/D
DEG Signature 2000 Bb/A picc
Yamaha YTR-9835 Bb/A picc
Yamaha Bobby Shew flugel
Yamaha Neo cornet

[Danbassin]

Shot in the dark, but the S could stand for “Selmer” if it doesn’t fit well in a modern receiver. Vintage French shanks were a bit different, and the famous “K-Modified” Selmers of the 50s onward we’re originally an attempt to make the horns more compatible with the increasingly popular Bach mouthpieces. For reference, vintage Holton trumpets also had their own shank size in the 20s-40s.

Now, with no further info about your mouthpiece and any other markings, nobody on this page is really going to be able to answer your question. Each manufacturer has their own nomenclature, for the most part. Before Schilke came up with their modern model designations in the later 60s-70s, letters were used, often related to a specific artist for whom they were designed. As mentioned above, Bach ‘Symphonic Series’ mouthpieces have an S. Monette designs from ~2006-7 onward have a cup shape variant called ‘slap’ designated by an S, and so-forth.

Do some research to find out more about the provenance of your mouthpiece, and then details may follow regarding specifications and that pesky S.

-DB
_________________
Daniel Bassin
Conductor/Composer/Trumpeter/Improviser/Educator
I play:
Monette - CORNETTE/PranaXLT-STC Bb/MC-35/Raja A Piccolo;
Kromat C-Piccolo; Thein G-Piccolo; Various antique horns
MPCs - Monette Unity 1-7D and DM4LD

[qcm]

The profile of this mouthpiece, looks very similar to a Schilke mouthpiece.

Perhaps it's a pre-1970s model?

-Dave
_________________
Dave Edwards

Kanstuls, LA Benges and a Selmer picc.

[Tro.sy]

It feels good to play on this mouthpiece, the only problem is that it doesn't fit well in the reciever and i think it might fall down if i hold the trumpet upside down. Anyone has the same problem? Any solutions?

[boog]

I have an original C.M. Purviance 4*d4w that has the mysterious "S" stamped on the SHANK of the piece. The only one I have ever run across so marked. I have surmised that it means a smaller shank size, ostensibly to reduce the receiver gap, as it will not fit many of my trumpets tightly enough to stay in when you invert the instrument.

I used this piece for a long time when I was playing big band lead. It fit my chops well and had a decent sound for such a shallow piece. I used to wrap teflon plumber's tape around the shank to use it in my horns that had larger diameter receivers.

FWIW, a LOT of old trumpet mouthpieces came unmarked, for some reason. I have a couple old ones, that are old enough to not be Chinese or Japanese knock-offs of existing designs. No telling where yours came from...

It's a neat looking piece, good for your collection (or playing!)

Regards,
Dave

[crose]

From an old Schilke mouthpiece chart

16C2
(Formerly Model "S") Has a definite "bite" on the inner edge of the #2 semi-round rim, permitting greater flexibility.

Maybe?

[Tro.sy]

[Tro.sy]

[OldSchoolEuph]

Looks like Schilke's early work to me. And the shank looks like it might have a Holton taper (pre-WWII) starting, as I have seen that detail in the turning of some 1930s Holtons. Schilke made his first mouthpieces there and made special ones for Edward Llewelyn (Holton artist and promoter, and teacher/CSO predecessor of both Benge &Schilke). The Llewelyn mouthpieces were turned in some of the details slightly streamlined from this on modern pieces, just like this - but not marked "S".

I think it's an early Schilke, maybe even pre-war earliest Schilke.
_________________
Ron Berndt
www.trumpet-history.com

2017 Austin Winds Stage 466
1962 Mt. Vernon Bach 43
1954 Holton 49 Stratodyne
1927 Conn 22B
1957 Holton 27 cornet
1985 Yamaha YEP-621
1975 Yamaha YEP-321 Custom
1965 Besson Baritone
1975 Olds Recording R-20

[starkadder]

[Tro.sy]

[BraeGrimes]

I think the 'S' is for Scott Tinkler.

[Ed Kennedy]