1946/47 King Master Model Cornet Mouthpiece Gap

Bethmike

Hi,

I recently bought a 1946/47 King Master Model Cornet in great shape. The original mouthpiece is too small for me, and I am looking for a new one. Can anyone give me advice on:

- Mouthpiece makers that are best at fitting the taper of the OEM receiver

- The appropriate mouthpiece gap (I know gap can be a hot topic, but what is the generally accepted middle of the road gap that will suit a casual hobbyist)

- Any other tips / tricks to know

If this has all been covered in an old thread, please point me to it.

Thank you everyone!

Mike
_________________
Bach190ML43
Kanstul 1001
Bach NY7
Yamaha 631 Flugel

Grits Burgh · Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2021 7:43 pm Post subject:

For what it is worth, my experience is that if you can get an original King mouthpiece, they fit the receiver well - but, they don't suit me. They are uncomfortable and have a rather dull sound (for lack of a better description). You might say that they have a softer, more traditional cornet sound. Some people prefer that sound. Whatever. It didn't work for me. I bought a Curry 3C cornet mouthpiece. It does not fit the receiver very well all at all. The shank of the mouthpiece has a diameter that is a tad too small. So, I wrapped the mouthpiece shank with some tape. Now, that isn't a very elegant solution, but it works for me. The Curry mouthpiece is very comfortable and it really makes the horn sizzle - nice for New Orleans style original jazz. As far as the gap is concerned, don't worry about it. This cornet doesn't have a gap like a trumpet does. The end of the mouthpiece doesn't come anywhere near where the receiver joins the lead pipe. I just pulled out my horn and tried both mouthpieces again. My opinion hasn't changed. The old, original mouthpiece is simply too soft and "vanilla" for my taste. The Curry sounds great.
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Bach Stradivarius 37 (1971)
Schilke HC 1
Getzen 3810 C Cornet
King Master Bb Cornet (1945)
B&S 3145 Challenger I Series Flugelhorn
Life is short; buy every horn you want and die happy.

Bethmike

I will give this a try. Thanks for the first hand experience!
_________________
Bach190ML43
Kanstul 1001
Bach NY7
Yamaha 631 Flugel

Richard III · Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2021 8:20 am Post subject:

Did you mean the mouthpiece you have is too small in diameter? What is that mouthpiece? I was going to suggest a King 7M cornet mouthpiece. I have one and it is "just the ticket" for the sound you are looking for, if I understand it right. Here's an example available right now on Ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-KING-7M-CORNET-MOUTHPIECE/254849295227?hash=item3b5633a37b:g:FPYAAOSwOOZfNoew
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Richard

King 1130 Flugabone
King 12C mouthpiece

loweredsixth · Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2021 5:03 pm Post subject:

My King Master (Super 20 Silversonic) is from the late 60s, so the receiver might have been changed to a more standard one by that point. In mine, Bach mouthpieces bottom out and wobble, but Curry mouthpieces fit perfect.
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The name I go by in the real world is Joe Lewis

adc · Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2021 5:00 pm Post subject:

Nice horn I have a 1952 and a 1950. Bach in one and a Yamaha.

Cornets are very forgiving as far as mouthpieces are concerned (IMHO)
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Too many Old Cornets to Count

nltrumpet · Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2021 5:22 pm Post subject:

I like the King M2 fairly well. It’s somewhere in the 3C-1.5C area diameter-wise.

Denny Schreffler · Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2021 7:07 pm Post subject:

Usually, and for the most part, we can disregard an original-ish mpc for these older horns if you plan on really playing it. Collecting is a different matter.

The receiver and the leadpipe butt that are on your King might be worn or otherwise misshapen – you might be disappointed if the first thing that you do is to have a mpc made that should fit.

Don’t worry about the gap for an old cornet. Find a mpc that works for you.

If you play tpt and have a usual tpt mpc, see if you can find the equivalent for cornet, but, beyond the rim feeling familiar, cornets, especially old cornets, are different beasts than trumpets and often need a different front end.

Try to borrow or buy (cheaply, hopefully) cornet pieces that look like they might be worth a shot – that’ll put you in a ballpark where you might want to seriously look at modern pieces.

There are a lot of interesting cornet pieces in the TH Marketplace

-Denny