Bach 11/2C

[shoreman]

I would like to know who plays on a Bach 11/2C, and why did you choose it?

[huntman10]

I played one from 1968 until a few years ago when I switched to mostly playing Eb cornet. My college teacher insisted I start under him on a 5B S (symphonic backbore) but after a few lessons said I was one of those big cup guys. He asked what I used before, I said I had tried some in a music store and liked the 1 1/4 C, and had used it for the previous 2 years. He tossed me a 1 1/2 C S (Corp, no period) and I liked it really well. It gave me a stronger projection than the 1 1/4 C and other 1's.

I have done so much trading and reselling and experimenting that I have 100's of mouthpieces. While I use Schilkes or Yamaha pieces for most regular playing now, if I want that "orchestral" sound, I break out my Strads and the 1 1/2 C S from the old days. Only I did get it gold plated a few years ago.
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huntman10
Collector/Player of Fine (and not so fine) Brass Instruments including
Various Strads, Yammies, Al Hirt Courtois, Schilkes,
Selmer 25, Getzen Eternas, Kanstuls (920 Pic, CG)
Martin Custom Large Bore, Lots Olds!, Conns, etc.

[cheiden]

I play an older 1.5C bottom with a slightly smaller older vintage 3C top. I settled on this because I liked the sound better than I got with the smaller pieces I tried. I liked the stock 3C okay but the 1.5C produced a more gratifying tone for me.
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"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

[Tpt_Guy]

Another 1-1/2C user. Like many, I started on a 7C. Halfway through high school I went to a Schilke 15, then in college I fell into the "bigger is better" mentality and went to a Schilke 20. After a year or so I decided to downsize, so I went to a Bach 1C (probably the most uncomfortable rim I've played) then a Curry 1BC, which was a revelation. After hitting a plateau, my buddy convinced me to try something a little narrower. After resisting I tried a few slightly narrower pieces and was shocked at the difference in playability. I continued on my quest and arrived at a 1-1/2C size range but in a different rim profile (I find the old Laskey 1CH-style contour to be the best fit for my face so far).

[delano]

[Seymor B Fudd]

[stuartissimo]

I used to play it for classical music and found it adequate enough. A few years back I found a mouthpiece that better matches my playstyle and technique (or lack thereof). Also, I prefer a different style rim (but that’s not limited to the Bach 1 1/2C)…the ‘traditional style’ for a lack of a better term doesn’t really suit me. The 1 1/2C’s a decent mouthpiece though. Nothing fancy but that can be a perk too.
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1975 Olds Recording trumpet
1997 Getzen 700SP trumpet
1955 Olds Super cornet
1939 Buescher 280 flugelhorn
AR Resonance mouthpieces

[JWG]

Why I chose a Bach 1.5 rim?:

Like a majority to trumpet players, I started in grade school with a Bach 7C. As I grew, my face outgrew the 7 rim. I tried a variety of sizes in high school, and I found that 1.25 made me feel like my embouchure fell into it and a 3 felt a smidge too narrow. Once I found a 1.5, I liked how it fit my lips perfectly--right amount of upper and lower lip exposed by the diameter of the rim and protruding into the cup. The standard 1.5C sounded full and teutonic. I stayed with it through my college years and received many compliments on my sound.

Then, I took a quarter century off playing as I established my career.

However, once I had kids, I yearned to play again. The 1.5 rim still fit my face, but I had become a far better and more sophisticated player during my second go around on the instrument. Playing four centuries worth of musical styles in wind ensemble and orchestra, I realized that I needed to use different equipment to get the sounds I wanted/needed for particular styles of music. So, I dabbled with other rims for just a few sessions, and realized that changing rim size terribly detrimented my sound production.

Solution: Stay with the 1.5 rim and vary cup depth/shape, throat size, and backbore shape. Flip Oakes had worked with Mark Curry to design a number of mouthpieces for his trumpet line, and I have 5 or 6 of those. I have collected about eight 1.5 rim mouthpieces over a decade from which I may choose. From dark/soft/smoky, dark/bold, medium dark, balanced/bold/broad, balanced but brighter, balanced with easier high range, to bright suitable for lead. However, I mostly play just a few of them. I often practice my exercises on Flip's XT to build stamina as it has an extreme throat and deep cup and requires both wind strength and embouchure control. I usually perform standard repertoire on Flip's O as I get a very balanced, bold, broad sound that fills a hall. I use Flip's C trumpet mouthpiece for 90% of C playing; occasionally use a TC to sound more dark like a Cornet keyed in C or dampen the higher overtones when in a softer, more exposed chamber-like musical section where one does not want excess brightness.

Both my children play trumpet, and they also fell into 1.5 rims (inherited my lips, lol). My son plays 4 or 5 different mouthpieces. Bach 1.5C&B Megatones make his old Conn sound good for some reason. Bach standard and Artisan 1.5C blanks sound better on his Bach 72. He uses a shallower Curry mouthpiece for Jazz. My daughter plays only Jazz—usually 3rd trumpet in her college's big band—so, either a Curry for brightness or Flip's O for broadness.

In summary, I recommend that you choose a rim that fits the physical dimensions of your lips/face first and then choose cups, throats, and backbores to color your tone palette to fit the style of music you must perform. Changing rim size messes with one's sound production, due to altering the lips' sympathetic vibration with the standing wave vibrating within the trumpet. However, changing cup, throat, and backbore is easy, because lip vibration remains identical and only the shape of the standing wave changes as it vibrates back and forth through the mouthpiece.

Good luck finding your perfect mouthpiece fit!
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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

[TheHighNotes]

I have in the past.

It was comfortable, available, versatile, made a great sound, and my chops could swell a bit and still play pretty well.

[shoreman]

Thank you for all the responses. I learned a lot.