TromboneChat

Hi all! Finally finished up the sterling silver trombone mouthpiece project collaboration I've been doing with Bob Reeves/Brass Ark! We'll be releasing a whole video up on our Youtube channels soon that document the whole process, I'll be sure to link it when we publish. We finished the sterling 5G rim back in April and I had been using it on my brass underpart with great success. We finished this full sterling 5G underpart about two weeks ago and I've been using it ever since...

I have a vintage Almont sterling piece in my collection and its super cool, but wayyyyyy to small for me to play for real, so I've never really gotten to know what a sterling piece is like. Having a solid sterling piece in your normal size, that's a whole new ballgame! It's difficult to describe sound and characteristics in words, but the best way I can explain my first reaction was that I could really "feel" the notes vibrating and responding in my chops. There was a depth to the sound and physical connection that I wasn't prepared for… the sound was smooth and full and brilliant and dense all at the same time. Upper register felt extremely solid and flexible and the low range wide and full but the middle register so focused and direct. This will be my career mouthpiece (until we go make a solid gold one! )

Full story and photos up on the journal/blog portion: www.brassark.com/journal

Here's a quick synopsis:

Melting the sterling at 1750 degrees


Rough casting of the underpart


Cutting the taper into the shank


Threads for the rim


Hand Carving the outer shape


Cutting the cup


Final piece!

I've always wanted to try one of the Yamaha sterling mouthpieces. Glad to see someone else is giving it a shot!

I have a Sterling Silver Giardinelli Mouthpiece.
A Gentleman I used to play with pulled me aside one night on a Big band gig.
He said he had something for me. Bill was slowly leaving us from cancer.
He handed me this Giardinelli Mouthpiece that had a story with it.
In 1957 he joined the Dorsey Band under Warren Covington. Covington took the Trombone section to Giardielli`s
and had Robert Giardinelli make 3 copies of Warren`s mouthpiece in Sterling Silver.
He said it cost him $150 in 1957 , alot of money, but that mouthpiece meant a lot to him.
It was given to me with stipulations. He told me. "You were the only one from your generation (mid `70`s)
That had any interest in learning the older styles of playing Trombone. I want you to have this mouthpiece but...
Never sell it. Please pass it on to someone else that plays and loves the older styles."
It is very rich in overtones and projects like crazy but at a lower volume level it gets really pretty

The links and photos are all broken. I love seeing your projects Noah!

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 8:54 pm The links and photos are all broken. I love seeing your projects Noah!

Should be fixed now. Thanks!

Noah, what's the rim size on your Almont? 23.5mm-ish?

Nice job. Bet it is a job to recover the residue. I'm sure you started with a clean lathe so anything left on it would be your silver.

FEWeathers wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2020 4:20 am Noah, what's the rim size on your Almont? 23.5mm-ish?

It is at Reeves shop right now, but I recall it being a bit bigger, 23.9mm or so, like a Bach 22C

walldaja wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2020 7:12 am Nice job. Bet it is a job to recover the residue. I'm sure you started with a clean lathe so anything left on it would be your silver.

Yes indeed, we clean all the brass chips off the lathes in prep for the silver, then save as many of the shavings as possible to remelt for future projects.

Noah - I'm curious - have you tried the sterling mouthpiece along with a sterling leadpipe? Just wondering if that would be a good combination, or if a mix of materials (sort of like rose tuning slide w/yellow bell) seems to work better. The sterling mouthpiece is an interesting idea, regardless. Congratulations - sounds like it's an experiment that has worked for your playing.

Jim Scott

Hi Jim,

Actually, yes! I have a seamed sterling Ark/Close pipe that I use (I had Brad make me a one off 1919 8H pipe in sterling) and it seems to work really well with this pipe. I also tested it in my Shires (1Y, rotary, RS tuning, TW47C slide, standard 2 pipe) and it works great in that horn too.

Hello Noah,
btw
which size, diameter and throat has your new alto trombone mouthpiece?
How deep is the cup comparing to a C cup?
Thanks

heinzgries wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 2:04 am Hello Noah,
btw
which size, diameter and throat has your new alto trombone mouthpiece?
How deep is the cup comparing to a C cup?
Thanks

Hi Heinz!

Our alto piece has a 24.8mm inner diameter, the rim width is 6.4mm with a semi flat crown and it has an .234" throat, slightly more shallow than a C cup.

Based on a custom one off Schilke-Peebles Alto Trombone/Bass Trumpe mouthpiece that Reynold Schilke made for Byron Peebles in 1960 while he was in the CSO.

Best!
Noah