TromboneChat

Hi!

I recently picked up a Mr.Bass Brass Ark/Bob Reeves piece and it's fantastic!

I'm curious though about rim measurements...

Brass Ark states the cup diameter of the Mr.Bass is 27.1mm, Bach states their 1 1/2G is 27mm. The Mr.Bass feels and looks noticeably bigger.

I have a Bach Corp. 1 1/2G and I measured 26mmish. My Mr.Bass I measure at 27mmish. On both I used a tape measurer measuring the inside diameter of the cup.

Does Bach use a different way of measuring?

I don't have any other 1 1/2, 59 or 60 sized pieces to double check any of these measurements.

Measurements of mouthpieces like that are not very precise or objective. Doug Elliott will probably fill in on the details. But there's just a lot of variation in curvatures of the cup and rim surfaces and edges so on two mouthpieces it almost doesn't make (precise) sense to say "I measured them both at the same point". Also, Bach seems over the years to have had pretty wild dimensional variance even among examples of the same model mouthpiece -- in particular the 1 1/2. The whole 1 1/2 or 1 1/4, etc. classification is just a rough ballpark kind of thing. You have to play it to tell ... er ... how it plays.

You need a proper micrometer. Next, you must realise that mouthpieces of all sizes vary A LOT. Small differences FEEL big to us as players. Even CNC made pieces vary. Different makers measure at different points on the rim leading to much confusion. You cannot trust printed specs. Simple eh ??

Chris

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that even though the specs are close the feel is way different.

I used to play on a 93D and I felt like I had a pretty good handle on the rim size. Then I tried 95D, which is only .5mm larger, and basically anything above G above the staff was unplayable because the rim felt so big.

The rim is also wider on the Mr.Bass... maybe that's what I'm feeling?

I find the Mr. Bass to be way bigger than other 1 1/2g I’ve tried....I think I saw once where it was referred to as more like an ‘oversized 1 1/2g’, which seems about right to me.

You’re right too, tiny differences in rim contour can make big differences in feel on the lips.

Think about how different a 5g vs a 6.5al rim feels-- that's a 0.1mm difference if you believe the published specs. Then factor rim contour into account and who really knows.

mrdeacon wrote: ↑Fri Aug 10, 2018 3:47 pm I guess I shouldn't be surprised that even though the specs are close the feel is way different.

I used to play on a 93D and I felt like I had a pretty good handle on the rim size. Then I tried 95D, which is only .5mm larger, and basically anything above G above the staff was unplayable because the rim felt so big.

The rim is also wider on the Mr.Bass... maybe that's what I'm feeling?

That's really interesting, I was thinking about trying a 95d a while from now just to see what I think. Maybe not.

Don't let me disuade you from the 95D, it's an excellent mouthpiece! The cup and backbone are modest for the size and the mouthpiece is very nimble!

But the rim on that thing is basically a small tuba rim. Low and mid register is great but if you can't handle a big rim anything above the staff is a ton of work.

Personally I can't handle anything bigger then a Elliott 114.

Thanks for all the responses! That was enlightening and a good reminder about how important the rim is in a mouthpiece. I'm not sure if the Mr.Bass is my final stop on the 1 1/2 journey but I'll try it out for a little while before I make up my mind!

The shape of the rim and the slope into the bowl also factor a lot into the "feel" of a mouthpiece.

Like others said too, mouthpiece manufacturing varies quite a bit, especially in the older Bach pieces. I just pulled out the calipers to check out some 6-3/4C mouthpieces I have earlier today, and there is a .3mm difference between two of the pieces that are purportedly supposed to be the same mouthpiece! I like to think of the labels on pieces as "variations on a theme."

Rusty wrote: ↑Fri Aug 10, 2018 3:55 pm I find the Mr. Bass to be way bigger than other 1 1/2g I’ve tried....I think I saw once where it was referred to as more like an ‘oversized 1 1/2g’, which seems about right to me.

You’re right too, tiny differences in rim contour can make big differences in feel on the lips.

George Roberts played an oversized 1 1/2G.

mrdeacon wrote: ↑Fri Aug 10, 2018 9:01 pm Don't let me disuade you from the 95D, it's an excellent mouthpiece! The cup and backbone are modest for the size and the mouthpiece is very nimble!

But the rim on that thing is basically a small tuba rim. Low and mid register is great but if you can't handle a big rim anything above the staff is a ton of work.

Personally I can't handle anything bigger then a Elliott 114.

I'll just try it sometime. Personally coming from the 1 1/2g size, I feel much more comfortable on a bigger rim size than I did on the 1 1/2ish size. But that's just me.