Mouthpiece Repair

[jrod93]

I have an older Bach 5G that was dropped and nneds to have the rim repaired. Any suggestions?

Also.......Mouthpiece Plating? Best place to go?

[BGuttman]

What exactly does it need? A shank repair is inexpensive and worthwhile. If you "trashed" the rim and need it repolished, this may be a fatal flaw. The mouthpiece may not play the same after the repair. For a common example like a Bach 5G I wouldn't go too far; a new one is not terribly expensive.

For plating we have GoldChops, Doug Elliott, and Anderson Plating. Anderson doesn't do one-offs so unless. you have a box full of mouthpieces to be replated they may not take the job. GoldChops has a mixed rep. Seems they don't put down a lot of gold and it will wear off quickly. Doug Elliott has an excellent reputation. Then again, a replating job will cost about half as much as a new Bach 5G. Maybe a worthwhile expense if you have chosen from a pile of 5G's and this is THE ONE. Not so much if you don't know the difference.

[Bassbonechandler]

What exactly does it need? A shank repair is inexpensive and worthwhile. If you "trashed" the rim and need it repolished, this may be a fatal flaw. The mouthpiece may not play the same after the repair. For a common example like a Bach 5G I wouldn't go too far; a new one is not terribly expensive.

For plating we have GoldChops, Doug Elliott, and Anderson Plating. Anderson doesn't do one-offs so unless. you have a box full of mouthpieces to be replated they may not take the job. GoldChops has a mixed rep. Seems they don't put down a lot of gold and it will wear off quickly. Doug Elliott has an excellent reputation. Then again, a replating job will cost about half as much as a new Bach 5G. Maybe a worthwhile expense if you have chosen from a pile of 5G's and this is THE ONE. Not so much if you don't know the difference.

What does Doug charge for plating?

[Doug Elliott]

It's not the plating, it's the work that's needed before plating. For refinishing and normal silverplating it's usually been about $50 but my plating costs have gone up so it might have to be more than that.

[trombonanza]

Does anyone in the US do pink/rose gold plating? I may be developing an allergy to my current silver plated Greg Black. I remember playing one of the rose gold Brassark Mercury 5Gs at ITF and really enjoying the feel of it.

[BGuttman]

Jewelers do pink or rose gold plating. It's not pure gold, but gold alloyed with other metals. They may or may not prove to be a problem. Most of us go with pure gold plate. Note that gold purity is measured in Karats: pure gold is 24 Karat. Often colored golds are 14 Karat or so.

Dumb question: are you allergic to the silver plate or are you allergic to the biomass you have allowed to accumulate on the mouthpiece? A good cleaning (even a pass through a dishwasher cycle) may eliminate the allergy.

[trombonanza]

Jewelers do pink or rose gold plating. It's not pure gold, but gold alloyed with other metals. They may or may not prove to be a problem. Most of us go with pure gold plate. Note that gold purity is measured in Karats: pure gold is 24 Karat. Often colored golds are 14 Karat or so.

Dumb question: are you allergic to the silver plate or are you allergic to the biomass you have allowed to accumulate on the mouthpiece? A good cleaning (even a pass through a dishwasher cycle) may eliminate the allergy.

I played a few Brassark rose gold pieces at ITF 2017 and liked the feel of it compared to the pure gold pieces I’ve played. If the mixed alloy was a problem I’d just have to try it and see if I react to it. I clean my mouthpiece with soap and warm water about every other day so I don’t think it’s that.

[ghmerrill]

You might consider going with a Lexan rim like those available from Doug. I LOVE these. But if you prefer a "slippery" rim, that's not a viable alternative.

[Bassbonechandler]

You might consider going with a Lexan rim like those available from Doug. I LOVE these. But if you prefer a "slippery" rim, that's not a viable alternative.

I play for something like 5+ hours a day on a regular basis and notice my mouthpiece sticks to my lips after a while. (this isn't all at once playing). Would having my mouthpiece gold plated help with that?

[ghmerrill]

I have no clue. But without any more insight, it sounds to me like you're having a hydration issue? Do you drink water during these 5+ hour sessions? If not, you might consider having a water bottle beside you and rehydrating as you go. Otherwise, a gold rim is more slippery than a silver rim which in turn is much more slippery than a lexan rim. I don't like slippery rims. But other people use them to advantage in how the shift the mouthpiece while playing.

[Bassbonechandler]

I do have a bottle with me and if I don't I frequently go get drinks from the water fountain near my practice room. I only notice my mouthpiece doing that when I've been playing a lot in one day.

[ghmerrill]

Well, it could be the AMOUNT of water you're drinking. I'm always noticeably dehydrated in my mouth after even an hour concert, and even if I've had water during it. Still, there gets to be a trade-off between chugging a signficant amount of water to maintain hydration, and having to run off to the bathroom every 15 minutes.

[sporto]

John Stork at Stork Custom Mouthpieces in Vermont. Repair and replating. I've never been disappointed.

[doctortrombone]

It's a shame the OP hasn't weighed in again. I'd like to know how badly the rim was damaged. Also, whether he really meant "rim" and didn't mean "shank" instead.

I've repaired mouthpieces in mild to drastic ways. Often, repairing rim damage is a matter of removing a few thousandths of metal while maintaining the same rim profile. However, in other cases metal has to be added where deep gouges have occurred. I've transplanted partial shanks from modern mouthpieces to older Bach mouthpieces that had split shanks. There are a lot of possibilities, but if this is a modern mouthpiece, it's probable that none of them would be worth the effort.