Large bore tenor mouthpiece dilemma

[Kingfan]

I'm 68 and stupidly sold off my arsenal of trombones and DE mouthpieces except the .547 bore King 4B I have had since high school. I used Doug Elliott's mouthpieces on my King 7B and King 3B. The former was around 1.5 G size, the latter close to a Bach 5 (on his suggestion) and they worked well for me. I started playing again, joining a fun German band. I use a Bach 5G now and keep a Faxx 1.5G in the case for bass doubling as needed. At a gig last week I played well, response and comfort level was better then normal. When packing up I found I had accidently played the 1.5G all night! Should I try a 3G for my primary mouthpiece? I would appreciate any advice.

[harrisonreed]

I'm being serious here, because I'm sure you slayed it that night -- if you couldn't immediately tell the difference between a 5G and a 1.5G and you played better than normal all night ... You probably will sound good on anything. Why not just keep the 1.5G?

Also, glad you're back into it. I couldn't believe when you declared you were selling everything and hanging it up. Time for you to buy more gear!

[Kingfan]

I'm being serious here, because I'm sure you slayed it that night -- if you couldn't immediately tell the difference between a 5G and a 1.5G and you played better than normal all night ... You probably will sound good on anything. Why not just keep the 1.5G?

Also, glad you're back into it. I couldn't believe when you declared you were selling everything and hanging it up. Time for you to buy more gear!

Thanks, man! I'm kicking myself most for selling my 3B-F especially.

The range in this German band is limited. There were only two notes above a high F the entire night and I struggled with those. I was hoping to find a compromise so I could hit the high Ab reliably and with a good tone.

[Kbiggs]

Well, I hear that Doug Elliott’s mouthpieces allow you to have a 1.5G rim and a different cup depth and backbore to match…

[Doug Elliott]

I wouldn't suggest a 1-1/2 size rim, but that experience should tell you that a big rim on tenor is beneficial to you.

You would do well on some compromise - the 3G might be that... but 3G rims are wide, and it's possible that a narrower rim needs to be part of the equation.

[Posaunus]

Greg,

You already know the answer. Your chops prefer larger diameter rims, but "standard" mouthpieces with larger rims also come with larger, deeper cups, which may be inappropriate for your playing - especially for smaller trombones. That's the genius of the Doug Elliott system - you get a rim which works for your chops, and mate it with the right cup for your trombone / repertoire. You already know you're comfortable with DE rims - so contact Doug for his advice on the right combination for you.

[Kingfan]

Having played Doug's pieces on my small bore and my bass, yep that is the optimum way to go, especially as I am having trouble finding a 3B or equivalent mouthpiece. Doug, what should I order from you?

[hyperbolica]

I'm not trying to answer for Doug, but I've been through a good orchestral 2nd bone 547 mouthpiece search a couple of months ago. I wound up with an XT 104 H8. You might like a bigger rig, like 106 I8. If you are comfortable playing tenor on a 1.5g, that's like a SB 108 J8. The 5g is like an LT 101 G8.

[TomRiker]

I'd try a Doug Elliott XT 103 or 104 with an F or G cup. That gives you the wider rim and a fairly standard .547 horn cup and backbore. In other words you get the big rim for your embouchure and a more efficient cup and backbore than a Bach 3G.

[claf]

F+ cup is also very good.
I have both F+ and G to match my XT103n rim on my large bore, they both have their use (current repertoire in my symphony is quite demanding, the F+ is a big help here).

[Kingfan]

My neighborhood repair tech had a Bach 4G lying around. I'll give that a try, see if that is the right direction.

[Kingfan]

Just did a 2 hr. rehearsal with the 4G. I like it better than the 5G or 1.5G. Heading the right direction!