Greg black

[BigBadandBass]

Man, this thread never seems to peeter out, what a read that was….

But yes, Greg does a great job with those kinds of mods!

[Bach5G]

I have a Black 1 & 1/2 G with a DE rim. Fits, plays ok. Blacks always seem a little dull to me.

[trombonedemon]

I got a Greg Black Contra that feels like to me a Bass bone mp, but the dimisions are every bit a Contra. I think it's the contour of the rim that makes his pieces exemplary. 30.6mm inner rim and .323 back bore feels quite normal. My range has improved cause of the extra room and air required for it. Again the rim. My 2 cents.

[conn88Hagmann]

6917A1FA-AAA9-4272-8C90-818210B37215.jpeg

So guys, both these mouthpieces are shallow right? Like a GS almost?

[JeffBone44]

I used to have a Greg Black Alessi 4, and it was huge. The cup was nearly as big as a bass trombone mouthpiece, like a 2G. I have still have a 3.75 and 3.5 and even those are big. Should have gotten the 3.

They all play really well, but I don't have the strength and endurance to be able to handle it for long periods of time. The first 10 minutes of playing is fine, but due to the size and weight they wear me out.

[JeffBone44]

Greg Black 1 1/4G question: I found the mouthpiece container that it was shipped in, and it says "0" backbore on it. What does this mean?

I probably bought it about a decade ago, and I can't remember what type of backbore that is.

[rabiddolphin]

The 4 and 5 are from different sets, the 5 is the shallowest of that rim size, while the 4 is the deepest version of the 3 rim.

[Burgerbob]

6917A1FA-AAA9-4272-8C90-818210B37215.jpeg

So guys, both these mouthpieces are shallow right? Like a GS almost?

Yes, as dolphin said, the 1, 3, and 5 are the shallowest of their series. The 2, 4, and I assume 6 are the deepest of those.

for instance, from shallowest to deepest with the same rim size-

3
3.25
3.5
3.75
4

[NickHomes]

A Greg Black 6 1/2 AL what could it be compared to? With a Bach 6 1/2?? (I am referring, above all, to the rim and bore).

[GLNY71tbone]

1st time posting on TC here.

As a comeback player so to speak, I have been searching for the right combo of horn and mouthpiece to suit my needs. I was ordering different Bach's on ebay(used) as well as sampling from a stash in school(I'm a band director). I never understood why anyone would pay big$$ for something you could get stock from a myriad of companies which would pbly fit one's needs. I mean I heard JJ used the piece that came w his horn, and Watrous used a Bach 11C( two examples of players we could speak of). Then again...I'm no JJ or Watrous.

So I took the plunge, and ordered GB's version of an 11C.
I was prepared for buyer's remorse, believing I may have wasted my cash. However, when it arrived , from the 1st note seriously, it felt different. The thing I noticed even in buzzing(as compared with my 3 nearby Bach mouthpieces) is that the word people often describe 'consistency ' applies. I don't mean from one GB piece to another(which is most likely true). I'm referring to consistency from partial to partial. In other words tone and intonation did not waiver. Very free-blowing. The cup is a bit bigger than Bach equivalent, but most definitely the bore also. Much more free blowing than what I've used previously. Also for the extra $95, I went with a gold rim. Super comfy.

But what made me pull the trigger? I dialed the number listed on website, and heard a friendly voice on the other end. It was a gent named Ben, who works side by side with Greg. He listened to what I was describing I wanted, and answered all pertinent questions. Super courteous.

So from someone who once believed 'I'd NEVER pay that kind of $ for a MOUTHPIECE..'..I can say now...'yeah, it was worth it (for me)'. I've already played 2 gigs w it. It'll be my piece for some time to come.

Hope this helps anyone 'on the fence'. Peace.

[harrisonreed]

Mouthpieces are important. You need to find what works for you. I get the feeling that Bach was focused on trumpet mouthpieces, and even there when you bought one, you were expected to modify it at your local shop. Hence the undersized throats on nearly every mouthpiece Bach makes.

I liked your story:

"I never understood why anyone would spend tons of $$$ on something you could get cheap from Bach.
So, I went out and bought the Rolls Royce version of the 11C"

Glad it's working out for you!

[harrisonreed]

6917A1FA-AAA9-4272-8C90-818210B37215.jpeg

So guys, both these mouthpieces are shallow right? Like a GS almost?

I do love the Comic Sans font used on the New York series lol!

[musicofnote]

Late to the party. I've been playing Wedge mouthpieces since 2016 and loving them. If you ask the question about Wedge, it's the shape of the rim and cup that sets them apart. The sound I got on any of them was about the same according to the recordings I'd made. How they felt to play was another story.

Somewhere along the way, before I started recording myself ony mouthpieces, I'd gotten a Greg Black 1.5G. Best 1.5 size I'd ever tried and I've had a few. But ... it wasn't a Wedge rim/cup. I -felt- as if the response was more immediate, more efficient than any other including the Wedge version of a 1.5 and it's successor the 108G Gen2. But after not having touched it for about a year, I pulled it out last week and spent some time playing it. This time showed me exactly how efficient it is, compared to the Wedges I loved. It turns out, my one big mistake earlier with it as opposed to the Wedges is, that you don't have to try pushing mountains of air through it to get a big sound. It roars almost on it's own, but then it means, you can over-blow it just as easily. The Wedges took all I could give them and laughed at me. This means, there is a different resistence ration in the Wedges that I'd gotten used to and the GB was a completely different animal. Reminds me of my first difficulties trying to play my new Yamaha Xeno 822g like it was my old Bach 50. Just doesn't work that way.

So now, listening to the GB recordings, and thinking how I played them, I -thought- I was having to exaggerate backing off so that the attacks were not so brutal. But listening, I found that the "normal" attacks were actually less brutal than the Wedges at the same dynamic on the bell side of the horn, although they felt exaggeratedly brutal as I was playing. Backing off, trying to get them more under control on the GB produced on the recording buttery but precise left sides of the notes. I was shocked. I took out my Yamaha 59L and tried the same and the result was somewhere in between, but the feel of playing was very ... imprecise in comparison to both Wedges and GB, even if the result wasn't bad. The thing was, once I learned not to try to overwhelm the GB to get a good fff, the ease of playing increased terrifically.

So as an expensive experiment, and after not having gotten any offer from folks here for used GB pieces, I've ordered a 1 7/16 and 1 3/8 from Houghtenhorns (they have a 30 day trial period, so I can send them back if I don't like them or they're too big). I want to try the 1 7/16th again - had it about 18 months ago and sold it after trying - and see if the 1 3/8 really does line up with my Wedge 110g Gen2 in terms of size.

So talking about my results with the GB 1.5G doesn't explain what is different. The throat (.281") is smaller than the Wedge - I had .285" and .300" versions of the Wedge. The cup diameter of the GB is minimally smaller. But what makes it respond so differently? Sorry, don't have a clue. I can only try to explain what is different, not why it's different.

[conn88Hagmann]

DE rims . . .