POLL - Which Mouthpiece Brand do you primarily use?

BrianJohnston · Post by **BrianJohnston** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 10:09 am

You can vote for many options.

Vote for past, or present mouthpieces & feel free to comment extra info if you'd like...

Kbiggs · Post by **Kbiggs** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 10:20 am

I assume you’re asking about current use, not which brand or brands I’ve used in the past?

Peacemate · Post by **Peacemate** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 10:46 am

I recently bought two GEWA mouthpieces for like $30 each NEW from Thomann. 1 1/2 G and 4G, and while I can't speak for the dimensional accuracy, their finish is decent. Bought a Thomann 12C large shank too for stupidities sake. Same thing with that.

Will say though that the Thomann is laser engraved or similar, while the GEWA seems to be stamped.

Conn100HGuy · Post by **Conn100HGuy** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 12:25 pm

Please add Wedge to give Dr. Dave some visibility

Finetales · Post by **Finetales** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 2:24 pm

I use Warburton (not on the poll) and Hammond primarily on all low brass besides euph. Lots of other brands represented on the other instruments I play. (Denis Wick, Josef Klier, Schilke, Michael Brand, etc.)

marccromme · Post by **marccromme** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 2:29 pm

Best Brass must be twice as good as the others, 'cause it's two times in the list ...

BrianJohnston · Post by **BrianJohnston** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 4:14 pm

All of the above have been noted.

Burgerbob · Post by **Burgerbob** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 4:28 pm

Oh boy.

BrianJohnston · Post by **BrianJohnston** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 4:43 pm

Burgerbob wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 4:28 pm Oh boy.

And I have a feeling that's not even all of em!

Burgerbob · Post by **Burgerbob** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 4:50 pm

And I have a feeling that's not even all of em!

maybe 25 more? I wish I knew!

Kingfan · Post by **Kingfan** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 8:21 pm

BrianJohnston wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 4:43 pm
Burgerbob wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 4:28 pm Oh boy.

And I have a feeling that's not even all of em!

Hoarding is a disease. Let me help you. Send as many as you can to me.

No need to thank me.

harrisonreed · Post by **harrisonreed** » Sat Jan 09, 2021 4:43 am

I voted, but what is the reason for this poll?

PhilTrombone · Post by **PhilTrombone** » Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:43 am

Warburton's. Please add that to your picklist!

BrianJohnston · Post by **BrianJohnston** » Sat Jan 09, 2021 2:00 pm

harrisonreed wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 4:43 am I voted, but what is the reason for this poll?

Curiosity/further learning for myself & others.

heinzgries · Post by **heinzgries** » Sat Jan 09, 2021 2:26 pm

german maker, Klier, Tilz, Schmidt

Kevbach33 · Post by **Kevbach33** » Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:29 pm

Bach for tenor, Schilke for bass.

sirisobhakya · Post by **sirisobhakya** » Sun Jan 10, 2021 7:07 pm

Peacemate wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 10:46 am I recently bought two GEWA mouthpieces for like $30 each NEW from Thomann. 1 1/2 G and 4G, and while I can't speak for the dimensional accuracy, their finish is decent. Bought a Thomann 12C large shank too for stupidities sake. Same thing with that.

Will say though that the Thomann is laser engraved or similar, while the GEWA seems to be stamped.

I also bought Gewa 7C to use with Thomann alto trombone. I agree that the finish is decent, especially for one with half the price of standard brand.

CalgaryTbone · Post by **CalgaryTbone** » Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:52 pm

I'm not sure what's going on, but I put in a vote for Ultimate Brass a few days ago, and there were a few other votes there. Today, there were no votes, and it looked like there were a few other brands that had been wiped out too. I just added my vote to Ultimate again.

Jim Scott

Post by **BGuttman** » Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:56 pm

CalgaryTbone wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:52 pm I'm not sure what's going on, but I put in a vote for Ultimate Brass a few days ago, and there were a few other votes there. Today, there were no votes, and it looked like there were a few other brands that had been wiped out too. I just added my vote to Ultimate again.

Jim Scott

It's possible that we had to recover the Forum from an earlier backup. I had to re-authorize several posts that I thought I had approved before. Matt K or Neo Bri would probably know for sure.

harrisonreed · Post by **harrisonreed** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 2:24 am

Same. I re voted

ChadA · Post by **ChadA** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:35 am

I hope people will look at these results like they do any poll: it's a snapshot of a particular set of people (forum members who bothered to respond, in this case, twice) at a point in time. It can't represent trombone players as a whole or even in large groups.

At the time I posted this (and before the poll was reset), the two top vote-getting brands are brands I can't recall seeing anyone use in a gig in at least 15 years. But my frame of reference is as a professional player in central and SW Ohio who plays mainly classical music, plus some touring Broadway shows when they come through town, and very occasional big band gigs. People who play in different locales and different scenarios will have different experiences and will relate to the poll results differently.

By the way, I'm not saying those brands are bad in any way; they're not. It just means that the poll results aren't reflective of my own experience and I would never expect them to be that unless the only respondents were the kind of folks I run into on the job. As with any poll, people should read the results with both interest/curiosity and with the knowledge of what the results may (or may not) mean to them.

hyperbolica · Post by **hyperbolica** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 9:25 am

I use primarily DE for tenors, but for bass cycle between Bach, Ferguson (Horn Guys) and a Schilke, while for euph I use a Bach. On Tuba I use Kelly or Wick.

Posaunus · Post by **Posaunus** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 10:52 am

For small tenors, I've lately been preferring Marcinkiewicz. They make good mouthpieces.

But the Conn 3 is a great match to a Conn 0.500" bore tenor.

For large tenor (88H with "Conn taper"), my go-to was always a Schilke 51. But now that I have another large-bore tenor, I've been doing some experimenting. No clear favorite yet. (Why stop the fun of trying something new? It's not like I'm putting a playing job at risk during this pandemic shutdown!)

For my Conn 71H bass I really prefer something that properly fits the Conn taper. That's a Connstellation 3B. But I'm now also trying a Conn-tapered Schilke 58, and I recently acquired a Doug Elliott set that fits.

Finally, I'm toying with using the Doug Elliott system more widely - but that can be expensive, so I probably shouldn't dive too deeply without first consulting directly with Doug.

FeelMyRath · Post by **FeelMyRath** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 4:25 pm

Yamaha for small bore
Rath for large bore and euphonium
Wick for bass

I'm a conundrum

mrdeacon · Post by **mrdeacon** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 9:55 pm

Doug Elliott and Symington

Elow · Post by **Elow** » Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:14 am

Yeah symington isnt up there

Savio · Post by **Savio** » Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:52 am

So many brands out there. In my time there was Schilke and Bach, then the Denis wick and some few others come along. I can understand many have the drawer full of mouthpieces. Will take at least a lifetime to try all! The new thing is different materials? I believe the old way to find one and stay with it is out today?

Leif

imsevimse · Post by **imsevimse** » Tue Jan 12, 2021 3:57 am

I'll have probably 150 mouthpiece. The most common mouthpiece I have is the Bach 6 1/2AL. Once I tried all of them, about 10, and found them to be very different. The most common bass trombone mouthpiece I own is the Bach 1 1/2, guess I have about 5 of them. I have a lot of junk too, and several mouthpieces I have never tried.

/Tom

PhilTrombone · Post by **PhilTrombone** » Tue Jan 12, 2021 7:18 am

I'll have probably 150 mouthpiece.

You should open a Mouthpiece museum!

WilliamLang · Post by **WilliamLang** » Tue Jan 12, 2021 7:50 am

post high school - started on a Greg Black, moved to Shires mouthpieces for about a decade, then briefly on a couple of Greigos and finally settled (for now) on a Laskey. tried a lot of others in Covid times, but those were the ones that got me closer to my goals.

heinzgries · Post by **heinzgries** » Tue Jan 12, 2021 3:43 pm

PhilTrombone wrote: Tue Jan 12, 2021 7:18 am
I'll have probably 150 mouthpiece.
You should open a Mouthpiece museum!

I have 173

Davidx504 · Post by **Davidx504** » Thu Jan 14, 2021 3:48 pm

Was searching high and low. The Bach 11 was too deep. The Yamaha 47 a little too wide. The Yamaha46c2 a little too shallow. Storm t2 custom. Omg I fell in love at first play. Very balanced with my Holton galaxy set up.

pedrombon · Post by **pedrombon** » Thu Jan 14, 2021 6:57 pm

heinzgries wrote: Tue Jan 12, 2021 3:43 pm
PhilTrombone wrote: Tue Jan 12, 2021 7:18 am

You should open a Mouthpiece museum!
I have 173

Right now I own 35 mouthpieces, but I have a list with 137 that I've sold/traded...

Crazy4Tbone86 · Post by **Crazy4Tbone86** » Thu Jan 14, 2021 7:54 pm

OK, I think I might have a problem. Anybody know the phone number for Hoarders Anonymous?

This was all I could fit on top of my washer/dryer for a photo. I have another five briefcases full of them, so my collection is right around 200 mouthpieces. I have some "classic" brands that I have not seen listed yet: Lorenzo Sansone, Zottola and Rudy Muck. I don't use those brands but I'm sure there are people out there that do.

I have no particular preferred brand, but I do love the flexibility of Doug Elliott's modular design.

https://trombonechat.com/download/file. ... ew&id=7736

Crazy4Tbone86 · Post by **Crazy4Tbone86** » Thu Jan 14, 2021 8:03 pm

imsevimse wrote: Tue Jan 12, 2021 3:57 am I'll have probably 150 mouthpiece. The most common mouthpiece I have is the Bach 6 1/2AL. Once I tried all of them, about 10, and found them to be very different. The most common bass trombone mouthpiece I own is the Bach 1 1/2, guess I have about 5 of them. I have a lot of junk too, and several mouthpieces I have never tried.

/Tom

Yes, I have found the same thing. I have 9 or 10 of the 6 1/2 AL mouthpieces and every single one of them plays differently. Same thing with the 1 1/2 G bass mouthpieces.....I find even greater differences in those.

Davidx504 · Post by **Davidx504** » Fri Jan 15, 2021 7:36 am

Wow nobody uses monette?? Unbelievable!!

BrianJohnston · Post by **BrianJohnston** » Sat Jan 16, 2021 3:35 pm

Davidx504 wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 7:36 am Wow nobody uses monette?? Unbelievable!!

Expensive!

Posaunus · Post by **Posaunus** » Sat Jan 16, 2021 4:02 pm

BrianJohnston wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 3:35 pm
Davidx504 wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 7:36 am Wow nobody uses monette?? Unbelievable!!
Expensive!

Well, at least the prices are still (barely) less than 4 digits:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/difficult-to-o ... _cvip=true

Kingfan · Post by **Kingfan** » Sat Jan 16, 2021 4:17 pm

Posaunus wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 4:02 pm
BrianJohnston wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 3:35 pm

Expensive!
Well, at least the prices are still (barely) less than 4 digits:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/difficult-to-o ... _cvip=true

Lot cheaper (relatively) at $340 directly from Monette. https://www.monette.net/trombone-mouthpieces

harrisonreed · Post by **harrisonreed** » Sat Jan 16, 2021 5:06 pm

Lol, monette.

"Blend with no one!"

Davidx504 · Post by **Davidx504** » Sat Jan 16, 2021 6:04 pm

harrisonreed wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 5:06 pm Lol, monette.

"Blend with no one!"

harrisonreed · Post by **harrisonreed** » Sat Jan 16, 2021 6:18 pm

FWIW, Bob Reeves is conspicuously missing from this list.

They do really excellent custom work. I don't use their designs, but they have worked on my stuff and I couldn't recommend them enough!

Davidx504 · Post by **Davidx504** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:04 am

BrianJohnston wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 3:35 pm
Davidx504 wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 7:36 am Wow nobody uses monette?? Unbelievable!!
Expensive!

Yeah but GrIeco has some pretty expensive pieces too. Somehow they managed to get 4 on the board. But a whopping zero?? That's crazy.

Post by **BGuttman** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:08 am

Davidx504 wrote: Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:04 am
BrianJohnston wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 3:35 pm

Expensive!
Yeah but GrIeco has some pretty expensive pieces too. Somehow they managed to get 4 on the board. But a whopping zero?? That's crazy.

What do you think we are? Trumpet players?

LIBrassCo · Post by **LIBrassCo** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 5:26 am

I use the B11MVL in my line, 29.5mm ID, wide rim, and .312 bore.

Davidx504 · Post by **Davidx504** » Mon Jan 18, 2021 12:01 am

LIBrassCo wrote: Sun Jan 17, 2021 5:26 am I use the B11MVL in my line, 29.5mm ID, wide rim, and .312 bore.

The gold plating is beautiful.

LIBrassCo · Post by **LIBrassCo** » Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:15 am

Davidx504 wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 12:01 am
LIBrassCo wrote: Sun Jan 17, 2021 5:26 am I use the B11MVL in my line, 29.5mm ID, wide rim, and .312 bore.
The gold plating is beautiful.

Thanks, but that's actually raw brass right before I send it out to the plater.

Nobbi · Post by **Nobbi** » Tue Jan 19, 2021 2:50 am

Before I vote .... I am missing King!
Please add.

Splendour · Post by **Splendour** » Tue Jan 19, 2021 7:25 am

I have voted for the mouthpieces I use most often at the moment, but that is largely dependent on what instrument and what music I'm playing. Every trombone I own has at least one mouthpiece with it that works for me with it, and I own far more trombones then seems sensible...

CalgaryTbone · Post by **CalgaryTbone** » Fri Jan 22, 2021 8:03 pm

I'm enjoying my Ultimate Brass mouthpieces that I've been playing for the last several months. I'm very impressed with Sun's work. In the last week or so, I just received a custom alto mouthpiece where I asked him to make a piece with my tenor rim on the cup of one of his alto mouthpieces. Great mouthpiece! The pitch seems easier than on a lot of other alto mouthpieces that I've played, and more comfortable for me now with a larger rim size. I recommend these great mouthpieces!

Jim Scott