TromboneChat

In the Schilke website the 53 is listed having a '234 throat.. Very small for such a big diameter piece,right? How is the backbore version in the large shank version? Same backbore but with large shank? Or is the backbore adjusted to fit the larger shank? ( Never seen one in the wild )

I have an older Schilke 53 mouthpiece. It is smaller than listed in my Schilke catalog (which refers to the 53 as "formerly Model "G").

The 2016 Schilke catalog lists the Cup I.D. as 26.24mm (1.033"), and the Throat as an improbably small 5.95mm (0.234").
My old Schilke 53 mouthpiece measures 25.44mm (1.002") Cup I.D. and 6.15mm (0.242") Throat (still rather small). Seems unbalanced to me.

This mouthpiece is an enigma. Anyone know its history?

Thanks !
I have heared in an interview that Jay Fredman mentioned a "Geffert" cup, named after a man named Edward Geffert who was a trombonist with the CSO at one time . He referred to the "Geffert cup" as a fairly shallow V shaped cup like in the 51B that Mr. Friedman used to play back in the day.Maybe the G stands for Geffert?, I don't know.. Are the cup shallow and V shaped?.. BTW!; how is the backbore? Adapted and enlargened to fit a large shank or simply a small shank backbore adapted to fit a large shank ?

Trond

Interesting thread
I have an "older" D5.3 Schilke Symphony mouthpiece. I order a new one for backup. The older one feels smaller and for me more like a 51+. I have no way to measure it accurately , but if anyone has an older D.3 in great shape I would be interested in buying it. Will never sell the one I have. The newer D.3 feels bigger and has a narrower rim.
Randy

rmb796 wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2025 8:28 am Interesting thread
I have an "older" D5.3 Schilke Symphony mouthpiece. I order a new one for backup. The older one feels smaller and for me more like a 51+. I have no way to measure it accurately , but if anyone has an older D.3 in great shape I would be interested in buying it. Will never sell the one I have. The newer D.3 feels bigger and has a narrower rim.
Randy

The D.5.3 of Yours are very different from a Schilke 53... Mouthpieces are more standardized now.. The sound You got from a random trombone player back in the days could be very different from the one next door . I am in the process of discovering different kind of trombone sounds by investigating different kind of
Equipment used in the olden days.. One thing I have noticed is that players obviously have gotten stronger/with better technique, so the size of mouthpiece rim diameters have increased. The available big rim mouthpieces was for a long time a 5G , and almost all later derivatives are based on that.. At the introduction the Bach G pieces are described as beeing bass trombone mouthpieces, and for good reasons; The cup shape has the shoulders (app. where the cup goes more inwards than downwards)deeper down into the cup than the typical tenor pieces at the time had .
Now , I have always enjoyed the sound of the 6 1/2 pieces, but at some point in my development as a player it became too small.. After a long time using "deep shouldered" pieces with big throats i discovered the Friedman F1 Wich is a large piece ,but more V shaped ..I also had "KT - custom mouthpieces" plug and redrill it with a small ( '250) to throat.. The sound is big , but not overly dark.. Absolutely more huge tenor than tiny bass..

Schilke is (was?) nothing if not inconsistent.
I just looked at my SMALL-SHANK Schilke 53 mouthpiece.
The Cup I.D. appears to be the specified 26.24mm (1.033"). [Schilke Catalog]
But the Throat, instead of the specified 0.234", is actually 0.250" (6.35mm).
Perhaps over the years, Schilke decided to make their Throats larger at the factory (keeping up with the trend?), so users wouldn't have to drill them out?

I have a ~1993 Schilke 53. Yes shallow, yes a small throat. Rim is quite comfy, but yes it is an odd piece. At one time, I had each 51, 51D, 51C4, 52, 52D, and 53. Missing about half of them now.

Cheers,
Andy

elmsandr wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2025 11:37 am I have a ~1993 Schilke 53. Yes shallow, yes a small throat. Rim is quite comfy, but yes it is an odd piece. At one time, I had each 51, 51D, 51C4, 52, 52D, and 53. Missing about half of them now.

Cheers,
Andy

Large shank ?... If so ,how is the backbore?

Tbarh wrote: Sat Jan 18, 2025 12:49 am

elmsandr wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2025 11:37 am I have a ~1993 Schilke 53. Yes shallow, yes a small throat. Rim is quite comfy, but yes it is an odd piece. At one time, I had each 51, 51D, 51C4, 52, 52D, and 53. Missing about half of them now.

Cheers,
Andy

Large shank ?... If so ,how is the backbore?

Compared to what? I don’t really like to compare the old long shank Schilkes to anything else, because they are just different.

Can’t capture it in a picture, but there are three distinct tapers in there. But all of these old schilkes are like that, but you can see they are different, albeit slightly from each other. (I can only find the 52, 52D, &53 today). The two 52s might be the same nominally, but the 53 might be a more open backbore, as measured with a variety of different pencils inserted from the shank.

Cheers,
Andy