TromboneChat

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.

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!

harrisonreed wrote: Mon Dec 01, 2025 6:07 am 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.

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…

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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).

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

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