Hey everyone happy to say I just made an account on here! Once this post is approved I need some recommendations on a new mouthpiece for my small bore. I’ve been playing on a DW 12CS for about 5 years now and I love it, I just wonder if there’s another brand with a small lead piece like this that might offer something different. Obviously I’ve looked at the standard manufacturers but I’m looking for something more specialized. I play on a custom rath r10 and I would love to have something small that I can really rip on.

The problem is nothing comes for free. You have to tell us what is not happening with your current setup and we can make suggestions. If you move to a setup that favors the upper register you lose some fullness in the lower register, for example.

If you can do it, a Skype session with Doug Elliott may help. Doug has a knack for analyzing embouchures and if you tell him where you want to go he can suggest other mouthpieces -- and not necessarily his.

My observation is that you are playing a pretty "zingy" setup now and there's not much room to move in that direction (which may force you into Doug's setups where he can give you a very shallow cup -- a common way to get more "zing").

Buy 20 mouthpieces over the next ten years. Come back to the first mouthpiece. Or settle.

Or pay for a lesson. You can't get fitted for a tux on a forum.

My only recommendation would be to get a Doug Elliott B or C cup setup for your horn. No idea about what shank or rim.

There are three pieces involved, the horn, the player, and the mouthpiece. What mouthpiece works for somebody else on the same horn may not work for you. Doug Elliott directed to the right size for me on my small bores years ago, and I just invested in one of his modular mouthpieces for my bass. Messaging Doug can save you lot of time and frustration, and doing a Skype session is even better.

If it’s working for you, many would say don’t mess with it. On the other hand it’s fun to try new mouthpieces and see what’s out there, so think about what you’d like different and head in that direction. There are lots of different brands making great gear.

Some of the more mainstream brands that you might not have tried might be the Marcinkiewicz line of small bore pieces, the Schilke 47b or the Griego Steve Wiest (based on a 47b).

If you’ve never tried an older Mount Vernon or NY Bach, I feel they play with a character and depth of sound that’s hard to find elsewhere. Try an 11c or 11, or a 12c or 12.

Bob Reeves make a great 11c which has a bit more room than your piece and a great full even sound across the range.

Doug Elliot makes great pieces that you can easily tweak, I agree with Harrison above, a C or B cup should do the trick, or his C+ or D cups will give you a fatter sound with plenty of punch.

If you want to go something more exotic, check out AR Resonance mouthpieces, really unique design and can do full custom work too.

[quote="gtrombone"]I’ve been playing on a DW 12CS for about 5 years now and I love it,[/quote]

The clue is in the above statement. :idea:

[quote="Fidbone"]<QUOTE author="gtrombone" post_id="172226" time="1645521556" user_id="14950">
I’ve been playing on a DW 12CS for about 5 years now and I love it,[/quote]

The clue is in the above statement. :idea:
</QUOTE>

This ^^^^^^^^^

But as you seem to want to change have a Skype consultation with Doug Elliott