New Mouthpiece For Small Bore Jazz

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Beanett
Posts: 12
Joined: Oct 26, 2022

by Beanett »

I'm currently playing 2nd trombone in the jazz orchestra that I'm a part of and I'm using a Vincent Bach Corp 7C on my Selmer Special 23 (K modified).

On my large bore tenor I use a Denis Wick 4AL which I really enjoy and I'm trying to find a new mouthpiece that would suit my horn and playing better. I've heard mixed reviews about Denis Wick's smaller mouthpieces and I'm open to trying different brands, I just find the Denis Wick very comfortable to play on.

Does anyone have good suggestions that have the feel of a Denis Wick but are small enough for jazz 2nd chair?
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officermayo
Posts: 654
Joined: Jun 09, 2021

by officermayo »

I have a gold plated DW 10CS you may be interested in. Let me know.
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Posaunus
Posts: 5018
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by Posaunus »

As far as I know, a Bach 7C should "suit [your] horn." They can be quite good. But perhaps just not such a good fit for your face or your playing style.

You have just opened Pandora's box with this question, since almost every TromboneChat member has a favorite small-bore mouthpiece. Good luck sifting through the suggestions!
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Doug_Elliott
Posts: 4155
Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by Doug_Elliott »

If you'd like to keep the same rim size and relative feel of the 4AL rim, my LT or XT 102 or 103 with a C or C+ cup would be a good choice.

Yes they're expensive but it saves the trouble of going through a bunch of things you don't like first.
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BGuttman
Posts: 7368
Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by BGuttman »

Before I got my Doug Elliott setup (LT102/E) I played a Bach 4C mouthpiece. Similar rim size to a 4BL (my large bore mouthpiece) but more suited to a small bore horn.
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Kingfan
Posts: 1371
Joined: Apr 11, 2018

by Kingfan »

My primary horn for years was a large bore tenor with a Bach 5G Megatone. I tried a variety of mouthpieces when I started playing my small bore in a big band and found the Bach 5 Doug suggested really opened up the horn. He nailed it so I got one of his custom pieces. The man knows what he is talking about.
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Vegasbound
Posts: 1328
Joined: Jul 06, 2019

by Vegasbound »

Go with Doug
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Geordie
Posts: 349
Joined: Mar 30, 2018

by Geordie »

[quote="Doug Elliott"]If you'd like to keep the same rim size and relative feel of the 4AL rim, my LT or XT 102 or 103 with a C or C+ cup would be a good choice.

Yes they're expensive but it saves the trouble of going through a bunch of things you don't like first.[/quote]

THIS <EMOJI seq="1f446" tseq="1f446">šŸ‘†</EMOJI><EMOJI seq="1f446" tseq="1f446">šŸ‘†</EMOJI><EMOJI seq="1f446" tseq="1f446">šŸ‘†</EMOJI><EMOJI seq="1f446" tseq="1f446">šŸ‘†</EMOJI>

Very similar to the solution Doug provided me with. He has a very fair returns policy. I sold mouthpieces that I’d accumulated in my search for mouthpiece heaven. That search is over <EMOJI seq="1f60a" tseq="1f60a">😊</EMOJI>
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spencercarran
Posts: 689
Joined: Oct 17, 2020

by spencercarran »

[quote="Beanett"]On my large bore tenor I use a Denis Wick 4AL which I really enjoy and I'm trying to find a new mouthpiece that would suit my horn and playing better. I've heard mixed reviews about Denis Wick's smaller mouthpieces and I'm open to trying different brands, I just find the Denis Wick very comfortable to play on.

Does anyone have good suggestions that have the feel of a Denis Wick but are small enough for jazz 2nd chair?[/quote]
I have a Wick 7CS which might be a standard recommendation here, but honestly the rim feels very different than the Wick 4-sized rims I use (4BS for "big tenor" sound on midbore, 4AM on euph) and is a bit of a struggle for me to play on, didn't seem to help my high range at all. Sizing down in the same brand doesn't guarantee that your comfort will translate, so your best bet might be to take Doug up on his recommendations.
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Posaunus
Posts: 5018
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by Posaunus »

[quote="spencercarran"]<QUOTE author="Beanett" post_id="191856" time="1666816992" user_id="15841">On my large bore tenor I use a Denis Wick 4AL which I really enjoy and I'm trying to find a new mouthpiece that would suit my horn and playing better. I've heard mixed reviews about Denis Wick's smaller mouthpieces and I'm open to trying different brands, I just find the Denis Wick very comfortable to play on.

Does anyone have good suggestions that have the feel of a Denis Wick but are small enough for jazz 2nd chair?[/quote]

Sizing down in the same brand doesn't guarantee that your comfort will translate, so your best bet might be to take Doug up on his recommendations.
</QUOTE>

Good suggestion - IF you like Doug Elliott rims! I'm quite comfortable with them (I get along with a variety of mouthpieces/rims), but some folks (see above) are quite "rim sensitive."