Folks,

I ordered a Yamaha YBL-835D this past spring and I've been informed it will arrive later this week.

Really looking forward to this.

Now, it's a question of mouthpieces. I already own several bass trombone mouthpieces, but I've never owned a Yamaha. If you'd be so kind, I'd like some feedback about which mouthpieces mate nicely with the 835D.

Currently, I own the following mouthpieces:

1. My most recent acquisition is a Griego .5 mouthpiece. A friend told me that it's the ideal mouthpiece for breaking through the stuffiness of the Bach's trigger notes. I use it with my Corporation Bach 50B (1973), with re-worked valves by Scott Sweeney. It works particular well when playing with a big band.

2. When I bought my Holton TR180 (1977), I quickly decided that it needed a mouthpiece that helped me control the horn. For that purpose, I use a Griego GP (Gerry Pagano). That too works great.

I have no idea what to expect with a new Yamaha. My "old" Yamaha, a single-trigger bone, is a Frankenbone. I use it mainly for practice because I'm 71 and my shoulder gets sore after wielding a Bach for two hours. It seems to work no matter which mouthpiece I use.

I do own a Greg Black 1.25 G, which worked great with my old Edwards -- sold it four years ago, and still miss it. :(

I'll probably start with either the GP or the Greg Black, unless someone talks me out of it.

Please advise.

Thanks,

Lee Dise

The 835D is on the freer-blowing side of the spectrum. Not to the level of Thayer, but I would say on par with Hagmann. There is something in the “freeness” that makes it a bit less stable, harder to control. The blow is also quite different from other Yamaha even comparing to the 830, from which the 835 series evolves.

The supplied 61D4L (and the internally identical Douglas Yeo), in my opinion, is a good match only if you play mostly low and at above-average loudness. At lower dynamics and/or higher notes, you have to control your lips more tightly than on other horns. If you play in those range frequently, I would recommend mouthpieces with smaller throat.

On paper, the .5 is a bit larger than the 61D4L (28.72 mm/1.13” rim, 8.00 mm/0.315” throat), while the GP is smaller. I think the GP would assist you more than the .5 in this case.

Please note that this opinion is from a guy coming to the 835D from the 830, and has a habit of “leaning into the horn” (use the horn as the main source of resistance), so please take it with a grain of salt.

[quote="sirisobhakya"]The 835D is on the freer-blowing side of the spectrum. Not to the level of Thayer, but I would say on par with Hagmann. There is something in the “freeness” that makes it a bit less stable, harder to control. The blow is also quite different from other Yamaha even comparing to the 830, from which the 835 series evolves.

The supplied 61D4L (and the internally identical Douglas Yeo), in my opinion, is a good match only if you play mostly low and at above-average loudness. At lower dynamics and/or higher notes, you have to control your lips more tightly than on other horns. If you play in those range frequently, I would recommend mouthpieces with smaller throat.

On paper, the .5 is a bit larger than the 61D4L (28.72 mm/1.13” rim, 8.00 mm/0.315” throat), while the GP is smaller. I think the GP would assist you more than the .5 in this case.

Please note that this opinion is from a guy coming to the 835D from the 830, and has a habit of “leaning into the horn” (use the horn as the main source of resistance), so please take it with a grain of salt.[/quote]

Thanks for your reply, Sirisobhakya. I like the way you're thinking about it. It's quite possible that the 835D will not be stuffy in the trigger registers, like my Bach. The .5 was a (successful) attempt to get past that hurdle. If the Yamaha can facilitate my blowing loud on notes below low E, I may not need to use the .5 Griego.

But as Yogi Berra said, "In theory, practice should be the same as theory. But in practice, it isn't."

:)

Thanks again,

Lee