Who has had custom mouthpiece work done?

harrisonreed · 2019-06-03 2:44 p.m.

Has anyone had custom mouthpiece work done within the last 6 months? I'm looking to get a rim copy made, but the makers I've contacted who advertise that they do custom work / make rim copies and have prices listed are too busy right now (no names, since it's OK if people are really busy and I totally get that).

So did anyone get a custom order through with a mouthpiece maker? I asked a similar question before regarding CNC manufacturers, and kinda got shot down but based on what I've seen advertised, it's a real thing and costs about $150 -- but nobody seems to have any room in their schedule. Who else is out there?

I haven't tried the "Wedge" company, but it looks like they only make wedge-shaped stuff?

SwissTbone · by **SwissTbone** » 2019-06-03 2:48 p.m.

Did you try AR resonance?

harrisonreed · by **harrisonreed** » 2019-06-03 3:00 p.m.

I haven't, not yet!

NordicTrombone · by **NordicTrombone** » 2019-06-03 3:07 p.m.

I’ve used Josef Klier in the past, didn’t take too long a couple of years ago and the quality was great! Might be worth checking out if you don’t mind getting it sent from Europe :)

harrisonreed · by **harrisonreed** » 2019-06-03 3:13 p.m.

What about Hammond Design?

Matt_K · by **Matt_K** » 2019-06-03 3:33 p.m.

Try Matt Frost (frostcustombrass). He's done good work for me before and i think he can get it done relatively quickly. I was going to have him make me some trumpet stuff recently but I haven't pulled the trigger on it yet so he probably has the bandwidth to take on custom stuff

ngrinder · by **ngrinder** » 2019-06-03 4:33 p.m.

Jim New might be able to help. He used to work at Kanstul and does fantastic work.

http://james-r-new.com/

mrdeacon · by **mrdeacon** » 2019-06-03 4:38 p.m.

Are you still set on having the whole mouthpiece copied or just the rim?

Doug Elliott, on his website lists he can copy rims.

There's also Bob Reeves out in California. They can copy either just the rim or the whole piece to your desired specs. They can make stuff outside the "brassark" umbrella too, you just need to contact Bob Reeves's shop directly. When I was into larger bass pieces I looked into getting some work done by them and got some prices quoted.

harrisonreed · by **harrisonreed** » 2019-06-03 8:33 p.m.

Ah, lots of names I've never heard of. Bob Reeves is one that I didn't realize did custom work.

I just need a rim copy with DE XT thread compatibility. Barring that, two MPs combined in a single piece.

Thank you so much, so far, everyone!

mrdeacon · by **mrdeacon** » 2019-06-03 11:54 p.m.

Hit up Bob Reeves for sure. They can for sure do just the rim. Might be expensive if they end up hand carving the rim but it's totally worth it. They can do it on Brass or plastic even.

They'll even hack off the rim of a old mouthpiece for you. They're familiar enough with Doug's stuff that they can make stuff to each of his series.

My specific question when I shopping with them was if I could purchase one of their Brassark CV pieces but instead of the stock rim have it come with Elliott LB or XB threads and use my own rim. They said it wouldn't be a problem.

LeTromboniste · by **LeTromboniste** » 2019-06-07 12:05 p.m.

Can't remember, do you have it scanned?

harrisonreed · by **harrisonreed** » 2019-06-07 1:24 p.m.

No, I don't have it scanned. I'd only do that once I had something really special and unique.

I feel like I'm getting closer and closer to my ideal alto mouthpiece, and it's looking more and more like the 13CL or 15CL, but with a wider cup diameter. The round, thin rim, shallow "double cup" design, and large throat entrance into a narrow venturi are all keepers though. If only my face could fit into a 13CL, haha, but nope...

RobLaw · by **RobLaw** » 2019-06-07 1:28 p.m.

Hey guys. Sorry to get to this post a little late, but I work at Pickett Brass/Blackburn Trumpets. We do custom mouthpiece work for all brass instruments and can always fit a few extra orders into our production schedule.

dershem · by **dershem** » 2019-06-07 9:20 p.m.

Marcinkiewicz makes *all* of my mouthpieces nowadays. They do beautiful work, and have done a bunch for me.

LeTromboniste · by **LeTromboniste** » 2019-06-08 1:20 a.m.

Egger here make beautiful work both with their CNC and on the traditional lathe. Their own mouthpieces are excellent and they make mouthpieces for other instrument companies as well. They usually accept custom orders. They can be quite expensive though (Swiss prices)

wegibson · by **wegibson** » 2019-06-08 1:38 p.m.

I have had Todd Clontz and Scott Holbert do custom mouthpiece work for me in the past.

ssking2b · by **ssking2b** » 2019-06-11 11:53 a.m.

Try Stork Mothpieces.

dukesboneman · by **dukesboneman** » 2019-07-19 12:44 a.m.

Check with Warburton

bassboy · by **bassboy** » 2019-07-20 10:02 p.m.

I've had Osmun music in Acton, MA do a lot for me (threading, lightening up, throat+backbore mod., etc). They also can scan and copy full pieces and rims as well, and can hack off a rim to add threads.

Schlitz · 2019-07-21 12:20 a.m.

brassmedic · by **brassmedic** » 2019-07-21 5:08 a.m.

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chromebone · by **chromebone** » 2019-07-21 1:00 p.m.

[quote="Schlitz"]Who ended up doing the rim job for you?[/quote]

I thought this was supposed to be a family show.

I just had some custom work done for me by Schilke. They will only do custom work on Schilke mouthpieces now, but their work was first rate. I recently had them make me a custom version of a 51C4 and the work was impeccable. After I had the mouthpiece for about a month, I asked for the throat to be opened slightly and they not only turned it around within a day, they paid the return shipping as well. I couldn’t be happier with the results.

StevenHolloway · by **StevenHolloway** » 2019-07-26 11:14 a.m.

Hammond's custom work is ridiculously overpriced.

BillO · by **BillO** » 2019-08-22 9:55 p.m.

Do Bach still do custom work? I had them do a custom MP for me about 25 years ago. It was costly for the time (about $150).

sporto · by **sporto** » 2019-08-24 12:23 p.m.

https://storkcustom.com

John Stork in Vermont.

IMO, none better.

harrisonreed · by **harrisonreed** » 2019-10-29 2:35 a.m.

Just got my V3 rim threaded for the DE XT series by Bob Reeves shop. Could not be happier. Plays like a dream on my 3B and alto.

hyperbolica · by **hyperbolica** » 2019-10-29 9:09 a.m.

Back maybe 2004 I specified a completely custom mouthpiece from Schilke. They let you specify 8 parameters or something like that.

What I got was completely unplayable. It was very out of tune. I may be a lot of things, but mouthpiece designer is not one of them.

Be careful what you ask for.

Schlitz · 2019-10-31 4:14 a.m.

harrisonreed · by **harrisonreed** » 2019-10-31 7:01 p.m.

[quote="Schlitz"]So, as a recap, Harrison is a trombone player in an army band, stationed somewhere in Japan. He was looking for a custom rim job, and found one in Bob Reeves. Once Upon A Time, there was a dog named Brandy......[/quote]

Schlitz, what is your problem? Could you please stop posting insults after every post I make?

Is there anyone else here who can tell this person to give it a rest?

Schlitz · by **Schlitz** » 2019-10-31 7:08 p.m.

harrisonreed · by **harrisonreed** » 2019-10-31 7:27 p.m.

[quote="Schlitz"]Dude, please put out information about why you wanted a custom rim, and what it does for you. Is it that hard? And no, I’m not making fun of you for wanting one. I suppose if that’s what you’re looking for, rock on.[/quote]

That's something I can actually answer. I wanted a thinner, more rounded rim. Sort of like the CL series of rims, except I wanted it in the diameter of a 1.5G. It already exists -- the Bousfield V3 rim is exactly what I just described. I tried to get a few makers to approximate the rim, do a custom mouthpiece etc. Asked the maker of the Bousfield to do an alto piece with that rim. They're all too busy.

Bob Reeves was able to cut the rim, and now I can use it on my small bore and alto.

A thinner rim improves endurance and makes the articulations easier. For me. Also, the upper register seems to be pretty effortless.

Schlitz · 2019-10-31 7:29 p.m.

harrisonreed · by **harrisonreed** » 2019-10-31 7:36 p.m.

[quote="Schlitz"]All I wanted was information. Do you know what a desk audit is, and how it affects military bands. You wanna ask yourself something?[/quote]

You didn't ask for any information though! Also, why are you talking about military bands? Who said anything about that anywhere?

Schlitz · 2019-10-31 7:43 p.m.

Neo_Bri · by **Neo_Bri** » 2019-10-31 9:04 p.m.

Gentlemen, please. Just keep it friendly. Schlitz, it seems like your provoking for no real reason.

Thanks, folks.

Schlitz · by **Schlitz** » 2019-10-31 10:18 p.m.

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Who has had custom mouthpiece work done?