If you play a Rath R1 (bore .500/.510), what mouthpiece(s) do your prefer on that horn?

I have had an R100 for the past few years and keep bouncing between 6.5 sized and 6.75 sized pieces, which are really different in terms of throat/backbore. If I spent all my time playing on a mic I would lean smaller/more efficient, and if I was playing loud live stuff I would lean bigger. Whenever I settle on a 6.5 I think it feels a little to big for a .500 horn, and whenever I have a 6.75 ish piece I think I would be more comfortable blowing a 6.5.

It depends on the pipe you've got in the horn.

My early R1 has the most open pipe in it and that horn is OPEN. I use an Elliott XT C+ cup and D2 shank. Sorta like a Bach no letter piece, maybe a bit shallower, I guess.

I tried using a Bach 6 1/2AL in it and was always banging my head against the wall trying to get the horn to work. Switched to something smaller and everything clicked.

If it has the most open pipe in it I wouldn't use anything too large. Bach 7 or a 7c would be a good fit. If you're using one of the smaller pipes the world is your oyster. 6 1/2AL or smaller is always a good bet.

Mv2541,

If your "6.5-sized piece" is a 6½AL (6.63mm throat) or a 6½AM (6.53mm throat), then you're correct - their throats are much larger than a 6¾C (5.85mm throat), so they'll feel quite different. But if you like the larger 6½ cup, you might want to consider a Bach 6½A, which has the smaller 5.85mm throat. These pieces work pretty well on a 0.500" bore trombone.

Other options in that range:

• Giardinelli 4M

• Giddings Harry Watters

• Josef Klier 8D

• Laskey 54M

• Marcinkiewicz 11

• Denis Wick 7CS

• Yamaha Nils Landgren

I have a Giardinelli 4M , The rim feels great but it`s really shallow

Thanks for your answers and input everyone! I've been using a 6-1/2A (not AL) on several small bore horns for a very long time. Love it most of the time...especially when I'm going back and forth between small bore and large bore horns. Sounds like I'm not alone in preferring that general size.

The default mouthpiece for a Bach 16 has been a 7C for the last 60 years or so (replacing the 12C). The 6 1/2 and 6 3/4 cups are very close in size. If you like the 6 1/2 size you should stay there. Maybe a Yamaha 48, Schilke 50, or Wick 7CS as alternates.

[quote="Posaunus"]Mv2541,

If your "6.5-sized piece" is a 6½AL (6.63mm throat) or a 6½AM (6.53mm throat), then you're correct - their throats are much larger than a 6¾C (5.85mm throat), so they'll feel quite different. But if you like the larger 6½ cup, you might want to consider a Bach 6½A, which has the smaller 5.85mm throat. These pieces work pretty well on a 0.500" bore trombone.

Other options in that range:

• Giardinelli 4M

• Giddings Harry Watters

• Josef Klier 8D

• Laskey 54M

• Marcinkiewicz 11

• Denis Wick 7CS

• Yamaha Nils Landgren[/quote]

My 6.5 pieces have been a bunch of things, as have my 6.75 pieces. Some odd choices on that list but I like the idea. I think that a smaller throat helps some people get the (smaller) sound they want, but I really have a hard time making them work for me. Things above a Db feel like I'm crawling up a mountain, compared to the Monette which is like an acorn stairlift. I've been playing a piece on large tenor bored out to M (which is 7.5mm) and so even a Bach al doesn't feel big, it just feels like the sound is wider than the horn wants it to be. In the next few weeks I'll probably phase out small and large bore in favor of a medium bore do all solution anyway. Maybe I'll find an E/E4 to compare, but the Monette is really my cup of tea in most ways.

One thing that I've noticed about Bach mouthpiece diameters - The 7C, 9, and 11C are all in the same dimensional ballpark. I've tried them all with good results. The 6-1/2A feels much wider. For me, the diameter of 25.4mm (1 inch) is about right. However, I've also noticed that playing lead trombone in a loud big band can be a lot of work on a 6-1/2A. By the way, I use a Schilke 51 and 51C4 on my large bore horns.