Doug Elliott XB vs. LB series

[JeffBone44]

I've been playing on an XB113mw with XB K and L cups for the past couple of years. I started on the #8 shanks, but I prefer the openness of the #10. I really liked the sound I was getting at first. But as I've been developing my bass trombone chops, my sound has darkened considerably. It may be the way that I'm using the air now, as it's become more relaxed and slower, and I think it's worked to my benefit in terms of efficiency of playing. I've noticed that the XB series is fairly heavy, and my sound has become somewhat tubby, especially on the the L cup. I'm wondering how much of a switch to the LB series would help with that, and recently I've been preferring lighter mouthpieces anyway.

[Doug Elliott]

Maybe. Could also be too large an oral cavity. If you're continually trying to open the feel and improve the bottom end, it's easy to go too far.

[Crazy4Tbone86]

Hey JeffBone,

I have parallel sets of Doug’s mouthpieces in the LB and XB series. Mine are the 115 rim with L and M cups in LB and XB. I find that the LB set works better with my horns that play bigger and wider like my Edwards dual bore bass. On my single bore basses, the XB works better. If you can spare the money, I recommend that you give the LB series a try in the same sizes. The cup volume is just slightly smaller and it narrows the sound in a subtle way.

[JeffBone44]

Perhaps the rim I’m using is too big. I went back to the 112 rim I used to use and the sound was more centered and compact. The woofy sound I was experiencing in the mid and upper range is less. But I won’t deny that I like the low end much more on the 113 rim.

[hyperbolica]

I recently switched from LB112K8 to XB112K8. The XB with the heavier blank seems to have more body to the sound. And it added about a step to my bottom range. To me the heavier blank is just a bit stronger. Upper range has not suffered.

[JeffBone44]

I recently switched from LB112K8 to XB112K8. The XB with the heavier blank seems to have more body to the sound. And it added about a step to my bottom range. To me the heavier blank is just a bit stronger. Upper range has not suffered.

Well, it's really only two notes that sometimes gives me trouble with the 112 rim - the double valve C and B. Some days they work well, other days they don't. But practice will make it better so that they work every day. And overall the 112 rim sounds better than the 113. So I'll stick with what I have and work at it.

[TomInME]

Well, it's really only two notes that sometimes gives me trouble with the 112 rim - the double valve C and B. Some days they work well, other days they don't. But practice will make it better so that they work every day. And overall the 112 rim sounds better than the 113. So I'll stick with what I have and work at it.

I'm having a similar issue with those notes on an LB112/L/L8 configuration (after less than 2 weeks on it, so take that with a grain or two of salt), so I'm thinking the weight change might not make much difference there.

My experience with weight is that it tends to darken/deaden the sound but hold together better at louder dynamics. And the LB is giving me a fairly bright sound (maybe too bright) but has a nice warmth at softer dynamics.

[JeffBone44]

I'm having a similar issue with those notes on an LB112/L/L8 configuration (after less than 2 weeks on it, so take that with a grain or two of salt), so I'm thinking the weight change might not make much difference there.

My experience with weight is that it tends to darken/deaden the sound but hold together better at louder dynamics. And the LB is giving me a fairly bright sound (maybe too bright) but has a nice warmth at softer dynamics.

Thanks for the info. I used to have an LB a long time ago, and it was brighter, good commercial piece.

[JeffBone44]

Update - I had gotten an XB 114 lexan rim last year just to use for outdoor playing when it was cold. At the time I had found it too big to use permanently. But about a month ago I tried it again to use regularly on my K/K8, and I'm really liking it. The woofy/tubby sound that I was experiencing in the upper register has gone away, and I'm loving my sound in all ranges. I'm not exactly sure why, but I'm thinking that the lexan rim is lighter than the silver rim, so the mouthpiece overall is not as heavy as it was.