Christian Lindberg Users

[walldaja]

Are there any Christian Lindberg users in the forum? What are your comments and / or experiences?

Thanks in advance.

[Posaunus]

With a properly adjusted valve, the Conn 88HCL is a wonderful trombone.

CL mouthpieces can be an acquired taste. Many players apparently find the rims too sharp. I do not have this problem, and am happy to play them for certain occasions. These are different than most pieces you have probably played.
Large Shank: The 5CL is a pretty good match to the 88HCL for tenor trombone work. The 4CL has a very large throat - works if you have the lung capacity. Apparently the 2CL is even huger throatwise.
Small Shank: The 10CL is a surprisingly good piece for medium-bore trombones.

My suggestion: If you are interested / intrigued, try one. Prices are reasonable.

[harrisonreed]

I played on the 4CL for about ten years. The design is very good, but you only get one rim size to work with. Spec sites tell you that the rims are all different sizes, like a Bach 5G vs 4G (5CL vs 2CL), but really, they are designed so that you can switch between any of the 6 mouthpieces because each rim is very close to the others in size. All that to say, if you don't like 25mm rims, you probably will have to figure out how to adjust.

The 15 and 13CL designs are GREAT for alto playing, and are the only stock mouthpiece besides the Conn 7C that for properly into the 36H leadpipe. However, the rim is too small for me these days. The 15CL uses what looks like a double cup design, which is interesting.

The 5CL has a pretty normal sized throat and sort of a double cup design to it. Despite the spaceship looking outer shape, the cup is not V shaped, but is C shaped, and it opens up a little near the throat. The 4CL is deeper and has a huge throat. I believe this is because Lindberg was not happy with pedal tones on his older albums. If you listen to his albums from the 80s and early 90s, you will hear that those growly pedals sound very different from his later albums which sound huge and fat. I actually think they sounded better as low growls.

The trick with the CL mouthpieces is that you must not use very much pressure. Otherwise you'll have issues with range and face discomfort that is easy to blame on the rim shape.

I have found that the Griego Bousfield V series is REMARKABLY similar to the 5CL, including rim shape. But unlike the CL pieces, you can pick different room sizes. If you like the idea of the old 5CL but it doesn't work, try the Bousfield stuff. I love my V3.

[walldaja]

Thanks for your responses. I've gotten a 4CL and started playing with it. My "go to" MP was a Yamaha 58L. I haven't experienced any problems with the rim and have found that it is quite flexible. Tonight I will play with a large community band (100 or so) and see how it handles a several hour practice as well as how it blends with the other trombones. So far I am encouraged by what I've experienced. And yes, the throat is huge while the cup isn't as deep as I am used to. Even though the throat is about the width of a small bus I haven't had any problems with air supply. I've already put the 58L back in the case with the bass trombone for when I don't need to go real low.

[walldaja]

Works for me. Two hour rehearsal revealed sound I wanted, endurance, comfort, and good blend with section. Glad I found this gem.

[Posaunus]

Works for me. Two hour rehearsal revealed sound I wanted, endurance, comfort, and good blend with section. Glad I found this gem.

Nice that the Lindberg 4CL worked out for you. It's a good match for a 0.547" bore trombone, though I generally prefer the 5CL.

The Yamaha 58L is better suited for a (larger-bore) bass trombone.

Christian Lindberg mouthpieces are underrated - mostly due to the rim contour (which I do not find at all uncomfortable).

[StephenK]

I've used a 5CL for quite a few years now - it suited what I wanted at that time, and continues to do so. This is with a .547 trombone in a variety of settings, mostly 1st, or only, tenor. More recently I also use a 15CL on alto. That is not so convincing, but probably not because of the mp.
Stephen