Yamaha 48 versus Bach 6.5AL

[CharlieB]

I'm currently playing on an (old) Yamaha 48 mouthpiece.
If I were to try a Bach 6.5 AL, what differences should I expect?

[Burgerbob]

They're nominally the same, but they play and sound very different. I have 5 or 6 Yamaha 48s that are all very different, a couple of which I like. Both of my Bach 6 1/2ALs are much better in every way. Better on the face, clearer articulations, more flexible, and just a different world of sound.

[Posaunus]

Hmm. I played for a while this morning on the Schilke near-equivalent – a small-shank Schilke 50 that I've had for a while and never played. (On a King 3BSS.) I was pleasantly surprised about how nice it played. I must give it a longer tryout!

[tbonesullivan]

Try it out! They are, as stated before, pretty much the same. I think the Yamaha 48 may be a touch smaller, but they are both the same basic size and design. Yamaha tends to follow the Schilke numbering system sometimes, but a bit smaller. There is however no Schilke 48.

For me, I liked the 6 1/2AL better when I was still playing that size rim. I felt it had a bit more depth to the sound. This was on a Yamaha 640, which comes with the 48 as a stock mouthpiece. I moved to a slightly larger rim size, so unfortunately those mouthpieces have been sitting in storage for years now.

[CharlieB]

Thanks to all who replied.
Much appreciated.

[Posaunus]

The Schilke 50 small-shank mouthpiece has similar specifications to the Bach 6½AL - but it plays differently. I've had one in my drawer, but hardly ever used it.

I played my Schilke 50 for 2 hours this morning - King 3B SS, big band, 3rd trombone charts. This mouthpiece is a great match for this situation. High range no problem. Fatigue / lip soreness not an issue. Full sound from bottom to top. Why haven't I tried this mouthpiece before?