TromboneChat

Quote from: savio on Dec 14, 2017, 07:37AMMy experience is there isn't any difference in sound. Gold can be more slippery but I dont notice much difference in feel either. It looks cool but gold or silver is the same for me. For others it might be different?


Good insight.

My 2nd day on the new gold rim was intense. Individual rehearsal for quintet and then I recorded a swing song full out for 90 minutes, for another band. A lot of playing. The gold is smooth and slippery and feels soft (to me) compared to silver. I played strong the entire time.

All that said... this could be a matter of those who are sensitive to silver feel a rough and less comfortable mouthpiece. My skin is sensitive to everything, So I think the theory is plausible.

For an average-skin player, I wouldn't spend a bunch of extra money on gold. But if you know that you have sensitive skin, the gold might be worth a try.

After two days playing on gold, I'm sold. But I know that not everyone is going to notice a different.

FWIW, My rule of thumb has been if you find a gold plated mouthpiece you like ,great. I have sent silver plated mouthpieces off to be gold plated and was unhappy with the playing results after I got them back. They didn't respond as well as before.  Too much plating than what was there B4? IDK. I like the feel of gold . I now have a DE  XB 116/M/M10 and it is working out fine. Gold rims are new to me. Are they the best of both worlds?. IDK. Doug Elliott mentions on his site about Rims: A gold plated mouthpiece might feel slightly larger than a same sized silver plated rim, also a plastic rim my feel slightly smaller than a similar sized silver plated rim. ANother FWIW. I hope I paraphrased you correctly MR Elliott. NOw my 3rd FWIW- Despite how Cool it looks or feels it all comes down to how it works. I go with Whatever Works. To Each Their Own. IMHO

My 4th FWIW: Anytime you change something expect different results. Hopefully after
painstakingly analyzing all the info you make a correct decision and the mod works out for you.
My 5th FWIW. I have recently started gold plating mouthpieces that I liked but I felt were too bright.I did it to a Bach Mt Vernon 2G and a Custom made/modified Hammond Skeletonized 10ML. In both cases I "lucked out". It Tamed them a bit. These are only my opinions and results...........( and does not reflect the opinion of TTF ,Their Members, Its Affiliates and their Subsidies )

Quote from: Doug Elliott on Dec 13, 2017, 07:55AMWell I have more than an opinion, I've been in the business a long time and I've already been through this.
For clarity, the number you're talking about is expressed several different ways, and the durability depends on what else is added to the gold.

20 millionths
.000020 of an inch
20 micro-inches
.5 micron

That thickness is the minimum that can legally be called Gold Plate.

The opinion I do have is that for mouthpieces, gold should be 24k with nothing added because of allergy issues. Chances are the plating you're getting isn't 24k.

I posted this on another thread as well, but here was the response I got from the MPE people regarding how thick they lay down the 24 K gold...I told them we were having a discussion on the forum...

Good luck with that discussion

The thickness is determined by the time and the current (amperage) used in the cyanide gold bath as well as the density of the dissolved gold. We strive for an average of 80 microinches thick.

I hope that helped.

Robbert Chernault
MouthpieceExpress.com
StarCityMusic.com
Brass5.com

Thank you for taking the time to ask, and thank you for posting the answer you got 

my ultimate goal is to find the company that does the best job and an acceptable price...As a group we should be able to do that, then pass the information on to the rest of the forum....

Nanook

This is great info! Thanks for asking them.

well I received my new 6 3/4 bach gold cup and rim today and did my practice session with it...I didn't notice anything with the slippery quality, but it was unmistakable in aiding my endurance... I was able to move thru my exercises without any fatigue problems...I'm actually shocked at how good my chops feel after my 2 hour practice...Now it still looks cool too, but its worth it to me for just the endurance aspect...Now to see how long the gold plating lasts...My instructor suggested that I use a mirco fiber cloth to wipe it off...I'm very happy so far!!! Cost me $118 total for the job, I think I posted $130 before....

Nanook 

GREAT! 

OTOH, now you don't have any excuses! 

I bought three "24K" gold rim-plated mpcs: 12, 7 & large shank 5G. Love all three, but I don't notice any improvement b/c of the gold. But then again, my improvement is so greased-lightening fast anyway. 

...Geezer

GREAT! 

OTOH, now you don't have any excuses! 

I bought three "24K" gold rim-plated mpcs: 12, 7 & large shank 5G. Love all three, but I don't notice any improvement b/c of the gold. But then again, my improvement is so greased-lightening fast anyway. 

...Geezer