Unusual mouthpiece

[CharlieB]

Does anyone know how this thing works?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Jet-To ... SwYiFdgsfi

[Basbasun]

It is a regular Jet Tone mpc with a conectione for a microphone.

[Pre59]

That's a Barcus Berry pickup from the seventies, there's an Australian company making a modern version for the Trumpet and Clarinet.

[CharlieB]

Thanks for the responses.
I was able to look up the patent, which gave a detailed account of the workings.
I've been playing trombone since before the 70's, and I can't recall ever seeing this type of pickup.
Is that because it didn't work as well as other types of pickups?

[Kingfan]

What pickup would fit this I have no idea. I'm thinking that flat disk on top of the attachment might be a plug so the mouthpiece can still be played without it the pickup. Something like this https://www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/pict ... hpiece.jpg

[Doug Elliott]

I think it's a really heavy cufflink.

[BrassedOn]

The pickup mouthpiece will give you a very interesting sound. Yeah, you needs the other components as seen in that trumpet mouthpiece link above.

IME, it is not at all like a traditional microphone sound, which is converting acoustical energy (sound waves) that come through your whole instrument, as well as other local sounds in the environment, into electrical energy. The mouthpiece pickup is converting acoustical energy (sound waves) from inside your mouthpiece into electrical energy. So it's no substitute for traditional mic-ing because it is converting from a different sound source (basically the buzz and resonance in the mouthpiece, not the sound that comes from the bell).

The pickup does, however, capture a very useable sound, dissimilar to your acoustic sound. To give you an idea, a similar pickup for a tuba mouthpiece gives a buzzy kind of electric bass sound, maybe most typically used for funk and rock.

With either a traditional mic or mouthpiece pickup, you can amplify or record the raw signal, or process the sound through EQ, limiters, reverb, effect pedals, etc. for an expansive potential palette of sounds. You might think it's just for electronica, ambient, and such, but genre and style and sounds are really limited only by your imagination, and what your family and neighbors will tolerate and audiences will listen to.

[sacfxdx]

I saw Urbie play on something like this while I was in high school. Some kind of Audiovox gizmo. Played multiple octaves at the same time. Early electronic music. As a High schooler I thought that was really cool. Always wanted something like that. Now I use a Silent Brass mute and an iPad with Amplitude if I want to sound bad electronically.

[JohnL]

I saw Urbie play on something like this while I was in high school. Some kind of Audiovox gizmo. Played multiple octaves at the same time. Early electronic music. As a High schooler I thought that was really cool. Always wanted something like that. Now I use a Silent Brass mute and an iPad with Amplitude if I want to sound bad electronically.

http://www.voxshowroom.com/us/amp/octavoice.html

Vox actually marketed instruments with sockets for the pickup pre-installed.
http://www.voxshowroom.com/us/amp/ampli ... horns.html