Alessi 1 vs. Bousfield O3

[cigmar]

Looking for comparisons between the Alessi 1 series and the Bousfield O3. Comparable Alessi cup to the O3; rim shape and comfort; playing characteristics; etc, etc. Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks.

[tbonesullivan]

Have you emailed Griego asking about this? They probably get these questions a lot, and no one would know them better.

[cigmar]

Have you emailed Griego asking about this? They probably get these questions a lot, and no one would know them better.

Yeah, thought of this. Also wanted to get some feedback from people who have actually played both.

[harrisonreed]

I have both and play both. The cup diameter (ie rim size) is IDENTICAL on both. The O3 has a cup that is nearly identical to the Alessi 1B. The 1C is slightly more bowl shaped. Also, the O3 has a very sharp entrance to the throat, whereas all of the Alessi series (and the V3) have a wide entrance into the throat/backbore.

The single biggest difference between the O3 and 1C that affects the sound is the throat. The Alessi throat is huge, so it sounds huge. Given both, you'd be hard pressed to play as loud on the O3 vs the 1C. Sometimes you need to be able to cut through 100 other musicians, and that large throat really helps.

However, I still mostly play the O3 in a large ensemble. Why? The feature described above in the 1C gasses me out fast. Sure, if you're playing actual orchestra music where the trombones come out to shine two or three times and are resting the rest of the time, it cannot be beat. But in a two hour concert of nothing but wind ensemble charts without rest, I'm pretty tired by the end of it. I think a lot of that has to do with the throat. But some of it has to do with the other, even bigger difference between tge two mouthpieces:

The rim profiles are completely different.

The thing that has me hooked on the Bousfield stuff is the rim profile, which is very similar to the Lindberg mouthpieces -- it is rounded, so it's very flexible and if you don't use a lot of pressure, there isn't a lot of metal on your face. I think this is a huge factor in the endurance increase over the Alessi series. Also, the larger rim diameter over the Lindberg stuff means another advantage in terms of endurance and range -- I don't have to shift my embouchure to play different registers. That's what drew me to the 1C in the first place.

In contrast the Alessi 1s all have a wide, flat rim. Even if you play without any pressure, there is a lot of metal on your face. This serves to lock your muscles into place. I've found that this makes everything pretty locked in and not as flexible -- absolutely great for those huge orchestra excerpts. But also a real drain on the endurance.

In the end the O3 is what I keep reaching for in large ensembles, but I use the V3 in BQ and general practicing.

[harrisonreed]

Also, I'm thinking of having Bob Reeves cut the rim off my 1C and thread it to take my DE XT threaded Bousfield rim. I think that'd turn into my go to large ensemble mouthpiece.
But I'm waiting until they release the new options for the Bousfield mouthpieces mentioned in a blog post on the Griego site. "The deeper cups you've been asking for". If it's got a larger throat too, I'll get one of those first.

I asked them if it was just going to be a 1C with the Bousfield rim, but no answer...

They answered all my other questions though haha!

[tbonesullivan]

This definitely shows to never underestimate rim shape as a determining factor when looking at a mouthpiece. With bass trombone mouthpieces, I really did not like the thin and flat rim profiles most had. Even the Doug Yeo, which is a bit wider, still had a flat rim. Inner rim bite is also something I am not a huge fan of most times.