Best all around with a 3B

[mickael57280]

Hi, will soon receive a 3B from DJ, beside the 6.5A I have, which other mouthpiece will be a good match for having an all around horn/mouthpiece combo?

[Basbasun]

I can tell you what would work for me with on 3B, that would not help you though. Some mpc that works for many is 11C,12C, 6 3/4C .

[Vegasbound]

Why do you think you need to change? Many players have used the 61/2 size throughout their career with a .508 sized horn

If the 61/2 is the optimum rim size for your chops then stick with it, you could have a chat with Doug Elliott

[harrisonreed]

Doug Elliott XT C+ cup, D3 shank, and whatever rim you use.

[ArbanRubank]

You would be in 3B heaven with a Bach straight seven!

[hyperbolica]

DE XT 104 D3

[Cmillar]

Wick 7cs was perfect when I used to play one

[TromboneMonkey]

By "all-around", if you mean all styles that the trombone is normally tasked to play, you'll be hard-pressed to beat the 6 1/2A that you already have, depending on how good a specimen it is.

Cam's suggestion of the 7cs and Hyperbolica's suggestion of Doug's D/D3 are en pointe as well, although I'd take his MT series over the XT for "all-around" playing any day (but that will largely depend on your chops).

If you lean more to the commercial side: a 6 3/4c will be the ticket, if you lean more to the legit side, a 6 1/2AL or the Bob Reeves/Brass Ark Clarke will be it. The Clarke would probably be my mouthpiece of choice in a 3B. It would do anything, and has a very interesting sound profile.

[JLivi]

The 6.5A should be good, especially if that’s what you’re used to.

From a generic mouthpiece standpoint I had a lot of success with Bach 7C and 6 3/4C before switching to AR.

What I love about the 3b is that anything works in it. From a 12C to a 5G.

[MrZipper]

I play a Bach 5G on mine, and I love the sound.

[mickael57280]

From all around I mean playing any part in Big Band and small combo

[Vegasbound]

From all around I mean playing any part in Big Band and small combo

Again I ask, why do you think you need to change? Dick Nash played most of his career on a Bach 16 & 61/2al

[Doug Elliott]

Mouthpiece choice for a 3B is much more dependent on you than on the horn. Anything and everything works on a 3B. The question is what size works for you. It could be influenced by your embouchure type, what other mouthpieces and horns you play, how long you've been playing, and the strong and weak points in your playing. Sometimes a size change can significantly help.

But a 6-1/2AL is a very middle-of-the-road mouthpiece for a 3B.

[Kingfan]

What Doug said. What works for everybody else may not work for you. When I started playing my 2B and 3B as my primary horns instead of my .547 horn with a 5G people were telling me to go with smaller pieces like a 7C, 12C, etc. They seemed to choke the horn down for me. I did a Skype with Doug and he recommend his LT101/LTD/D3 combo. Really opened up my range, tone, and endurance. Just felt "right". My backup is a Bach 5, which is close in size.

[mickael57280]

Ok, I'm an amateur, starting 5 years ago, think a Bach 6.5A would be enough...

[Posaunus]

Ok, I'm an amateur, starting 5 years ago, think a Bach 6.5A would be enough...

[PaulT]

What horn are you currently using the 6.5A on? What other mouthpieces have you tried on that horn?

[BGuttman]

What horn are you currently using the 6.5A on? What other mouthpieces have you tried on that horn?

All he has is the 6.5A. He's a beginner. Going mouthpiece crazy at this stage is counterproductive. When he learns what the limitations are of the 6.5A, then he's ready for something else.

[PaulT]

The OP has been playing trombone for five years.

Without getting into an argument over what constitutes enough experience, five years does equal some experience, experience that may or may not be pertinent/interesting in a mouthpiece discussion occurring in a trombone forum.

[ArbanRubank]

What horn are you currently using the 6.5A on? What other mouthpieces have you tried on that horn?

All he has is the 6.5A. He's a beginner. Going mouthpiece crazy at this stage is counterproductive. When he learns what the limitations are of the 6.5A, then he's ready for something else.

I'm not sure at what stage is "going mouthpiece crazy" ever productive. lol

[flotrb]

I am playing a 1975 1403 3B Silver Sonic with the following: King 7C, Bach 6½ AL, Marcinkiewicz 8H-S.
In the B'dway musical pit, with a one tenor trb. book or a ten/bass book, since I am primarily a bass trb/tuba player, I find that with the 3 mpc listed above, a very broad spectrum of styles can be easily accommodated. The King 7C favors the "lead" sound, the Bach 6½ AL is the best all-round, the Marcinkiewicz 8H-S has a bright contemporary edge and a powerful low end.

My .547" is a Bach Soloist with a Bach 6½ AL or a Melton 4G. On the bass trb books, depending on the style, I am using Holton 169 with a custom Herrick over-sized 1½G, and a 1975 1490 7B Duo-Gravis Silver Sonic with a stock Mt. Vernon 1½ G.

flotrb

[Fidbone]

Greg Black 9C

New model..... Fantastic piece which falls somewhere between a 7C and 11C

[Kingfan]

I'm not sure at what stage is "going mouthpiece crazy" ever productive. lol

When you buy people's cast-offs for cheap and sell them at a profit to somebody who just gotta have'em. Otherwise, it's just an expensive hobby.

[EOlson9]

Wick 7cs was perfect when I used to play one

I agree with this! It's what I use on my 3B and my 2125F.

[ArbanRubank]

[euphobone]

I like the Denis Wick 6BS. Has a little more room than a Bach 6 1/2A. You could also try the Karl Hammond 13M or 13ML. Similar rim size, M cup is the shallower of the two. More like the Wick B cup or the Bach A cup. The funneled entrance at the throat of the mouthpiece creates exceptional response and projection. Good luck. You are going to have to try a bunch of things out to find the best fit, or just pick one and stick with it.

[DenverPiper]

I use a King 31 mouthpiece for my King 3B trombone and a King 21 mouthpiece for my King 2B Silver Sonic trombone. Each mouthpiece is made to match each trombone. The secret is to pick any good mouthpiece and do the work.

Cheers,
Tom

[Reedman1]

I like a Marcinkiewicz 10 with a modified rim, Marcinkiewicz 11S, or Yamaha 47. These are all very straightforward mouthpieces that fit my face, and let me sound good on my .508 Butler. The 47 is the lightest sounding of the lot; the 11S is slightly brighter than the 10, for me. Bigger, like Yamaha 48, 5C, etc, sound good, too, but are more work to play, and I really want to direct my energy toward creativity rather than a big sound.

[greenbean]

3B's aren't mouthpiece-picky at all. So, players use the gamut with good results.

[Burgerbob]

Doug Elliott XT C+ cup, D3 shank, and whatever rim you use.

[MrHCinDE]

I didn’t ever try a mouthpiece in the range 5G-12C which didn’t work with a 3B per se. Some suited my chops or sound concept better than others but all basically played well without doing weird things to the intonation or response.

Some personal favourites are the Rath S5 for 10-piece brass ensemble with a varied repertoire but mostly more towards classic/legit than jazz/pop, Bach 11C for lead trombone in big band and Bach 6.5a for 7-piece Polka band to get a fat sound that has a bit of bite. Alternatives which I also pull out sometimes for my 3B/F but mainly use on other instruments are a Bach 9 and a Conn 3.

The King 7C favors the "lead" sound, the Bach 6½ AL is the best all-round, the Marcinkiewicz 8H-S has a bright contemporary edge and a powerful low end.

I just got an 8H-S from a forum member to complement the large shank one I already had and tried it on my 3B/F and 3B+ at the weekend. I’ve been trying (failing) to figure out how to describe it but think flotrb has hit the nail on the head. It needs a bit more practice at home before I’d try it in a group but first impressions are that it could do all of what I need in the high, low and mid registers on .508” and .525” horns with an easily accessible edge and more than enough power in all ranges, if I back off a bit it also has a pure and sweet sound which I think will blend nicely in a section.