Interesting Piece

[RoscoTrombone]

I was having a nosey on ebay and came across this little beauty...never seen anything like it.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265931930976 ... media=COPY

[BGuttman]

Does look interesting, but it seems to have been user modified. At least some of the rim has been sanded flat. Don't know if they have messed with the throat/venturi.

I don't think I'd pay 60 quid for that, even at today's [low] exchange rate.

[Matt K]

That a flat rim looks miserable

[ithinknot]

'screamer' refers to the player, not the playing

(not a million miles from sackbut world, admittedly)

FWIW I've got a belt sander and would be happy to do you some customs for £59.98

[LeTromboniste]

That a flat rim looks miserable

Wide flat rims can be really comfortable once you get used to it. Rounded is uncomfortable to me, and sometimes almost painful if the size and shape is wrong for me.

[harrisonreed]

That mouthpiece looks terrible. It doesn't even look like the cup is round after the sanding job.

[CalgaryTbone]

I once saw a cornet mouthpiece that was being used to hold a window open in a band room. The rim was completely flat, and the cup was V-shaped, and looked as if it was drilled that way by a perfectly cone-shaped drill. Some of the cheap old brass mouthpieces seem to have been made by an out of work shop teacher.

Jim Scott

[Finetales]

It looks like a banda mouthpiece. They're usually blinged out with gold and engravings etc., but that's the idea. Very wide rim, very shallow cup. I would guess this is probably a vintage or homemade banda piece, except that it's in the UK. Not sure how/why one of those would end up over there!

[robcat2075]

What sonic attributes do we ascribe to such a flat rim?

I recall seeing a diagram of a pre-modern era mouthpiece with a very sharp inner edge to it.

[robcat2075]

Here's a photo of a faux-baroque trumpet mouthpiece by Sam Goble the looks even flatter and sharper...




more flatish-looking mouthpieces here...

Sam Goble - Cornetto, Dulcian, Shawm & Trumpet Player - Historical Wind Instrument Maker

[LeTromboniste]

Here's a photo of a faux-baroque trumpet mouthpiece by Sam Goble the looks even flatter and sharper...




more flatish-looking mouthpieces here...

Sam Goble - Cornetto, Dulcian, Shawm & Trumpet Player - Historical Wind Instrument Maker

Yes, historically mouthpieces had very, very flat rims, at least until the early- to mid-19th century. The overwhelming majority of serious sackbut and baroque trumpet specialists do play on such flat rims. There were still quite flat rims coexisting with rounder ones into the 20th century. I have a turn-of-the-century Courtois mouthpiece that has virtually the same wide, flat rim as my tenor sackbut mouthpiece.

Regarding your earlier question, I'm not sure I would ascribe specific sound characteristics to a very flat rim. Certainly plays and feels different, which would change how the player plays, and therefore the sound, but it's not a direct relationship to the sound like other aspects of the mouthpiece. The one thing I would say is articulations tend to be more pronounced on a sharper-edged rim.

[robcat2075]

The one thing I would say is articulations tend to be more pronounced on a sharper-edged rim.

Yeah, that aligns with what I've heard previously. I've never had such a mouthpiece to try it out, however. That would be interesting.

I suppose the downside is that the sharp rim leaves an obvious red ring.

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