TromboneChat

I don’t think I’ve read anything about these mouthpieces since shortly after they came out. They seem not to have caught on. Anybody know why?

I tried the 0 for a bit, which matched the rim size I was playing at the time. It responded great in the convention hall, seemed to sound good. In my normal playing environments it still responded great but - for me - sounded like I was banging trash can lids together. When I've heard Dave play on them he sounded fantastic.

I think the reason they haven't caught on is that the proportions are completely unique. The throats are enormous at the smaller rim sizes, very far from the typical proportions, and then when you get to the largest rims the throats are a little more typical (though still huge) but the cups are pretty shallow.

They seem to be for bass trombone players who want a very fast attack and "commercial" sound. They also have that big throat like Hammond mouthpieces too, which just seems to be too big, for ME. They allow you to get that nice commercial sound regardless of the rim width, which is always a problem when you go for a big rim: often that means a huge cup volume, which isn't always the best.

I've looked at the other Griego series mouthpieces, but for me I think the Markey series is the only one that is really something I am looking for that I don't have already. I'm probably going to pick up a markey 85 tomorrow and see if it fits me just a bit better than the 87.

I've also felt that the sound of the mouthpieces really fizzles out if you slow down the air. With the right sound concept and support, they're pretty good mouthpieces.

I am confused by the Taylor mouthpieces. For me, in some aspects they outperform the competition. The response is insanely good, within a certain dynamic range the sound is super great and clear and the whole thing feels very easy to play throughout the entire range. But from a certain dynamic on they become borderline useless for me. It feels like they can not go over a good forte, at least not the way I play. They start to sound thin. It’s quite frustrating a really as it checks so many other boxes.

My impression is very similar to some of the players that have already shared their experiences. I loved the quick response and clarity of the Taylor mouthpieces. It was also a very efficient mouthpiece for me. However, when I pushed the volume a little bit, the sound got very bright and unpleasant…..even on the largest model.

Since his emphasis is on solo and chamber music, David Taylor’s sound concept is a little brighter than many orchestral bass trombonists. With that in mind, his mouthpieces probably match his sound very well.

In my opinion, there is much good that can be gained from the design of the Griego-Taylor mouthpieces. For example, I would love to have that articulation clarity on all of my mouthpieces!