Wick bass bone mpcs?

[Bach5G]

I recently had some work done on my Benge, work that none of the other techs who had it could see apparently (rotors, tuning slides, spit valve cork), and it plays like a new horn.

But now I’m trying new mpcs. I’ve been playing a Black 1.5, but tried a new Laskey 93D, as well as a Ferguson JR and a Yeo but nothing really grabbed me.

Today, as I was leaving for my Improv for Seniors course, I grabbed my Wick 0AL, which has been sitting on my mpc shelf for years, to have something to buzz in the car. Hmmm, it felt pretty good. I tried it in class and it played and sounded pretty good.

So, out with the Black and in with the Wick for the time being.

[brassmedic]

Not a fan. Love the tenor mouthpieces, but the bass ones don't seem to really work.

[JeffBone44]

I know someone who uses a Wick OAL and sounds glorious on it. Works for him.

[Doug Elliott]

Black 1.5, Laskey 93D, Ferguson JR, Yeo, Wick 0AL

5 wildly different mouthpieces with nothing in common except being for "bass trombone"

[Burgerbob]

I was going to say the same thing... you almost couldn't gather a more eclectic handful of bass trombone mouthpieces if you tried.

[Lowbrassbrian]

I recently had some work done on my Benge, work that none of the other techs could see apparently (rotors, spit valve cork) and it plays like a new horn.

But now I’m trying new mpcs. I’ve been playing a Black 1.5, but tried a new Laskey 93D, as well as a Ferguson JR and a Yeo but nothing really grabbed me.

Today, as I was leaving for my Improv for Seniors course, I grabbed my Wick 0AL, which has been sitting on my mpc shelf for years, to have something to buzz in the car. Hmmm, it felt pretty good. I tried it in class and it played and sounded pretty good.

So, out with the Black and in with the Wick for the time being.

I am still a young player, but the mouthpieces you listed all vary greatly from one another. Various rim sizes, cup depths, throats and backbores. Maybe you could find a more suiting bass mouthpiece by dialing in which rim diameter you like most, then moving onto a cup depth or throat that works for you.

[Bach5G]

I was going to say the same thing... you almost couldn't gather a more eclectic handful of bass trombone mouthpieces if you tried.

What would be the sense in having a shelf full of the same thing?

[Burgerbob]

You could dial in on a rim size you like, for starters. Those are all over the map!

[Bach5G]

They are indeed. A few other choices on the shelf:

Marc 1.5, Teele
Schilke 59 (old style)
Bach 1.5, 1.25

More than few others have come and gone. In a nutshell, I like how larger pieces sound, but I like how smaller pieces play.

[Posaunus]

In a nutshell, I like how larger pieces sound, but I like how smaller pieces play.

Psst: Doug Elliott!

[Doug Elliott]

By smaller and larger you have to consider both rim size and cup depth - most of those "smaller" pieces are shallower and the "larger" ones are deeper.

Probably.the reason you like the Wick 0AL is that it's a combination - smaller rim size and deep cup. Not everybody likes that, but it's perfectly reasonable for some players, so use it and see what you think in the longer term.

[Bach5G]

Psst: Doug Elliott!

I’m using and am happy with DE tenor pieces. My DE codes are: DE LT 104, C C3 C3 alto, E4, E8, G4, G8. Maybe going to XT on the .547 in the future. But the bass pieces didn’t work for me. I might try something in the 112 range in the future, but they’re pricey, particularly with the Canadian dollar at $.73.

At one point, the Wick was relegated from my shelf to my vehicle’s glove compartment for the occasional buzz on the way to work. I didn’t care for it in any of my horns, including my current horn, a Benge 290. But since the repairs, it seems to be an excellent match.

Of course, there’s always the Crisafulli saying: A new mpc will fix things for about 3 weeks which is why I change mine every 2 weeks. Something like that.