TromboneChat

Dear all,

first post from my side, so just a very short introduction before asking the actual question:
- Living in Germany
- Professionally educated classical trombonist (studied with some of the more well-known European trombonists)
- During my studies focused on bass and contrabass trombone
- Now working full-time in a completely different area, not leaving much time for trombone
- Today playing also alto and tenor (needed a new challenge)

What I am searching for:
A bass trombone mouthpiece with a very deep cup, but moderate inner rim diameter and bore.
Thinking of some example: As I have played both Schilke 59 and 60 in the past what I am looking for could be something like a 60 cup, but with a 59 rim and bore.
It seems like it's easier to find the combination the other way round, meaning very large inner rim diameter and bore, but shallower cup.

Don't ask for a real reason It's more a feeling. Plus this combination of comparably deep cup, but moderate/small rim and bore work very well for me on tenor.

Would be great to get any ideas from you!

Somebody made a "Helleberg" mouthpiece for bass trombone.

Some other suggestions:

Yamaha Yeo

Doug Elliott: LB114/L/L8. This is what Doug put together for me when I asked for exactly the same thing as you, but 30 years ago.

Thanks for the quick response.

Although I have not yet played any of your suggestions, I think at least the Yeo does not perfectly match my needs.
Don't know exactly about the specifications, but I think it more or less has the same bore as the Schilke 60?
I am looking for something with a bore significantly smaller than the 60...

I'm not sure if there's much of a difference between the 59 and 60 in the backbore/throat but I don't know that for sure. The Yeo is quite large though. I'd echo the Elliott recommendation though I'd stick to an LB112, which he describes as "similar to Schilke 59, a little larger than Bach 1.25G (28.5mm)". The 114 is closer to a 60. If you want a deeper cup, the L or M is probably right with an 8 shank. (So it would be an LB112/LBM/M8). The "L" is slightly shallower than a Schilke 60 and the M is slightly larger.

You might also want to consider the "XB" series which are a little broader than the LB series but also contains a piece of the same specifications, so it might open it up a little but still allow you to have the ~59 rim size.

I’d give Doug a call.

A seemingly odd combination, XB 112 with L cup and L8 shank, works well for me to just pick it up and play with no practice on bass. The 112 is very manageable (59 size), not too big, and the XB L cup isn't quite as deep as a 60 but has a decent cup volume so it has the effect of a very deep cup while being a lot easier to play.

Again thanks for the replies, the Doug Elliott mouthpieces would certainly be an option.

@Doug:
I might come back on this. Haven't seen many of your mouthpieces here, if I remember correctly only once from a guy who studied in the US. Your mouthpieces can only be ordered directly from you, right? There are no dealers in Europe/Germany?
For me this makes it not the very first choice unluckily, although it might be a very good solution...

I was originally thinking more about an off-the-shelf mouthpiece that fits these expectations.

Might also give JK Klier a call. They have a really broad range plus potentially some individual mouthpieces that are not on the website and they also allow further individualization. Quality is really high with them.

All the Kliers I’ve played has been great! The quality is also as good as it gets. I played a 3AK cup on bass for a few years. Deeper than other 1.5G equivalents I’ve played and with a more open throat and backbore. I could drop a pencil through it. They are not very expensive, worth checking out!

I have actually played Klier mouthpieces in the past and still have some. However their deep cups in the standard range correlate with having really large bores (as stated above). I will probably ask them how far they can adapt bore and backbore.

You should also look into AR Resonance mouthpieces.
I just bought one for my bass trombone and it is spectacular.
A little pricey, but worth the money in my opinion. Especially if you want ease of play.

Check out Doug's pieces. What Doug recommended would work really well. I personally never got along with the XB series but I was a big fan of his LB series with the M or L cup. His 112 rim is fantastic and would work perfect for what you're looking to do!

Doug seriously makes the comfiest rims in the business. His pieces have spoiled me from playing anything else.

Thanks again for the inputs.

I will consider Doug's pieces and also check the Klier options which are geographically simply closer for me which makes any testing etc. much easier. They are also quite helpful if you call them.

Will probably give an update here once I have come to a solution!

You might want to try the Hammond Design 20BXL. the BXL cup is really fairly deep, but the 20 rim is a pretty good take on the Schilke 59. Hammond's pieces sound rich in most settings.

You may also want to try a Greg Black 1 5/16G. This is Greg's biggest "small" bass trombone mouthpiece, and has a rim that is only ever-so-slightly larger than a Schilke 59/Laskey 85MD, but with the same kind of build as you expect from a GB.

Hi all,

just a short update:
Already a few weeks ago I got a customized Klier 1AK with a smaller bore of 7,4 instead of 8 mm.

Until now it works quite well for me.

Klier's production quality and service also for custom orders are great.
As I already have a few of their mouthpieces, I was confident that their general design (rim shape...) would work for me.
Pricing is also okay - around 110 Euro. Shipping will differ depending on where you live.

Overall they seem to be able to easily - and relatively cheaply - alter most aspects of their mouthpieces.

Funnily I have played almost only Klier mouthpieces until when I was in my early twenties.
Then I played a few other ones (Denis Wick, Schilke...), now I am almost completely back to Klier.
9E on alto, model Gössling on German tenor, only exception A&S 6 1/2 AL on medium bore.