TromboneChat

I like to announce that Werner Chr. Schmidt, a mouthpiece manufacturer in Markneukirchen, since 1842, will offer copies of the Ed. Kruspe Prof. Weschke mouthpiece described in Vereecke and Krause (2015), Ed. Kruspe's Prof. Weschke Model Trombone, Historic Brass Society Journal 27, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272291158_Eduard_Kruspe's_Prof_Weschke_Model_Trombone thanks to one of the authors of the article. (Big thanks!)

The measurements are
Inner diameter: 25 mm / 0.984 inch
Depth of cup: 26 mm / 1.024 inch
Bore: 5.7 mm / 0.224 inch

(These are the measurements I got from Schmidt. The article has another set of measurements that differ slightly because of the way these measurements are taken. But the measurements are literally from the same mouthpiece.)

There seem to be a trend to switch to romantic German trombones for romantic German repertoire. This may be a mouthpiece to go with it. It may also fit very well to alto trombones. (Weschke himself used the same mouthpiece on his bflat-tenor, eflat-alto, and c-trombone). Often I see people spending money on a traditional Thein or Laetzsch but then keep on using their standard mouthpiece. My 1920th Kruspe Weschke sounds and responds very differently depending on the mouthpiece.

Who would be interested in such a mouthpiece? I try to get a sense of how many pieces Schmidt could expect to make. I didn't get his pricing yet. Orders should be placed with Schmidt directly http://www.schmidt-brass.de/englisch/index.htm I suppose.

They are very good in communicating in English via email. I ordered quite a number of mouthpieces from them previously. Shipping to the US went very smoothly.

They will also offer copies of four other Ed. Kruspe trombone mouthpieces. Details can be asked from Schmidt (they are not listed on their website yet). 

Thanks for this interesting information , Mr. Schipper ! Did You know that the Conn "Remington" mouthpiece that was usually shipped with the Conn 8H/88H is a modified version of an old Kruspe model.. Would be fun to know if Schmidt have plans for copying this piece also !

Trond

I did not know. Note that the Kruspe Weschke mouthpiece is for a Kruspe Weschke trombone, a narrow bore that was typically used by principal trombone (like still being used by the principal trombone at Berlin Philharmonic or Leipzig Gewandhausorchester). So I am not sure whether I would want to use the Kruspe Weschke mouthpiece on a Conn 8H/88H.

But given that Kruspe produced various trombones including large bore trombones (like the huge bore and bell Steimann model), they would have likely offered various mouthpieces as well. The Kruspe copies that Schmidt currently offers are in PDF file linked below. (They are not yet at his website.)

http://faculty.econ.ucdavis.edu/faculty/schipper/Schmidt_Kruspe.pdf

This is great news. I hope to get to try one. I have been using original mouthpiece that came with a Kurt Scherzer trombone, along with Schmidt's Bambula series for this purpose. This will be a strong addition to the options going forward I am sure!

Quote from: Bcschipper on Apr 21, 2017, 01:36PMI did not know. Note that the Kruspe Weschke mouthpiece is for a Kruspe Weschke trombone, a narrow bore that was typically used by principal trombone (like still being used by the principal trombone at Berlin Philharmonic or Leipzig Gewandhausorchester). So I am not sure whether I would want to use the Kruspe Weschke mouthpiece on a Conn 8H/88H.

But given that Kruspe produced various trombones including large bore trombones (like the huge bore and bell Steimann model), they would have likely offered various mouthpieces as well. The Kruspe copies that Schmidt currently offers are in PDF file linked below. (They are not yet at his website.)

http://faculty.econ.ucdavis.edu/faculty/schipper/Schmidt_Kruspe.pdf

Could be that the no.6 with 26mm id is the one that Conn modifed. Into the Remington model.. DonYou know if  This company can modify existing models ? Change rim sizes etc.. Interestingly they are die casted, not spun.. And... They have a Norwegian dealer.. 

Trond

This is very good news. I'll be driving down to Markneukirchen next week, so I'll try to visit them and take a look and maybe take some pics to share. Now I think I'll take my Kruspe Weschke along.

Another vote for great news! I'm definitely interested in picking up one or more at some point to try on my Schoppers.

Do you know if these mouthpieces will only come in the medium (Euro) shank, or if they will also be made for small and/or large-shank receivers? 

Quote from: SBMaestro on Apr 22, 2017, 06:31PMDo you know if these mouthpieces will only come in the medium (Euro) shank, or if they will also be made for small and/or large-shank receivers? 



They can be ordered with any shank size.

Quote from: Tim Dowling on Apr 22, 2017, 02:18AMThis is very good news. I'll be driving down to Markneukirchen next week, so I'll try to visit them and take a look and maybe take some pics to share. Now I think I'll take my Kruspe Weschke along.



May be it is a good idea to give them heads-up in order to make sure that they have them ready.

the Kruspe/Weschke mouthpieces are now listed on the Schmidt website

http://www.schmidt-brass.de/englisch/mouthpieces-trombone.htm

scroll down

Quote from: heinz gries on Today at 12:53 PMthe Kruspe/Weschke mouthpieces are now listed on the Schmidt website

http://www.schmidt-brass.de/englisch/mouthpieces-trombone.htm

scroll down
I tried the Weschke piece at the shop a week or so ago. It's a great mouthpiece for Weschke modell trombone. A bit small for my taste.  It's quite small in diameter.
I'll be back there in the summer. To try some of the other ones.

Quote from: Tim Dowling on Yesterday at 02:14 PMI tried the Weschke piece at the shop a week or so ago. It's a great mouthpiece for Weschke modell trombone. A bit small for my taste.  It's quite small in diameter.
I'll be back there in the summer. To try some of the other ones.

In terms of rim size, depth of cup, and bore it is comparable to Schmidt Prof. Bambula TP 3 1/2 A, which is a standard tenor trombone mouthpiece for a principal trombone player. The rim size is 25 mm or 0.984252 inch. Since Kruspe Weschke was used by principal trombone players, this does not really come as a surprise. 

Nowadays we are trained on larger equipment. So this may look small today.

I ordered the mouthpiece and it has been shipped. Waiting for its arrival. Eager to try it not just on my Kruspe Weschke but also my Kruspe alto.

My Schmidt Kruspe Weschke mouthpiece arrived yesterday. Ordering and shipping went very smoothly. The mouthpiece looks like the original except that I ordered it silverplated.

It is an excellent mouthpiece for my Kruspe Weschke. It just feels right. I can compare it to the mouthpiece I usually play on my Kruspe Weschke, which is a Schmidt Bambula TP3 3/4 E.

It is sounds brighter. The extreme upper range is effortless. It got a fuller sound in the extreme upper range. The low range is slightly more difficult. That's not too surprising since it is a little shallower than the Schmidt Bambula TP3 3/4 E.

Response is more immediate in the mezzo forte and louder but not necessarily in pianissimo. I guess this has to do with the form of the rim. The rim of the Kruspe Weschke is flatter, wider, and less round. The rim of the Schmidt Bambula TP3 3/4 E is rounder and pretty small compared to other Schmidt Bambula. This smaller rim lets the lips to protrude more into the mouthpiece. I find this facilitates response in pianissimo but not necessarily in mezzo forte and louder.

The wider rim of the Kruspe Weschke makes it much more comfortable when playing longer in the upper range. But the smaller rim of the Schmidt Bambula TP3 3/4E allows for more flexibility.

I have a hard time choosing: For the lowest three octaves, I prefer the Schmidt Bambula. But this is not the most commonly used range of a Kruspe Weschke. For the upper range, I strictly prefer the Kruspe Weschke. In the middle range, I would take the Schmidt Bambula for lyrical work with lower dynamics but the Kruspe Weschke for louder dynamics.

May be I can blur the differences with more practice. 

I should mention that I already use an old original Ed. Kruspe mouthpiece for my Kruspe alto. This mouthpiece is essentially the same as the Kruspe Weschke mouthpiece except that it is a little shallower and more cup-like. But the rim form and diameter appears to be the same. (It is unplated brass though.) So I am used to the Kruspe rim already.

Very interesting to read your views on Schmidt’s Weschke mouthpiece.  Do you have experience of his mouthpieces for larger trombones of this period: possibly the Kruspe ones?  I’m wondering if one might be suitable for my Robert Piering Bb/F, which seems to be between Bach 36 and Conn 88 in bore (my caliper not very accurate).

Quote from: silverslideman on Jun 02, 2017, 09:24AMVery interesting to read your views on Schmidt’s Weschke mouthpiece.  Do you have experience of his mouthpieces for larger trombones of this period: possibly the Kruspe ones?  I’m wondering if one might be suitable for my Robert Piering Bb/F, which seems to be between Bach 36 and Conn 88 in bore (my caliper not very accurate).

I haven't tried it on a trombone with a larger bore. My Weschke mouthpiece has small shank size. You can order with from Schmidt with any shank size though including the typical German shank size between small and large. But I would not want to use it on a larger bore German trombone as it is a perfect mouthpiece for the Kruspe Weschke. I wouldn't expect to perform well at larger bore German trombones.

For my Weite 3 (larger bore German trombone) Karl Moennich trombone (whose size looks very close to a Piering) I use a Schmidt Prof. Bambula TP 3 3/4. It just feels right to me. For an even larger German trombone like an old Kruspe Bass trombone I would use Schmidt Prof. Bambula TBP 5 W. I am biased though in the sense that I learned on Schmidt Prof. Bambula mouthpieces.

Quote from: silverslideman on Jun 02, 2017, 09:24AMVery interesting to read your views on Schmidt’s Weschke mouthpiece.  Do you have experience of his mouthpieces for larger trombones of this period: possibly the Kruspe ones?  I’m wondering if one might be suitable for my Robert Piering Bb/F, which seems to be between Bach 36 and Conn 88 in bore (my caliper not very accurate).

I haven't tried it on a trombone with a larger bore. My Weschke mouthpiece has small shank size. You can order with from Schmidt with any shank size though including the typical German shank size between small and large. But I would not want to use it on a larger bore German trombone as it is a perfect mouthpiece for the Kruspe Weschke. I wouldn't expect to perform well at larger bore German trombones.

For my Weite 3 (larger bore German trombone) Karl Moennich trombone (whose size looks very close to a Piering) I use a Schmidt Prof. Bambula TP 3 3/4. It just feels right to me. For an even larger German trombone like an old Kruspe Bass trombone I would use Schmidt Prof. Bambula TBP 5 W. I am biased though in the sense that I learned on Schmidt Prof. Bambula mouthpieces.