TromboneChat

I'm looking ahead on my calendar at all of the outdoor performances in the sometimes blistering heat of summer. In performance environments such as this, I sometimes have trouble maintaining a reliable connection between my embouchure and the mouthpiece because of perspiration.

Would a delrin rim be "stickier" than a silver plated brass rim?

I use a Lexan rim from Doug. It's definitely stickier, and also far more temperature consistent.

Delrin I'd imagine would be more similar than not. Probably a bit slipperier.

Delrin seems to be popular with Getzen in their pseudo 12C. Most other plastic mouthpieces I've seen are Lexan, including the Giardinelli plastic rims. Warburton has their own polymer (Warburnite) that is something else entirely.

Lexan may help some, but if you really perspire a lot nothing will help (except maybe that mouthpiece with the grooved rim Sam Burtis used to show -- Grip-Rite?).

I was the first to use Lexan. At the time Giardinelli used Acrylic, which cracks easily, and Schilke used Delrin which leaches out formaldehyde. Those are among the reasons I chose Lexan, it doesn't break easily and is totally inert and non-allergenic, and it feels good on the chops.

I've used one of Doug's Lexan rims in the hottest of hot and coldest of cold. Sticks to the chops in either scenario. It is pretty "grippy" on the face all the time. If I were to make a chart, I would put lexan farther to 'grippy' from a silver rim than a gold rim is towards "slippery".

To more directly answer, I like how these feel particularly in extreme temperatures. Not too hot, not too cold. Always grippy and soft.

Cheers,
Andy

BGuttman wrote: ↑Tue May 07, 2019 4:43 pm Lexan may help some, but if you really perspire a lot nothing will help (except maybe that mouthpiece with the grooved rim Sam Burtis used to show -- Grip-Rite?).

Hahaha, I remember that photo! I could probably pick one of those up at the hardware store. I believe they call them hole saws.

Doug Elliott wrote: ↑Tue May 07, 2019 5:24 pm I was the first to use Lexan. At the time Giardinelli used Acrylic, which cracks easily, and Schilke used Delrin which leaches out formaldehyde. Those are among the reasons I chose Lexan, it doesn't break easily and is totally inert and non-allergenic, and it feels good on the chops.

Yikes...well, the only reason I'm talking about Delrin is that the man who makes my mouthpieces, John Stork, offers that material as an option.

I'm going to start with him and then consider other options.

Thanks for the info.

Delrin ? I remember "Dr. Dave" Harrison of WEDGE mouthpiece fame having a sale on Delrin mouthpieces and I thought it would be a good way to try out his mouthpiece concept. I definitely liked the concept and now have three 1G Delrin WEDGE mouthpieces stashed about the country so I won't be without one if needed. The first time you put one onto a cold embouchure, it is as comfortable as a brass [or any other fashionably exotic metal] mouthpiece that you have warmed up by using it for several minutes. As to its "grippy-ness" factor ? It is very much like the "Goldilocks" not too grippy --- not too slippery --- but just right ! [Do parents still read Goldilocks to their kids ?] I definitely recall sitting on stage on many occasions, cupping my hands about my brass mouthpiece and then blowing into it to warm it up for the first trombone section entrance in the Brahms First Symphony --- about a 25 minute hiatus --- an exercise I would never have to have gone through had I owned a Delrin mouthpiece back then. Alas, Delrin was at that time, to my recollection, only used in the musical world as plectra for harpsichords. Very effectively, I might add ! Strong, yet very workable. I'm a fan, but it is an individual choice. This is where I'm supposed to use an abbreviation --- YMMV --- but I'm goin' full rebellious and spellin' it out --- Your Mileage May Vary ! { I understand Delrin leeches out formaldehyde, but at my age I'll take my chances !]

Ehhh I hate the description of "sticky"... just sounds nasty haha.

I personally have never had an issue with rims being slippery or sticky. I play dry so maybe that's part of it. But... when things have gotten slippy and slidey on those crazy hot summer days the lexan rim caused no issues if anything it probably let me hang on a bit more. Cold days you don't have to worry as much about going crazy flat or your face falling off, does curb that a bit.

If you like "slippery" rims you probably won't like lexan, it does feel "softer" on the face. Doug's rims, in particular, are very comfy and I think that's doubly so with the lexan. If that doesn't matter to you because you play dry or any other reason you won't find a huge difference between silver and lexan, IMO. It's different but not earth shattering.