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davewerden

Mouthpiece Finishes and Materials

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Brass mouthpieces come in a variety of materials and plating these days, and it is nice to have such choices. Each choice has something to offer.

First, it is important to understand the difference between material and plating. Traditional mouthpieces are made of brass. However, brass is not safe to play on - it is irritating for your chops and can actually be poisonous for some people. Brass mouthpieces are therefore coated to protect the player (and to keep them looking nice). The most common coating is silver plating. It is safe and comfortable for most players, durable, and looks good.

Some mouthpieces are offered with gold plating. Players usually find that gold feels smoother on the chops. It is also a better choice for skin that may be sensitive to silver.

For many years there have been mouthpieces made entirely of some kind of plastic. These are safe for your skin, cheap, and light weight. They are also offered in colors by some makers.

Lately mouthpieces have been offered in stainless steel. In this case, the metal needs no coating. It feels very smooth and is also safe for most people.

You can match a particular mouthpiece shape (design) in any of the materials above. For example, you can probably find the venerable 6-1/2AL in just about any material. So does the material contribute anything else to the character of the mouthpiece? The answer is "yes."

The starting point for the discussion is silver-plated brass, the industry standard. It provides a good foundation with ample mass. Silver plating sticks well to brass and can be very durable. For most players, the silver-plated mouthpiece will not tarnish while it is in regular use. (If you leave it on a shelf for months you will see it tarnish.)

A gold finish on such a mouthpiece changes the "feel" to your chops, but as far as I know it does absolutely nothing else to the sound. In theory the mass of the mouthpiece will change because of the plating, but with a typically-heavy mouthpiece, the plating is inconsequential in that equation. From a practical standpoint, it is important to have a silver base plating under the gold. That helps the gold adhere to the brass, which would otherwise not be assured. Also, as the gold starts to wear off (it is softer than silver and will not wear as well), you have silver showing through, which is safe to play on.

A plastic mouthpiece is safe for your skin and inexpensive. It is also a fine choice if you have to play in sub-freezing weather because it won't freeze to your chops. The lighter-weight material will change the tone of the mouthpiece to some extent. I have never liked the effect, but I suppose someone else might. You will not get the power and projection of a metal mouthpiece.

Stainless steel is the newest innovation, and it a nice material. There is no plating because the steel is safe for chops and feels very smooth. The material is more massive than brass, and as such will have different characteristics. I find that it gives a very solid sound with good core, but seems less "open" than I prefer. That's just personal taste, and you might really like the effect. The most obvious advantage of stainless steel is that there is no plating to wear off. Also, the material is tougher than brass, so it may be less likely to get little dents/scratches on the rim over time.

There are also hybrids. You may be able to find a brass mouthpiece with a screw-on rim. In that case you can usually order a rim made of plastic, so you can have a metal body for weight and projection, but still have a plastic rim if you like the comfort or need it for cold-weather playing.

As discussed above, the mouthpiece body provides a certain amount of mass, which does affect the sound of the mouthpiece. In the 1970's it was in vogue to "skeletonize" a mouthpiece - put is on a lathe and take off as much outer metal as possible while still keeping the body strong enough to survive. This made the mouthpiece feel more responsive because it vibrated more easily. The practice died out, I think because the thinner metal gave a nice response at the expense of projection. The point is, the shape of the mouthpiece body makes a difference in its playing characteristics to some extent. Given the same internal dimensions, a Bach-shaped mouthpiece will play a little differently compared to a Wick-shaped mouthpiece. Bach also offers a Mega-Tone mouthpiece, which has a larger, heavier body. This mouthpiece provides a different tone/projection characteristic.

Different materials can make a difference, just as the amount of brass on the mouthpiece body made a difference. If you are lucky enough to have access to a large brass event (such as an ITEC), you may be able to try many of these options and decide for yourself what is your preference.

Updated 03-29-2023 at 11:00 AM by davewerden

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Euphonium-Tuba Blog , General Tuba-Euphonium Blog

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