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I have a Lehman D made by Dave Houser. It's a interesting mouthpiece, almost a perfect V, big bore, thin rim, producing a very dark sound. The exterior is an old fashioned design.
That got me thinking about a hybrid...
A couple of years ago I asked Dave Houser to laser scan a Wick SM3 and create a mouthpiece in stainless steel which combines the Lehman D exterior and rim with the SM3 cup and backbore. As he made it, he noted that the curves line up pretty well between the Lehman and the SM3.
I've had it about two years. It is a lovely mouthpiece visually. It's alittle longer than a Wick, so you have to push the main tuning slide in about 1/2 inch.
Because of the design, it is a lightweight mouthpiece, less massive that the Wick or the Lehman in brass. I played it some at home, but never did much with it -- it seemed a little bright and edgy.
On impulse, I took it to my recital rehearsal on Friday, to see what it sounded like in a big space. My pianist immediately liked it, and as we practiced, she commented on it several times, noting how "pretty" it sounds. Finally, she said, "I think you have found the mouthpiece" for the recital.
Because of a lot of reasons, a mouthpiece can sound much different to the player than to the listener. But to me, playing this Wick/Lehman hybrid in church, I hear a cleaned up Wick sound -- no grain in the sound -- with a vey clear focus and center, and a good distribution of fundamental and overtones producing a strong, robust sound, without being too dark or too bright.
Well, we'll see. Mouthpieces can fool you, but I am hopeful.
That got me thinking about a hybrid...
A couple of years ago I asked Dave Houser to laser scan a Wick SM3 and create a mouthpiece in stainless steel which combines the Lehman D exterior and rim with the SM3 cup and backbore. As he made it, he noted that the curves line up pretty well between the Lehman and the SM3.
I've had it about two years. It is a lovely mouthpiece visually. It's alittle longer than a Wick, so you have to push the main tuning slide in about 1/2 inch.
Because of the design, it is a lightweight mouthpiece, less massive that the Wick or the Lehman in brass. I played it some at home, but never did much with it -- it seemed a little bright and edgy.
On impulse, I took it to my recital rehearsal on Friday, to see what it sounded like in a big space. My pianist immediately liked it, and as we practiced, she commented on it several times, noting how "pretty" it sounds. Finally, she said, "I think you have found the mouthpiece" for the recital.
Because of a lot of reasons, a mouthpiece can sound much different to the player than to the listener. But to me, playing this Wick/Lehman hybrid in church, I hear a cleaned up Wick sound -- no grain in the sound -- with a vey clear focus and center, and a good distribution of fundamental and overtones producing a strong, robust sound, without being too dark or too bright.
Well, we'll see. Mouthpieces can fool you, but I am hopeful.
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