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Thread: Need help picking a mouthpiece

  1. Need help picking a mouthpiece

    Hey everyone,

    I currently play with a Schilke 51D and it is a good mouthpiece, but my upper register is not has strong or open as with a Bach 5G. I played on a Denis Wick SM4U for a few years in concert band and I love the tone and project I get with it, but again my upper register is there, but not strong and open. With the Bach 5G my upper register is there, but my lower register is a bit too bright and I have a hard time controlling my pedal range. I have been looking at a few different mouthpieces and really liked the look of the Denis Wick 5AL Heritage. Would this be a good mouthpiece for me or does anyone have any suggestions?
    B&H 967 Sovereign Euphonium

  2. Given that you have data points from 5G to 51D to 4AL, you have pretty munch covered the range of typical euphonium mouthieces. In 1980, at age 29, I was playing a 6 1/2AL when I purchased my Sovereign 967, which came with a 4AL. It took me several years to complete a successful transition to the 4AL.

    If you are comfortable with the 5G, I would suggest warming up your mid-range sound and working on your low range in a series of daily exercises. I currently play a 5G on English baritone and a 4AL (or something very close in either an Alliance or Doug Elliot) on euphonium. On either mouthpiece and either horn, my daily routine goes from the lowest available pedal note to Db or D above high Bb (concert pitch). If you can develop your low range on the 5G (which isn't all that small) and still get a good sound up through your range, you will then find the transition to a larger mouthpiece easier.

    Doug

    PS I use the Mike Milnarik Daily routine (for Bb and CC tuba or Bb euphonium).
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  3. Mr. Doug,

    Thank you for your reply. I can not decide whether to go with the classic denis wick or the heritage. Both look like they will be good, but I am unsure of the differences between them. Which one would you recommend?
    B&H 967 Sovereign Euphonium

  4. #4
    Check out my quick comparisons in this playlist. You will find the Heritage compared to the Wick classic:

    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...9KJ0sFNI5jjEo_
    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  5. Dave Werden's recommendation on checking the specifications is a good one. At one time I had a Wick Heritage 4AL, but I never used it, prefering my sound on the standard. I have been playing the standard 4AL for the better part of 40 years.
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  6. #6
    I played and liked the Heritage better than I liked the classic. But more players play and prefer the classic. The rim, feel and response are quite different. I liked the Heritage, but really you can't know unless you try both. Probably safer to buy the classic if you have to choose one.

  7. #7
    If you listen to the A/B play tests from my YouTube playlist above you may hear a small difference between the Heritage and Classic Wick mouthpieces. What that listening test can't show you is how they feel. The Classic rim feels more rounded; the Heritage rim feels a bit sharper on the inner curve. That MAY help the Heritage deliver clearer articulations according to the Vincent Bach manual on mouthpiece design. But the Classic will feel more comfortable on your chops at first.
    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  8. #8
    The rim and the articulations on the Heritage just worked better for me. That said, I ultimately moved to the Alliance 2 (not the Childs 2) which was shipped with the Besson Prestige, the mouthpiece which was the "goldilocks" mouthpiece for me.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    San Antonio, TX
    Posts
    15
    I have enjoyed using the Karl Hammond mouthpieces. I use an 11L on euphonium. It has an interesting cup design that starts as a bowl/barrel and then funnels into the throat, that helps with air direction and creates a clear "HD" sound, as he like to advertise. The 11L is a little shallower than the Wick 4AL, and the rim diameter is just a little smaller, but bigger than the 5G or 51D. His 11XL is very deep, like the 51D. It is actually comparable to the 52D

    If you liked the 5G, you can try the Hammond 12L, or 12XL for a deeper cup.

    I played on a 51D in high school, 52D through a few years in college, then Dan Perantoni suggested I try the SM4 and I loved it, and played on that for almost 20 years until I switched to the Hammond in January. Why? I was looking for a more focused responsive sound. The Wick tends to have a "Woofy" sound as I have heard it described.

    Just a thought. Good Luck.
    Raul Escobar
    1985 Willson 2900BS, Hammond 11L
    1974 King 4BF Silver Sonorous, Hammond 12ML
    1972 King Duo Gravis, Hammond 20BLL

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