Mouthpiece for better tone

[Johnny3143]

Merry Christmas everyone!

Was wondering what a good mouthpiece for nicer tone would be. I have a Yamaha YEP-321 and use the standard Yamaha 48 that came with it. Have been playing for about 7 months and wanting to try some different pieces lately. I suppose it doesn’t have to be just for tone, a general upgrade on my standard piece would be nice as well. Thanks

[RickF]

Hi Johnny,
Since you’re used to playing with a 48 mpc I might suggest a Wick-5 or Schilke 51D. Both of those are available in small or tenor shank.

[Andy101]

Schilke 52 D is also a decent choice. Everyone is different in personal experience of this question and all answers are valid. Something extra to think about though.
Obviously, there will be a difference in sound tone and projection with comparison of a shallow cup to a deeper cup; however, there are a few other factors which should not be ignored.
In comparison to listening to your tone, what tone results are listeners getting from your playing. This feedback can help you when trying to achieve a "nicer tone". The more you work toward this goal, you might find that not so much a drastic change needs to be made in your equipment. With a few small variances in mouthpieces, have someone listen to your playing in the environment you typically play in (band shell, outdoor, small venue, large concert hall) Get the feedback and make some simple notes. That can be your starting point. Now, change up your practice goals a little by catering some of the practice time toward timbre (sound color and quality) and projection to name a few. As previous Chicago Symphony trumpeter Adolph Herseth used to say, never practice but always perform.

[daruby]

I don't necessarily suggest this approach, but the Wick 4AY is a tenor shank version of the Wick 4AL. As far as getting the fullest tone from a YEP-321, this is my favorite. I really enjoy play the 321 with this mouthpiece. BUT going from a Yamaha 48 (essentially similar to the Bach 6 1/2 AL) to a Wick 4AY is a BEEEG jump!