I've been testing my trusty Wick 4AL (classic style) compared to a new Alliance DC3 (David Childs signature model). David says he was happy with the 4AL he used to have, and when Alliance approached he said he would only switch if it was like his 4AL only better! And he thought if fulfilled that need. I'm not sure I find the same thing, but that was not a parameter I had set.
They play in a similar way, but...
The DC3 feels larger. The cup size is the same, so I attribute that to a more rounded rim. A more rounded rim should negatively affect articulation, but that doesn't seem to be the case for me (the comments here support that, I think). The throat is nearly identical, BUT the DC3 has a more open backbore sooner by quite a lot. That should negatively affect endurance for a while, and I have not noticed that either, but my stability is not great yet so it's hard to know for sure. 23 years of very uneven, and mostly infrequent practice take a while to make up for. (My practice now is regular, so it is gradually improving my state.)
For the record, the tally of opinion as of 11:14 Central time on Tuesday is:
RED: 6
BLUE: 14
MIX: 1 (but several of you saw benefits in each mouthpiece)
I'll post the breakdown at the bottom of the post.
Because the Alliance WAS so similar to the 4AL in many ways, I tried to find its own characteristics before doing the A/B tests. So I played exclusively on the DC3 for 2 weeks prior to the recording. Even so, the 4AL felt like my comfy shoes when I switched back to it, so I was not totally "into" the DC3 yet as a distinct model. But it did help me give it a fairer chance in the showdown!
If I were to play nothing but the Holst 2nd Suite for the rest of my life I would stay with the 4AL. I don't think there is a better piece to show its value in the world of mouthpieces. But of course I will play other things. I was previously enjoyed better articulation with the Ultra 4U and the Heritage mouthpieces I used for a while (each). But I gave up comfort and other outcomes with those, so the trade-off didn't work for me.
My next piece to record is Czardas (although we may sneak in a little Faure piece I just arranged at some point first). On Czardas, the extra clarity of articulation and the more focused sound of the DC3 would be just fine, so I will keep playing it at least until then. After that we want to get back to the Arpeggione, and I think then I will re-test the 4AL. The Arpeggione requires a LOT of refinement and subtle musical touches, and is not so articulation heavy. The more focused DC3 would be fine in that regard, but I want to see if the 4AL just plain makes everything easier to play or if the DC3 does that. Could be that neither will stand out that way.
I'm leaning hard toward the DC3. I believe I can bring more to the Holst if I just work more on that type of playing with the DC3, for one thing. And I often feel like I want a better center than I can get from the 4AL - the DC3 might bring that to the table.
I thank ALL OF YOU for your input! Obviously the decision is still up to me, but your opinions were very helpful in focusing my thoughts.
"Vote" breakdown:
graeme: red, narrow margin
MikeS: blue
guidocorona: blue (#2)
Vito: blue
RichardIII: blue
daruby: red, lean
John Morgan: blue
RickF: blue
franz: blue
bbocaner: blue
Nbnarcisi: blue
Rodgeman: red
adrian_quince: blue
euphisto: blue
carbogast: mix
JakeGuilbo: blue
longhornpatino: blue
aroberts781: red, close
miketeachesclass: blue
Magikarp: red
DutchEupho: red (and he really nailed a guess as to the 2 mouthpieces!)