New Mercer & Barker Euphonium Mouthpiece!

[BrandonJones]

Hey everyone,

I hope everyone is safe and plague-free!

I wanted to let you all know that we have officially launched what I believe will be a game-changer for euphonium players in the Schilke 51D/Griego BB1 camp… and more, honestly. The MB51 is a brand new release that was many, many months of R&D and testing in the making. The rim is rounded and very comfortable, but the inner bite is quite sharp farther down… so you don’t feel it cut into your face. It’s the comfort of a round rim with the clarity of a sharp/flat one. The cup diameter is 25.50 (for reference the Schilke 51D is 25.55 and the BB1 is 25.50) with a bore size of .283. It is free feeling but retains the center and true euphonium core. It does not feel tight to play or loose. The combo is just right. There’s a standard model with the very deep cup that works PERFECTLY for wind band and a “solo” model with a 2mm shallower cup that adds sparkle and brilliance to the sound making it incredibly easy to cut over an ensemble for solo work and high range bombs, haha! I seriously couldn’t be happier with them. They make large AND medium shank in virtually any finish you’d like… including stainless steel. Please check them out. I literally could not be happier with mine.

[miketeachesclass]

Nice work, Brandon.

Are you still playing stainless, or did you go back to brass?

[BrandonJones]

Hey Mike! I’m currently playing on the brass version.

[bayoung36]

Have you tried any of the other Mercer mouthpieces? I like the BB1, but it cuts into my face so I had to stop playing on it!

[BrandonJones]

I have! I’d recommend you give the MB51 a try if you like the BB1. We designed it to be a more comfortable piece, which it absolutely is.

[guidocorona]

Hello Brandon, that's intriguing... But I googled the Mercer&Barker www site without success.

* Does Mercer And Barker have a web site?

* Alternatively, where else can these mouthpieces be sourced?

Regards, Guido


?

[miketeachesclass]

mercerandbarker.com is the UK site

mercerandbarker.us is the USA site.

To my knowledge, the website is the only way to order.

Mike

Hello Brandon, that's intriguing... But I googled the Mercer&Barker www site without success.

* Does Mercer And Barker have a web site?

* Alternatively, where else can these mouthpieces be sourced?

Regards, Guido


?

[RickF]

Here's a direct link to the MB51:
https://mercerandbarker.com/brandon-...come-on-board/

[mbrooke]

Hey everyone,

I hope everyone is safe and plague-free!

I wanted to let you all know that we have officially launched what I believe will be a game-changer for euphonium players in the Schilke 51D/Griego BB1 camp… and more, honestly. The MB51 is a brand new release that was many, many months of R&D and testing in the making. The rim is rounded and very comfortable, but the inner bite is quite sharp farther down… so you don’t feel it cut into your face. It’s the comfort of a round rim with the clarity of a sharp/flat one. The cup diameter is 25.50 (for reference the Schilke 51D is 25.55 and the BB1 is 25.50) with a bore size of .283. It is free feeling but retains the center and true euphonium core. It does not feel tight to play or loose. The combo is just right. There’s a standard model with the very deep cup that works PERFECTLY for wind band and a “solo” model with a 2mm shallower cup that adds sparkle and brilliance to the sound making it incredibly easy to cut over an ensemble for solo work and high range bombs, haha! I seriously couldn’t be happier with them. They make large AND medium shank in virtually any finish you’d like… including stainless steel. Please check them out. I literally could not be happier with mine.

Hi Brandon,

This is going to come off "snarky", but … Over the last few years you have put out three different signature mouthpieces — two with Warburton (one of which was a 51D size) and one with Giddings that was based on his EXL model. All of these were the best mouthpiece ever. What makes this one better than the rest?

Mike

[BrandonJones]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the message. I'm more than happy to clarify. First of all, the mouthpiece with Terry and Ivan are phenomenal, and at the time in my playing life were exactly what I was looking for and needed. Mouthpieces in general, just like shoes, are very personal to people. No one mouthpiece will do everything you need for everyone, regardless of how it is marketed. With that said, my primary full-time job now is playing principal in the USAF concert band. I have a variety of responsibilities in that role. Soloist, jack-of-all-trades ensemble player, etc. I also am now on the Shires euphoniums as of about 3 or so years ago, and mouthpieces sound different on different instruments. When I was on the Adams, I wasn't the principal player and was doing more brass band playing. The Adams with Ivan's piece was very accommodating in brass band. They worked extremely well together. I'm also getting older and I don't want to feel like I have to work as hard to play better, if that makes sense. I've long loved the sound that the Schilke 51D and BB1 give for the American wind band euphonium player... but I've heavily disliked various things about each. So, MB was able to get EXACTLY what I wanted. Even on the other pieces, its as in the context of what was already available in terms of rim contours/exact specs/etc. This was made from the ground up with the EXACT specs that I wanted for MY playing and comfort. I have had students test these as well as a few others and the results are truly incredible. There are MANY mouthpieces these days that are truly amazing in terms of consistency and how they are crafted. So, for me, this mouthpiece IS exactly the best mouthpiece I've ever played for ME. No marketing BS. I am not doing this for money, haha! This is genuinely to help my playing become better and easier with my full-time job being what it is. We were able to create what we did and I'm excited for other people to have an alternative to those mouthpieces now. I've already stated what I love about this mouthpiece in particular, so no need to re-hash that. Again, thanks for the opportunity to clarify why this one works the best for me.

[mbrooke]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the message. I'm more than happy to clarify. First of all, the mouthpiece with Terry and Ivan are phenomenal, and at the time in my playing life were exactly what I was looking for and needed. Mouthpieces in general, just like shoes, are very personal to people. No one mouthpiece will do everything you need for everyone, regardless of how it is marketed. With that said, my primary full-time job now is playing principal in the USAF concert band. I have a variety of responsibilities in that role. Soloist, jack-of-all-trades ensemble player, etc. I also am now on the Shires euphoniums as of about 3 or so years ago, and mouthpieces sound different on different instruments. When I was on the Adams, I wasn't the principal player and was doing more brass band playing. The Adams with Ivan's piece was very accommodating in brass band. They worked extremely well together. I'm also getting older and I don't want to feel like I have to work as hard to play better, if that makes sense. I've long loved the sound that the Schilke 51D and BB1 give for the American wind band euphonium player... but I've heavily disliked various things about each. So, MB was able to get EXACTLY what I wanted. Even on the other pieces, its as in the context of what was already available in terms of rim contours/exact specs/etc. This was made from the ground up with the EXACT specs that I wanted for MY playing and comfort. I have had students test these as well as a few others and the results are truly incredible. There are MANY mouthpieces these days that are truly amazing in terms of consistency and how they are crafted. So, for me, this mouthpiece IS exactly the best mouthpiece I've ever played for ME. No marketing BS. I am not doing this for money, haha! This is genuinely to help my playing become better and easier with my full-time job being what it is. We were able to create what we did and I'm excited for other people to have an alternative to those mouthpieces now. I've already stated what I love about this mouthpiece in particular, so no need to re-hash that. Again, thanks for the opportunity to clarify why this one works the best for me.

Thanks for the response Brandon.

Mike

[BrandonJones]

Absolutely!

[miketeachesclass]

I’ll say that the Jones 51 is hands down the most comfortable 51D style mouthpiece I’ve played. The diameter is a little smaller than my regular preference, but it’s a very, very comfortable piece. If I were primarily in a wind band, I would likely play it regularly.

[mbrooke]

What do the two different depths correspond to?

Mike

[Magikarp]

They seem very, very small.