too many horns, too many mouthpieces

[tbonesullivan]

This feels like a ramble, but I am just having trouble figuring out how the DE pieces would work to have a single, consistent DE rim that would fit and work well with different cup/shank arrangements to cover small bore, euph, and bass bone setups. Anyone have any thoughts/experiences with this?

As I understand it, each "series" is listed as being somewhat similar to a specific mouthpiece, like how the ST is "kind of" like a bach 12C/11C, the MT like a 7C, and the LT like a 5G. But that's just the starting point. There is an overlap in rim sizes, and also with the different cups and shanks you can really dial in what you are looking for.

I know others have commented on this already, but each rim is specific to a "series", so the LT rim will only fit LT Cups, etc. So you can't always use the exact same rim, unless you stay within the series. The are specific to the cup letter. I also believe there will be some difference between an LT 104 E / 4* setup and an XT 104 E / 4 * in terms of feel, as the XT cups may be a bit wider overall, so even if the depth is the same, there is more "space". The "series" is basically decided by the size of the "interface" where the threading is between the rim and the cup. So, the EUPH series has a slightly larger "interface" than the XT, which is why it can also be used for some bass trombone uses.

Even within these "limitations" however, you can still stay within the LT series and make a mouthpiece suitable for alto. You can also get a nice "middle of the road" mouthpiece, and have several shanks for it based on which trombone you are playing with it.

[aroberts781]

Thanks for adding your thoughts tbonesullivan. I think your post basically lines up with where I settled in all of this discussion, which is that some people prefer to tailor specific series set ups to specific horns, and others have found some success varying cups and shanks within a series to work on a variety of different sized horns.

Thanks again for everyone's discussion.

[dsurkin]

[snip]Dean, it sounds like you use an XT series cup for both your small and medium bore tenors and your large bore compensating euphonium. Looking at Doug's website I get the impression that the ST or MT series is "best" for smaller bore trombones, but I assume you are happy with an XT series on you're small bore? [snip]

Sorry to say, my Doug Elliott has been sitting in the drawer for a while now. I'm using the Bowman BB1 on the euphonium and my vintage Bach 6.5 AL on my Bach 36B.

[miketeachesclass]

I will say that I'm currently playing on a DE 103 rim with an H* cup and H9 backbore.

I have a bunch of DE components from 103 through 106 rims, and H through J cups/backbores. The H seems to be a sweet spot for me in terms of maintaining the sound I want (Still not quite a brilliant as a wick, but much more comfortable for me).

Bente Illevold uses a DE 103 H as well.

Mike

[tbonesullivan]

Sorry to say, my Doug Elliott has been sitting in the drawer for a while now. I'm using the Bowman BB1 on the euphonium and my vintage Bach 6.5 AL on my Bach 36B.

I currently use a Wick 4AL with my Sterling, though I also have a Hammond 11XL and Schilke 52D that I have been messing with.

For my LT36B however the Hammond 11ML small shank I had was just too too big sounding. I went with a DE LT 102 / E / 4* setup, and it really gets me the 36B sound that I want. It's kind of like a 6 1/2AL with just a bit more cup size, and maybe a slightly smaller throat. The Hammond 11ML is supposed to be like a 6 1/2AL as well but it's really just too open IMHO. It's much closer to a 5GS.