Heavyweight Mouthpieces: Projection, "Cut," Tone? (Stork 4.5)

[comebackplayer]

I came into small and large shank versions of the Stork 4.5 mouthpiece. It is described as their "heavy weight symphonic" mouthpiece. Apparently the heavy shank also are slightly larger bore. Even though I bought the large and small separately, they're both heavy weight blanks. I've also been playing a Yamaha 48 (which seems more cup shaped) and various 6.5s, which seem more v-shaped. My teacher described my sound as brighter on trombone playing the 48. I've moved to the Stork 4.5 for a while and like it. It feels like maybe articulation is a little slower on a heavy mouthpiece, but I'm not sure. The pieces I've played (48, 5g, 6.5, 4.5) all seem to be between 25 and 25.5 mm rims, so maybe not a huge change in moving between them.

On high brass we tend to go shallower and smaller to "cut" or have a brighter sound, and we tend to go heavier and more open for more projection and a more orchestral sound. I guess I am just curious if the 4.5 is an appropriate choice and whether/how you balance these mouthpiece choices. I feel pretty happy with what I have and know I should probably avoid a full on mouthpiece safari. I guess I'm just curious how others worked this out or if you have opinions on heavy pieces.

[comebackplayer]

Just checking back in to say that I did a trial today against a 5g and a 48l. I had my kids listen and see if they could compare the sounds. One kid liked the 48 a little more, but otherwise they sounded to their (and my ears) pretty similar. The 48l maybe felt a bit smaller than the others and the Stork 4.5 maybe felt like it had a bit more punch, but there was not great variance. I think I was kind of hoping that one or the other would make a clear difference in tone, range, or projection. I'll have to try them on trombone too. I'm hoping for a mouthpiece that plays well on both.