TubeNet

bloke wrote:1/ I bought a "new" one based on an "old" one that I played.

2/ Gratefully, on the website I discovered that they are now being shipped ("standard") with considerably less external material that previous versions.

3/ I ordered it. I received it. I played it.

4/ The "less-chunky" one that I received plays exactly like the "chunky" one that I played previous to placing the order.

bloke wrote:Even in the most scientific of comparisons, one can never completely control all of the possible variables.

Ivan Giddings wrote:Interesting topic here

I can tell you why we switched from heavy to lighter mouthpieces

Increased endurance
Clearer sound
Easier to play in all dynamics


Early on we developed our mouthpieces (the Heavy weight) in Titanium. These mouthpieces were roughly 7.2 ounces, and titanium was available for about $7 a pound. So we thought we hit the big time and went for it. Giddings and Webster was created Yippie! Shortly after this time Titanium went up to over $72 dollars a pound ( YICKS!) so we could no longer afford to follow the idea of making a name for ourselves in titanium mouthpieces. We quickly started looking for alternatives, stainless steel was the next best thing, although admittedly heavy. The mouthpieces played great, and they do things a lot of other pieces on the market did not.

Then a Four year session of experimentation began, we added Euphonium, trombone, trumpet, and started developing French horn mouthpieces. I experimented with several different types of steel, 303,304, 304L, 15-5, 17-4, 440, tool steel, aluminum, etc. after our original Alan Baer signature model mouthpiece Alan Baer was experimenting with some mouthpieces we sent him as prototypes. These prototypes were designed with many different outside contours to allow us to see how weight changed projection, endurance, and ease of playability. Alan Machined a mouthpiece down from a heavier piece, and interestingly enough it slowly became MMVI mouthpiece that is now available. This mouthpiece is also close to 7 ounces.

Our original heavy weight stainless steel pieces were closer to 13 ounces, and the new ones are closer to 6 ounces. Why, Because we found the lighter pieces to be more user friendly, and better in the long run.

Fad… not so much, just us improving our product And hopefully giving you something better.

We still experiment and we are still learning.

Enjoy

Ivan

Tubadork wrote:The new rims are quite different. More rounded.
Bill