TubeNet

I think that's as many abbreviations as I've ever seen together.

I just ordered an Alan Baer F for my 983 as well. Stainless though... I will let you know what I think after a couple of weeks on it.

Well, I have been playing on my Alan Baer F in S.S. for a while now, and all I can really say is WOW!!!

This is a really great mouthpiece for my 983, and it adds to the soloistic quality of the horn. It seems that it just makes everything easier to play - almost enough to say that "less air" is needed to make a good sounding note. Of course, it goes without saying that maintaining your breathing skills as everyone should, will only aid in your performance with this mouthpiece. This mouthpiece really resonates well, and I was particularly surprised of the sound is created just by the look of the mouthpiece. From the outside it looks really small, but comparing inside of the mouthpiece with my Dillon S3, it looked pretty similar!

The high register just pops out, and the low register is surprisingly open as well! I was shocked! It may be because of the novelty of the new piece, but the notes just seem to 'slot' better, and they also seem to hold together more in extreme dynamics.

I have always liked gold because of the warmth, comfort, and slippery feel it gives on my face. However, my S3 has since needed to be replated with gold after only a year and a half of use. Matt Walters said this timeframe for a player's main mouthpiece on your horn is normal, so I was not happy with the idea that I would have to get my mouthpiece goldplated every year. With the stainless steel, I get a better feel than with gold, and of course there is no need for replating!

I have not yet tried it out in an ensemble setting because my brass band is now on summer leave. I am hoping it will give me great results here as well.

I really am enjoying this mouthpiece, and I hope others will give it a try as well!

Regards,

Is there a difference in feel to the lips with the titanium against the stainless steel?

Yes and No. In terms of slipperyness, they are very similar, but I'd give a little edge to titanium. However, there is a big difference when you first put them to your lips. The titanium is almost instantly warm, it takes longer for the SS to warm up. (though the SS is still much better than brass in this respect) That being said, I prefer the Titanium, as it is very comfortable on the lips.

At the Army conference last winter, I compared back to back the Bayamo in SS vs Ti on a King BBb and the Diablo (SS and Ti) on a Wilson Eb. For both models I clearly preferred the Ti version. They just played easier, and with more focus.

So this spring I bought the Alan Baer moldel in Ti (C version) and am loving it. I'm holding off on buying a mouthpiece for my Eb as I hope to be buying a new horn in the next year. I've gotten the wife's approval, now I just need to save up the $$ and also decide which model - I'm really looking forward to the release of the Norwegian Star. As soon as I get a new horn, Ivan will be getting a call to send me some mouthpieces to try.