Zeroing in on a Mouthpiece Concept - Looking for Suggestions

[Mark Horne]

Having played and performed with a variety of mouthpieces and horns for the last couple of years, I am getting to the point of knowing what I want from a mouthpiece and now I would like to identify the one that best matches the qualities that I am looking for. I'll start by describing the two pieces that have worked the best for me and what I like or dislike about them:

PT88 - I currently perform with one of these (I also have a PT 88+ but I "feel" like the extra mass reduces the feedback coming back to the player). To me the PT 88 seems like it adds more low frequency to the sound than anything else I've played. It also does a better job of providing some clarity and defintion when compared to a PT 44 or Bayamo. The rim is comfortable, but maybe a little thicker and more rounded than optimal for me.

Laskey 30G - Brightens up the sound considerably but at the expense of the low end - I really feel like I lose something in the lower frequencies. For me, the rim feels a little too thin and flat, and the inner rim just a bit too sharp to be comfortable for long periods of playing. However, the articulation is cleaner and my endurance with the piece can improve with concerted effort. The mass of this piece also "feels" a little light to me and I get the impression (however slight) that some energy is being lost at the mouthpiece (compared to heavier models).

It would seem that I need a mouthpiece that sits right between these two. I find that I am comfortable with rims that are about 33mm in diameter and with a medium (or just a little thinner than medium) semi-rounded contour, with a defined but not sharp inner rim. I would love to preserve all the low frequency of the PT 88 while also adding the clarity of the 30G (maybe wishing for too much here). I've taken this to the open forum because there are a lot of players here who have tried a lot of mouthpieces and should be able to make some useful comparisons to these two known quantities. The other reason I go to the forum is that I have historically searched out the bargains among the pieces that seem like they could work for me and give it a shot - I usually don't like to trial and return mouthpieces. Knowing that my search may well direct me to the custom makers, I'm trying to improve my odds for success the first time.

Looking forward to the discussion. . .

[pwhitaker]

Mike Finn: MF3H (H for Helleberg style rim.) It's 33 mm with a fairly deep rounded cup and medium width rim.

[Levaix]

Blokepiece Symphony with a #2 rim would be a good try.

Also a Laskey 30H.

[Mark Horne]

The suggestion for a Blokepiece Symphony does not surprise me. Anyone compared one head to head vs. a PT 88?