GW Alan Baer model mouthpiece

[Chen]

For those who already got this mouthpiece, how does this mouthpiece play for you?

[adam0408]

I just got mine on saturday, and I have played with it a moderate amount. Through two band rehearsals and a few hours of alone time. (enough to know that I want to keep it)

I played it for my band director and he was fairly impressed with it. He said it delivered two things that he has not heard in conjunction before: A darker sound, and a clearer sound.

This mouthpiece is a lot more free-blowing than what I am used to (R&S TUHHII) by the way, I could write a dissertation on how great I think that mouthpiece is. I don't care what people say about how useless heavy mouthpieces are, it really did the trick for me. ANYWAY, back to the topic at hand. Free-blowing= harder for me to play long connected phrases because of the increased volume of air. I also have yet to make it sound really good in the lower register. This, I think is not the fault of the mouthpiece, its just me not being used to the larger amount of air that it requires.

All that technical mumbo jumbo like throat diameter and such I cannot tell you about because I am not well-versed in the terminology. I just know that at the non-business end of the mouthpiece, it is a LOT bigger than my other one and the hole (throat?) at the bottom of the cup is bigger. All of this equals the afformentioned free-blowing factor.

This piece feels drastically different than a plated brass piece, because of course it is stainless steel. It feels at first much slipperier than a brass mouthpiece, but it feels kind of weird if I dont keep it wet around the rim. it is kind of hard to explain. Its not a bad weird necessarily.... its just different from what I am used to.

Range wise, as I mentioned before, I dont sound as good in the low register yet with this piece. However I think that this issue can easily be resolved as I get more used to it. As soon as I put it in my horn, it added a 3rd to my high range. I can now squeal out a fifth higher on it. I make the trombone players jealous.... hahaha... Thats a pretty drastic change from the way I see it. My high range is more focused and sounds better- less pinched- to my ears.

I am still getting used to the fact that this piece weighs a LOT less than my R&S. Its really weird picking it up and putting it in my horn. It feels like I am gonna break it or something.

The rim on this piece is very comfortable. I can play for a lot longer without fatigue than I could on my old mouthpiece. The rim is really wide and nicely rounded which spreads out the force nicely on my chops. After I get done playing, I feel like playing more, and my lips feel like they could actually do it, instead of the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak scenario that would happen before.

Conclusion: I have not played all that many mouthpieces in my day, but this one is pretty awesome. I would say that it is worth the money for what it does to my sound. The bottom line is that I cant tell you what is right for you, but I told you what this mouthpiece does for me, and I hope this helps you out in some way. I am very much a believer in having one mouthpiece for everything, and I was trying to change that by purchasing this one, but I think in so doing, I found my new everything mouthpiece.

[TexTuba]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me how this mouthpiece compares to the PT-44. I love the rim of my 44 and was wondering if it was possibly similar. If so, I'd love to check this mouthpiece out. Thanks.




Ralph

[MartyNeilan]

Bump.
I would like to hear more from "mortals" who have tried the G&W AB mouthpiece as well; I have received several helpful emails from Mr. Baer himself answering questions on it.

[Wallace]

I am very impressed with my new Alan Baer mouthpiece. I have been trying a TON of mouthpieces on my Miraphone 1291 looking for the best balance of sound and comfort. For me, this mouthpiece seems to be just what I was after. It makes my sound very clear and focused, but it still projects very well. The majority of my playing is in a wind ensemble, and I have also recently formed a brass quintet. This mouthpiece suits both situations very well. Previously, I had been using a Laskey 30G in my big group and a 7B in my quintet. I really like only using one mouthpiece, regardless of the situation, and so far this seems to fit for me.

The big rim (same as a C4, I think) is very comfortable, even after several hours of playing. I had some endurance issues with the laskey. The inside edge of the rim is still pretty sharp, so attacks are easy and clear. On my Miraphone, intonation seems pretty spot-on, as well. I have had no range issues, like adam has experienced. The low range actually speaks easier on this mouthpiece than on any of the other ten mouthpieces I've tried on my horn. The pedal range is especially easy.
If anyone has more specific questions, jusk ask. I have put over 15 hours on this mouthpiece so far, but this is what came to mind right now.

[Chen]

Got mine a few days ago, put in a few hours on it, and so far I am very impressed with the efficiency and colorful tone quality of this mouthpiece. The rim is comfortable, the response is quick. The mouthpiece is definitely different from previous orchestral-inspired big and heavy mouthpieces, it is more functional and provides a more interesting sound.

[Bill Troiano]

I received mine last week. I really wanted it to try on my 52J, which is my main horn, but I've been doing a lot of playing on my Yammy 621CC and I've been using it on that horn. It works well there too as it is extremely focused sounding with lots of core. It produces a good sound on the Yammy as long as I don't force it. I don't plan on using that horn for anything that requires a lot of sound. I have yet to try it on the 52J, but I'm sure I will like the results. As the first stainless piece I've tried, I really do like the feel on my face. I did hear Alan Baer with the Phil last night and he did sound great, but then he would sound great on anything he played.

[Dave Roberts]

Short and sweet...if you're a C4 person, you'll love it; if you're a 4N (narrow rim, flat top) you probably won't. I've played on the latter for years. The Laskey was more my cup of tea.

Endurance is not a problem on the Laskey, but, patience is needed to achieve slur perfection. Very easy to get segmentation slurring up if you're not used to the rim. The C4/Baer didn't have this problem. Unforturnately, I didn't dig the big rim at all. My 2. D

[Paul S]

Short and sweet...if you're a C4 person, you'll love it; if you're a 4N (narrow rim, flat top) you probably won't. I've played on the latter for years. The Laskey was more my cup of tea.

Endurance is not a problem on the Laskey, but, patience is needed to achieve slur perfection. Very easy to get segmentation slurring up if you're not used to the rim. The C4/Baer didn't have this problem. Unforturnately, I didn't dig the big rim at all. My 2. D

This is my take on the mouthpiece as well.

I really like a lot of things with the Baer but would have liked it even more with a Schilke II/Laskey/Helleberg rim. Even giving it a few weeks, my articulation suffered a bit from the change. The less massive design is a very good one. Output and colour are exactly what I want and I think it can be a superb "use it for everything" mouthpiece IF you like the rim.

a screw rim option?.....

[crbarnes]

Spent Mon. last with Ivan playing an Al Baer on my 1291. Like a few of the players in the other posts, I had been using a Laskey 30 G (Al Baer's idea that confirmed my own research and experimentation). I ended up buying the Al Baer because it was very free in the lower register and comfortable and seemed to just "work" for the horn. We played over 2 hours of duets and then I had a 2 hour rehearsal. Normally, I would have had some serious edema the next day but this just did not happen. Very nice!

If you just back off and just play this MP seems to do its thing. No issues with range. Some changes in the intonation pattern of the horn, which I found interesting, but solvable. I will experiment a bit with a few other horns but for the 1291, this seems to be the best option.

Ivan mentioned that there is a possibility of this becoming the "standard" for the horn from the factory. It would certainly be a better choice than the one that ships now. (TU-33).

I tried all his other MPs a few months ago and did not find one that I really liked for the 1291. Understand that I really was not in the market for a new MP, but the idea that it had been built with my horn in mind intrigued me and I am fortunate enough to live near enough to Ivan to try one out easily.

I did not have issues one way or the other with the stainless steel. I have always played silver plate and don't think all that much of gold plating, but this felt fine. Perhaps a bit slicker than the silver. All in all I think it is one of the best I have played in the 40+ years I've been at it.

[Tom B.]

I've only been playing on the mouthpiece for a few days, but I can give some initial impressions.

My mouthpiece for the past 6 months has been a Conn (UMI) Helleberg. I've also experimented with a PT-44 and a Bach 12, so I can make those comparisons. I play on a Kroner 4/4 CC.

I really prefer a mouthpiece with less mass--I get a livelier tone with them, so this mouthpiece fits the bill nicely. That's why I no longer use the Bach. I also like the Helleberg for it's sharp inner rim. My articulation really improved when I went to that. The PT-44 gives me a sweeter sound than the Helleberg, but at the expense of articulation, so I've stuck with the Helleberg.

The funnel of the G&W is shallower than either the PT-44 or the Helleberg, but it is definitely a funnel. The inside rim is not quite as sharp as a Helleberg, but it is sharper than the PT-44. The G&W rim is wider than any of the other mouthpieces--by a considerable amount. I did not mind the narrow Helleberg rim, so this is taking a little getting used to. However, I suspect the wider rim may contribute to its nice sound. Other than a slightly sharp inner rim, the G&W rim is round and (as everybody else has commented) comfortable. I don't notice a huge difference between stainless steel and silver--except it's a tiny bit more slippery.

So how does it play? Really nicely so far. I was able to instantly produce a sweeter focused sound on the G&W. My wife even noticed it in the next room. It reminds me of the PT-44 in that regard. It is slightly harder to articulate on then the Helleberg, but much easier than the PT-44. I have a bit more trouble with slurs. It continues to have the "liveliness" of the Helleberg. It's a keeper. I suspect it will become my main mouthpiece. If I have other thoughts after a month or so, I'll post again.

Tom

[Kevin Hendrick]

Specifications of the mouthpiece available? From where can this mouthpiece be ordered? Price?

Thanks a lot.
Hubert

http://www.gwmouthpieces.com/

[Paul S]

Could anyone familiar with the Laskey 30H or 30G compare those mouthpieces with the Al Baer 'piece?

In general I like the Baer. It produces a great sound colour, super output and is easy on the chops. I just wish it was available in at least a somewhat flatter, thinner rim. If it offered screw rims like the LOUD brand stainless line it could be a real winner for me. There is a lot to be liked about the Baer sound throughput. I just have a problem with the "cushiony" rim. The less "heavyweight" design is a winner.

The only comparison I can really come up between the Laskey 30H and the Baer Stainless are that they are both nice tuba mouthpieces.

Comparing rim, feel, shape, articulation, cup depth, material, sound produced... to me, all from different galaxies with the Laskey. A rough description might be to think opposite of Helleberg, yet not a bowl, and you have a Baer.

I am trying a LOUD LM-5 that has a lot more of what I would consider the positive similarities to the Laskey 30s (flatter, thinner rim for control, deep funnel) but that is all I will say about it until I spend a few more weeks seeing where it fits. For now I really like the Loud LM-5 although I am keeping my Baer as well. They are very different beasts.

Check out Loud Mouthpieces at: http://www.loudmouthpieces.com/index.php
and G&W Mouthpieces at: http://www.gwmouthpieces.com/
Both makers are great people. Both designs are extremely well made and well thought out. It is great to have these options! If you have questions contact them. They both know their stuff and are super gentleman to talk to.

[MartyNeilan]

Paul,
I understand what you are saying about the very wide rim. I found it was poking me in my protruding chin when playing in the upper middle to high register. Since it is stainless and not plated, I decided it was time for some surgery (on the mouthpiece, not me.) I sanded almost 1/8" off the outer edge of the rim, and rounded it carefully to avoid cutting my chin. I may take another 1/16" off in the future, I am undecided. The has only just slightly reduced the amount of metal in contact with my chops but now I don't get a dent in the top of my chin. Now, I just need to polish the rim back to its glassy smoothness while removing as little from the surface as possible, any ideas?

I do like the piece, it gives a very different sound from the megamouthpiece Warburton-Neilan - it is more focused, brighter, and suprisingly "punchy". (Which, needless to say, means the W-N is broader and darker.) Although the Baer piece is a large shank, I have to have the tuning slide out as much or more than the standard shank W-N because it is a little shallower.

[Ivan Giddings]

Marty,

The nice thing about stainless steel is that you can modify it with no replating needed after the mods are finished. I'm not sure how you took the extra material off the rim. But you have a few options for polishing it back to new. I'm assuming you used a very rough grit sandpaper to remove the material. I would recommend going throught the grits to get it back to a finish polish. Start with a black stainless steel compound on a hard spiral sewn wheel, then use the same comound on a medium spiral sewn wheel. next go to white compound on a spiral sewn, and finally a red comound on a soft wheel. Remember these compounds are not good for you to breath, use an approved mask for the polish you are working with, and a fan to keep your work area air from getting too thick with compound in the air.

If you , or any others would like for a small fee we can make these modifications, and polish it to good as new. Modifications are done as our time permits and depends on what you want done, but usually we get work done within a two week time period.

Ivan

http://www.gwmouthpieces.com

[MartyNeilan]

Yesterday I tried using some "rubbing compound" - available in the auto body section of most hardware or auto parts stores - to polish the part of the mouthpiece I had sanded down. Put some on a shop rag (OK, baby burpcloth) and worked it for about 10 minutes. It seemed to work very well, and made the surface slippery again. If I wanted to get back to the factory mirror finish, I would probably then use "polishing compound" - the same thing used to polish worn paint on cars.

[Tom B.]

I promised to post again if there was anything new worth reporting on this mouthpiece. I've been playing it 4 weeks now, and my ability to rapidly tongue has almost returned to where it was with my Conn Helleberg. Slurs no longer feel more difficult. I'm not aware of the large rim width anymore. The sweet tone is there when you want it. I have also started to be able to produce quite an intense, focused, yet lively tone when called for--sort of a "heroic" sound.

All-in-all, this is a very nice mouthpiece.

Tom