Bach mouthpiece experts.....

[kathott]

Bach players....
Is there a reliable way of determining Bach mouthpiece vintage by the lettering?
(no Mt. Vernon flag wavers please, separate post)
thanks, K.

[iiipopes]

The Bach Loyalist website has pages on the lettering and age of trumpet mouthpieces and catalogs; I don't know if these translate to tuba mouthpieces or not:
https://www.bachloyalist.com/bach-mouth ... ariations/" target="_blank
https://www.bachloyalist.com/category/mouthpiece/" target="_blank

[kathott]

Right iiipopes, the Bach Loyalist page is trumpetcentric. A different stamping set for trpt. mpces.....

[WC8KCY]

This is also a trumpet-centric page, but I've seen and owned enough Bach MPs to say many of the details also apply to horn, trombone, and tuba 'pieces...

https://www.trumpetjunkie.com/datingbachmouthpieces.htm

Funny you mention the Mt. Vernon "flag wavers"...I'll go right ahead and gore their sacred cow. I have a couple Mt. Vernons here in the studio, but the best Bach MPs I've ever owned are a Vincent Bach Corp. (big period) trombone 12C and a Vincent Bach Corp. (small squarish period) trumpet 3C.

I scratch my head when looking at Sold Items listings on eBay and finding Mt. Vernon trumpet 'pieces in the 1C-5C size range selling for $200, $300, and even more. Those buyers are nuts. In a blindfold test, I bet the lucky recipients of these bargains would prefer an early Elkhart 3C or modern-day Blessing 3C over the Mt. Vernon 3C.

[iiipopes]

I have played a Mt. Vernon 18 and other subsequent 18's. The Mt. Vernon 18 had a slightly sloped rim, kind of like a trumpet 7C mouthpiece, along with the "spec" 1.26 internal cup diameter. I don't recall the throat. The other 18's, from various subsequent years, all had different rims and cup diameters, all the way from 1.25 to 1.29, and the rims all the way from the slope to rims that would remind you more of Helleberg and Wick, and all with the larger "spec" throat.

[proam]

A lot of the price is due to the rareity of the larger size pieces.

I own a MV 3C along with many other generations of Bach 3C. I like some, including the MV, but disliked others, especially the more recent ones.

I did own a MV 1C but could not tell enough difference between it and a Corp. 1C so I sold it. I also had the same experience with a MV 3 and a Corp. 3 - they seemed pretty much the same to me.

I have no plans to ever sell my MV 3C though I have to admit some of these prices tempt me.

Funny you mention the Mt. Vernon "flag wavers"...I'll go right ahead and gore their sacred cow. I have a couple Mt. Vernons here in the studio, but the best Bach MPs I've ever owned are a Vincent Bach Corp. (big period) trombone 12C and a Vincent Bach Corp. (small squarish period) trumpet 3C.

I scratch my head when looking at Sold Items listings on eBay and finding Mt. Vernon trumpet 'pieces in the 1C-5C size range selling for $200, $300, and even more. Those buyers are nuts. In a blindfold test, I bet the lucky recipients of these bargains would prefer an early Elkhart 3C or modern-day Blessing 3C over the Mt. Vernon 3C.

[WC8KCY]

A lot of the price is due to the rareity of the larger size pieces.

I own a MV 3C along with many other generations of Bach 3C. I like some, including the MV, but disliked others, especially the more recent ones.

I did own a MV 1C but could not tell enough difference between it and a Corp. 1C so I sold it. I also had the same experience with a MV 3 and a Corp. 3 - they seemed pretty much the same to me.

I have no plans to ever sell my MV 3C though I have to admit some of these prices tempt me.

Your observations and experiences pretty much echo mine. The 7-and-smaller MV pieces for trumpet/cornet aren't hard to find and tend to sell for sensible prices. I've never paid more than $25 for any of my MVs.

The most recent 3C I bought, around 2010, is mediocre at best. Around that time, I also obtained a 10 for cornet and 10B for trumpet which had to be special-ordered and are really nicely made. Perhaps they take a bit more care with the "oddball" sizes--or perhaps I just got lucky.

The MV 7 I have for cornet is nothing special. The MV 10 1/2C I have for trumpet, however, is delightful--and quite different from the current edition.

I'll never sell my Corp. 3C for trumpet--it's just fantastic, but a modern Blessing 3C is 99% as good.

The best Bach I've encountered for tuba was a New York 18. That was the one I started my tuba career on; even in well-used condition with all of the exterior plating worn off, it responded so precisely and with such a lively sound, it made the tuba great fun to play.