My Love Letter to the Vincent Bach 5G | Mouthpiece Spotlight

[@SamuelPlaysBrass]

Hey all! Hope the Scholastic mouthpiece reviews are landing well-I’ve neglected mouthpiece analysis for a long time on the channel so I’m still making up for lost time :) August is flying by but we do have a few more Scholastic instrument reviews coming up! Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss them!!

[@arizon4000]

Do you recommend the Bach 5GL? And is gold plated worth it?

[@edwards8383]

You sound so much like Ed Bolian its crazy 😅. Found you looking for brass vs copper sound comparisons, cool vids! 👍🏽

[@brianau490]

Happy my megatone is being happily used!

[@SamuelPlaysBrass]

@@brianau490 Yessir!

[@feelgoodcharlie3822]

I think these mouthpiece specific videos are great. We all go through a period of searching and wanting advice on specific mouthpiece, and many times not the most common ones on the market. Keep it up chap!

[@SamuelPlaysBrass]

@@feelgoodcharlie3822 Thanj you! Glad you’re enjoying them.

[@Napoleonwasright]

The Schilke 51 no D is a pretty interesting piece too. It uses the same blank as the 51D, so there's a lot of nice extra weight. I use my small shank with my 1960s blessing marching baritone. Used to use the large shank 51 on euphonium for playing stuff like Pantomime for that double high Eb

[@SamuelPlaysBrass]

@@Napoleonwasright You make a good point-I’d never thought of just how much heavier the 51/51B/51C4 must be than the 51D considering the outer dimensions are the same. With that said, I’m not the biggest enthusiast of Schilke’s no-letter pieces. I’ve had a good time with the 50/51/52 on “larger” small shank instruments (medium bore trombones, Yamaha 621 baritone), but I haven’t really enjoyed using them on large shank. I have spent considerable time trying the “long shank” ones specifically because they’re supposed to fit my Remington-shank Conn 88H, but none of the 51C4, 52, or 53 long shank that I tried were a good fit for me. Same thing happened when I purchased a 52E2 standard large shank from Amazon for euphonium and they sent me a plain 52 instead. Tried it, but really couldn’t do it sound-wise.

[@directcurrent5751]

I don't play trombone but this video is interesting explanation of how we start on certain MPs and move to other options.

[@SamuelPlaysBrass]

@@directcurrent5751 Right, much more so than on trumpet. The 7C-5C-3C-1.5C pipeline has some decent reasoning behind it, but on trombone it’s almost necessary to start kids out on quite a small and shallow mouthpiece.

[@kevinmckee8185]

I recently began using a 5GS for my jazz horn, and enjoy the fact that it makes it easier to switch from my jazz horn (King 2b) to my orchestral horn (Shires large bore tenor with an f attachment). This makes my range, endurance, and sound comparable between the horns. I prefer the sound of the jazz horn with the larger mouthpiece. I'm not sure that I agree with the orthodoxy of using small mouthpieces for beginners/youth. Yes their mouths will grow, but I think that transition is gradual enough that it presents fewer shocks to the system than switching mouthpieces over the years. That being said, I am no music teacher.

[@SamuelPlaysBrass]

@@kevinmckee8185 Thanks for your comment and insights, Kevin. I have a Corp. era 5GS myself that I REALLY like too. It’s a bit big for me if I’m really screaming in a large ensemble, but it records very well and does indeed seem to match well to “undersize” tenors like your King 2B or the ones I’ve tried my 5GS on-a King Tempo 1305 (poor man’s 2B) and a friend’s Conn 12HLW and 14H. It did indeed match to those horns well with great tone and slots throughout. For the aforementioned tough lead gigs I ended up on a 6-3/4C-worth trying if the typical 7C/11C/12C are disagreeable on your face but you for whatever reason decide you need a C cup for extra firepower. I tried the 4C as well but didn’t like the way my face “caved” into it. I think your point about beginners definitely holds some water. I don’t have the data to say one way or another. I definitely don’t think the 12C is optimal for most adult beginners specifically, though it’s harder for me to say yes or no about kids. Nevertheless, you’re right that the change in facial musculature is more gradual than any mouthpiece shift. Even 12C to 11C is quite the jump in terms of rim feel, cup geometry, etc.

[@ronzgarage]

Ok apologies for asking for basically this video on your trumpet mouthpiece video.

[@domepiece11]

A comparison of the Holton Farkas line of French horn mouthpieces might be useful, particularly the MC and MDC, which are sort of the Bach 7C of horn mouthpieces. I have a gold plated MC. And perhaps comparing a Holton Farkas to a higher quality mouthpiece. I noticed an immediate tone improvement when I upgraded.

[@QMore-fp7wn]

I’ve always played on a Bach 7C on my tenor trombone(King 3BF). I just never felt the need to change. But, after playing euphonium for a few years now on a 51D, I’m thinking on getting a small bore 51D for trombone.

[@QMore-fp7wn]

After watching your vid, maybe the 5G would be a better choice for trombone. Thanks for the info and review.

[@SamuelPlaysBrass]

@@QMore-fp7wn Haha, glad I could help inform your assessment :) The Bach 7C is great for lead and studio work. I have two from the Mt. Vernon and Elkhart Corporation days. I do believe the 51D might sort of weigh down the sound of the 3BF. You might still consider a straight 51 if you’re okay with a similar rim feel but a little more resistance at the cup/throat section. It’s not as though you *couldn’t* use the 51D on your 3BF-you’d just have to ask yourself what sort of work you plan on doing with the trombone. The 3BF is a GREAT jazz horn. The 51D might inhibit its jazz big band type sound, but then again if you intend to do classical work on your 3BF it might be a decent fit.

[@QMore-fp7wn]

Thanks for the reply and advice. I don’t get to play much jazz ensemble work..mostly wind symphony work and teaching lessons on the side. I joined back up with our local community band about five years now on euphonium figuring they wouldn’t have many. Turns out we now have 6 euphoniums and all of us are strong players. Needless to say it has been a joy. I enjoy your channel very much. Keep the vids coming.

[@thetenorhorn]

hello Sam! i got a Bruno Tilz Spezial Tilz Bar. 214-B 1, and for me, it's the best choice. i can now reach do3 and sol4 and still have a nice tone on low notes. the only problem is that i bought a B&S 3032/2-L oval tenorhorn and this mouthpiece doesn't fit. it only goes in like half a centimeter. i spoke to Thomann and they will offer me a deal after talking to Bruno Tilz to make the same mouthpiece but with a smaller shaft. what are you're thoughts on baritone/tenorhorn/trombone Bruno Tilz mouthpieces?

[@SamuelPlaysBrass]

@@thetenorhorn Sorry, this is very far out of my depth. I’m not familiar at all with Tilz pieces or the intricacies of baritone/tenor horn shanks. That’s an area I don’t know nearly as much about as I ought to. Does Tilz potentially have a standard small-shank version of the same size?

[@thetenorhorn]

@@SamuelPlaysBrass i don't think they have a standard small-shank version of this size, but i am pretty much sure they can custom-make it.

[@Jarhead-ji3lq]

I had a 5g megatone in high school. It was a nice mouthpiece until I outgrew it. It’s a good mouthpiece for high schoolers tho

[@SamuelPlaysBrass]

@@Jarhead-ji3lq It also is definitely a different story if you end up being a bass trombonist. You’ll likely end up needing something 3G-4G sized on tenor if that’s the case. For a period of maybe 4-5 months a couple years ago I played more bass than tenor because of orchestra and even getting back on a 4 was difficult at that point, whereas now I feel comfortable on a 4G or 5G as needed.

[@tristanperciful6609]

I used to play a schilke 51, but now I play a 5g megatone on tenor. The smaller cup size is great for high range, and the extra weight and wider throat is great for low. I play a 1 1/2G on bass, but I'm experimenting with the megatone variety of that as well.

[@nkdude11]

Nah 51D on trombone is criminal, it should be listed as a euphonium mouthpiece. My box for mine says bass trombone, and it does not do the bass trombone very well.

[@SamuelPlaysBrass]

@@nkdude11 It’s a lot better for tenor trombone than it is for bass trombone! I think the only reason it says bass on the box is to delineate it as a large shank. Basically on euphonium it’s the exact middle-of-the-road, on tenor trombone it’s decent but a little fuzzy/unfocused, and on bass trombone it’s too narrow and lacks the punch for playing loudly below the staff.

[@nkdude11]

@@SamuelPlaysBrass yeah I have two of them in both shanks and they’re really weird feeling on trombone, like they almost force some weird double buzzing issues on certain notes for me. But this never happens on euph.

[@heimatcz]

When you do diminuendo, please maintain the pitch, it's getting pretty low. And work on tone quality in low volumes. It is most noticeable on the last note.

[@SamuelPlaysBrass]

Thanks for the feedback. I’ll work on those things. Still working on being well-rounded on the other brass besides my main-trumpet-shaped objects.