The Buzz: Winter 2018 Edition - Part 1 of 2

Featuring:

Legends Brass Mouthpieces and Backbores
Kelly Mouthpieces

I haven't had the opportunity to post lately due to the holidays, but the last few months have been busy from an acquisition perspective so I will be doing this in two parts. I was able to find some fantastically good bargains over the holidays, so I went a little more nuts than usual. I was also able to pick up some trumpets that I've always wanted to try from Ebay at prices that, frankly, made me feel like I stole them from someone. The horns I picked up were a 1974 Benge (L.A.) 3x (ML), a 2016 XO 1600iS, and a 1963 King Super 20 Symphony Balanced Silversonic DB otherwise and more simply known as the "Modified Harry James Model". I'll go into each one of these in separate posts in the future, but for now I will say that I am extremely happy with them all. Now, on to The Buzz...

First up, let's talk mouthpieces for a bit. It seems like there are a million manufacturers out there now, both boutique and mass produced. Years ago when I started playing, when you walked into your local music store you had a choice between Vincent Bach and... well... Vincent Bach. Sure, there were a few Schilke, Benge, Getzen and others being played, but I think most of them were mouthpieces that either came with whatever horn people owned at the time or were mail-ordered, because I could never find them on a shelf in a store. Worse, what was a trumpet player supposed to do, read a bunch of subjective catalog descriptions and pick the perfect model without ever putting anything to his or her lips? At least you could try the Bachs at the store. The decision to use a Bach was practically made for you due to availability and, more importantly, not knowing what other options even existed. Decades later, we have the internet and Ebay. There has never been a better time to be a trumpet player with respect to experimentation.

I am not sure how I originally stumbled across Derek Saidak and Legends Brass. It could have been on trumpetherald.com or perhaps I ran across his Ebay store. Regardless, I am very glad to have found him. Derek's lineup of mouthpieces is a veritable smorgasbord of pieces modeled after (not replicas of) famous pieces throughout the history of trumpet. Name a player and he probably has at least one from that person. But they are not all personal pieces, either. There are also tweaked versions of Bachs, Yamahas, Schilkes, Jet Tones, Pardubas -- you name it. Derek has seven backbore designs of his that he mates to these to get the best out of the tops, and they are available in one or two-piece configurations with a variety of blanks from light to heavy and from simple to fancy. Oh, and he can customize a mouthpiece for you to your specifications. I also think his prices are very fair.

I recommend you talk to Derek directly -- let him know if it is your first order and tell him I sent you. I can personally recommend his MF Monster, MF Master, and MF HG (Holy Grail) if you are looking for that cup style. I also have four of his seven backbores with a 10 1/2 C top for experimenting with different shapes/tightness with each of my trumpets to see what I like best. Derek is great to work with and responds very quickly to my messages. Give him a shot; he's certainly become my "go-to".

Which brings me to a question: have you ever thought you might be experiencing a metal allergy or sensitivity while playing? My lips have always felt like they were chapped after playing. I always chalked that up to playing with a wet embouchure. A few weeks ago, on a bit of a whim, I ordered a few Lexan mouthpieces from Kelly Mouthpieces. I ordered a variety because they were much less expensive than brass mouthpieces and I could get them in a mix of diameters for comparison. But the main reason was just to see if the chapped sensation was simply due to playing or from a sensitivity. Turns out that when playing on a Lexan mouthpiece, I don't seem to experience the chapped sensation at all -- interesting. The Kelly Mouthpieces are comfortable and well-made. The only issue I had were some tiny spurs on the outside of the rim from what I suspect is the manufacturing process. It is easy enough to rotate them out of contact with your lips or lightly file it to smoothness. I still prefer the sound of a brass mouthpiece which allows higher harmonics that the Lexan tends to attenuate, but I'd have no reservation at all using them in any context when my lips were bothering me. Also, you never have to worry about the mouthpiece being cold which can be a significant advantage. They come in standard Bach sizes, but they also have a new Bobby Shew Jazz model and a "Screamer" specialty model. If your lips bother you when you play, give Kelly Mouthpieces a shot.

That's it for now. In Part 2, coming soon, I'll talk about a Reunion Blues case and a must-have piece of trumpet literature from qPress.