Purviance 5*3

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RMCarson
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Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 12:09 pm
Location: Tulsa
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Purviance 5*3

Post by RMCarson »

I bought a Purviance 5*3 new in 1984. Knew nothing about it at the time; just liked the way it felt. I would like to know its specs (rim, cup depth, throat, backbore, etc.). I can’t find much on Purviance trombone mouthpieces on the internet; (they seem to be more popular with trumpet players).

Would appreciate more intel. I am trying to be more analytical when mating mouthpieces with horns. Wondering if this will be a good fit for the 32H I will be receiving soon. Thanks.
TromboneMonkey
Posts: 223
Joined: Fri May 11, 2018 9:58 am

Re: Purviance 5*3

Post by TromboneMonkey »

Purviance mouthpieces for the most part hover around .97" or .98", roughly the size of a Bach 11c, but with a much flatter rim with more inner bite. I have a 4*3, and to my knowledge the only difference between mine and yours is that yours has a flatter rim, although mine is definitely flatter than any Bach I have.

My Purviance has a shallower and more-V-shaped cup than a Bach mouthpiece, along with a smaller throat and straighter backbore. I had someone compare a bunch of reamers in the backbore versus a Bach and found it to be quite straight and very narrow versus a more tapered and wider Bach backbore. The throat was measured at .228, quite small. It's also a longer mouthpiece than most, a characteristic which would make it "brighter" for most players.

I think it could be a good mouthpiece for a 32h. I say "could", because it really depends on what you're after. I can't comfortably produce a "big, lush" sound on my Purviance, but I don't think that's what it's meant to do. On the other hand, it is very nimble and very easily "lights up" any horn I put it in, and would work for the 32h bore size.

In more technical terms, it seems not to dampen any higher overtones. The downside of this is that it doesn't "slot" as well for me as some others, and certainly requires more finesse to accurately hit pitch centers, even moreso to do it without becoming shrill.

Still, I've had lots of players compliment my sound when I'm playing lead or rock on it. It cuts. Think Shearer.

I hope this helps!
RMCarson
Posts: 40
Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 12:09 pm
Location: Tulsa
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Re: Purviance 5*3

Post by RMCarson »

Thanks, TromboneMonkey. Very helpful.
Gary
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2019 10:39 am

Re: Purviance 5*3

Post by Gary »

Your contemporary go-to source for Purviance mouthpieces is Bob Reeves.
They have a new site that I have a little problem negotiating, so if you don't find Purviance mouthpieces, just give them a call.
https://bobreeves.com/contact/
TromboneMonkey
Posts: 223
Joined: Fri May 11, 2018 9:58 am

Re: Purviance 5*3

Post by TromboneMonkey »

Bob and/or Brad/Noah have all of the tooling for the Purviance pieces, so indeed they would definitely know.
RMCarson
Posts: 40
Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 12:09 pm
Location: Tulsa
Contact:

Re: Purviance 5*3

Post by RMCarson »

Thanks. Unfortunately, after a week they have not replied to my request for information on their site.
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