Greg Black Delrin Rims

[mrdeacon]

Hi all!

I’m considering purchasing a two piece Greg Black mouthpiece with a Delrin rim. Any opinions on these?

I’m very fond of Doug’s Lexan rims and I’m wondering if Greg’s are similar in the comfort and feel department.

Also any opinions on what is the best Greg Black piece for a medium bore tenor? I’m on the hunt for something for my R3 which is setup similar to a Bach 36.

Thanks!

[Doug Elliott]

Delrin and Lexan feel different.

[mrdeacon]

Thanks Doug! Great to know there’s a difference in feel.

[Rusty]

The Greg Black 6 1/2AL in regular weight is a great all around mouthpiece for a .525 or more open .508 (I’m using one on my Shires MD+). Projecting sound with plenty of depth and can be fat and punchy when needed. If you’re used to a slightly wider rim they also do a 5AL and bigger rim sizes, but I like how compact the 6 1/2 is. I also have a 5GS which I found sounded a little dull and lacked sparkle. I’d contact them at GB for a recommendation too.

[ScaryTerry]

I have to play on an alternative rim because of my metal allergy. Initially I played on Lexan, which I did not like at all. It’s a bit too grippy for my taste. Right now I’m playing on a GB Delrin rim, which is still grippier than silver but feels like there is a lower friction coefficient than Lexan. They also look really cool imo, which is the most important part when choosing equipment

[JeffBone44]

Any of Greg's AL series will be good on a medium bore tenor.

[GGJazz]

Hi Folks .

I am playing , from many years , with a Delrin rim on a brass silver plated underpart , a Wedge Custom mpc.
I have also the same sized mpc made on Crystal Acrylic and all Brass silver plated , so I have compared how they feel .

Delrin rims have more grip than others ; this thing , to me , make attacks cleaner and more secure . Of course , this is my personal feel .
Some people find that this characteristic make flexibility harder , expecially from up to bottom .
I did not notice this at all .
I think also that Delrin feel harder on chops , so a X rim' bite shape may be better if slightly rounded ( a tiny bit ) on a Delrin rim , compared with a Silver Plated Brass rim , to feel the same .

I really love Delrin rim . I choose it because of the feel ; I do not have any metal allergy .

Regards
Giancarlo

[mrdeacon]

I have to play on an alternative rim because of my metal allergy. Initially I played on Lexan, which I did not like at all. It’s a bit too grippy for my taste. Right now I’m playing on a GB Delrin rim, which is still grippier than silver but feels like there is a lower friction coefficient than Lexan. They also look really cool imo, which is the most important part when choosing equipment

Which weight did you end up choosing? I’m eyeballing a lightweight piece but I’m worried it might be too lightweight with the Delrin rim.

I sent an email to the GB team with the same question and I’m waiting to hear back!

[ScaryTerry]

The weight distribution is different for sure. I think the standard weight feels really light and the medium or heavier weights feel a lot closer to the normal metal mouthpiece. I’m curious to hear what the GB team says. Regular weight with the Delrin rim feels pretty light to me- I wouldn’t want to have it weigh any less.

[mrdeacon]

The weight distribution is different for sure. I think the standard weight feels really light and the medium or heavier weights feel a lot closer to the normal metal mouthpiece. I’m curious to hear what the GB team says. Regular weight with the Delrin rim feels pretty light to me- I wouldn’t want to have it weigh any less.

I received a very thorough response from the Greg Black team within 1 business day. I’m very pleased with the Greg Black team!

Long story short. They said that generally they recommend Regular weight or higher if you choose a Delrin rim. Especially for bass but there have been customers who were happy choosing a lightweight blank and Delrin rim. They mentioned for something like the 1G it might be too lightweight if you chose the lightweight blank.

They also offered some weights for reference. Very interesting!

1 1/8GS Regular with Delrin rim: 112 Grams
1 1/8GS Regular with Brass rim: 151 Grams
1 1/8GS Lightweight with Brass rim: 146 Grams

So all that to say I think I’m going to give Greg Black a shot and try out a mouthpiece. I’ll start with large shank 4G-5G lightweight one piece with brass rim and see if I stick with it. Then go for a small shank 4AL lightweight if I like the 4G-5G.

Thanks for all the opinions and help everyone!