TromboneChat

I saw these pictures of a Mt. Vernon Bach 9 on facebook and might pull the trigger, but I don't know if the shank is too damaged. Would it be worth it to snag it and re-plate?

They're only asking $12. How much are the Mt. Vernon pieces usually worth?

To refinish that including straightening the shank, soldering the cracks, and replating, I would have to charge well more than $100. So add that to your cost, and all the postage back and forth, and decide if it's worth it. Probably a very good mouthpiece for what it is.

I recently acquired a VINCENT BACH CORP. 9 small-shank mouthpiece, in excellent condition.
It is a little bigger than Bach's specs (surprise, surprise):
• Cup I.D. ~25.2mm vs. spec 24.72mm (This makes it somewhere between a Bach 6¾C and a 6½A)
• Throat ~5.90mm vs. spec 5.85mm

For me, It plays very nicely on a small-bore (0.500") trombone – can be soft and pleasant if played gently, more forceful with a lot of air. May become one of my go-tos for that size instrument. A little too small for me, though, on a medium-bore trombone.

That being said, I would certainly not attempt to resurrect the goner piece that JLivi found on Facebook, even at Dave Friedman's price ($37.50 + $8.00 shipping). You may instead find a decent Bach 9 in good condition, at a reasonable price, from a TromboneChat member!

Not all Mt. Vernon mouthpieces are heavenly – lots of sample-to-sample variation, especially in the earlier years.

$12? Buy it, straighten the shank, see if you like it enough to warrant crack repair and replating.

I recently ended up with a modern Bach 9. Of course an individual Mt. Vernon may be quite different.

It's a convincing design and seems like its own thing within the Bach lineup. Feels slightly bigger than a 7C because of the less edgy inner rim. Moderately dark, compact, slightly old-fashioned (in a good way) sound and feel - strikes me as a sort of 'pre-war legit' mouthpiece for a .485-500 horn. Despite the similar cup depth, probably not something that would appeal to 6.5AL/5GS players.

Mine was considerably improved by reaming the throat to 5.95mm. Much less prone to backing up, and frees up the high register without compromising the character. I wasn't tempted to take it any further - the stock throat is already cylindrical for a moderate distance, and the way the reaming meets with the existing backbore obviously increases this length somewhat. I suspect things might get weird if you went much beyond 6mm - at that point you'd probably want a 6.5AM/L.

Personally I wouldn't modify a Mt. V anyway, but thought I'd pass on my observations as the 9 doesn't come up too often.

Straightening the shank the wrong way is likely to end up with far worse cracking. And if you want to keep the value don't open the throat.

Doug Elliott wrote: ↑Sun Nov 22, 2020 5:42 pm Straightening the shank the wrong way is likely to end up with far worse cracking.

Yes - if you don't already have the tools and skills to do the job properly, this isn't the piece on which to practise.

I have a few Bach 9's, and they seem to be truly their own animal. My first Mt Vernon 9 was my go-to for quite a while, and if comfort was the only thing I cared about, I'd probably still be on it. I had trouble finding the bite I needed for lead, and I felt the sound never really went more than 5 feet in front of me. It was hard to get a wide variety of color and volume, especially the brights, and I always felt like I was working too hard, especially in an unforgiving room.

If one could mate the comfort of a 9's rim shape/cup slope with the snappy qualities of an 11C cup shape and throat, well, it would truly be something! (Maybe a small 6.5AL....?)

Regardless of what anyone says, buy that piece! $12 for what is at least an afternoon of fun is a good price.

ngrinder wrote: ↑Sun Nov 22, 2020 10:14 pm I have a few Bach 9's, and they seem to be truly their own animal. My first Mt Vernon 9 was my go-to for quite a while, and if comfort was the only thing I cared about, I'd probably still be on it. I had trouble finding the bite I needed for lead, and I felt the sound never really went more than 5 feet in front of me. It was hard to get a wide variety of color and volume, especially the brights, and I always felt like I was working too hard, especially in an unforgiving room.

If one could mate the comfort of a 9's rim shape/cup slope with the snappy qualities of an 11C cup shape and throat, well, it would truly be something! (Maybe a small 6.5AL....?)

Regardless of what anyone says, buy that piece! $12 for what is at least an afternoon of fun is a good price.

I've played a few 9s and recently acquired a good condition Mount Vernon era one. What you describe is exactly as I found it too. The MV rim is on the bigger side and also very comfy. My more modern 9 is a lot flatter. The closest I've come to matching your hybrid is a MV 6.5a. Similar depth and rim (maybe a hair bigger and a slightly different contour), but a slightly different entry to the throat. This thing does everything! Great, fat sound across the range, and a much easier, more projecting sound and high range than a 9. They don't come up very often, but worth keeping an eye out for. Works great with a .508 horn!

That mouthpiece is in really bad condition, I'd be afrain to rip my lips open.
If you look around and take your time, you'll find MV 9s on eBay in really good conditions.

I recently shot an unused MV 6 1/2 A on eBay with a Remingston shank. Got it yesterday, added 2 rounds of clear tape on the upper shaft and it fit's the receiver on my King 5b perfectly. The sound and the feeling of the old comfortable rim is worth every cent!

There's a lot of variation in Mt. Vernon mouthpieces. You could buy a cherry one for a high price and find that it's one that doesn't work for you.
I see this one as an opportunity. It's ugly, but playable. A little 0000 steel wool, Brasso, and a shot of rattle can lacquer would get it playable enough to determine it it's a hero or a zero. If it's a dud, you're only out a few bucks. If it's one you really like, you can be confident that the $100+ bucks to restore it is not being wasted on an untested (unsuitable) piece.