TromboneChat

Both for fun and finally hitting that pedal f, I just want to know, what is the absolute biggest mouthpiece I can buy.

It's stupid and I don't know if it will help you with that specific goal while I am certain it will not be a good idea for everything else.

But (one of) the biggest options is getting a JK Klier contra mouthpiece. They should more or less fit the bass trombone receiver and sound mostly terrible on bass.

You can get a tuba mouthpiece with a bass bone shank. Or you can pull your leadpipe and just put a full on tuba mouthpiece in.

Um, as someone who constantly struggles with the bass trombone, mouthpieces and the dreaded pedal F, I can tell you definitively that's not the way to go.

I play in a tbone quartet among other places. I'm really a tenor player, but because no one else could/would play bass in the quartet, I got a bass bone. All the tenor players can sit there and rip out a pedal F on their tenors and sometimes I can't do it on bass. I know you don't want to hear this, but it takes practice.

I thought I was being conservative playing a 1.25G size mouthpiece. But it turns out there are other notes that bass bone players have to play other than pedal f. And a little secret: no one really knows if you take that pedal F up an octave unless you're in auditions.

Short version, now I play a 2G equivalent, and after warming up, I can play a pedal F (and just about any note a tenor player might want to hit). If I'm feeling spunky, I'll put in a 1.5g size. I sound like a trombone, I don't hate the bass bone any more... I think after putting in some more practice time I'll be down to pedal D or C. The lowest I've seen written out for my quartet is F or Eb.

Hi all.

I think that the biggest bass trbn mpcs may be the Laskey 95D , Schilke 60 , Wedge 114 XD , Bach 1G , Griego David Taylor 0 , Greg Black 0G .
They all fit bass trbn receiver , of course .

Anyway , you may not be able to play any pedal on it , if you are not used to such large pieces .
Extra large mpcs does not work for everybody .

Regards
Giancarlo

Until shown otherwise, I'll be steadfastly convinced my old Stork 1S was the largest manmade object ever created.

There is a Schilke 62 (bigger than a 60), but I'll second all the others who suggest that a bigger mouthpiece won't help. Spending time learning how to make the pedals speak will result in a better outcome.

Note that I've played "double" pedal Eb on my alto trombone with a small mouthpiece, not that I'd ever need to play that in public. Getting pedals to speak sometimes requires just a bit more resistance through the horn; not the straightest pipe you can imagine.

Also, you can't buy a quick solution. Time is your ally.

As one of the legions of bass trombonists that have gone down that route- just skip it, you won't miss anything

nateaff wrote: ↑Sat Apr 05, 2025 5:35 pm Until shown otherwise, I'll be steadfastly convinced my old Stork 1S was the largest manmade object ever created.

Dude, that's what I play. Best bass trombone mouthpiece ever made. Not the biggest, though.

Well for fun have something made by someone and then you'll have a unique "largest bass piece you can buy." If you need it to hit a pedal F I'd go back to basics. You don't need something that big to hit a pedal F.

Adding to what I wrote a few days ago: I could imagine one unlikely, but not impossible benefit of briefly playing/trying an extreme mouthpiece on bass bone. MAYBE it helps you getting the sensation and to a degree the feeling for how the low notes work and maybe it also helps eliminating any mental barrier that could hold you back. But it can also totally backfire as in "I can only play the low notes if I play that gigantic mouthpiece".

I also belong to the crowd that at some point played a huge mouthpiece on bass, but "recovered" from that.

As I've probably posted before, I did not find any increase in my pedal range from using a big 29mm rim mouthpiece. If anything sometimes bigger more open mouthpieces can make pedals harder. It's much more important to work on technique and have a mouthpiece that really fits the horn and you. Yes some players use huge equipment, but that's them. There are also many players that play awesome on mouthpieces that aren't a toilet bowl.

I remember when the Griego-Markey line came out, with sizes 85 to 95. Since then they have added an 82 and an 80 sizes as standard non-custom options, because they got requests for something a bit smaller.

I, too, recovered from my thinking that playing a huge mouthpiece meant I’d get a big, broad sound. Bigger ≠ better. For many people, too big means you get a woofy, tubby sound that is often flat, difficult to control pitch and dynamics, and doesn’t project. There are exceptions, of course, but for most mortals even a Schilke 60 is even large.

Try this to begin with: viewtopic.php?t=375&hilit=1+1%2F2+G

Kbiggs wrote: ↑Wed Apr 09, 2025 9:27 am I, too, recovered from my thinking that playing a huge mouthpiece meant I’d get a big, broad sound. Bigger ≠ better. For many people, too big means you get a woofy, tubby sound that is often flat, difficult to control pitch and dynamics, and doesn’t project. There are exceptions, of course, but for most mortals even a Schilke 60 is even large.

Try this to begin with: viewtopic.php?t=375&hilit=1+1%2F2+G

I honestly don't know how people can play the 60 with that super thin rim and almost nothing left of the blank. I also have heard a good number of players that get a woofy / diffuse sound, particularly in the higher range, when using a mouthpiece that is just too darn big.

Personally I seem to work better with somewhat smaller throats. I have a Hammond 20BL, but it's not my favorite mouthpiece for bass. That currently would be either a Griego Markey 87 or a Ferguson JR Minick Replica. I keep thinking "well maybe I should get the Markey 90", just to see if maybe a bit larger rim /cup would help a bit. but then I think about how happy I am with the 87.

Even if you talked to Doug Elliott (on this forum, btw) and he recommended his XB117 rim, he might not necessarily set you up with an N cup (deeper than a Schilke 60) and N10 shank. You need very strong fundamentals and practice regimen to handle such a big piece, as Griego notes in describing their .25.

I no longer play pieces the size of a 60; been there, moved on to smaller (currently on about like a Bach 1¼G or so) pieces for a clearer sound in all registers, especially in and above the staff.

tbonesullivan wrote: ↑Wed Apr 09, 2025 9:36 am

Kbiggs wrote: ↑Wed Apr 09, 2025 9:27 am I, too, recovered from my thinking that playing a huge mouthpiece meant I’d get a big, broad sound. Bigger ≠ better. For many people, too big means you get a woofy, tubby sound that is often flat, difficult to control pitch and dynamics, and doesn’t project. There are exceptions, of course, but for most mortals even a Schilke 60 is even large.

Try this to begin with: viewtopic.php?t=375&hilit=1+1%2F2+G

I honestly don't know how people can play the 60 with that super thin rim and almost nothing left of the blank. I also have heard a good number of players that get a woofy / diffuse sound, particularly in the higher range, when using a mouthpiece that is just too darn big.

Personally I seem to work better with somewhat smaller throats. I have a Hammond 20BL, but it's not my favorite mouthpiece for bass. That currently would be either a Griego Markey 87 or a Ferguson JR Minick Replica. I keep thinking "well maybe I should get the Markey 90", just to see if maybe a bit larger rim /cup would help a bit. but then I think about how happy I am with the 87.

I’m also playing on a Griego Markey 87, sometimes my DE LB113L. I had a Ferguson JR Minick, but like a dummy I sold it. For me, this is the Goldilocks size.

BGuttman wrote: ↑Sat Apr 05, 2025 5:41 pm Also, you can't buy a quick solution. Time is your ally.

The above from Bruce is a good point to remember here, I think. I know there is a tendancy maybe think we can buy a better tool (mouthpiece here) that will play the instrument for us. I know that isn't probably want you think or mean. I think the idea here is will an equipment change cause me to fight less with the instrument to get the instrument to do what I want without having to fight it so much. I think there really isn't a shortcut except to time and practice.