TromboneChat

BGuttman wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 5:17 pm Before you go horn shopping, make sure the valve is properly aligned both in the open and closed positions. A slight mismatch between the rotor and the casing can create the problems you describe.

hyperbolica wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 6:20 am I was cracking a lot of notes on my Elkhart 88h and Doug Elliott turned me on to a different way of looking at tbone mouthpieces. I was using things between 5g and 52e2. He set me up with a 104 rim, which is about the size of a 3g, I think. And then for 547 horns I would use an F or G cup with an 8 shank to fit the large bore. The cracking notes went away. There was a small adjustment to the bigger rim, but I found it fit me better. The rest of the piece fit the horn.

Anyway, fit the rim to your face, the cup to the sound you want to make, and the shank to the horn you have. I've got DE stuff for all my tenors, from 547 to sub 500. I never look for anything else for tenors.

It sounds like your history is with mouthpieces that are a bit too big for the horn. 515 bore with a Schilke 52 is big in my opinion. Should be more in the 48 size (6.5al). You might sign up for a fitting with Doug. He can watch you play and diagnose a lot of stuff as well as prescribe a mouthpiece.

Blessing 88 is a fine horn, and the Reynolds should be fine as well, you just have to have mouthpieces to fit yourself and the horn at the same time. The only real way to do that is modular mouthpieces. I'm of the opinion that just about any horn they make is or can be a good instrument. A Bach 36/Conn 79h are great horns, and fit a lot of middle of the road mouthpieces (like 6.5al). There are King and Reynolds and Getzen in that bore as well.

Doug Elliott wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 10:03 am What hyperbolica was suggesting, as works for him and a lot of people, is a bigger rim size with a slightly shallower cup. I don't know if that's appropriate for you, but the concept works. The larger inside diameter takes care of the "upper register transition" issue, and the slightly shallower cup makes it easier to play.

MStarke wrote: ↑Fri May 23, 2025 2:44 am This topic was posted in instruments and understandably comments are largely on instruments and even more mouthpieces.

You have not given too much information on your playing level and the specific issues that you are having, but before looking for other mouthpieces, you may really want to take a few lessons and/or give it more time to practice.

I don't mean this bad, just coming from trying to solve playing problems with equipment myself

Doug Elliott wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 10:03 am What hyperbolica was suggesting, as works for him and a lot of people, is a bigger rim size with a slightly shallower cup. I don't know if that's appropriate for you, but the concept works. The larger inside diameter takes care of the "upper register transition" issue, and the slightly shallower cup makes it easier to play.