Archived under: Equipment, Mouthpieces | Laskey horn mouthpieces, Moosewood
New Horn, New Mouthpiece
No, I don’t have a new horn. But I feel a bit like I do, or I have one back, as I recently received a new rim.
First, one overall point. When you switch horns it is common to need to switch or change mouthpiece. Not every mouthpiece will work in every horn due to a variety of factors but especially due the relative resistance of the instrument and the fit of the mouthpiece in the receiver–changes may be necessary. I have seen this many times when a student gets a new horn that there is also a bit of a quest to find a mouthpiece that is more suited to the new horn. Also, for descant or natural horn or Wagner tuba your normal, double horn mouthpiece may not be the best choice for the same reasons.
For the past six months or so I have been using a Laskey 80J mouthpiece in my Paxman 83L triple as my primary equipment. But I still like to play double horn occasionally, especially the horn I made my CDs on, a big Paxman 25A, in lessons. The 80J did not fit the double well, it felt too open and did not fit the receiver the same as on the triple. I could not use it comfortably on the double, but it felt great on the triple. Then over the weekend I received a rim I bought on believe it or not eBay, a Moosewood Brian Kilp rim. It is quite close to the 80J rim (18mm inner diameter) and fit a Moosewood B-16Y that I had on hand. That mouthpiece combo feels quite good in the big double, while the 80J remains the better mouthpiece on the triple.
I will keep giving the various combinations a try in the coming weeks but the reminder is to always keep your eyes open, there may be a better horn or mouthpiece out there lurking that opens up elements of your playing.
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