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In late 2012 I posted a review which I titled The Surprising Kelly MC Lexan Mouthpiece. Since that review was completed I have given the Kelly MC two extended trials and that review is updated further.
But the MC is not their only Lexan (plastic) mouthpiece model, the other one presently on the market is their MDC model.
As readers might guess, the mouthpiece is patterned generally after the venerable Holton MDC. The MDC in the photo is actually the MDC I purchased and used from late high school into college. My Holton is number 13 bore and the Kelly a slighlty smaller number 14 bore at the throat, but the cup is nearly identical. As seen in the photo, the Kelly is longer than the Holton and as one could guess has a somewhat different backbore.
Like is also seen with their MC model, the shank of the Kelly MDC is slightly bigger in diameter than the metal Holton mouthpiece. It is not quite up to the size of a “European shank” (more here), but it is again slightly bigger and on some horns this could cause some playing problems. On the other hand, the shank seems to fit my main instruments well with the exception of one. On that horn these mouthpieces clearly do not fit in far enough and the high range is very poor. For that one I may someday experiment with sanding down a shank (of a MC) to improve the fit.
As far as how it plays, the Kelly MDC I would rate as a bit better than the Holton, but both are fairly generic horn mouthpieces that lack some color and character. The sound is a bit dull in other words. Some might consider this to be a plus because it is a “darker” tone, but in reality I think it lacks some projection (and volume) compared to the Kelly MC. But, again, this may be a plus for a younger student with a harsh tone.
From the rim end it can be seen that the rims are quite similar. The Kelly rim is identical to the rim on their MC model. It is interesting but not surprising to note that as the MDC was the first mouthpiece I played on seriously as a horn student it still feels fairly comfortable, although a bit too rounded to really use for the longer term (for me; I personally need a rim that has a little flatter profile).
My longer review of the Kelly MC has been updated/expanded and is also worth checking again; do not underestimate this mouthpiece! The positives noted there as to metal allergies and weather hold totally true for the MDC.
Either model would make an excellent car, purse, backpack, or travel mouthpiece and the price is really right, these presently list for only $25 each and can be found for less than that.
As to the Kelly MDC specifically, I have several of these around now and in particular find the MDC works pretty well on natural horn relative to using the MC on modern horn. It is really worth checking out, but more advanced players do check out the MC first, it is I feel the better of the two Lexan models.
