music matters

I have played GR's for the last four odd years but have recently switched.

They are very well made and I would say are very efficient in the design which you can tell when you play them - perhaps this has something to do with their claim that they have been mathematically designed to remove discontinuities. In my opinion/experience they have a certain sound due to this efficiency which you will eventually love ...or not. I personally prefer the sound of my old Bach 3C to any GR I have tried, perhaps it's the inefficiency in the design that gives the Bach it's great sound? We all have very different ideas of how we want to sound so this is very personal.

They have a lot of different rims, so trying them to find the best for you is important, and they have many different cup configurations. The efficiency is always there though.

I would recommend you try them out at a GR dealer where he/she can properly "fit" you and you can decide by trying whether they are right or not. At $140 a pop for the standard model I personally think that this is too much of a risk without trying it, but this depends on each individual finances

If you get one that fits you and you love - then YES they are worth the money - they are a great product IF you get a good match for you and you like the sound that they produce.

I now play on the Curry line which I think is a better match for me - it has the sound of the Bach 3C I like so much and great playing characteristics, a bit like the GR, and the rim suits me better - and they are only $48 compared to $140. They are a great product as well. So my answer to your question is Yes they are worth it if you find one that suits you, and my advice would be try before you buy.

Graham.

ROGERIO

I really like my GR's... started out with one for my Bb and C and now have invested in a picc and cornet piece.

With that said, and maybe I'm just old school where you could walk to your local music store and get a new Bach piece for $20... showing my age...

I'm still somewhat bothered at the high price of mouthpieces these days... with all the advances in manufacturing (computers etc)... it should be cheaper than $150+ to make... but I think we have Monette to thank for that... the bar has been raised and it will never come down again...

I do recognize that much of that cost is to cover all the research that has been done. Gary at GR has really turned mouthpiece design into a science... very smart man... and that is good for us...

Butt .... I still need a little KY every time I go to make a purchase

pmkt16

If the prices for GR are to steep for you I would suggest maybe taking a look at Laskey mouthpieces. For a long time I was having trouble opening up my sound and I work extremely hard to try and make it better and nothing would work and this was with just really hard dedicated practice not me looking for a quick fix. Ultimately though my teacher suggested that I look into maybe getting a different mouthpiece and he played on a Laskey mouthpiece and his shop isn't to far from my house so I made a trip out there and I was blown away. He sat with me and listened to me play and had me try different mouthpieces until we found the one that was right for me and I couldn't possibly be happier with the purchase. From what I've read Laskey and GR both seem similar to me, a small shop type of deal with lots of options that can work for lots of players.