mattdalton

FWIW, I was told that the Raja models do have a carefully set gap. The mouthpiece and leadpipe are first made separately, then joined into a single unit.

VB, I like your hypothesis. I'm not sure how to test it, but it is interesting to think about. Middle of the road gap seems to be in the .10-.15" range, which would be less than half the standard shank size. But then Monette gaps seem to run a little bigger....hmmmm. The two instruments bit also fits with my belief that one has to get the right mouthpiece-trumpet match to optimize playability.

I too remember Webster using the reamer, but I also remember an equal or greater amount of folks playing with paper to increase the gap a bit. Maybe that was more of an '80s thing, I don't really know. The gap certainly does make a difference, and I think we messed with it in search of a magical solution to our playing issues of the time.

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Matt Dalton