Originally Posted by slybootz

I was playing lead on the Yamaha Shew Lead piece and could get a great tone in all registers, but I, too, switched to another piece. I went into a lesson with Rob Parton and basically tried a hundred different combinations of mpc tops and backbores. I finally found my favorite being a Warburton 5SV top and KT backbore. The 5SV gives me a great lead/commercial sound in the upper register, but the cup is deeper than the shew. Depending on where you live, see if you can make an appointment at a mpc factory. Karl Hammond just set up shop down the street from my hometown of Downers Grove. Go into a factory with a few mouthpieces you like to play on. Maybe get a custom piece that combines the rim, cup, backbore, etc. from different mpcs you enjoy.