DrDave

Hi D398R,

It is common for flugel receivers to just be a straight pipe with no internal taper. Some have a very slight bevel to help with contact, and a few have an actual taper similar to a trumpet. 3/8" is a little short for penetration, but because gap is not an issue with a straight pipe it will probably play fine. If you do want to get more penetration there are a few options.

You could replace the pipe.

You could have the shank on the mouthpiece turned or ground down. A very slight adjustment in diameter will produce a significant increase in penetration.

You could have a repair tech adjust the leadpipe. Adding a slight internal taper entrance of the pipe would probably be enough to increase penetration closer to 3/4 to 1 inch, which is in the ballpark.

I have a vintage Conn flugel from the 1940's that has a similar receiver designed to use a mouthpiece with a cornet sized shank. Depending on the vintage of your horn it might have been made to use a similar mouthpiece. If it is a vintage horn, you might not want to mess with it and change the mouthpiece instead.

Cheers,
Dave

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Dave Harrison
(Dr. Dave)
www.wedgemouthpiece.com
Blackburn Bb, C, Eb/D, Bb/C Pic, Bb/A Pic, Bb cornet
Harreslons - 907L, 909 Bach 37, 908 Benge 90C
Yamaha 635ST Flugel
Wedge 5C, Wedge ML backbore
A VERY understanding wife and more toys than talent

Ed Kennedy

The shank of the mouthpiece can be cut down in a lathe or the receiver on the horn reamed out. I'd go with cutting down the mouthpiece

D398R

Thanks Dave and Ed. I very much appreciate your suggestions. I talked to a machinist friend of mine, who says he can use a tool with a 'ball' on the end to carefully swedge/expand the mouthpiece end to open the receiver up a few thousandths and give it a slight taper. I think that solution is what I'll go for, then other standard flugelhorn mouthpieces should work. Ideally, I'd like to have two receivers so I could use either a cornet shank or flugelhorn shank mouthpiece, but I have no idea where I'd find such an animal.

nieuwguyski

I wouldn't modify the leadpipe -- if it's original, I'd want to keep it that way. Instead, I'd suggest two options. First, get a Kanstul modular flugel mouthpiece top in the Bach 1.5 size, and get a Kanstul cornet backbore to thread it to. Second, see if a GR Technologies flugelhorn leadpipe will fit your Holton flugel.

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John N. Nieuwguyski

tedh1951

From an engineering perspective the taper on the mouthpiece is, I believe, a #2 Morse taper and as such is used to provide stability, grip, interchangeability, and ease of operation (removal/insertion).

I caution against modifying any part of the taper - and I would also not attempt to modify the leadpipe from the original. I understand that a lack of information is a problem but I would attempt to replicate the tapered end of the original mouthpiece/leadpipe combination and match it with an acceptable cup/rim/backbore.

So, a bespoke combination seems to be the answer - talk to some of the specialist MP manufacturers and see if they have some viable solution. I reckon most of the rest of us are probably just guessing.

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Ted