bigtiny

Hi all,

I need a new mouthpiece, I play a Bach 3c. I've played these for 35 years and have no intention of changing. However, I did notice, while browsing around on the web, the Bach Megatone mouthpieces. I've seen them before, but never paid much attention to them. They are about 3 times the street price of a regular 3c. So, has anybody used one of these? Do they make a significant difference in your sound? I'm always looking for ways to darken my sound up and the marketing blurbs mention a "....darker more stable sound...".

Anyway, I'm trying to figure out if this is just crap or if the extra mass on these things really makes a significant difference. Any first hand experiences would be appreciated.

bigtiny

tatakata

yes and yes

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bigtiny

I'm confused by your answer....they ARE crap and the extra mass makes a difference? =

bigtiny

hubnub

bigtiny,

anytime you add mass to the horn, it dampens the vibration, and in theory takes out more of the higher over tones thus darkening or diffusing the sound (correct rowuk? ). I wounldn't say they are crap.... tom harrell played one for a while... and he never sounded like crap. the best thing to do is get one and try it out and see what the differance is. I noticed a weighted mpc helped me slot the upper register better, but if you're good on a regular 3C.... why the switch?

good luck.

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ZeuS ZTR 1000
Monette STC-1 Prana B4-S6, B4FL, B4L-S1
http://www.myspace.com/markrussojazz

Jimi Michiel

bigtiny,

First off, unless there's something you don't like about your current mouthpiece, there is absolutely no reason to change (I'm not saying you shouldn't go buy another 3c if your old one is worn out). You could be opening up a very frustrating (and expensive) can of worms.

As for the Megatone, I know there are some professionals who use them, but I really don't like them. Bach saw the success Monette had when they introduced the heavier STC-1 mouthpiece and decided to jump on board. But instead of doing the math, they just threw some extra metal onto the mouthpiece, raised the price and called it a Megatone. They darken the sound, but in my opinion ruin the consistency and evenness over the range of the horn. Put simply--Bach didn't seem to give it any thought, they just made their mouthpiece look like Monette mouthpieces. There are several companies out there who have done a better job at designing heavier mouthpeices--I think GR (GR Mouthpieces) has a heavier mouthpiece, and at the very least Yamaha's heavy mouthpieces play better than the Megatone. Just my 2 cents.

-Jimi

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hubnub

Ahhh.... Jimi, tis true....good point.

Bigtiny: check out greg black mpcs as well

__________________
ZeuS ZTR 1000
Monette STC-1 Prana B4-S6, B4FL, B4L-S1
http://www.myspace.com/markrussojazz

ozboy

I played one for a while. I found them a little sluggish. I found they made me less dexterous. (Playing rapid phases with intervals thrown in was more of a chore). I found them a little harder work. The sound is darker but there are some other elements that change.
I often have two four hour gigs back to back. It was much harder work doing them on the megatone. I often 'cheated' by doing the second one on the regular 1 1/2c.
I had a 1 1/2c and a 1 1/2c megatone. When I swapped them, not only did the sound alter. From memory, there are some differences in the backbore. That has a fairly significant effect.
I no longer play Bach mouthpieces. Found a better match.

GordonH

I played on a Bach 1 megatone for 10 years having switched from a standard Bach 1.

There were a number of differences:

1. Greater accuracy at hitting the notes in the middle ("slotting").
2. Rounder sound.
3. Greater geeling of connection to the instrument.

Adding mass also increases the feeling of resistance so Bach make the throats on the megatones a bit wider to resolve this.

You can't use the megatone on C trumpet or smaller instruments in my experience as it feels to solid.

You might want to consider getting a curry sound sleeve and trying it on your existing mouthpiece. Its slips on and off the shank and gives a similar effect. Get the one he sells for Yamaha trumpets as the standard one is too close to the receiver on a lot of brands of trumpet. The yamaha version will work with any trumpet.

I use Monette mouthpieces mainly but I sometimes use a Wick 1c on C trumpet and add the sound sleeve.

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"O trumpeter, methinks I am myself the instrument thou playest,
Thou melt'st my heart, my brain--thou movest, drawest, changest
them at will;" (Walt Whitman)

MFfan

Well, from the bottom-feeder end of the spectrum, I purchased a "knock-off" 7c megatone and found it played ok, but was much to penetrating and loud for the section I play in the KCB. I can see using at our annual Michigan State Marching band game to project into the stands better, (maybe not a good idea?) I also bought a clearance jet-tone merien C , 7c from WWBW and like that one. It is sort of inbetween a regular MP and the megatone I have as far as loudness goes. Plays pretty free and I feel confident in playing the music with it and fitting in well enough with the others so as not to call attention
Produces good results playing in what limited solo things I do. I am not qualified in addressing the technical side of the issue.Just my opinion!

rowuk

The balance of a trumpet is a very sensitive thing. Anything that we do at the mouthpiece end gets amplified and results in a bigger change than just what we "feel" at the mouthpiece.

Heavier mouthpieces like the megatone CAN slot better, provide more "core" to the sound and CAN make the upper register harder to play. I am pretty sure that the added mass changes the acoustic balance of the trumpet. Adding mass does not "damp" vibrations in this case, it causes the whole resonant system to resonate at a lower frequency. Depending on the trumpet this can be a curse or a blessing. We shouldn't forget that the sound that comes out of a trumpet consists of the tone we produce with our lips and the coloration induced by the instrument itself. Very light horns color the sound more as the metal is more free to vibrate. The energy lost through those vibrations reduce projection and make the sound that the audience hears brighter.

I believe that trumpets are specifically designed to sound the way that they do. Trying to bend that sound with heavy mouthpieces, heavy valve caps and other "frankentrumpet" mods, often destroys the positive traits that caused us to buy the horn in the first place.

Crap is in the eyes, nose and ears of the beholder. That is why there are so many manufacturers out there..................

I have tried heavier mouthpieces on my just about all of trumpets and except for the Monette which is designed heavy, ended up going back to the standard weight. I liked the brilliance and ease of the upper register more than the additional slotting and security.

I believe that price is not a discussion factor. If a particular player realizes any advantage, then it could very well be worth much more than the asking price.

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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.