Ursa

While ordering a bunch of gear from WWBW, I ordered a newly-introduced Blessing 4B cornet mouthpiece to evaluate--it was on sale for $17.59. I've been wanting to try a Wick 4B-style piece and this was too good a deal to pass up.

Surprisingly, it's a short-shank model, though not described as such on wwbw.com.

My American cornets take long-shank pieces, but I gave the Blessing 4B a test play anyway. Despite the shank mismatch, the piece fit securely and played very well. The rim had a very comfotable contour much like that of the familiar Bach 3C. I really like the rim on this piece.

The cup on the Blessing 4B is deeper than the one on my Schilke 8E2, and appears to be about 3mm deeper to the throat. The throat and backbore are more open as well. I thought it would be a lot of work to play, but quite the opposite. It proved a nice match for my Holton Super Collegiate, delivering an open blow and dark, complex, interesting tone. It was also surprisingly flexible; slurs, trills, and other ornaments between the partials were a breeze.

Construction-wise, the Blessing 4B was flawless, with a mirror finish to all surfaces, including the backbore. Why can't Bach build 'em like this?

Conclusion: A nicely made short-shank piece at a bargain price. It played so well on my Holton Super Collegiate, I'm going to order a proper long-shank Denis Wick 4B for it.

__________________
Ursa's collection of fine brasswinds...
Besson BE709 Trumpet
Conn 20B Trumpet - small bore
E. K. Blessing XL-CR Short Cornet
Frank Holton Super Collegiate Trumpet, Copper/Nickel bell
Frank Holton Super Collegiate Cornet, Rose Brass/Nickel bell
Frank Holton Collegiate Cornet
Yamaha YEP-321S Euphonium
Frank Holton 6/4 EEb Tuba

VetPsychWars

No such thing. All of the Wick cornet pieces are "short shank".

You might try a Kelly 4B, though; it has the same cup shape (allegedly) and a longer shank.

Tom

lmf

Yep, the Denis Wick mouthpieces will usually appear shorter in your leadpipe. Whether or not they are called "short shank" or not, they appear to look that way. As long as the horn sounds in tune as you perform solo work or with a group/band, I'd not be concerned. Does it appear the shorter shank is causing "gap" issues?

Best wishes,

Lloyd

Ursa

I just waded through the Denis Wick website and, indeed, there are no shank options for cornet mouthpieces. There are shank options for other instruments, though.

I'll stick with the Blessing 4B. I'm not having any playability issues due to any gap in the mouthpiece receiver. My Holton Super Collegiate sounds and plays terrific with this model. I'll give it an audition on my other two cornets soon.

__________________
Ursa's collection of fine brasswinds...
Besson BE709 Trumpet
Conn 20B Trumpet - small bore
E. K. Blessing XL-CR Short Cornet
Frank Holton Super Collegiate Trumpet, Copper/Nickel bell
Frank Holton Super Collegiate Cornet, Rose Brass/Nickel bell
Frank Holton Collegiate Cornet
Yamaha YEP-321S Euphonium
Frank Holton 6/4 EEb Tuba

lmf

Smart move!