TrentAustin

I don't know if any of you are following my posts on TH about this amazing piece... but I truly believe I've found the holy grail in mouthpieces for me. All of my pain and discomfort is gone in playing. Yesterday I practiced hard for 5 hours (in a 8 hour time frame) and then sat in late last night with my friends. Below is a clip from the session from my Marcinkiewicz L bore Rembrandt and the Wedge 3B.

If you haven't checked out the thread on TH go to:
Forum: trumpetherald.com



A lot more info coming soon as well as lots of sound clips!
Cheers,

T

rowuk

Trent,
I seem to remember something about you being allergic to certain metals. What is the wedge made out of?

tatakata

Trent that sounds great. That mouthpiece looks very interesting... I thought you played Monette. Have you tried this Wedge on your Monette horn.

TrentAustin

Thanks for the posts. I have been diagnosed with having allergies to silver and gold (among other non-trumpet items like almonds and penicillin) but because of the shape and contour of the piece it alleviates a ton of "top lip contact" and forces me to use more corners. So after an hour of playing, for example, I feel it in my corners and not the top lip. On my old pieces I'd feel a burn/pain in my top lip after 10-15 minutes. It's really fantastic to have my lips feel good after a session!

I'm going to go to Osmun tomorrow and have them doctor up some of my backbores. I've tried it on the 993 and the gap/length/weight issues of the piece don't really give me a desired result in that horn.

More clips soon!


T

confuoco

Could Dave Monette modify one of your current Monette pieces to a "wedge" shape?

Brekelefuw

After reading the entire wedge site, I think I might order one of these. That fact that it comes form Canada means I can get it considerably faster than if it was an American company. I think I am going to go with a 5c or 7c, but I don't know about the backbore size yet.

ALLCHOPS

I'm just waiting for him to be able to tool one of my current GR's...

TG

DrDave

Hi,

I thought I would just chime in here on the modification issue. It is possible to modify an existing mouthpiece to a Wedge configuration, including a Monette. Pat Shaner had been playing a couple of modified Monettes for some time now. There are certain limitations to a modification though. One has to accept a certain amount dercreased cup depth in order to produce the lateral dip in the side rim and the sloping contour of the top/bottom lip. There is also the danger of ruining the mouthpiece, since the modification is a compex, multi-step procedure, and things can go wrong. So if Trent is able to get his Warburton backbores modified to get the desired playing characteristcs out of his 993 with a Wedge that would be better. If he can't I could modify his Monette piece, but I am not keen to do so.

I know Dave Monette has a CNC lathe, but I am not sure he has a CNC milling machine, which is required to produce the surface contour of the Wedge. Anyone with the existing technology and know-how could scan a Wedge and reproduce it exactly. However, Dave would never do that because he would be violating US and Canadian patent law. From my dealings with Dave I think he is far too pricipled a guy to go there. Besides I suspect that in Dave's view doing a Wedge modification would destroy the unique playing characteristcs of his mouthpieces, which are superb.

Cheers,
Dr Dave
Harrison Wedge Mouthpiece

TrentAustin

Dr. Dave nails it on the head again. I'm not wanting to cross paths in that regard. Monette pieces play so well in my 993 that I might end up using both the Wedge and the Monette. Perhaps it might not be possible to use the Wedge on my 993. That only makes sense because Dave M. is adamant about the correct piece in the heavier horns. I'm planning a shop trip to Monette's in January to try the full line of Bbs as well as have my 993 checked for routine maintainence. Then I'll have to make a really tough decision if my "toying" around doesn't gel. I know I'm personally not going to ask either Monette or Dr. Dave to cross paths in terms of each other's stuff.

I wouldn't feel comfortable asking Monette to make anything like this or having Dr. Dave modify the STC2-3 pieces I have when his Wedge works so well in the other horns(and how well Monettes work in this 993) . I'm thinking it's a backbore weight/throat/length/gap issue. The guys at Osmun will hook me up for sure.

I'm going to Osmun before teaching tomorrow to see what they can do for me in terms of modifying backbores. All I do know is that my Wedge pieces allow me to practice so much more and enjoy my time while doing it. That, for me, is priceless.

Off to rehearsal!
-T

pipedope

I have a Wedge 3C with 6* backbore.
This is the best fitting mp I have ever touched.
The instant it touched my lips I had a playable seal and can play it with FAR less pressure than any other mp.

Dr. Dave is a class act who seems to put happy trumpet players first and foremost on his priority list.