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custom mouthpiece

Sterling Silver Trumpet Mouthpiece

Most trumpet mouthpieces are made out of brass that is silver plated. Some mouthpieces are made out of other materials such as plastic, steel, or titanium. We recently had a client who requested we make a custom rim out of the precious metal sterling silver. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% of other metals, usually copper. Sterling silver is about 25% denser than brass providing the benefits of a heavier mouthpiece without adding volume to the blank shape. It also has beneficial resonant qualities. Sterling silver is rarely used in mouthpiece manufacturing due to its expense and because it is extremely difficult to work with. We were honored that our client trusted it with several hundred dollars of material that was masterfully hand carved by our own Brett Kendall. Here’s a video that takes you behind the scenes of the process:  

Bud Brisbois Trumpet Story

Bob Reeves tells about making a custom mouthpiece for Bud Brisbois:
Bud was a long time friend and customer of mine. I had done some work for him before, including aligning his Holton Bb trumpet #516449, when in 1978 he visited my shop. When I asked Bud what I could do for him he said, “I want you to make a new and improved Bob Reeves’ version of my Herrick mouthpiece.” “You got it!” I replied. He was playing a custom Burt Herrick piece (pictured left) that I had altered the shank on before. It was a completely custom mouthpiece – hand carved rim and cup, short length and a complex backbore. It took me most of the morning and afternoon to get the piece done. I was able to modify the piece from the original to give him a little more sound for less work. I had barely taken it out of the silver-plating tank when he grabbed it out of my hand and started running for the door. “I have a session I have to get to. Thanks for the piece!” Bud said running out of the shop. “Hey, don’t you want to take the old one with you just in case?” I yelled out, chasing after him with his old Burt Herrick piece in my hand. I couldn’t believe he would show up to a studio session with a new, untested piece. “What the hell do I need that old thing for…yours is better isn’t it?” I stood there speechless. The session ended up being one of his best recordings with Henry Mancini. He never came back for his old piece, where it has been sitting in the same drawer for 30 years.