Posted by Sean Chisham on May 11, 1999 at 12:12:37:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Comparison Chart posted by Joe S. on May 11, 1999 at 11:53:29:
Custom Music has a detailed chart explaining the goals of all of their individual mouthpieces along with suggested uses and various measurements. Personally, the measurements used to describe mouthpieces and instruments never really meant a whole lot to me. I have played a few tunes on a Yamaha "piggy" style CC with a bore size well over .800 which felt extremely small. I have also played on the Getzen G50 with a bore size of .689 and it sounded pretty beefy.
Instrument designs are a black magic which numbers can never accuratally describe. If they could then someone would gather up all the statistics, a set of calipers, and a spool of raw brass and build the worlds first "perfect" instrument. I have seen people who take good mouthpieces and drill out the backbore. The feel and sound of the mouthpiece changes and they deem it "good". What they usually end up doing is throwing out the balance. The mouthpiece becomes way too specialized and the overall product suffers.
Perhaps, as a repairman and tinkerer into instrument design, these numbers would be of benefit. To average Joe Consumer, the numbers usually just muddy up the already confusing task of picking "good" instruments.
sean