Posted by Rick Denney on May 24, 2003 at 11:11:35:
In Reply to: MP 4 YFB 621? posted by Ted on May 23, 2003 at 15:40:00:
It depends on your objectives. The 67B4 that comes with it is nearly useless to someone like me--I think you must have very strong chops to control this small mouthpiece. It also bottles up the low register. Opening up the backbore as suggested in this thread sounds to me like a really good idea.
But if you want a darker sound for ensemble playing, and to avoid bottling up the low register, then try a real contrabass mouthpiece. Here's what I've tried:
Conn Helleberg: Works well; gives a good sound, but exacerbates intonation wierdnesses, particularly with the G on the staff.
Conn Helleberg 7B: Too small for my mouth--could never get used to it. Ditto Schilke 66.
Doug Elliott 2N132-R4. This one is pretty similar to the Conn, but with a more comfortable rim. I think the P cup and P-4 backbore would work better, but don't go any smaller than the 4 backbore (which is about the same as the Helleberg).
Warburton X30 with medium backbore. This is the one I keep coming back to, because it is the best balance of dark sound, flexibility, response and intonation. The cup is Hellebergish and the backbore on the small side. A shallow cup with a larger backbore might provide a similar effect with a brighter timbre.
Since I use the instrument not for solo work (for which I'm not competent) but for ensemble work, I seek a darker sound with a lot of presence but not overly crisp. The deeper cups seem to provide that. But too large a backbore on those cups will let the sound spread and lose focus--at least that's my experience with it.
Rick "who has 12 years experience with the Warburton but who is always willing to experiment" Denney