[TPIN] 13A4A question

[JFDonaldsn at aol.com]

> I could NOT believe the difference between a 14A4A (which I like) and the 
> little golf-tee-with-a-hole 13A4A.
> 

It isn't just you. There is quite a difference. According to Gerald Endsley's 
Comparative Mouthpiece Guide the depth of the 13A4a is .387 inch and the 
depth of the 14A4a is .428, a difference of .041. This is considerable given that 
the difference in cup diameter between the two is only .013. The cup on the 
6A4a even shallower, with a depth of .371.

In addition, the cup contour of the 13A4a is very different from the 14A4a. 
The 14A4a is a gentle bowl shaped cup, and the cup on the 13A4a drops quickly 
straight down from the rim and there meets a shallow V shaped bottom cup; very 
different from a 14A4a.

All of these mouthpieces were developed for specific players (in the case of 
the 13A4a, Mike Vax;   the 14A4a, Forest Buchtel; and the 6A4a, Bill Chase) 
and then subsequently placed in the Schilke system at the spot that fit the 
closest. This is different from the catalog of, say, Curry, Warburton, and Stork, 
where each mouthpiece is made according to preconceived specifications.   

I don't dispute Mike Vax's numbers about Schilke's sales of the 13A4a--he 
should know--but for the last 20 years I'm told the 14A4a is the largest selling 
Schilke mouthpiece (whatever the means). In fact, the only stock flugelhorn 
mouthpiece Schilke makes is the 14F4, which was designed to   provide a 
flugelhorn mouthpiece with the same rim for all those 14A4a players. All other Schilke 
flugel mouthpieces are custom made.

For the maybe 3 people who are interested, I hope this helps.

For the hopelessly obsessive, I have a whole page analyzing Schilke 
mouthpiece cup depths that could easily drive you crazy. It is found here:

http://www.dallasmusic.org/schilke/Meditation%20on%20cup%20depth.html

     Jim Donaldson
     The Schilke Loyalist
     









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