For
sale, a scarce early 1960's Vincent Bach Mt. Vernon 1.25C silver professional solo
cornet mouthpiece with a large 15 throat and original 2-piece rim with Giardinelli threads! Ideal for soloists, British brass band principals, or orchestral playing. Extremely clean overall, some very light signs of use and age. Additional stamp of "120" on outer cup, believed to be a reference to the backbore reamer used.
So you're considering a Vintage Bach mouthpiece...:
Considered to be one of the "holy grails" of trumpet equipment duplicated by companies all over the world, original golden era Bach mouthpieces are highly prized amongst players and collectors. Professionals from all styles of the trumpet world seek them out for their unique rims, famously resonant "Bach" sound, and high production quality.
Not all old Bach
mouthpieces are
scarce or desirable. Prices are entirely based on production scarcity
and modern
demand. When Bach was at the peak of its production quality, they were
producing equipment for a mid-century professional market. Professional
players didn't have the need for very many of the sizes that would
become popular in today's musical world. Modern soloists and large
ensemble players began demanding more presence, volume, and projection,
leading to a
multi-decade trend towards larger mouthpieces, most notably in the
Symphony Orchestra. For many modern
professionals, finding the "holy grail" is a mouthpiece of today's size,
made
with all the labor, qualities, and materials of the golden age.
When purchasing vintage Bach
equipment, it is important to understand each mouthpiece is unique and should
be approached as a one-off. These were hand cut by trained artisans. Exact
cup size/shape, backbore taper, and rim size/contour will vary slightly from
piece to piece and no two will measure, feel, or sound identical. It's not
going to feel like your current personal mouthpiece, even if it is the same
model! Unlike today's computer controlled lathes that laser cut to a high
degree of accuracy, these are hand-honed pieces, cut by a skilled craftsman. No mouthpiece will fix your problems!!
But with a vintage Bach that appropriately balances your setup, nothing sings more brilliantly or soars
farther with less effort.