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Osmun Horn Mouthpieces
1. Concept
In designing our mouthpieces
I had two basic ideas in mind.
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To create a range of horn
mouthpieces that would be well made and allow the player to mix and
match different components to find the perfect combination for him or
her. One important consideration was to offer mouthpieces in different
widths, something almost unknown in this country. I wanted the parts to be consistent and repeatable,
and interchangeable.
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I wanted the mouthpieces
identified and described in such a way that players could make
intelligent choices when making changes. I spent my youth reading
mouthpiece catalogs that used descriptions like: “for small, willowy
girls who desire a Teutonic quality of sound”. I didn't want to
perpetuate similar descriptions nor did I want players to have to make
choices using their fingers or pencils for micrometers.
2. Sound
Families
The idea of “Sound Families” was to
group basic mouthpiece designs together so that players would have some
idea of what to expect from them. I chose four cities that I felt had
produced distinct styles of sound to help people choosing a mouthpiece
anticipate the results they could expect. They are:
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London—From
Dennis Brain to Frank Lloyd, the London style has been characterized
by stunning technique and a bright, clear tone. Our London cups are
relatively shallow and have a pronounced cup shape, which accentuates
the higher harmonics.
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Chicago—The
slightly deeper and less cup-shaped Chicago mouthpieces produce a
warmer timbre and very even response across the registers. Chicago
mouthpieces work well with most horns and in most bore sizes.
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New York—These
very deep and straight sided mouthpieces produce an enormous amount of
sound. They are particularly suited for Conn 8D horns and larger bore
sizes.
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Vienna—
For many, the Vienna cup produces the classic horn sound. The shape is
convex, with less volume and virtually no throat at all.
3. Cups and
rims
Our cups are made in two
ranges, inch and metric. The inch cups are available in two widths,
.650” and .675”. Both use and industry standard .750-36 thread. The
standard (.650) cups are interchangeable with cups from Giardinelli,
Moosewood, Stork, Warburton, and many others.
Our metric range has only one
width, 17.5mm and uses an .800-36 thread. They are designed specifically
to be interchangeable with Paxman and Halstead-Chidell mouthpieces and
are offered in sizes larger than our inch models.
Inch rims are offered in
three sizes:
Standard .650 ID,
+(Plus) .650
ID but the rest of the rim is .012” wider (+ rims fit standard cups),
and
W.675 ID.
Metric rims are all 17.5 ID and measure 17.5, 18, or
18.5mm at the bite.
As long as you stay in the
same size, e.g. standard, +, or W, all inch range cups and rims are
completely interchangeable as are all metric cups and rims.
4. Outside Shapes
Our standard outside shape
("blank") is appropriate for most players, instruments, and playing
environments. In addition, we offer two heavier blanks and our "New
York" style blank.
5.
Shanks
Our mouthpieces have 0 Morse
taper shanks and fit .625" into a properly sized
mouthpiece receiver. (There is much variation among mouthpiece
receivers.) We can supply any of our cups with a European (Alexander)
shank.
6. Throats
Most of mouthpieces are
available in four standard throats. Any throat (to size 27) can be
special ordered. We ream our throats, a process that results in a very
smooth, accurately dimensioned hole.
7. Backbores
Horn mouthpiece backbores are
governed by two factors, the first nodal point that affects the
harmonics of the horn is several inches down the mouthpipe so changes in
the mouthpiece do not affect the pitch of the instrument, and the
very small area and shallow taper of the backbore make its effects
negligible. The primary issue is how it affects the length of the
throat.
8. Plating
Our cups are silver plated,
our rims are gold, We gold plate our rims for two reasons: 1, gold feels
more slippery on the lips, and advantage to players who use a wet
embouchure (the vast majority) and 2, gold is hypo-allergenic,
eliminating most allergy problems. We can supply rims in silver plate or
in delrin, if desired. Because it is almost impossible to provide a
durable plated finish while conforming to environmental regulations we outsource
our plating. Our plated finishes are guaranteed for one year.
9.
Matching the Mouthpiece to the Instrument
Matching a mouthpiece to a
specific instrument is primarily the matching of the mouthpiece bore to
the venturi (narrowest point) of the mouthpipe. Generally, large bell
horns have mouthpipes with small venturis and small bell horns use
larger venturis in the mouthpipe. The goal here is balance. Large
venturis function best with smaller bore mouthpieces and vice versa.
That's why so many 8D players use 4, 6, or 8 bore mouthpieces and a
typical European mouthpiece might have a 16, 18, or 20 bore. Most
horns and mouthpieces fall into a broad middle ground and most
mouthpieces in the 10-14 range will work well with most horns.
Cups
Rims
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Osmun
Music, Inc. & Robert
J. Osmun
