Mouthpiece 'Comparator' ?
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http://kanstul.com/MPcompare/MouthpieceComparator.html
Would anybody here know if this 'comparator' is accurate?
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More or less. It's less a comparator than an indicator.
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@grune Even if it were "accurate" what does that mean? Can our eyes tell us how a mouthpiece rim will interface to our lips? It only shows the rim and cup - a lot of how a mouthpiece feels is in the bore and backbore however. We are sensitive to contours in 1/1000ths - how "accurately" can a 72dpi -150dpi screen image be.
The comparator for me is evidence that Kanstul measured many typical mouthpieces in a repeatable way. That makes it probably the best database out there. I can say however that the Kanstul Monette copies had nothing to do with the real thing - from "feeling" or playing characteristics. I am sure that the rim and cup were accurately measured - there is more to feel than the rim and cup...I have made some interesting discoveries during my career.
- A gold plated mouthpiece "feels" bigger than the same size silver plated
- a well used mouthpiece with a scratched rim feels bigger than a brand new shiny one of the same size
- many players are dependent on a bit of "sharpness" of the inner rim for "grip". That dependency can be greatly reduced after weeks to months of embouchure building (Stamp/Irons)
- shallow cups greatly increase the need to critically match horn and mouthpiece - especially in regard to intonation
- beginners benefit from "sharper" rims as the vibrating surface is more clearly defined. Once the student has reached a certain degree of proficiency, it is often worth experimenting with less sharp feeling models
- it is impossible to look at a rim and predict anything.
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@ROWUK said in Mouthpiece 'Comparator' ?:
I have made some interesting discoveries during my career.
- shallow cups greatly increase the need to critically match horn and mouthpiece - especially in regard to intonation
Would like to amend 4): While I do not disagree, and have experienced this myself, after purchasing a 5 mm Harrelson Modular kit that has reproduced my Jettone studio B with the Harrelson modular rim and cup, by replacing the throat component on the back end, an improved match can be found. So if you can change the back end of the mouthpiece you can improve this factor.
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Benade wrote about the importance of matching backbores to cups around some 50 years ago.
