Consequences of using an ill-fitting mouthpiece (Olds)

[mikeklaas]

I've acquired a late-60's Olds Studio that comes with the smaller Olds mouthpiece taper. It came with a Bach 12C which was clearly used by the previous owner.

As far as I can tell my option are:

1. Acquire a Olds mouthpiece (I have a beat up one coming from eBay)
2. Have the receiver reamed out (looking into it; first shop was pretty skeptical)
3. Have a custom mouthpiece fabricated (from Doug Elliot or somewhere else)
4. Use standard shank mouthpieces despite not fitting perfectly.

I only have the standard size small shank mouthpieces right now, and I'd rather be able to reuse them if possible. I measure 20mm insertion depth for standard mouthpieces in the horn, compared with 26.5mm insertion in a standard receiver. What non-obvious consequences are there of playing that way? (I'm aware of the obvious one of the intonation being slightly flat)

Thanks!

[BGuttman]

Check to see how badly out of tune the partials are with each other.

I have a 1925 Olds LM that I have used with a standard Bach 4C for years with no ill effects.

[Posaunus]

The factory-original mouthpiece was an Olds 3. Small but works pretty well in an Olds Studio. You may prefer an Olds 1 mouthpiece (slightly larger, same shank) which also fits the Olds receiver perfectly. Both often readily available used and not beat up. I think the proper shank works much better.

[Dennis]

As far as I can tell my option are:

1. Acquire a Olds mouthpiece (I have a beat up one coming from eBay)
2. Have the receiver reamed out (looking into it; first shop was pretty skeptical)
3. Have a custom mouthpiece fabricated (from Doug Elliot or somewhere else)
4. Use standard shank mouthpieces despite not fitting perfectly.

Thanks!

5. Have a machine shop turn the shank of a Morse small-shank mouthpiece down to match the Olds shank.

That's doable once you have an Olds mouthpiece for them to measure. It's also a better option than having the mouthpiece receiver reamed out.

2a. Replace the leadpipe with one set up for a standard Morse small shank. Pulling the leadpipe and having it worked on is probably a better option than trying to use a reamer on it in situ.

[JohnL]

The answer is: it depends.

Some people use standard shank mouthpieces in Olds receivers with no problems, others report issues. Try it for a while and see how it works for you.

[GGJazz]

Hi Mikeklaas.

In my opinion , the best thing would be to have a custom mpc made by Doug Elliott ; so you can choose a size that works for you , having a shank that fits perfectly the horn . This way you do not have to make any modifications to the receiver/ leadpipe etc , which could also change the horn' s response for the worse ...

Regards
Giancarlo

[mikeklaas]

Thanks all. I'll give it a try once I have the Olds 3 to compare with—and keep an eye out for an Olds 1.