Vincent Bach Mouthpiece Shank Tapers
Through the 1930s, there were still differences in mouthpiece tapers used by different brass instrument manufacturers. While Vincent Bach and other manufacturers would later standardize this, there were variations by each major instrument manufacturer.
In the early Mt. Vernon era (1955 – 1956) of Vincent Bach’s instruments, Bach changed the tapers of his mouthpiece shanks & lead pipe receivers to a Morse Standard Taper No. 1. The previous taper used during the New York era was a brown & Sharp Standard taper. This change corresponds to a redesign of the Bach instruments during the early Mt. Vernon era, including the mouthpiece receivers on Bach trumpets and trombones. Other major trumpet manufacturers also followed this change to a Morse Std. Taper No. 1, and is used today.
This is why using the same vintage mouthpiece in a specific trumpet or trombone is best. While the differences can be small, they can impact the gap and fit of a mouthpiece.
Below are some of the mouthpiece shank tapers fellow Bach loyalists have shared. If you have other examples, please contact us through the website.
Shank Marking | Instrument Mfg. |
|---|---|
B | Besson |
H (see example below) | Holton |
K (see example below) | ? Brua Keefer |
M | ? Millereau |
O | Olds |
V | Vega |
W (see example below) | Wurlitzer |
Y (see example below) | York |
This is an example of a “H” stamp, believed to represent a “Holton” taper.
This is an example of a “K” stamp.
This is an example of a “W” stamp. This is included on a V.B. (Vincent Bach) stamped mouthpiece. Additional photos can be found here.
This is an example of a “Y” stamp, believed to represent a “York” taper.
source: Andy Cornell, Caesar Ulsano and other Bach loyalists source: example from the BachLoyalist collection
