Warburton Mouthpieces

We've given seven mouthpieces from the American makers to members of the reigning British Open Champions, BAYV Cory and asked them to tell us what they thought about them.

Playing in a Brass band today presents a player with many stylistic challenges. No longer is it sufficient for a player to blend in with the band, play in tune and have a nice sound: now it is also vital to be able to change your sound and playing style at the drop of a hat in order to suit the style of music being played. Players now have to be able to span styles as varied as freestyle jazz to baroque trumpet with ease and so it is vitally important for them to be able to choose the correct equipment for the job.

In years gone by, there was an almost "Stalinist" approach to mouthpiece selection, especially in the brass band world – you were given one at the start of your career and that was the one you were expected to play on for the rest of your life. Choice didn't come into it. Today however, we have a much more enlightened approach. Better teaching, cross fertilisation of ideas from different brass playing mediums and a much more intelligent approach to playing by the players themselves means that choice is essential if you are to succeed as a performer. Thankfully this has been recognised for many years by high class makers of instruments and mouthpieces to such an extent that there is now a bewildering array of products to choose from.

Choosing what is right for you however can be a difficult process, and so it is important that you try a number of mouthpieces in particular before you choose on the right on for the job you are doing. Many are very specific in design, but the Warburton Company in the USA has long been recognised as a leader in the field, and with its "Warburton System" of fully interchangeable "Top" sections and "Backbore" sections, players now have an almost infinite choice of tailor made mouthpieces designed to meet their needs.

The Warburton Mouthpiece System allied to various cup designs have been by players over the years for their ability to produce the most desired sound in any playing idiom. This flexibility allows brass players a range of sounds that enable them to meet the challenges of playing in the variety of styles that modern day brass playing demands. It has been a hard earned and well deserved reputation.

Set up Terry Warburton in 1974, the company has a world wide client base and produces mouthpieces for cornet, trumpet, trombone, flugel, french horn, piccolo trumpet and tuba. They are based in Geneva, Florida, USA and have a dedicated website on www.warburton-usa.com

4BR wanted to find out more about their claims and so the company kindly sent us mouthpieces for us to roadtest. The mouthpieces sent were the Warburton 5FLX for flugel horn, the Warburton 1 ½ G and the 2BB (with 3B backbore) for bass trombone, the Warburton 5XD for soprano cornet, the Warburton 5BC with BC 8* backbore for cornet and also the Warburton 3BC with BC8* backbore for cornet.

Given that we wanted some top class players to roadtest them independently for us, we asked Buy As You View Cory Band's Steve Barnsley, Soprano Cornet, Assistant Principal Chris Turner, Flugel, Joanne Deane and Andrew Williams, Bass Trombone to put the Warburton Mouthpieces through their paces.

They had them for close on 3 months and used them extensively for home practice, band rehearsals and concerts with the 2002 Open Champions, so we think the results are well researched.

This is what they thought.

Steve Barnsley
Soprano Cornet
Warburton 5XD

"Playing the soprano cornet is a fine balance between power and subtly and finding a mouthpiece to help play at these both extremes is an obsession for most soprano players who are always reaching out for that elusive mouthpiece, you know, the one that plays itself - and I think with Warburton, I've found mine.

I was given the 5XD with a 12* back bore to road test, but as I already play on a Warburton 5D with a 12* back bore and I would like to begin by discussing this mouthpiece in order to show you the versatility of the different mouthpieces Warburton produce for the soprano. After years of playing on a vintage 1940 Vincent Bach, I came to realise that it produced the wrong sound for Cory. I therefore sought advice from others as to what would be an appropriate alternative. Many people came up with ideas, but it was the suggestion that I try the Warburton as it might combine the tonal qualities of a Yamaha mouthpiece with the volume of a Vincent Bach that made the most sense to me.

In Trevor Jones' shop in Bristol, the versatility of the Warburton Modular System came to the fore. I was able to compare the different cups and back bores available for the soprano cornet and arrive at a combination that would hopefully do the job. I arrived at my 5D with 12* Back bore combination and have been very pleased with the results ever since. The rim is very comfortable and this is vital in order to sustain the pressure needed to play the high notes, as anything vaguely uncomfortable on the lips turns Soprano playing from a hobby into an exercise in masochism!

The mouthpiece also helps me to produce good (I hope!) tonal qualities in a range of styles. It is especially useful in the "Venus" section of the "Planets" (this year's British Open test piece) where the mouthpiece gives me the confidence and flexibility to produce the exact qualities the piece requires. The mouthpiece also helps me to produce a good sound through a range of dynamics from the softest to the loudest - well as loud as you can get before the noise is able to etch glass! It is also secure in any register, be it below the stave or above "Top C".

In my humble opinion, the Warburton system is an excellent choice for any player as it combines a variety of combinations which allows you to tinker with your sound until you, or your conductor is happy with it, and it is a comfortable mouthpiece which allows a player to produce a good tone and to project with little effort. The system does have its drawbacks however; sometimes the larger cups are just a little too hard to blow. The 5XD cup was that one step too far for me, the cup was just too deep and made me struggle to cut through the band and left me less secure than with my 5D in the highest register. However, the strength of the system lies in its flexibility. The variety of choice allows you to select the combination that is perfect for you. The wide range means that there is an easy-blowing, comfortable mouthpiece that helps you to produce that "inner sound" - the sound that you have always dreamed of having; it's just a matter of experimenting until you are satisfied. Take your time and experiment and you will be rewarded. I've found a Warburton that does the ideal job for me, and so I would not hesitate to recommend the Warburton mouthpiece system to anyone."

Happy blowing.

Steve Barnsley
BAYV Cory Band

Chris Turner
Assistant Principal Cornet
Warburton 5BC with BC 8* Backbore
Warburton 3BC with BC 8* Backbore

"Having been asked by 4BarsRest to road test the Warburton cornet mouthpiece I set about it with an air of trepidation. Having played a lot of trumpet and a spell on soprano at Brighouse (what was I thinking, I'm not that mad) I have come into contact with Warburton mouthpieces for many years.

I have played a Warburton 2XD & 2MD with a 12* back bore on my trumpets big and small for some 10 years now, so I already knew the build quality and workmanship to be of a very high standard. During my many years of cornet playing however I have always remained faithful to my trusty Denis Wick 2B and I was worried about what breaking with that tradition would do to my sound.

I was kindly sent a Warburton 3BC with an 8* BS Back bore (BS standing for British Standard) and set about giving it a go. At home in my front room there didn't seem to be much difference apart from a slightly brighter sound and a comfier feel (well, as comfy as ramming a bit of metal on your face can be!). At band I was surprised at how well I was able to lend in with the cornet section and how I was able to keep going throughout the night (it seemed to help with stamina) although I got some funny looks off the conductor when I over cooked it. The Warburton is a lovely comfortable mouthpiece but if played with an ounce too much air can cut through the band with frightening ease - something to be careful of.

I can thoroughly recommend this product for the 'shovellers' on the front row 3rd/4th man down as it helps produce a strong and centred sound and, as I have said above, blends well with some thought and little effort. For a trumpet player who also plays cornet this would be the ideal mouthpiece. The depth it gives you is just enough to take away the trumpet sound but is very close to a trumpet style mouthpiece so the feel is the same making swapping between both instruments easier. It is a mouthpiece that has been produced very much with a certain player in mind, and as many younger players today combine both cornet and trumpet playing in their studies at College or University, this was an ideal compromise mouthpice for them. Highly recommended.

I also tried the Warburton 5BC (British Cornet) which I found to be very responsive and produced a well centred if slightly brighter sound than I'm used to. If only the cup size was slightly deeper it would make the perfect alternative to a Denis Wick etc. in my humble opinion, but as the Warburton System offers so much choice I think just a subtle change would make it ideal. For the Big Band pieces BAYV Cory undertake this mouthpiece is perfect though and for solo work it is a superb tool for ease of sound, projection and nge - top notch stuff indeed. I will definitely be using this mouthpiece at band and must congratulate Mr.Warburton on a fine product - any chance of a slightly deeper cup though?"

Chris Turner.
Assistant Principal BAYV Cory Band.
Cornet Tutor Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Joanne Deane
Flugel Horn
Warburton 5FLX

"After having played for so long on a Denis Wick 4 or 2, the first thing I noticed about the Warburton combination was its size. Whilst size isn't everything in the brass band world (although some may disagree!), I felt that the bore diameter could have been a bit wider and the mouthpiece cup depth could have been deeper. Again, this is a personal choice, and a bit more tinkering with the choices available under the Warburton System would I am sure given me the one that was ideal.

Perhaps as a result of this smaller size, the Warburton makes higher register playing surprisingly pleasant. It provides added security to production and pitching of the fiendishly close harmonics of the upper register and was great for playing the high stuff for prolonged periods and it would be especially effective in pieces like "Whitsun Wakes" and "Venus" from "The Planets".

Whilst the Warburton doesn't give you a great sound unless you are playing on a huge flugel, it is brilliant for the days when you may need a little extra help upstairs, and let's face it, with modern flugel writing that's pretty much every day! It would also be useful for trumpet players who could stick with the same cup regardless of which instrument they switch to.

The mouthpiece is comfortable to use and the reduced effort it takes to produce higher notes is great for those who are worried about stamina as it allows a player to focus on quality of sound instead of having to force the volume through. The cup on this mouthpiece however is slightly on the shallow side and I feel that the range would benefit from a selection of eeper cups. This would also help with projection on smaller bore flugels.

In conclusion, I liked the Warburton for it's ease of upper register note production, but the quality of sound it produces is much brighter than the mellower tones produced by my Denis Wick and I feel that the amount of work you have to invest in producing a fuller flugel sound in the normal register on this Warburton mouthpiece may out way the benefits it gains in the higher register. It seems to be a very specific mouthpiece to do a very specific job, and it is great at it, but for me I just needed something that gave me a fuller, fatter flugel sound.

Joanne Deane
Flugel Horn BAYV Cory Band.

Andrew Williams
Bass Trombone
Warburton 1 ½ G and the 2B with 3B Backbore

Warburton kindly sent me two mouthpieces to consider: one a two piece, with 2B Top with B3 Back bore and the other a one piece one and a half G, which to a certain extent defeats the modular system that sets the series apart from other Mouthpieces. Both are smaller than the Bach 1G I currently play on, but again this does not tally with their reference grid which states the 2B to be the equivalent to the Bach 1G. Also the bores are slightly smaller than I am used to.

The two piece mouthpiece (2B & B3 sections) provides a rich clear brighter tone (I think due to the presence of more overtones) in all registers and also helps ease clarity of production. This is possibly an ideal tool in the brass band but be care is needed when using it because of the set up of so many modern day bass trombones. The bigger is better mentality of many Bass Trombonists may mean that this mouthpiece will lead them to over-dominate the bands they play with, as if they are bright already due to bell size and thickness this mouthpiece could send their sound over the top and sound too harsh at louder dynamics (and thank goodness that we don't have any players who do that already, eh?).

If you have a richer sounding set-up this mouthpiece may be ideal for the speedier work in the lower registers given the help with the rich clear tone and crisper production that it provides. Pedals again should benefit from the brighter tone, depending on the desired result. The upper register was easier to produce and sustain than the 1, 1/2G and the Bach but I fancy the bore maybe a bit smaller certainly than the Bach, which would explain this tendency. I would suggest it would also be of great benefit in lighter ensemble or more commercial work as it may not suit all rass band set-ups as it provides the player with the temptation to overblow and drown out the rest of the band.

I found that the one and a half G is the closest to the Bach in overall tonal quality and performance. I would suggest that the one piece mouthpiece overall was better for band and symphony orchestra use because it gives a slightly darker tone (less overtones) and would aid more subtle note production. It was an easy blow and comfortable in both pedal and lower registers but offering no major obstacles to the upper registers. The only drawback I could find with it was its one-piece nature; it seems to defeat the purpose of the major selling point of the Warburton System: its flexibility and modularity which is something I admire very much indeed.

Andrew Williams
Bass Trombone BAYV Cory Band

For further information about Warburton Mouthpieces you can contact:

www.warburton-usa.com or telephone on 001 800 638 1950

You can also write direct to
Warburton Music Products
PO Box 1209
Geneva, Florida 32732
USA

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