Nuisance with my case & mouthpiece

[Sara Hood]

My case and mouthpiece tend to behave badly together. This is how it should be when I open my case, the mouthpiece easily resting in the parking spot shaped for it. The mouthpiece well is lined with a piece of plastic designed to receive the mouthpiece and hold it stationary as the case is transported.


But sometimes I get an unpleasant surprise. Where is my mouthpiece? There it is, hanging out in space, from the lid of my case. It is then prone to falling against my horn, creating small dings in the bell, because metal falling against metal is sure to leave a mark. And it could lead to my mouthpiece stem getting out of round. I am trying to keep both pieces in as good of shape as possible.


What can I do to keep this from happening, short of not carrying the mouthpiece inside the case to begin with? I don't want to have to carry the mouthpiece separately as that makes for another thing to remember and account for when I pack up my equipment for a gig. Music, tuner, stand, oil, grease, stand light, pencil, clips, etc are already enough of a load to manage. Suggestions?

- Sara

[John Morgan]

Looks like you have a little rectangular pocket besides the round parking place for the mouthpiece. Put one of the mouthpieces in a mouthpiece pouch. Wrap the other in a small towel and stuff both of those in that compartment in the case. Don't use the hole that is made for the mouthpiece if it falls out. Or get a dual mouthpiece pouch and put both mouthpieces in that and put the pouch in the bigger rectangular pocket. Stuff a small towel in on top before closing the lid.

[RickF]

When I bought my first horn (used) the business owner, Paul Chafin of Chafin Music, told me to not trust the hole in the hard case designed to hold a mpc. He told me to put the mpc in a padded case and store it in the pocket. Paul, may he rest in peace, played with Tommy Newsome in the Airmen of Note USAF Jazz Band. Tommy Newsome was a sax player with Doc Severinsen of the Tonight Show orchestra many years ago. I figured he knew what he was talking about.

[ghmerrill]

Those "mouthpiece holders" that you just drop the shank into (and the bowl rests on top_ are a disaster waiting to happen, and should never be used. You can end up with significant damage to a horn. I always put my mouthpiece in it's own little Protec Neoprene mouthpiece pouch, and put that into one of the lidded holding compartments in the case. My backup mouthpiece (you have one, right?) travels separately in my equipment bag.

[Sara Hood]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Yes, there is a small, open compartment built into the upper right hand of the case. Unfortunately, it doesn't have any kind of lid to keep anything I put into it from likewise falling into the main body of the case. I can get a mouthpiece pouch however and start using it to hold the mouthpiece. Why didn't I think of that? No worries, and thanks to the wisdom of the collective T/E community. And yes Gary, I have a backup mouthpiece. (laugh)

- Sara

[Sara Hood]

Do you all think that one like this https://www.ebay.com/itm/37168391283...kAAOSwp7FaWZjG will be as protective as one from Protec made from nylon canvas? The name brand is easily four times the price.

- Sara

[ghmerrill]

That's pretty thin, and open on one end. A better alternative would be something like this Deg trombone pouch, But that's still likely to cost you $10+ if you have to pay shipping.

The goal is to protect the instrument from the mouthpiece getting shaken out of its storage and bumping around the case and into the horn. However you can accomplish that is a win. It definitely doesn't have to be a commercial mouthpiece case.

The lidless compartment is worrisome because it conjures images of the mouthpiece escaping it and denting or gouging the horn. But an effective solution might be just to wrap the mouthpiece in a small dishtowel or washcloth or something similar, put that in a baggie, or put a rubber band around it, and wedge that into that open compartment. Or even find a small box that the mouthpiece could be put in, and that in turn would fit into that compartment. Or put it in a larger towel and stuff it into the bell or in between some of the horn tubing. Anything that pads it and reliably keeps it in one place.

[singplay]

The other suggestions are better than this one, but in the case my Yamaha 321S sits in, I put a folded washcloth on top of the mouthpiece and have never had a problem with the mouthpiece coming out.

[ghmerrill]

The other suggestions are better than this one, but in the case my Yamaha 321S sits in, I put a folded washcloth on top of the mouthpiece and have never had a problem with the mouthpiece coming out.

Yeah, something that simple can work well as long as the washcloth takes up all the available room in the compartment as the case is closed. It's really a simpler and more elegant solution for a lidless compartment than a mouthpiece case/pouch.

[Sara Hood]

Are any of the forum members who are also leather crafting hobby-ists? I saw some nice mouthpiece cases made from leather, but for more than I want to pay. As it happens, I have a medium sized piece of leather suede that I think would be lovely made up into some pouches. If I supply the leather, would anyone be willing to make a deal with me for the work of transforming it into a finished product?

I am a crafty person and enjoy making things. But I REALLY don't need the expense of acquiring supplies and time commitment of becoming proficient in another hobby.

- Sara

[SteveMcGovern]

I'm not convinced the mouthpiece hole built into the case is a bad thing. I've used them for years. The only risk is if you get in the habit of opening your case in weird orientations. It should be a simple matter to expand the hole in the lid (foam, I presume) a few mm around its circumference.

Some cases do let the mouthpieces escape from the slot. But it sounds like Sara has enough experience with the case to know if it's safe or not.

[RickF]

My favorite mpc case is one Doug Elliott provides with his mpcs (see below). It’s padded with a Velcro closure. Unfortunately I’ve not been able to find those yet.

[ghmerrill]

I thought that Doug's wife made those cases, though I could be mistaken. The very best mouthpiece cases I've ever had are the Milnarik Pouches: https://tubastudio.com/mouthpiece-pouches. They're similar to Doug's, but top-loading, a bit more finely made, and with more padding. Unfortunately, I don't think they've been available for a number of years now. I have one single one and one double one that I use for tuba mouthpieces.

[SteveMcGovern]

I used a simple plastic one like the linked Deg for many years without issue. Milnarik pouches are designed to protect a dropped mouthpiece. I was only interested in protecting it from rolling around in the oversized case compartment. Which the simple plastic one did admirably.

I have half-remembered fears of leather accessories not mixing well with silver. So I'd avoid making a DIY leather pouch until at least doing some research.

[ghmerrill]

I have half-remembered fears of leather accessories not mixing well with silver.

A good point. Also, while a thin leather pouch protects the mouthpiece, it doesn't cushion a horn from "kinetic" damage to the mouthpiece in the pouch if it gets to rumbling around in the case.