Hi Jack, hope you’re well. I’ve had the JP baritone for a good few weeks now and can give you my opinion on it. Bottom line is that it’s well made and packaged, sounds good and stands up very well to more expensive instruments. Initially I found the valves a little dirty and the 3rd valve sticking slightly but after cleaning and oiling it’s fine. The spit valves are in a slightly different position to normal (or at least what I’m used to) but that’s no problem and may even be in a better position and one on the 3rd valve slide is a bonus. The feel and weight of the instrument testify to the quality of it. The sound I’m getting is more marching trombone than sonorous but I think that’s just me, it is well centred though and I like it. The case is substantial and well padded and the unit comes with an Ultra-Pure maintenance kit and a mouthpiece that is described as a DW6BS but has no markings on it and is probably a clone, and this is where I’ve been having a problem.
Before I got the JP I had, for a while, the use of an old Besson BE955 that came with a mouthpiece marked a Virtuosi 6. I have no idea what this was but thought it may be similar to a Wicks SM6 and it was ok with the Besson. The Wicks 6BS clone is way too small for me so I tried it with the Virtuosi 6 but it just doesn’t sound right. Some years ago I had a Courtois baritone and used a Wicks 4AY with it (essentially a small bore euph m/p) which I still have so tried that but couldn’t get a decent high range. So I bought a Wicks 4BS which I thought would be a good compromise but don’t get the depth of tone I get with the 4AY. I’ve also tried a 61/2 AL and a 9BS both of which don’t suit. I’m now back and persevering with the 4AY with which I seem to be getting better. All this has no bearing, however on the instrument which, as I say, I’m very happy with.
Hope you have a good Christmas and stay safe.
Hi, Col,
I'm glad you're pleased with your purchase. Re. the sound; I suspect that the 'marching trombone' sound may have two causes. One is that the bell on a JP373 is 9.5 inches in diameter, giving it the possibility of a much richer sound than my JP173, with a bell diameter of 8 inches - but compared to many modern large bore baritones, that's on the small size. In contrast, the bell on the Odyssey you were considering is a full 12 inches - the same size as many euphoniums! So compared to many modern baritones (which to my ear sound
far too close to a euph sound), your 373 will have a brighter, punchier sound. Again, this is just my unhumble opinion, but I think a baritone should sound like a
baritone, and not
"almost like a euph", as a poster on a US put it,
"because I prefer the sound of a euph!" - which seems pretty stupid to me. Euphs and baritones have different roles in the overall sound of a band (after all, that's why they were invented!), and trying to make baritones sound 'almost like euphs' sounds as daft as trying to make cornets sound like almost like flugels "because I prefer the sound of a flugel"!
The other possibility is that, having spent many years playing euphs, your ear may well still be adjusting to the very different sound of a baritone, as well as your embouchure adapting to the feel of the mouthpiece and the higher blowing resistance of the baritone - and that may take time. I remember when I took up tenor trombone - it took me far longer than I'd expected to get used to the radically different feel and sound of the instrument.
Re. the mouthpiece; many years ago, I read a book called 'Motorcycle Engineering', by Phil Irving (designer the Vincent 1000cc V-twins). He said that, regardless of whether you were designing a commuter bike, a sports roadster, a scrambler, grass track bike or racing bike (or, come to that, a lawnmower engine!), the aim was what he called 'proportional tuning' - i.e., all components of the power unit, from carb intake to the end of the exhaust, should be
in balance with each other. For example, there's no point in fitting a huge carburettor to an engine with moderate sized valves, mild cam profiles, and a low compression piston - you'll get very little more power, at the cost of abysmal slow running and heavy fuel consumption.
To me, it seems that a brass player, the mouthpiece and the instrument have several features in common with an IC engine - and all three of them have to be in proportion, too. I found that out when I gave my Regent as a band loan instrument, and got the 173. With the Regent, a Besson 7 mouthpiece worked very well, suiting my embouchure and the Regent's medium bore and small bell. When I got the 173, I found the Besson 7 mouthpiece was too restrictive, and changed to a Wick 6BS. It took me a while to get used to the very different feel, but once I did, I found it much easier to play the higher dynamics without sounding harsh, and also easier to get a more mellow sound when it was called for (as in hymns and the like). I suspect that you are on a similar learning curve at the moment.
One piece of advice (which IIRC came from Tom King) was to persevere with a mouthpiece for a while, to give my body a while to get accustomed to it, before deciding whether to stick with it or change to a different one - as changing too much and too quickly would just leave me feeling confused. By sticking with the Besson 7 for a while after I got the 173, I developed a clear sense of exactly why it didn't suit the combination of myself and the 173, so then had a good idea of what feel of mouthpiece would work, and what to look for.
Hang in there, Col - Rome wasn't burnt in a day!
(as I need to keep reminding myself . . .
) - And a very happy Christmas to you and yours as well.
With best regards,
Jack