Berg Larsen 4 alto mouthpiece

[chadders]

Anybody got any idea what size facing a berg Larsen size 4 Alto mouthpiece would have? Its the mouthpiece which came with the trevor james 'Horn' when it was bought new in the late 90's

Cheers
Chad

 

[rhysonsax]

Anybody got any idea what size facing a berg Larsen size 4 Alto mouthpiece would have? Its the mouthpiece which came with the trevor james 'Horn' when it was bought new in the late 90's

Cheers
Chad

A bit confused here.

Firstly, the famous mouthpiece maker is/was Berg Larsen (not Larsen).

Secondly, Berg Larsen sizes are marked for the tip opening in thou (thousandths of an inch), with increments of 5 thou. So a Berg Tenor piece might be a 95 (95 thou tip opening) or 100 or 105. This holds true for soprano, alto, tenor and bari.

Have a look at the Brg Larsen website for more information on their sizing and marking codes:
Berg Larsen | How to Choose
What does the whole marking on the piece read ? It's probably something like:
80/1 SMS which is:
80= 80 thou tip opening (medium close)
1= bright tone chamber
SMS= French facing (shorter with a steeper curve).

All the best

Rhys

PS If you are asking what Berg Larsen size matches another make which is marked as a 4, then it all depends what make that other piece is, as practically all mouthpiece makers have their own sizing code or conventions. For instance on alto, a Morgan 4 would be 65 thou, a Hawkins 4 is 50 thou as is Wolf Tayne, Yamaha 4 is 63, Rousseau could be 60, 63, or 66 depending on model and Runyon is 66. Dukoff is 65, Bundy 67, Bamber 62, Beechler 70 and Brilhart 74. The chart I have don't show Otto Link or Meyer using the 4 size for alto pieces. All the 4 sizes are at the closed end of the range, so a Berg Larsen of about 60 or 65 would probably be about right.

 

[thomsax]

Otto Link 4 = 55
Otto Link 4* = 60
Meyer 4 = 65
thousanths of an inch.

A medium alto mpc is around 80-85.

Thomas

 

[chadders]

It is definitely a Berg Larsen

and the only marking on it is 4

Cheers

Chad

 

[Andrew Sanders]

That looks like Larsen to me Chad

Andrew

 

[rhysonsax]

The script is just like a Larsen, but I have never (in 30 years) seen one with that facing marking style. It would normally be on the shank of the mouthpiece in line with the table. This one is on the body and off to the side.

It looks a bit as though it might be plastic, rather than hard rubber as it is very shiny. Can you tell what it is made of ?

Rhys

PS Could be worth contacting Berg Larsen company through their website.

 

[chadders]

It is plasticy. Its very much like the rico graftonite that I have.

Cheers
Chad

 

[rhysonsax]

It is plasticy. Its very much like the rico graftonite that I have.

Cheers
Chad

As far as I know all Berg Larsen non-metal pieces were and are made of good quality hard rubber (originally black, but now also in a grained finish). I wonder whether they made a student line at one point ?

Worth contacting them through their website and seeing if they will give you more information.

Best regards

Rhys

 

[cmelodysax]

As a lifelong Berg player, I'd never heard of plastic Bergs, but Trevor Jones in Bristol lists a couple of 'plastic student' ones...

You learn something every day 🙂

 

[chadders]

Cheers Guys. I will contact Berg and I'll let you know what I get back.

Chad