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Mouthpieces Brilhart Mouthpiece Markings

kevgermany

ex Landrover Nut
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21,367
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Just north of Munich
Does anyone know anything about markings on a Brilhart mounthpiece?

Did some research, but didn't find much.

Mouthpiece is an ivory coloured Brilhart Personaline Tonalin Alto stamped S5, with a 5 digit serial number - 59338 (but seems to be small font, as far as I can tell). Has the wood finish round bite plate. No brass ring round the shank. No Place of origin. Shape is the same as the hard rubber personaline on Theo Wanne's Brilhart page. http://www.theowanne.com/mouthpieces101/Brilhart.php Came with a 1930s Kohlert that I collected today. Chamber looks like an opened out horseshoe, with flat sides. Came with a modern lig, sadly, but the reed guard seems to be the original 1930s silver plated one.

Guess I'm just wondering what the S5 means - and if it's worth getting someone to put a brass band over the small crack in the shank. I believe the personalines came with a special facing.
 
I've found some info on your mouthpiece. The Ebolin, Tonalin and Personaline models were all made in England. The US made Brilharts were not on sale in the UK when this chart was put together. The S stands for short lay and the 5 for tip opening. For an S marked alto piece that is 719/71.

I got this info from an old Leslie Evans mouthpiece chart.

Jim.
 
Thanks Jim. Really helpful. Is 719 the facing length in thou's? And I guess the 71 is the tip opening in thou's.

Have no idea how my mouthpiece got here. It's certainly not marked with anything except the original Brilhart markings.

I bought the sax here in Germany. Seems there were a lot of US instruments here after the war - the US occupation forces brought them over for the military bands. My sax teacher tells me that some of these instruments somehow got into civilian hands. Practice got to be so bad that the US military police often used to raid performances, and examine the instruments, including saxes, of the performers, confiscating any with US military markings.... Must have been a hoot. I've got a mental picture of a concert hall, filled with people, concert in full swing and the MPs break in, cue instruments in cases and performers running out of the stage door pursued by the MPs. Somewhat reminiscent of prohibition....
 
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