Real vs Fake 'Megatone' 3C Mouthpiece Review
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- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
- Today we're looking at a Bach Megatone 3C mouthpiece and a replica Chinese-made mouthpiece (also denoted '3C') at 5% of the cost. Inevitably, there is a world of a difference in terms of feel, but the Chinese mouthpiece, while some notes sound foggy, wouldn't be a terrible choice for a student. After all, the price point you're looking at is under $10. Especially as a spare mouthpiece, it's worth looking into.
I have a Chinese knock-off 3C and it works great for me. I have access to about 32 different mouthpieces my dad collects them. In my trumpet case I have a Blessing 1.5C, Bach MV 3C, And my Chinese 3C Mega-Tone knock-off. The problem I have with mine is that it is gold plated and a bit slick so once I get used to it my silver plated MP's feel too grippy and when I get used to my silver plated MP's the gold feels to slick. I think MP's are like shoes they really are a rather individual thing in terms of what fits and feels good.
Yep, different things work for everybody. I’ve found that as long as you don’t combine a Chinese mouthpiece with a Chinese trumpet, you can get pretty good results with one or the other.
@@SamuelPlaysBrass Terrible embouchure and practically no practice for breath control. What a waste of time review.
HOW DO YOU ONLY HAVE 100 SUBS??? YOU'RE AWESOME DUDE!
Thanks man! I appreciate it!
Make that 2k
Make that 3K
I have a 3c 'Megatone' Chinese 'knock-off'. It plays just fine. It has the same 'white' silver plating and the same length as a Vincent Bach mouthpiece. Cost $Aus 27.
The length difference with Monette's is supposedly to do with intonation rather than helping to play high notes.
The darker colour could well be Nickel plating rather than Silver - not an uncommon cost-saving on cheap fake pieces (and a source of allergy problems for many - a good enough reason on its own not to use it too much).
I would be careful of assuming you could play "just as well" on the knock-off as you would on the genuine piece - if the intonation is out of whack, you could compensate for what by lipping notes all over the place, but it'll tire you out more (and you'll lose consistency when you're tired) and in general you'll find it harder to get the consistency you really want.
A piece that helps you play in tune will help your playing develop much better, and it'll allow you to perform consistently at a higher level - the same goes for instruments, ones with inherant intonation issues will make life harder.
At any rate, congratulations on the progress you've made so far and keep it up :)
Thank you for the comment! You are correct on everything. With Monette mouthpieces, you sort of led into that point already, but correction of intonation issues via a shorter mp also allows for less contortions of the aperture and thus a freer blow, which would seemingly lead to a clearer high register. Pardon me though. My explanations were quite muddled. I don't like the fake mouthpiece much, but I believe that it will get the job done to some extent, albeit with less clarity than the genuine Megatone.
In general with mouthpieces, the key to a good design is a balance between different elements of the design. I could go into detail but it might get boring...
The important bit is that the cheap knock-off (fake) pieces aren't designed with any care for this balance in mind, nor are they tested before being put up for sale or manufactured particularly consistently - they're objects that fit (sort of, though gap is probably miles from satisfactory) and will produce a noise, but that's about all they have in common with a proper mouthpiece.
Monette's are an unusual set of compromises - large diameter (and unusually long) throats like that in a standard length mouthpiece would result in a very flat high register (and sharp lower register), but by reducing the shank length by the right amount, the design balances out. The result is very free-blowing pieces with very little tolerance for imperfect technique - if you play dead in the center of the slots they work quite well, but if you stray high or low on the pitch the intonation becomes very difficult to manage. The different lengths for different keys thing is supposedly to do with intonation tendencies, though it could be achieved in other ways - they just choose to do it that way and sell it as something profound.
There's nothing wrong with them, but they're not some magical design (nor are GR's or anything else that claims to be) that's fundamentally superior - just well balanced pieces with a different set of compromises.
There's a lot of marketing BS in the mouthpiece world, and there's a lot of sensible advice out there... I've been through my fair share of mouthpieces, it's easy to buy into marketing hypes and into looking for the one piece that does x, y or z better than the current favourite, but in the end nothing beats the consistency you get from knuckling down and practicing on the pieces you use - whether that's the same piece for every instrument, or whether you switch to something different for Eb and/or Picc, sticking to what works and not getting distracted is definitely worthwhile.
If you're looking for ideas for videos.....?
It might be interesting to your audience to see a selection of the exercise books you use and what you particularly like about them?
(And if you're looking for suggestions for more material to practice, I'm happy to share a few suggestions with you).
(And yes, I've subscribed... I'll try not to hijack your comments sections too often, but it'll be interesting to see your playing continue to develop).
Wow, that was a thorough read, but it was interesting! You are right from what I can tell. Thanks for subscribing ;)
Both mouthpieces seems fine. 🎺
2:58 : Mouthpiece 1
4:10 : Mouthpiece 2
If you close your eyes they sound the same but Mouthpiece 1 rings slightly better but it could be due to fatigue and slight excessive effort on Mouthpiece 2
Simply put, you need more subscribers.
Hai Samuel i also play yamaha but i have the poor man's xeno the ytr6335g perhaps im gona upgrade to a pro horn next year
You came into this discussion with prejudices and rumor and a bit snobby. What is the physical difference? For example different material, different specifications, price? "It sounds better" what does that really mean to my laptop plug and pray speakers. When doing comparisons it may be best you DON't know what you're playing, a blind test would be more scientific. Thanks.
Thanks for your comment. The main differences are in the plating (some cheap nickel-like plating that feels rougher on the chops than genuine silver, however poorly or thinly Bach applies their silver plating), material composition (knock-off has a lower copper content by percentage, creating a brighter, harsher sound), and harsher transitions between the cup and throat of the mouthpiece, again leading to a sound that is a little rougher around the edges.
My newer videos are far better analyses than this piece of work from over half a decade ago, of which I'm not particularly proud. I leave these older videos up more for archival purposes than anything.
Have you tested the Monette Silver 6? They make some pretty hefty claims with for it?
I've only ever once played a Monette mouthpiece, and although it was really nice, it certainly wasn't the magical antidote to my problems and I sure as hell wouldn't have dropped upwards of $250 on it. A mouthpiece can only help your playing so much, and it all depends on what you need to accomplish as a trumpet player. The Monette lead line will not suit a classical player, and vice versa.
There is no one mouthpiece that has it all without a sacrifice. Certain mouthpieces facilitate high range and ease of playing, but you lose low notes, tone, and often intonation. I play on pieces that favor the low register and give you a nice full tone, but flexibility can be an issue on those. I personally don't recommend going right out and buying a Monette unless you have extensive opportunities to test their products. Hope this helps.
Samuel Plays Brass: well I was afraid that was going to be your response, some of us guys are just hard learners. I did purchase their Silver 6 Friday after watching all their UA-cam hype, I hope I am not too disappointed. I can cover the entire staff but middle C and top E are not always in tune with my DW. ..my biggest compliant with my best best MP ( Denis Wick gold 3e) is low C and below consistency , I am sure most of that is driver error but the people at Monette tell me once I slot a note it locks in, I guess we’ll see...I paid 195.00 plus shipping so it’s not cheap. I suppose if this doesn’t live up to its hype I’ve learned a good lesson. I am so tired of nicely attacking top E staff, B, middle C then totally flaming out on the anything below the staff, it’s so frustrating. Monette reps tell me their Silver 6 has been engineered to tackle the entire staff top to bottom better than any “off the shelf” MP...... well, I just paid $200 plus to find that out. I suppose it’s not the worst $200 lesson I’ll ever have to learn. I receive it late next week, if you’re interested I’ll give you my honest feedback. Thanks for your response, Sam.
I think the Chinese one could be "better" for playing in a street band since it seems to project very good when played loud, it has a certain sizzle then. It seems to be much less suitable for playing soft classics though.
I do think it could work, but it's not exactly a joy to play on.
You make a mouthpiece Sound the way you want the trumpet and yourself to sound .
This is just business . People waste a lot of time and energy condemnation everything Chinese.
Invest that energy in real practice and learning music.,
Let the Chinese be. We are. There are always 3 sides to a story.
Samuel tried to help some people that are concerned whether to buy a Chinese MP or not, and he invested time and effort to help others to decide, and it is very nice of him. I found his review very helpful. He didn't claim any of the things you said but only tried to help others. The topic of his review is very interesting, comparing two MPs with a lot of money difference in price, and the results and some of the other comment (which are very helpful for themselves too) help many, including me.
Boa Noite
Esse bocal é pra vender
Qual o valor dele
??????
Not for sale, sorry.
may you place the link where you got both mouthpieces
Genuine Bach Megatone: www.wwbw.com/Bach-Mega-Tone-Trumpet-Mouthpiece-462972.wwbw?source=TWWR5J1BB&cntry=us¤cy=usd&gclid=Cj0KEQjwwLHLBRDEq9DQxK2I_p8BEiQA3UDVDnOtAssd0sQY4kCVHOt579nRLqVT8ym3eOX7k8hXyEwaAnP-8P8HAQ
Chinese Megatone replica: www.aliexpress.com/item/High-Quality-Gold-Silver-Professional-Trumpet-Mouthpiece-Meg-3C-Size-for-Bach-Beginner-Trumpet-Accessories-New/32802048432.html?spm=2114.search0204.3.114.DwPP2s&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_4_10152_10065_10151_10068_10130_10084_10083_10080_10082_10081_10110_10178_10137_10111_10060_10112_10113_10155_10114_10154_438_10056_10055_10054_10182_10059_100031_10099_10078_10079_10103_10073_10102_5360020_10189_10052_10053_10142_10107_10050_10051,searchweb201603_16,ppcSwitch_5_ppcChannel&btsid=c327f43f-905f-4175-9e17-7432d7ffebe5&algo_expid=b0021cfc-f720-4747-85f2-11680bb08113-14&algo_pvid=b0021cfc-f720-4747-85f2-11680bb08113
I just compared a knockoff 1.5c to a new bach. The difference is night and day in intonation. The knockoff has a hugely incorrect cup diameter.
The knockoffs are indeed very inconsistent, and you can either end up with one that’s sized perfectly and plays about on par with a Blessing or one that could hardly have been further off and can’t play worth a darn. Bach, however, is plenty guilty of mis-sizing. I have a plain Bach 3C that measures out to at least a 2C if not slightly larger. Meanwhile, I more recently splurged on a nice-looking heavyweight knockoff 1.5C with some gift card money and found it to be exactly the size it should have been and a decent player all around.
But and miss, my Chinese one is fine for amateur player like me.
The fake mouthpice is the best
stumbled across this... many comments... hard ball...
1/ A good effort, but... Sam is simply not at the mature level to discern and perform subtle differences in equipment. This is no way to trial a mp. 'nuff said.
2/ China has at least 2 manufacturers for mp's. One produces mp equal to the Bach. The other not. The problem is both are sold unbranded, so consumers cannot discern which.
3/ I have a 3C mp from the better China mfgr. It is nearly identical to the Bach, but the silver is much better. The throat is a hair larger, and backbore is so close as to be identical. The rim diameter is identical, but the edge is a tad sharper. The cup is shaped the same, but is a hair deeper than a B3C. These factors combine to: a bigger sound, but with slight more edge or 'sizzle'; more effort to reach high C; more effort to achieve lip flexibility; slightly less comfortable on lips.
4/ I have a 'traditional' B3C. It gives a sweeter tone than the 'fake' mega 3C, but the fake gives greater power. I can accustom myself to either rather quickly.
5/ But the fake mega 3C has one advantage: it's mass and weight. The mega acts as a counter weight to the front of the horn, which achieves a much better horn-balance in my hands, and thus more comfort for longer period.
6/ If anybody wants a bigger sound, suitable for orchestra, than a traditional 3C, without going larger into a 1.5C, this 'better' fake mega will suffice very adequately.
Hello, what's the name of this march?
I can't remember off the top of my head, but I believe this is etude 31 from the Robert W. Getchell Cornet Studies book
@@SamuelPlaysBrass Hello good day! It doesn't seem like a lesson, but a John Philip Sousa-style march. If you find out, please let me know. Congratulations on the videos. Thank you.
Hi, you're right, this is from the Robert W. Getchell Cornet Studies, first book lesson 30. Thank you.
Is you're trumpet a king 601?
Not quite, my trumpet is a Yamaha TR-8310Z "Bobby Shew."
+Samuel Plays Brass well,that's one beautiful trumpet.
Yeah I quite like it! It's a phenomenal jazz horn, but it definitely works for symphonic and concert band settings
do you use an 7c megatone vincent bach ?
Please use ur third valve slide and help my ears
Yikes.. I really should have done that. My bad haha
God knows what’s in that Chinese metal
Made the upper register look easy
Beginning band students should not start on the mega tone.
What makes you say that?
@@SamuelPlaysBrass probably because of the price... if the student drop off halfway, the parents lose more money.
I don’t trust anything Chinese on my lips!
A proposito toca mal cuando usa la fake. La diferencia esta en el brillo de la real. Pero eres mal trompetistas