So far in 2024 the business has hit a few huge milestones;

1. Prototype and iterate through the designs & work through the basics of "make a mouthpiece".
2. Find a reliable manufacturing partner and work through the early prototyping struggles of getting a mouthpiece from CAD -> metal accurately and repeatably.
3. Work through rims and rim materials in an economy where gold-plated brass is no longer an economically-viable choice.
4. Find world class players to play-test and give feedback.
5. Launch the online store.
6. Nail down a process for custom mouthpieces & use it internally for designing and testing all new models.
7. Work out packaging, QA, shipping logistics, building some base inventory, and a million other things needed to get up and running.

For Modern Horns:

So far we've built a stable of mouthpieces for all the major horn families, with the idea there should be 2 really strong options for each.

For Alexanders we now have the model M "the best option for American Alexander players" and the MD - a bright, responsive model with improved performance on Alex Descants.

For Geyers we have the model G - a bright, focused and responsive mouthpiece built around the demands of the concert hall and we have the model GS built with a darker sound built for studio playing & tempering over-bright horns.

For Kruspes we have the model C - a "New York" style mouthpiece in the "Chambers" family, but we don't yet have a second.

The Model LA (anticipated availability 12/1/24):

To fill out the horn family is the forthcoming "Model LA".  A Kruspe-focused studio model with a brighter, more responsive sound profile optimized for the demands of today's recordings.

 

For Historic Horns:

The Model H (anticipated availability 1/1/25):

The model H is a forthcoming natural and early-valved horn mouthpiece.  It'll default to the narrow french shank used on many crooked horns from the 1800s and into the early 1900s.  The balance here is in easy of playing with hand-stopping performance; to succeed the design must excel at both.

The Model V (anticipated Mid 2025):

A Wiener horn / early valved horn mouthpiece built around the slower growing tapers of these horns vs modern ones.  Optimized for accuracy and ease of response vs the model H since they don't need to accommodate hand stopping at the same level.

For Other Brass:

Mellophone (anticipated Early 2025):

In time for the next DCI season we will have a new Mellophone mouthpiece ready.  Optimized for the intense demands of the marching field these feature dramatically improved intonation, a great tone and a roaring 115dB in our testing.  Efficient, controllable, in-tune and loud as hell all with your preferred rim!  Early samples are available for testers, reach out to info@strachan-brass.com

These are a great match with our titanium rim offerings as they are 20x less conductive of heat than Brass rims.  (Aka they feel 20x less awful when its cold.  Our Rim X is a great fit as the extra cushion width can help reduce injuries and our forthcoming Rim T will feel right at home for those coming from trumpet.

Alto Horn (anticipated Mid 2025):

The alto horn is a common double for horn players and with the availability of rim X we're in a place to offer Alto Horn Mouthpieces both in their traditional feel and rim but with the flexibility offered by our 2-part system so horn players can retain their normal rim for doubling.

The alto horn cup has gone through a number of iterations at this point and we're working to balance out the bright sound retained from the instrument's French roots with the rounder more British sound character of the modern brass ensembles that use them.  If you're looking for something else for your alto or are a professional who wants to test these out; please reach out to info@strachan-brass.com

Trumpet (anticipated Mid 2025):

With our 16.51mm threading junction we're not likely to make any trumpet players really all that happy.  The lowest rim ID we can get to comfortably is 17.25mm which puts us in the realm of trumpet mouthpieces, but mostly those designed for low trumpet players.

So we're restricted to mouthpieces for low trumpet players & doublers, which actually suits us just fine.

 

Rims

Rim T:

Along with trumpet cups, we're designing a rim for trumpet players.  The Rim T should be available much sooner and will feel like the large end of trumpet rims with a traditional wide cushion and small radius bite.  We figure these will go great with the trumpet cups but are also an awesome option on Alto Horn and Mellophone cups for trumpet players doubling on those instruments.

They'll of-course work on traditional horns, they're fully compatible.