Model MD Cup

I've had a difficult time naming this; the D in MD stands for "Descant" but I feel like that pigeon holes it.  It's not just for descant horns; it's for high horn players.

The model M was the first mouthpiece here at Strachan Brass and it's design goals were "an mouthpiece for Alexander players in the USA".  It's design goals were "fix the F side and intonation issues you get with American mouthpieces on an Alex while retaining the American sound".  We aimed for a middle-of-the-road brightness that could blend with Geyers or Kruspes; a chameleon able to adapt to any situation.

As players of shorter instruments know though - as we get above Bb into the "altos" the sound gets woofier and less brilliant.  And here's where the original model M reaches its limits; on shorter horns (e.g. the Alex 107, euro triples, and ascending horn weirdos (like me...)) it can lack some brilliance on some horns.

Unlike other “descant” cups though this is not an ultra bright pea shooter. Yeah it’s a medium shallow cup in a #19 but the back bore is fairly open.  If you play principal on a 103 or 1103 (or 1106, 200, etc) or play with brighter San Francisco-style Geyer players you might find this is perfect on your regular double.  (If you’re thinking, dang my Alex is already really bright- head over to the regular model M for a darker more velvety sound).

This makes it a slam dunk for triple players; the brightness compensates for the slightly darker sound caused by the instrument's weight, the open backbore might even make you like the F side of the horn & the timbre difference on the high Eb/F side is significantly reduced.

(And if your descant / triple has an American shank head over to the model G page - that’s actually almost the same cup but optimized for an American receiver).

Standard size is a #19 as we find it’s a good balance. Other sizes available as special order, contact us.

Also works nicely on Bb soprano if you’re one of 7 people with an Alex 105 out there (... also me).