The proper way to remove a stuck mouthpiece!!!!
One of the most common types of repairs we see here in our shop is due to improper removal of a stuck mouthpiece. Young students playing brass instruments will get their mouthpieces stuck at least once before they graduate from high school. And most will do it several times.
The reason mouthpieces get stuck is due to the design of the mouthpiece shank and the mouthpiece receiver. If you look closely, you will notice a mouthpiece shank has a very slight taper. The outer diameter of the mouthpiece shank is slightly larger near the cup than the end of the mouthpiece. When the mouthpiece is put in the instruments receiver this taper allows the mouthpiece to stay in place and not fall out. This taper also presents a problem. When the mouthpiece is pushed in to far can get jammed and become stuck.
There are as many ways to get a mouthpiece stuck is as there are brass players. I’ve seen instruments that were dropped and landed on the mouthpiece, kids “popping” the mouthpiece with their hand because it makes an interesting sound, and mouthpieces just being “pushed” or “turned” to far and just get stuck. Also temperature and humidity may on occasion play a slight factor but this is very rare.
When a mouthpiece is stuck and is not properly removed damage is almost sure to result. Most brass instrument cases are designed not to close if a mouthpiece is left in the horn. This is the factories way to insure a mouthpiece is removed. If the case can’t close, many students will just put the horn in and attempt to close the case anyways. This almost always results in damage to the leadpipe, can also cause several of the braces to break loose, and then have to be resoldered. I have seen students when a mouthpiece is stuck, just let the mouthpiece stick out and then wrap a bungee cord around the case to close it. Sometimes they go for months and not bring attention to the band director or the parents. This can result in corrosion on the mouthpiece and inside the horn as well as bacteria building up in the mouthpiece as the horn cannot be cleaned. You can imagine the possible health issues this presents.
The correct way to remove a stuck mouthpiece is with a mouthpiece removal tool, (mouthpiece puller). There are many variations in the designs of these pullers and most band directors will have one. The picture at the top of this blog is two different designs of mouthpiece pullers. They work by applying pressure against the end of the lead pipe and the cup of the mouthpiece but in opposite directions, thus using a push/pull method to free the mouthpiece. If you find your mouthpiece is stuck and you don’t have one of these tools, (chances are you don’t) your best bet is to speak to your band director, or visit your local music store. Most music stores will remove the mouthpiece as a service to the customer at no charge. Unfortunately your local hardware store is not going to have anything in stock that acts as a substitute for a mouthpiece puller. TRUST ME!!!
With that being said, let’s talk about what happens when you don’t use a mouthpiece puller and attempt to use a homemade method to pull the mouthpiece out. Many well meaning parents have attempted to remove a mouthpiece and every year I see about 5 trumpets and a few of each other instruments come in that have been damaged due to parents “attempting” to get the mouthpiece out with a pair of pliers. Using pliers will cause the mouthpiece to become even more stuck. Remember what I said about the taper on the shank, it gets bigger the closer it gets to the cup. Therefore when you attempt to “twist” the mouthpiece out, the pressure holding the mouthpiece is going to only force it further in. Also using pliers will create gouges on the mouthpiece where the pliers grip into it. If these gouges are near the rim of the cup, they can cause discomfort and possibly make the mouthpiece unplayable. Also the torque of the twisting motion will put pleasure on the braces and cause them to break off. This makes the horn difficult to play if not impossible. And please do not use a hammer to remove a mouthpiece. They never work and only dents the horn.
The worst situation I’ve ever seen regarding a stuck mouthpiece was on a Bach Stradivarius trumpet. The young girl playing it had the trumpet only a few months when the mouthpiece became stuck. Her father was a mechanically inclined individual and had a full work shop in his garage including a lathe. But not a single tool was designed to work on musical instruments. The lathe had a chuck that would allow him to mount objects on one end only similar to a drill chuck, but much larger. And apparently it was large enough to put a trumpet mouthpiece in it.
His idea was to hold the trumpet still while the lathe spun the mouthpiece and he figured it would come right out. Remember what I said about the taper and turning a stuck mouthpiece. The torque of the lathe caused the mouthpiece to become even more stuck, and then twist the leadpipe a full 360 degrees. It looked like a knotted rubber band, and all the braces were broken. As the brace nearest the mouthpiece broke loose from the bell it began to spin. It then cut into the arm of the father while he was trying to hold the trumpet still. In less than a second the trumpet was in pieces and he was going to the emergency room to get stitches. Fortunately the daughter had her hand near the off switch.
The next day the mother came into the store for us to “fix” the trumpet, and yes the mouthpiece was still stuck. I showed the mom the correct way to remove a mouthpiece with a mouthpiece puller and had it out in less than 30 seconds. She then went ballistic, fortunately none of her anger was directed at me but instead her husband’s pride.
After ordering a new leadpipe, 2 new braces, buying a new mouthpiece, paying for the labor to put the trumpet back together, then the hospital bill for the stitches, I believe the total cost to remove that mouthpiece was around $1500.
HBI.
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