About the mouthpiece
A mouthpiece is the part of a brass instrument that you buzz your lips into, and its cup, rim and throat shape the sound and feel. Robo made his parametric in OpenSCAD (version 2.0), so you can change the measurements and make a mouthpiece for any brass instrument. Version 2.1 also works with Makerbot Customizer. All values are in millimetres.
The download includes values for a trumpet, which the designer tested himself, and for a trombone, which he asks players to check. He'd like to hear good values for tuba, French horn and others. He says he finally printed a mouthpiece that sounds the same as his Bach 5.
Who it's for. Brass players who want to try different cup shapes cheaply, teachers who need spares, and anyone who wants a mouthpiece for a printed horn. The designer sands the rim smooth after printing. We haven't printed one ourselves, so treat this page as a summary of the designer's notes, not a review.
What you'll need
Printed parts
- The mouthpiece: the ready-made trumpet (2013-01-25_Mouthpiece_v2) or trombone STL, or your own from OpenSCAD
Bought parts
- None listed
Tools
- A 3D printer
- 400-grit sandpaper for the rim
- OpenSCAD or Makerbot Customizer to make a custom size
Build overview
Our own outline of the designer's notes on Thingiverse.
- Choose or customise. Use the trumpet or trombone values, or open the file in OpenSCAD (or Customizer) and enter your own measurements in millimetres.
- Print. The designer prints in ABS at 20% infill and 0.15 mm layers.
- Finish the rim. Sand the rim with fine (400-grit) sandpaper so it's comfortable on the lips.
Print settings
- Material: ABS (the designer's choice)
- Infill: 20%
- Layer height: 0.15 mm
- Finishing: Sand the rim with 400-grit sandpaper
Photos
Thingiverse doesn't let us fetch its gallery, so the photos stay on Thingiverse. See them on Thingiverse ↗