Review – Yamaha Bobby Shew Jazz Mouthpiece-Specs -Experience

Yamaha Bobby Shew Jazz Mouthpiece Review And Specs -My Experience

So, is Yamaha Bobby Shew Jazz mouthpiece any good? Well, as the trumpet nerd I am, of course I own one of these too, so I guess it’s about time for me to make a detailed Bobby Shew Jazz trumpet mouthpiece review.

I bought this mouthpiece a couple of years ago and I have to say I was surprised about how inexpensive it was, because it is a very high quality mouthpiece (you can click here to check the current pricing at Amazon)…

…speaking of Amazon, the Yamaha Bobby Shew Jazz mouthpiece has probably got the highest rating of all trumpet mouthpieces sold on Amazon. At least at the time of writing this article. You can click here to read other real user reviews over there.

Let’s jump in and take a closer look at it…

Yamaha Bobby Shew Jazz Mouthpiece Review

Short About The Bobby Shew Jazz Mouthpiece

The Yamaha Bobby Shew Jazz mouthpiece is designed to have great flexibility and a warm sound. This is what jazz players need as they need to be able to jump around and play fast passages.

The cup is not shallow, nor is it very deep, but it is pretty “roomy”, giving the mouthpiece a sound that is pretty big. Big enough for classical playing as well. This is why the Bobby Shew mouthpiece is not just “jazz mouthpiece”…

…in fact, I have personally been using it, on and off, for classical music the last three to four years.

Yamaha Bobby Shew jazz mouthpiece specs

Specs

• Bobby Shew Jazz signature model
• Inner diameter: 16.85 mm
• Rim shape: Semi-round
• Thickness of the rim: Semi-thick
• Depth of the cup: Medium
• Throat size: 3.65 mm
• Backbore: medium
• Silver plated

Build quality

It’s a Yamaha mouthpiece. That should already say a lot about the quality. Seriously, Yamaha is well-known for their consistent quality when it comes to trumpets and trumpet mouthpieces…

…and the Yamaha Bobby Shew jazz mouthpiece is no exception. The quality is phenomenal. Thumbs up and a full score in this department.

Sound

The sound is rich and warm. It is also pretty easy to get a big sound of it, even though the cup is not quite as deep as on a Bach 1.5c , for example.
If I want to match the sound from the Bach 1.5, all I need to do is to make sure I lower my tongue a bit, to make my oral cavity big and resonant.

This is great because I can get that big sound, if I want to, while the somewhat smaller cup gives me better endurance, better flexibility and a more powerful upper register.

Feel On The Chops

It feels soft on the lips as the rim is a bit more rounded on this mouthpiece copmpared to most mouthpieces. However, it’s not too round, as I can still “grip” it with my chops,  they way I feel I need to…

…it’s very, comfortable. Thumbs up!

Intonation

The intonation is excellent. In a way I wish I could find something ore to write in this department, but I really can’t. Thumbs up, and moving on to the next area of interest…

Responsiveness

The Bobby Shew Jazz trumpet mouthpiece responds well. This is also a part of the design to give enough “jump and snap” for maneuvering through quick jazz passages. Because, without great response, the flexibility would suffer.

It’s easy to get the mouthpiece to “speak”. This makes it easy to play softly if you want to. Low notes with soft “attacks” are also pretty easy  to play with this piece.

Thumbs up here as well!

Slotting

As the mouthpiece is created with Jazz music in mind the slotting is not as secure as on a Denis Wick heavytop, for example. This is not a bad thing as it’s easier to “bend” and move around quickly, doing all kinds of fancy stuff with it. Don’t get me wrong, the slotting is still there, and it is absolutely good enough for playing classical music as well.

In what playing Situations Can you Use the Moutpiece?

Pretty much to anything you want. From classical music to jazz, marching band, pop music and everything in between. Personally I would not use it for screaming lead trumpet playing…

…but don’t get me wrong, It CAN do that as well, and many people use it for that. I have for example used it in my Eb-trumpet, playing demanding and high stuff, and I have even had a few gigs playing my  piccolo trumpet with this piece as well.

You Can Use It For

• Jazz
• Classical music
• Pop / Commercial music
• Big band
• Marching band
• Hymns and love songs

High register

The high notes comes out easily on the Bobby Shew Jazz piece. You can easily slide up to them or just pull the out of the air (articulate) with impressive precision. If you have the chops for it, of course. There are no magic mouthpieces, after all.

The mouthpiece is pretty similar to a Bach 3c, but the backbore is a bit tighter and shaped differently on the shew, and this makes the high register feel a bit different than on the 3c. I works very well. The rim thickness and shape is also different from the 3c.

Agility

Oh yeah, here is where the Bobby Shew Jazz mouthpiece shines big time! It is so freaking easy to maneuver, jump around and be flexible with it. I find I play the characteristic studies, in the back of the Arban book, much easier and better with this mouthpiece.

This is precisely because  of the great flexibility the Shew piece offers…

…I love it!

General Feel When Playing

• Soft
• Comfortable
• Easy to move around
• Good endurance
• Very good high register

That is how I’ll sum it up. It’s a fantastic all-around mouthpiece, and it’s incredible fun to play.

Compared To Other Popular Mouthpieces

Yamaha Bobby Shew Jazz vs Bach 3c

If you feel like the Bach 3c is a pretty good size for you then you would love the Shew Jazz mouthpiece. The cups are pretty similar and so is the rim diameter. Not quite, but not far from it.

The backbore differ though, as well as the shape and “bite” of the rim. The Shew Jazz piece sort of feels like, well, perhaps not like the Bach 3 c’s big brother, but a pretty close relative, in some way.

Pricing

The price is shockingly low for the quality you get! I have a hard time understanding how they can sell it for a price like that, but hey, I’m not complaining. You can click here to check the current pricing at Amazon.

Low Register

This mouthpiece also has a great low register. No need to “manipulate” or twist the chops in order to get full sounding and robust low notes, like we have to do with some mouthpieces out there. Thumbs up here as well.

Final Rating:  9.1 / 10 

Conclusion 

If you are in the market for a new and exciting “all around” trumpet mouthpiece, and you don’t want to goo too big nor too small, then you owe it to yourself to try the Bobby Shew Jazz mouthpiece. My guess is, you won’t be disappointed.  You can click here to grab the mouthpiece on Amazon right now.

Ok, there you have it. This was my Bobby Shew Jazz mouthpiece review and I hope you found it informative. Please come back here and take a look at all my other reviews as well as I plan to keep doing more of them…for years to come.

As always, keep practicing and remember to have fun while doing it!

-Robert Slotte-

P.S. Have you tried it? If so, what is your experience with the Bobby Shew Jazz mouthpiece? Please write what you think about it, in the comment section att the bottom of this page.