I've been playing for several years in a brass band and wanted to have a mouthpiece with a louder sound than the one I was using (vandoren JB 5), which was rather quiet.
This Claude Lakey mouthpiece is indeed very loud and I was happy about it, the sound quality isn't as good as the JB 5 but I mean I'm ready to make some sacrifices. The very big issue though is that there is a "carvature" in the shape of a toothguard, on the mouthpiece, to put the toothguard in. I guess it's for a better acoustic resonance or something, it has to have a purpose because it's really annoying otherwise : the toothguard's sides kept on unsticking, causing air to leak between the carvature and the toothguard, creating a fuzzy sound.
Well since the curvature is shaped in the Claude laky's toothguard shape you can only use theirs and they don't stick well you so have to keep on buying new ones as they unstick and this whole process feels very much like having bought an iphone.
Could have been nice but this carvature really kills the fun :'(
Maybe go for a Jody jazz HR #7 (or around 7), they are more expensive and a bit less loudy but we don't have this carvature thing and the tone quality is better.
