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Re: Backun, Richard Hawkins and Other Zinner Blank Mouthpieces

Author: NBeaty
Date: 2019-12-15 00:08

Correction to previous post: 0.041" is around 1.04mm.

I have over 20 2RV's on my desk at the moment and they vary between 1.02mm to 1.07mm.

While the 5RV is just a renaming of the 2RV, it's worth noting that the 2RV's tend to be closer in tip opening than modern 5RV's as well as having thinner and better shaped side and tip rails. This means that the 2RV's generally have better response and focus than the modern 5RV.

It is also worth noting that compared to the A blank Zinner mouthpieces (the 1 + 2 ligature line "440" blank that was used by most everyone in the US) are not inherently any better than a vintage 2RV. The 2RV's do have better inherent focus and resonance than A blank Zinners. The A blank Zinners also are more likely to sag in pitch, particularly in the throat tones, than the 2RV's.

The Zinners, in addition to frequently being aesthetically/artistically disappointing in rail shape that is often either ignored or exacerbated by many mouthpiece refacers (very large and rectangular rails), have tables with a cavern of concavity, deep baffles, and other factors that make the A blank have less resonance, focus, clarity, than a more traditional design.

While some of these factors can be fixed or compensated for to a degree, it's worth noting that it is much easier to make these factors worse than to improve them. This is why so many Zinners that have had work done to them in fact play worse than they did fresh out of the box as a blank.

That said, the Zinner E blank (1 + 1 ligature lines) have more conservative internal dimensions and more material to work with before reaching diminishing returns. While they play higher in pitch than the A blank, the tuning scale is usually more even and the sound generally has more focus and clarity.

When you look at a mouthpiece that is based on the 1+2 A blank Zinner, take note of how much work was done to it by the maker. Is the table original (tool marks from left to right instead of tip to tenon and shiny)? Does it appear to have hand tool marks or sanding on any of the rails or internals? Or does it appear to be a blank that someone stamped a brand name on and sold?

On the one hand, I would say if you don't see anything that would indicate it was actually worked on beyond the factory, then it seems silly to pay hundreds of dollars for something that someone just put a name on and sold to unsuspecting players. On the other hand, as described above, if you see a lot of tooling marks or evidence that a Zinner A blank was worked on heavily, it very well could play much worse than one that was left closer to factory/blank specifications. Either way, it's good to be educated enough to know what you're buying.

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