Category: Testimonial

Freelance Trumpet Player & Weston Silver Band

As someone who is very reluctant to experiment with mouthpieces, I am very happy to have come across the Sparx 2B Soloist. Approaching the cornet from a trumpet player?s perspective, I have always used the same mouthpiece, but with a cornet shank. With the 2B Soloist, I have experienced increased endurance, better intonation, and a much more characteristic cornet sound. My car also gets much better gas mileage, the air seems fresher, the grass seems greener and I am generally a much better person!

Ted is a wealth of knowledge for all things cornet. It was a pleasure to do business with him. Thanks for a great mouthpiece!

Geoff Houghton

Freelance trumpeter & Principal Solo Cornet, Oakland Brass Band

Two years ago, I picked up a Sparx 3B -soloist- and have just been completely taken by it. Until recently, the extent of my cornet playing was limited to solo work, brass quintet and the occasional orchestral cornet parts. The 3B has proven to be perfect for me for each of these genres. I’m able to play for hours with little or no fatigue and even though the sound produced is huge, there’s enough vibrancy to cut through the texture of the orchestra. However, the 3B proved to be not quite right for me for our brass band. On the suggestion of The Oakland Brass Band conductor, I tried the Sparx 3 and the change in sound was perfect for brass band without losing any of the other qualities of the 3B I’ve grown to love. Your 3 and 3B are the reasons I no longer sound like a trumpet player who picks up a cornet once in a while. Thanks Ted!

Paul Roache

25 years as principal cornet with the Canadian Staff Band

I have been using my Sparx No2 Mouthpiece for over four months and from this experience have proved it to be the most versatile, yet very well focused mouthpiece I have ever played on. Back bore and cup are so well matched that pitch and sound is consistent throughout the whole range from bottom G to A above top C.

I have been playing cornet for over 60 years and can only emphasize how important it is to a player find the right comfort zone in a mouthpiece. Sparx is my choice and I highly recommend it.

Deryck Diffey

Amesbury, Wiltshire, UK

Having recently returned to serious banding after a layoff of some 20 plus years I had been experiencing a number of difficulties most notably endurance and range. Though these problems were anticipated they persisted despite disciplined practice. I just could not get along with the Yamaha 16E that was provided with the Maestro cornet, it cut terribly and I experienced the usual problems with intonation in the upper register on this instrument. The top A was also very thin and unsatisfactory, though using third valve did give some improvement. As a result of these difficulties I reverted to and old Parker – Jim Shepherd Special that I played with years ago and there was an immediate improvement.

However, as the mouthpiece was old it had started to develop a few pits in the rim and I really wanted a new mouthpiece. I felt sure that over the last 20 years there must have been major improvements in mouthpiece design and manufacture and I was keen to try something new. So I decided to do a bit of research. Though there is a lot of information out there it is largely anecdotal and highly subjective and not really much help. I was also disappointed to see that Wick and Bach were still producing essentially the same mouthpieces they were producing years ago.

Then I came across Sparx and GR. GR claimed that they had developed a mathematical model that reliably predicted the effects of mouthpiece geometry and design parameters on brass acoustics. As a practicing engineer I was intrigued by this and keen to give a Sparx mouthpiece a try. After some correspondence with Ted, because of the kind of playing I do, he recommended that I try the Sparx 3DV.

The first time I offered this mouthpiece up I was immediately struck by the comfort and grip. Once I had stopped smiling I launched into my standard warm up routine, which I accomplished without difficulty. This was the easiest transition of any mouthpiece I have tried. After playing on this mouthpiece for a few weeks now I am thrilled with the quality of tone, the accuracy in pitch and the immediacy in response of this mouthpiece. The upper register is also coming along nicely and the problem with the top A has disappeared. I can’t see myself changing mouthpieces in the future unless it’s to a 2DV!

Thanks for a great mouthpiece Ted!

Andy Carter

Stabane Concert Brass (Northren Ireland)

Hi there, this is just to thank you for a very speedy delivery of my 2c mouthpiece and also to say how wonderful it feels and plays. It’s the best cornet mouthpiece I have ever tried! I shall certainly be recommending it to other cornet players I know!

Stephen Mage

Solo Cornet, Glenorchy City Brass – Tasmania, Australia

The Sparx cornet mouthpiece is without a doubt the most comfortable mouthpiece I have ever used! Being a cornet player with ‘fuller’ lips I have often found that many of the more popular mouthpieces turn into ‘biscuit cutters’ after a few hours of blowing. I have no such worries with my Sparx 4. I have found that my intonation is greatly improved as well as dynamics. All this as well as not losing any tone and in fact, I think my tone is richer and fuller since playing the Sparx. I for one will be using the Sparx for some time to come and will probably be looking to get a -soloist- model in the future.

Ian Martin

NorthernBrass.com

If you are looking for the ‘Turn of the Century’ traditional Cornet sound, in a modern mouthpiece, they’re here … ‘SPARX’ Cornet Mouthpieces.

Ted Sparks, of Ted Sparks’ Musical Services (Toronto, Canada) feels that the majority of cornet mouthpieces make the cornet sound more like a trumpet. His extensive experience with the ‘Canadian Staff Band’, and his knowledge brass instruments, led to his interest in developing a mouthpiece for brass band cornetists.

The ‘SPARX’ cornet mouthpieces are the result of a joint effort between Ted Sparks, and Gary Radtke, of GR Technologies. They were designed primarily for brass band cornet playing.

They feature better intonation, play evenly from high to low, have a rich, true cornet sound, and are great for the endurance required for long hours of strenuous brass band playing.

Bruce Lee

Italy

Ted, not only do you make the best cornet mouthpiece on the market, you are a real gentleman too. I’m going to place the on-line order now!

Paolo Povoleri

Toronto based jazz artist

There is a wonderful vintage style cornet mouthpiece that I have been playing on. As you may know most cornet mouthpieces just do not produce the right sound.

The mouthpiece is a joint project by Gary Radtke of GR Technologies and Ted Sparks of Ted Sparks’ Musical Services. They both understand the sound that is needed for the cornet. As far as I am concerned, Ted is the man if you want a vintage sounding mouthpiece, brilliant craftsmanship and a great cornetist to boot.

Michael Lucas

Eighth Note Publications

As a trumpet player playing cornet, I found the switch from a Stork 3C (trumpet mouthpiece) to a Denis Wick an uncomfortable one at best. Although the Denis Wick gave me a true cornet sound, it felt so foreign that endurance, consistency and range all suffered at the expense of achieving a good cornet sound. Ted Sparks introduced me to his then new line of cornet mouthpieces and I was truly excited. The Sparx 3 felt so much better and maintained the sound and even playing through all registers I was after but endurance for me was still an issue. Also, as Principal Cornet of the Whitby Brass Band, I am called upon to play some jazz solos and even play some “lead” playing in the section. I found that difficult on the Sparx 3. When Ted told me about the “soloist” line, I knew it was the balance I needed. It produces a great “leathery” cornet sound but I can also step it up a notch and get some of that brilliance that is often required of modern brass band works. Its sound is smooth and even enough to play Hailstorm but bright enough to play high D’s and Eb’s in jazz numbers. Thanks Ted, you make all trumpeters playing cornet sound as they should! 4 of the 6 front row Cornets in the WBB all play your mouthpieces.

David Marlatt