Do I need a thicker/wider or flatter rim?

[TomInME]

What are the signs?

[Posaunus]

The signs?
Probably G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).

[TomInME]

The signs?
Probably G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).

Nice!

I'm asking for a friend, of course.

[Doug Elliott]

If you have a lot of room on your face for the mouthpiece - not close to your nose or chin - you'd probably like a wider rim. So it depends on both your face structure and mouthpiece placement.

[UrbanaDave]

I'm loving the 104 Standard rim, Doug! After years of using narrower rims (probably due to facial hair and comfort) I'm rediscovering some decent characteristics to my playing that I have been missing. Spending a lot of time with your LT F+ cup and G8 shank. Thank you!

Also, thanks for being part of my 3rd post! Excited to gain more access to this forum

Dave

[TomInME]

If you have a lot of room on your face for the mouthpiece - not close to your nose or chin - you'd probably like a wider rim. So it depends on both your face structure and mouthpiece placement.

Plenty of clearance above & below - my placement appears to be fairly centered

What prompted the question is that, when I play something heavier / articulated and loud in the mid-upper range ( to ), I feel like I get stuck and slurring up from there is like hitting a wall. Alternately, dropping down to the bottom of the staff the sound is often pinched at first. But under normal conditions, wide slurs aren't a problem - not a range or flexibility issue.

Before some unthinking troll says "too much pressure", I'm only using enough outside pressure to offset the internal pressure, and yes that pressure is higher when playing louder and with stronger articulations.

My hope is that distributing the pressure over more area will help - assuming what I described is typical of needing a wider rim.

What are the downsides / trade-offs?