Griego-Ashton Trumpet Mouthpieces : Griego

Griego-Ashton Series Trumpet Mouthpieces

The designs for the Griego-Ashton Series evolved from custom mouthpieces made for me over the last 20 years. There are currently 7 mouthpieces in the series including 3 piccolo sizes (trumpet & cornet shanks) and 4 cornet mouthpieces.

The primary aim was to design a mouthpiece that was super-efficient, and that worked with the trumpet rather than against it. Considerable thought therefore went into what was the ideal mass, balance and weight necessary to produce an acoustically efficient mouthpiece.

The exterior design of the Griego-Ashton Series is retro, stylish and elegant, and the rim, cup, throat and backbore designs are unlike any other mouthpieces on the market. Your sound on a Griego-Ashton mouthpiece will never be edgy however much air you put down the horn, and you will hear bags of color and overtones throughout the range. The rims are designed for comfort and maximum flexibility.

Top players who tried prototype mouthpieces during development were surprised at the incredible resonance, sound quality and vibrancy, and frequently commented on the 'fat low register', 'ringing high register', 'incredible intonation' and 'liquidy sound'.

One small discovery I made significantly determines the feel of moving between notes, particularly in a scale: try an uneven scale (such as C# major over two octaves) with your mouthpiece, and then the same with a Griego-Ashton mouthpiece.

The mouthpiece I use all the time on my Edwards Bb, C and Eb trumpets is the #2. For piccolo G, A and Bb trumpets I use #7Pt/7Pc, and for cornet a #2 to correspond with the trumpet size. When choosing the right mouthpieces for you, I suggest starting with the #2 or #3, and for piccolo start with a #6P. You will find the sound quality between mouthpieces is consistent so your choice can be based on what is the right fit for you.

Graham Ashton
Professor of Trumpet
Purchase College
State University of New York

Griego-Ashton 1

The rim is very comfortable and the cup 'roomy'. It has a slightly darker sound whilst maintaining the same color and distinctive sound quality of all Griego-Ashton Series. The backbore is a little different from the 2 and 3, to balance the larger cup and make the mouthpiece more efficient. This mouthpiece has an incredibly 'fat' sound in the low register and is ideal for the strong orchestral player. Great for both Bb and C trumpets.

Price:: $140
Specs:: Cup Depth: Medium
Cup Diameter: 17.00 mm
Finish:

Griego-Ashton 2

An excellent all-round mouthpiece. As with all Griego-Ashton mouthpieces, the Griego-Ashton 2 has a pure and even sound throughout all registers with lots of color. It will bring your Bb/C trumpet to life in the high register, and free up any stuffiness in the low register - especially on the C. Try the Zarathustra octave leaps on C or Bb trumpet - you will be amazed by the response and intonation. This is the mouthpiece Graham Ashton uses on his Edwards Bb, C and Eb.

Price:: $140
Specs:: Cup Depth: Medium
Cup Diameter: 16.85 mm
Finish:

Griego-Ashton 3

For the most part, the Griego-Ashton 3 is a smaller version of the 1 except for one tiny adjustment in the cup. The 3 is an excellent all-round mouthpiece for those players who prefer a 16.75mm feel on the face. It is a very easy mouthpiece to play and, like the #1 & #2, has a very comfortable rim and produces a very even sound. Some players use the #3 on the Eb and/or D trumpet as it has a very clear high register.

Price:: $140
Specs:: Cup Depth: Medium
Cup Diameter: 16.75 mm
Finish:

Piccolo Trumpet Mouthpieces

Available with trumpet and cornet shanks

Griego-Ashton Piccolo 5P

The Griego-Ashton 5P is ideal to play the D trumpet parts of Rite of Spring, Bolero, Pictures etc. - perfect for when you really need to blow the piccolo trumpet in an orchestra. The 5P started life as a commercial mouthpiece which Mr.Ashton had made for commercial playing in London's studios. He adapted the design to suit the piccolo trumpet and first used it to record the D trumpet part of Messiaen’s Turangalila Symphony for EMI with the Philharmonia Orchestra. He also used this mouthpiece when recording the high piccolo trumpet part for Michael Nyman’s film score: The Cook, the Thief, his Wife, and her Lover.

Price:: $140
Specs:: Cup Depth: Shallow
Cup Diameter: 16.30 mm
Finish:
Shank:

Griego-Ashton Piccolo 6P

The Griego-Ashton 6P is the most popular piccolo trumpet mouthpiece and produces a vibrant, soloistic sound. The intonation is superb throughout the whole range. Great for soloing with a small baroque-size orchestra, perfect for trumpet and organ recitals and performances of small baroque chamber works. As with all Griego-Ashton piccolo mouthpieces, the #6Pt has a slight 'V' and so makes the piccolo trumpet sound like a high trumpet rather than a toy trumpet. The ‘V’ also means it will never 'bottom-out' on you when you are tired, or playing high.

Price:: $140
Specs:: Cup Depth: Shallow
Cup Diameter: 16.25 mm
Finish:
Shank:

Griego-Ashton Piccolo 7P

The Griego-Ashton 7P is the mouthpiece Graham Ashton uses on his Selmer G and Scherzer rotary A piccolos. The original of this mouthpiece was made for Mr. Ashton when he recorded the award-winning Baroque Music for Trumpet with the Irish Chamber Orchestra for Virgin Classics. This is a great mouthpiece for all solo baroque concerti and perfect for trumpet and organ recitals. The mouthpiece has an incredible top register and, as with all Griego-Ashton piccolo mouthpieces, has a slight 'V' and so makes the piccolo trumpet sound like a high trumpet rather than a toy trumpet. Similar to the 6P, the 'V' also means it will never 'bottom-out' on you when you are tired, or playing high. Mr. Ashton uses this mouthpiece for all of baroque repertoire, including his recent recording for Signum Classics, In Recital at Tulle Cathedral.

Price:: $140
Specs:: Cup Depth: Shallow
Cup Diameter: 16.20 mm
Finish:
Shank:

Mouthpiece Specs

Griego-Ashton 1: Cup Depth: Medium
Cup Diameter: 17.00 mm
Griego-Ashton 2: Cup Depth: Medium
Cup Diameter: 16.85 mm
Griego-Ashton 3: Cup Depth: Medium
Cup Diameter: 16.75 mm
Griego-Ashton 4: Cup Depth: Medium
Cup Diameter: 16.50 mm
Griego-Ashton Piccolo 5P: Cup Depth: Shallow
Cup Diameter: 16.30 mm
Griego-Ashton Piccolo 6P: Cup Depth: Shallow
Cup Diameter: 16.25 mm
Griego-Ashton Piccolo 7P: Cup Depth: Shallow
Cup Diameter: 16.20 mm

Latest Blog Post

Bowman Mouthpieces

The past two years we’ve prepared for this moment. Dr. Brian Bowman’s mouthpieces are now available through all of your Griego Mouthpiece Dealers. If you know of a Dealer that carried Bowman mouthpieces before but is not a Griego Dealer, no problem. Have them contact us at sales@griegomouthpieces.com to get set up.

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Griego Mouthpieces