Denis Wick — The Professional Standard in Brass Mouthpieces and Mutes

At Angkor Music Melbourne we stock the full Denis Wick range of brass mouthpieces and mutes for trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, French horn, trombone, euphonium and tuba. Denis Wick is not simply a respected brand — it is a range designed from the inside out by a working professional musician who understood what brass players needed because he was one. From the student picking up their first instrument to the principal player in a professional orchestra, the Denis Wick range provides a depth and breadth of mouthpiece and mute options that few manufacturers can match.


Angkor Music — Our Position on Denis Wick

We stock Denis Wick mouthpieces and mutes because of their consistency, their depth of range and their reputation among the brass teachers and professional players we work with regularly. Denis Wick mouthpieces are the recommendation of more brass teachers in Australia than any other single brand — not because of marketing, but because they produce consistent, musical results at every level. The mutes in particular — especially the Wick straight and cup mutes — are the professional standard in Australian orchestral and commercial brass playing. If your teacher has recommended a Denis Wick, or if you are choosing a mouthpiece or mute for the first time, you are in the right place.


Denis Wick — Founded by a Professional, Built for Professionals

Denis Wick was a principal trombonist with the London Symphony Orchestra — one of the most demanding positions in British professional music. His experience as a working orchestral musician gave him a direct and specific understanding of what brass mouthpieces needed to do that no instrument manufacturer operating at arms length from professional performance could replicate.

Wick began designing mouthpieces to solve specific problems he encountered in professional playing — improving intonation in the upper register, producing a more consistent tone across the full dynamic range, and achieving the warm, centred sound that British orchestral playing demands. The mouthpieces he designed for himself were soon in demand from colleagues, and Denis Wick Mouthpieces was established in London in the 1960s.

That founding context — a professional player designing for professional use — defines every Denis Wick product. The rim profiles, cup depths, backbore dimensions and throat sizes in the Denis Wick range are not the result of theoretical engineering or market research. They are the result of decades of refinement by players who depend on these products for their professional income.

The Denis Wick Mouthpiece Range

Classic Series — The Foundation

The Denis Wick Classic series is the most widely used Denis Wick mouthpiece range — the standard recommendation for students and advancing players who need a consistent, well-made mouthpiece that produces a warm, centred tone with good intonation and a comfortable rim profile. The Classic series is available across all brass instruments and covers a comprehensive range of cup sizes and depths to suit every playing style and embouchure type.

The Classic series uses silver plating over brass — the traditional Denis Wick construction that produces the characteristic Wick sound: warm in the midrange, with a smooth top end and a full, round fundamental that suits both orchestral and ensemble playing. The rim profile is relatively rounded — comfortable over long practice and performance sessions and forgiving of developing embouchures.

Heritage Series — Vintage Design, Modern Manufacture

The Denis Wick Heritage series draws on the design principles of the finest British mouthpieces of the mid-twentieth century — the vintage instruments that defined the sound of British brass playing in its golden era. Many professional British brass players developed their embouchures and technique on these vintage designs, and the Heritage series makes those tonal and physical characteristics available again in new manufacture.

The Heritage series typically offers a slightly shallower cup with a more pronounced shoulder between the cup and the throat — producing a brighter, more focused sound with a faster response that suits solo and lead playing in commercial, big band and brass band contexts. Players who find the Classic series slightly dark or slow in response will often find the Heritage series the more natural fit.

Ultra Series — The Professional Benchmark

The Denis Wick Ultra series represents the highest specification in the Denis Wick range — manufactured to the tightest dimensional tolerances available and using the finest materials and finishing processes. The Ultra series is the choice of professional players who require absolute consistency and the finest possible tonal response from their mouthpiece.

The Ultra series uses enhanced silver plating over a precisely machined brass body, with internal dimensions that are controlled to tolerances beyond what standard production allows. The result is a mouthpiece that performs with exceptional consistency between individual examples of the same model — a detail that matters profoundly to professional players who need to know that a replacement mouthpiece will perform identically to the one it replaces.

The Denis Wick Mute Range

Denis Wick mutes are the professional standard in British and Australian orchestral and commercial brass playing — used by players in major orchestras, brass bands, big bands and commercial ensembles worldwide. The range covers every standard muting application with mutes that are consistent, durable and tonally appropriate for professional use.

Straight Mutes

Denis Wick straight mutes are available in three materials — aluminium, copper top and nickel silver — each producing a different tonal character:


Aluminium Straight Mute: The lightest option, producing a bright, focused straight mute tone that is the standard for most orchestral and concert band applications. The aluminium body provides good projection and a consistent, controllable tone across the dynamic range.
Copper Top Straight Mute: The copper top produces a slightly warmer, less strident straight mute tone — preferred by many professional players for orchestral passages where the muted tone needs to blend more smoothly with the ensemble rather than project above it.
Nickel Silver Straight Mute: The most projecting and brightest of the three options — a specialist choice for applications where maximum projection and presence in the straight mute tone is required.


Cup Mutes

Denis Wick cup mutes are the standard professional cup mute in British and Australian brass playing — producing the characteristic cupped tone that sits between a straight mute and an open bell in character. The Wick cup mute uses an adjustable cup depth that allows the player to vary the amount of cupping effect — a versatility that makes a single mute usable across a range of musical contexts from jazz to orchestral to commercial.

Harmon and Wah-Wah Mutes

Denis Wick Harmon-style mutes are used across jazz, commercial and contemporary music for the characteristic buzzing, mid-forward tone associated with Miles Davis and countless jazz and pop recordings. The wah-wah mute effect is achieved by opening and closing the bell of the mute with the hand — a technique that the Denis Wick design facilitates with well-engineered cork seating and a comfortable grip profile.

Practice Mutes

Denis Wick practice mutes allow players to practise in situations where full volume playing is not possible — reducing output to a level that is acceptable in a domestic environment while maintaining a reasonably natural playing resistance and tone. The Denis Wick practice mute is preferred by many teachers over cheaper alternatives because the playing resistance is closer to open bell playing, producing less distortion of technique over extended practice sessions.

Plunger Mutes

Denis Wick plunger mutes are used in jazz and commercial playing for the classic plunger wah effect — the technique requires the player to move the mute toward and away from the bell while playing, producing a vowel-like tonal variation. The Wick plunger is designed for comfortable one-handed use with a well-balanced profile.


Mouthpiece Comparison — Denis Wick, Yamaha and Bach

Choosing a brass mouthpiece involves understanding the differences in physical specification, tonal character and playing feel between the major manufacturers. Denis Wick, Yamaha and Bach (Vincent Bach) are the three most widely recommended brands across Australian brass teaching — each with a distinct character and design philosophy. Understanding the differences helps players and teachers make informed choices.

Design Philosophy




Feature
Denis Wick
Yamaha
Bach (Vincent Bach)




Origin
British — London
Japanese
American — now Elkhart, Indiana


Design Heritage
Founded by LSO principal trombonist
Instrument manufacturer extending into mouthpieces
Founded by solo trumpet virtuoso Vincent Bach


Tonal Character
Warm, centred, British orchestral
Neutral, consistent, versatile
Bright, projecting, American orchestral


Rim Profile
Medium-rounded — comfortable, forgiving
Slightly flatter — precise, controlled feel
Medium-flat — precise, very widely used


Cup Shape
U-shaped — warmer, fuller tone
V/U hybrid — balanced response
V-shaped tendency — brighter, more focused


Numbering System
Higher number = smaller cup (e.g. 4 is larger than 6)
Higher number = smaller cup
Higher number = smaller cup


Plating
Silver plate over brass (standard)
Silver plate over brass
Silver plate over brass


Range Depth
Extensive — Classic, Heritage, Ultra series
Good student and intermediate range
Extensive — standard through Artisan




Tonal Character — Who Each Brand Suits




Playing Context
Denis Wick Recommendation
Yamaha Recommendation
Bach Recommendation




Classical Orchestra
Excellent — warm British orchestral tone ideal
Good — neutral tone suits many contexts
Excellent — preferred in American orchestral tradition


Brass Band
Outstanding — Denis Wick is the standard
Less commonly used
Less common in British-tradition brass band


School / Student
Excellent — most widely teacher recommended in Australia
Very good — consistent and accessible
Good — widely used especially for trumpet students


Jazz / Commercial
Good — Heritage series well suited
Good — neutral character works well
Very good — brighter character suits jazz lead


Solo Performance
Excellent across trombone, euphonium, tuba
Good at all levels
Excellent for trumpet solo




Approximate Size Equivalence — Trumpet Mouthpieces

Mouthpiece numbering is not standardised across manufacturers. These approximate equivalences are a starting guide only — physical dimensions vary and individual players respond differently. Always trial a mouthpiece before committing if possible.




Denis Wick
Yamaha
Bach
General Character




DW 2
YAC 11A4A
Bach 1 — 1.5
Very large — orchestral principal, low brass lead


DW 3
YAC 11B4
Bach 1.5 — 2
Large — orchestral and advanced ensemble


DW 4
YAC 11C4
Bach 3C
Medium-large — advancing and professional players


DW 5
YAC 11D4
Bach 5B — 5C
Medium — most common student/intermediate recommendation


DW 6
YAC 11E4
Bach 7C
Medium-small — student standard, balanced feel


DW 7
YAC 11F4
Bach 10.5C
Small — high register lead, commercial and jazz




Approximate Size Equivalence — Trombone Mouthpieces




Denis Wick
Yamaha
Bach
General Character




DW 2AL
SL-48L
Bach 1.5G
Large — bass trombone, orchestral principal


DW 4AL
SL-48S
Bach 4G
Medium-large — orchestral and advanced


DW 5AL
SL-51C
Bach 5G — 6.5AL
Medium — advancing and intermediate players


DW 6AL
SL-51D
Bach 6.5AL — 7C
Medium-small — student standard, tenor trombone


DW 7BL
SL-51E
Bach 11C — 12C
Small — jazz, commercial, high register lead





Important note on mouthpiece comparisons: These equivalences are approximate guides based on cup diameter and general playing character. Rim profile, cup depth, throat size, backbore shape and overall internal volume all differ between manufacturers — a mouthpiece that measures similarly to another on one dimension may play very differently in practice. These tables are a starting point for players transitioning between brands, not a definitive specification match. We always recommend trialling a mouthpiece before purchasing where possible. Contact us and our team can advise based on your instrument, playing level and musical context.


Choosing a Denis Wick Mouthpiece — Practical Guidance

For Students and Beginners

For students beginning brass study, the Denis Wick Classic series is the standard recommendation of most Australian brass teachers. The 5 or 6 size for trumpet and 6AL for trombone are the most commonly specified sizes for beginning and intermediate students — providing a comfortable rim profile, a responsive feel and a tone that rewards developing technique without requiring the player to work against the mouthpiece. If your teacher has specified a Denis Wick size, we stock it and our team can confirm the correct product before you purchase.

For Advancing and Intermediate Players

Advancing players often benefit from moving to a slightly larger cup size — typically one step up from the student size — which provides more tonal depth and projection at the cost of slightly more embouchure effort. The transition from a DW 6 to a DW 5, or from a DW 6AL to a DW 5AL, is a common step for players moving from school band to ensemble or youth orchestra playing. The Denis Wick Heritage series is also worth considering at this level — the slightly brighter character suits players who are developing their upper register.

For Professional and Advanced Players

Professional players looking at Denis Wick will typically be comparing the Ultra series against high-end Bach and Yamaha options. The Ultra series provides the dimensional consistency and tonal precision that professional playing demands — and the Denis Wick house character of warmth and centredness in the tone suits British and Australian orchestral and ensemble traditions particularly well. Contact us to discuss specific requirements.

Denis Wick at Angkor Music

At Angkor Music Melbourne we stock Denis Wick mouthpieces and mutes across the full range of brass instruments. We work with brass students, school band teachers and professional players and are happy to advise on the correct mouthpiece size, series and instrument match for your specific needs.

If you are looking for a specific Denis Wick product that is not showing as available online, contact us — we can advise on stock and lead times. For players transitioning from Yamaha or Bach mouthpieces, our team can discuss the approximate Denis Wick equivalent for your current size and advise on the most appropriate starting point.

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