Original blog post May 4, 2018. Revised May 4, 2026.
by Leslie Saidak
Maynard Ferguson was a charismatic and gifted trumpet virtuoso. He used many different trumpet mouthpieces over the course of his extensive career. He worked with several mouthpiece makers to create different variations that suited his changing needs. Below is an overview of the evolution of his trumpet mouthpieces throughout his career.
Trumpet mouthpieces used by Maynard Ferguson with approximate dates:
- Rudy Muck 13C (1939-1941)
- Dominick Calicchio piece, nicknamed “The Holy Grail” (1955-1963)
- Giardinelli MF1 and MF2 (1963-1969)
- MF FBL pieces (1969-1973)
- Holton MF1, MF3 and MF6 (early 1970’s)
- Jet-Tone MF Personal (mid 1970’s-1980’s)
- Schilke MF (1986-1990)
- Monette MF II and MF III (1992-2006)
May 4, 1928: Walter Maynard Ferguson was born in Verdun, Quebec, Canada. Although he started with violin and piano, he began playing trumpet at age 9. At age 13, he had a solo with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Orchestra, and at age 14 he earned a scholarship to the Conservatoire de musique du Quebec a Montreal. The child prodigy was on his way to becoming known as one of the most gifted trumpeters of all time.
1939-1941 while living in Canada: Rudy Muck 13C mouthpiece created by Rudy Muck.
Maynard is said to have sanded down the rim on this mouthpiece to make better use of the V shaped cup. The inside rim diameter was originally .640″ before the rim was modified. John DiStaldo is said to have also created a mouthpiece for him around this time which had a concave V cup.
Maynard was using a large bore Selmer, extra-large bore Bach (1952-53), a Martin Committee Model, and a Calicchio trumpet during these years.
1948-1955: Maynard moved to the U.S. and played with bands led by Boyd Raeburn, Jimmy Dorsey and Charlie Barnet. In 1950 he joined Stan Kenton’s Orchestra. From 1953-1956 he was a sessions player for Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, CA. In 1955 he was playing a Martin Committee Model trumpet.
1955 in Los Angeles: Custom mouthpiece created by Dominick Calicchio.
This mouthpiece had a round inside rim with a diameter of around .623” (but hard to measure accurately due to the roundness). Built on the concept of the modified Rudy Muck 13C, it had a shallow concave V cup (also called a V bowl) and a #26 throat. Maynard Ferguson used this mouthpiece during his rise to fame in the 1950’s and 60’s. Eventually, he gifted the mouthpiece to a member of his band. It was well liked by many superstar trumpet players who tried it, and gained the nickname “The Holy Grail”. It has been reproduced by more than one company and sold under names such as “Groovin High” and others. Maynard was using a Conn Constellation 38B trumpet (.438 bore) during this time. Recordings during this period include: “Boy with Lots of Brass”, and “Birdland Dream Band” Vol. 1&2.
1956: Maynard became leader of the Birdland Dream Band
1963-1969 in New York and India: Giardinelli MF1 and MF2 created by Robert Giardinelli and machinist Jack Onque.
The MF1 had a rounded inside rim like his previous mouthpieces, with a smaller inside rim diameter of 0.590”. The cup was closer to a straight V shape (but still a V-bowl) and was slightly deeper than the Calicchio mouthpiece. The throat was still a #26. The MF2 had an even smaller inside rim diameter (0.580”), and the cup was a slightly convex V shape. Maynard used the Giardinelli mouthpieces during his years in New York with the Birdland Dream Band, and during his years in India (1967-1969). He was still using his Conn Constellation 38B (.438 bore) trumpet. Recordings during this period included: “Maynard ‘63” and “The Maynard Ferguson Sextet”.
1969-1973 in London, England: Ferguson-Bell-Limited, or FBL mouthpieces created by Jack Bell.
These mouthpieces all had the same rounded rim shape, with an inside diameter of .613”. The cup shape was a straight V with a #26 throat. There were three cup depths: FBL TS (or FBL personal), which was shallow, FBL TM (medium depth), and FBL TD (deepest cup). He may have used these interchangeably as needed to get the best sound with that day’s chops. At this time Maynard was using his Liberator trumpet (.462 bore). Recordings during this time included: “M.F. Horn”, “M.F. Horn 2”, and “M.F. Horn 3” including the songs “MacArthur Park”, “Give It One”, and “Hey Jude”.
1973 in Ojai, California: Holton MF1, MF3 and MF6, created by machinist Larry Ramirez.
These were the next variation of Maynard’s mouthpieces, but were still similar in many ways to the Giardinelli and FBL mouthpieces. The inside rim was still very round (and difficult to measure accurately) but the inside diameter was a little smaller at about .590”. The cup was now a slightly convex V shape. The MF1 stayed with a #26 throat, but the MF6 had a much larger #19 throat. The MF1 and MF6 had a shallow cup similar in depth to the FBL TS (Personal), but the difference in throat size creates different nuances in cup shape. The MF3, on the other hand, had a slightly wider inside diameter and a cup depth similar to the FBL TM. Maynard was using the Holton ST301 (.468 bore) and ST 302 (.468 bore) trumpets during this time. Recordings during this time include “M.F. Horn 4 & 5: Live at Jimmy’s” and “Chameleon”.
1970’s – 1980’s in Ojai, California: JET-TONE MF Personal, M.F. #2, and M.F. #3 created by Bill Ratzenberger.
The MF Personal had an inside diameter of .593”, a shallow, fully convex V cup, and #19 throat. The M.F. #2 had an inside diameter of .625”, slightly deeper convex V cup, and #24 throat. The M.F. #3 had a .656” inside diameter, convex V cup about the same depth as the #2, and a #26 throat. Maynard was playing a .468 bore Holton trumpet during this time. Albums during this time included “Primal Scream” with the song “Pagliacci”, “Conquistador” with the song “Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky)”, “Carnival” including “Birdland”, “Stella by Starlight”, and “Theme from Battlestar Galactica”, and the album “New Vintage” including “Star Wars” and “Airegin”.
1986-1990 in Ojai, California: Schilke MF1 and MF2 made by Scott Laskey at Schilke.
These were copied from his Jet-Tone mouthpieces, with some modifications. The MF1 had more of a bowl shaped or double cup, and the MF2 was very similar to the Jet Tone personal model. The throat was very open and may have been either a #24 or #19. Maynard was still using a Holton ST 302 (.468 bore) or ST 306 (.468 bore) trumpet at this time. Recordings included: “High Voltage Vol. 1”, “High Voltage Vol. 2”, and “Big Bop Nouveau”.
1986: Maynard formed the High Voltage Septet
1988: Maynard formed Big Bop Nouveau Band
1992 – 2006 in Ojai, California: Monette MFII and MFIII made by Dave Monette.
This was a major change in trumpet mouthpiece specs for Maynard. The MFII has an inside diameter of .636”, a medium shallow to shallow bowl shaped cup, and #16 throat. The MFIII has slightly wider inside rim diameter, slightly more bite to the rim, and Monette’s “SLAP” cup. Maynard by this time also used a Monette trumpet (.464 bore). Recordings during this time include “One More Trip to Birdland”, “Brass Attitude”, and “M.F. Horn VI: Live at Ronnie’s”.
Other variations: Over the years, mouthpieces similar to those listed above have been available from various manufacturers. They are replicas, inspired by the originals, or are variations on the original designs. Some of these are listed below, although not all of them are still in production.
- Houser MF. Similar to the Dominick Calicchio “Holy Grail”, created and sold by Dave Houser at Houser Mouthpieces.
- Groovin’ High: Similar to the Dominick Calicchio “Holy Grail”, created and sold by Gary Radtke at GR Mouthpieces.
- Rudy Muck Cushion Rim 13C for Maynard Ferguson, created and sold by Rudy Muck.
- Roger Ingram’s Vintage Maynard, sold by Pickett Blackburn.
- Legends Brass MF Mouthpieces: a complete collection of replicas of all the mouthpieces listed in this article, and more, available at LEGENDSBRASS.COM.
Throughout the evolution of his mouthpieces, Maynard favored a flat rim with a rounded contour on the inside and outside edges. The inside diameter was often hard to quantify because of the roundness, but was usually small, between .590”-.636”. The cup shape was a concave V (or V bowl) early on, moved to a straight V with the Giardinelli and FBL mouthpieces, was a slightly convex V with the Holtons, and eventually a more pronounced convex V shape with the Jet-Tones. He favored a larger-than-stock throat size. It ranged from #26 – #19 or even larger. With the Monette mouthpieces he went in a new direction with a different cup shape and larger inside diameter.
Over the course of his career, Maynard Ferguson never stopped adapting, changing, and trying new ideas. His talent transcended his equipment, and his music is still just as powerful and exciting and compelling today as it was during his lifetime.
Sources:
- https://maynardferguson.com/biography/ . Retrieved from maynardferguson.com on 4/20/2020.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maynard_Ferguson . Retrieved 4/30/2020.
- https://www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1142786 . Retrieved from trumpetherald.com 5/4/2020.
This post was revised for publication May 12, 2025. The original blog post was May 4, 2018.
*Author’s Note: It’s often really hard to pin down exact specs on a particular vintage mouthpiece. Handmade mouthpieces have considerable variation. Sometimes (usually) Maynard had personal pieces with specs different from the stock pieces sold under his name. The curved nature of the rim makes it difficult to measure accurately. The above information was gathered from internet sources and online forums and may not be scientifically exact. I’ve been as accurate as possible. I welcome any additional information and input about Maynard’s mouthpieces. Feel free to contact me through the contact form at LEGENDSBRASS.COM.
