Mouthpiece for musical wind instruments

Claim 1

A mouthpiece for a musical instrument, comprising: a tubular stem having a first end and a second end connected by a unitary external surface forming a head adjacent said first end and an instrument receiving surface adjacent said second end, said head having means for removably securing a rim thereto; said tubular stem having an internal bore therethrough, said bore including a central passage extending from said second end, an intermediate counterbore portion terminating in a first shoulder adjacent said stem passage, and an enlarged counterbore portion enclosed within said head extending from said stem first end to a second shoulder tapered inwardly toward said intermediate portion; a sleeve removably disposed within said intermediate portion having one end engaging said first shoulder and the other end being tapered to form a continuation of said second shoulder taper, said sleeve having a central passage therethrough which diverges from a throat portion at said other end to said first shoulder engaging end, said sleeve central passage merging smoothly with said stem central passage; a cup removably disposed within said enlarged portion having a tapered end companion to and engaging the tapers of said second shoulder and said sleeve and having a second end substantially flush with said stem first end, said cup having an internal central passage diverging from a throat portion which merges smoothly with said sleeve throat portion to said cup second end to form a cavity within said cup; and a rim removably secured to said securing means for holding said cup and said sleeve in said stem, said rim forcing the tapers of said cup, said second shoulder, and said sleeve to coaxially align said cup, said sleeve, and said stem, thereby assuring the smooth merging of said central passages.