It’s back! Out of production for many years, the Albert Cooper Embouchure Comparison Gauge is once again available. The gauge is primarily used by musicians and is designed to help them determine in a practical way what suits them when trying various head joints.
The gauge can be used to:
1. Measure the length, width and diagonal of the hole.
2. Note the curve of the lip plate above the strike edge and under the lip.
3. Check the riser (aka chimney) height at both the North and South ends.
4. Check the undercut North and South.
5. Check the angle of the strike wall (East).
6. Check the shape of the West wall.
7. Check the curve of the lip plate at the hole area.
Although the gauge is marked in inches on one side and millimeters on the other, it is not intended for precise measuring but rather as a comparator from one headjoint to the next.
The various shapes offered on the gauge are not necessarily intended to establish the ultimate in embouchure design but rather are used as an established starting point. The user can alter the gauge by scraping or filing to match a personally favored embouchure geometry.