We’ve helped one local business make a big noise on a global scale.
Unless you play a brass instrument, the chances are you won’t know the name Mercer & Barker. But if you’re big in brass, there’s every likelihood you’ll trust them and no one else when it comes to your mouthpiece.
Mercer & Barker, based in Preston, manufacture mouthpieces for tubas, the biggest member of the brass family. They are one of only two UK mouthpiece manufacturers and half of their products are sold overseas.
Word of mouth
Mouthpieces matter. Every tuba player has a different embouchure – that is, the way they apply their mouth to the mouthpiece. So each player needs a mouthpiece to match, which may require a large or small diameter, be shallow or deep and lightweight or heavyweight.
“Every player is searching for the Holy Grail of mouthpieces. They are looking for the perfect one in terms of tone, range, comfort and sound,” explains co-founder Carl Mercer, himself a tuba player since childhood in the Salvation Army. His love of playing led to a career restoring and selling tubas, which later led to mouthpiece supply.
Carl and his business partner George Barker started their business as a distributor of mouthpieces from a US supplier, but they realised they could do better. “We decided to try to make our own,” Carl says. “First of all we went to a local company. The results were ok, but we wanted to introduce a couple of new models and had a problem getting CAD drawings. We spoke to Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), initially thinking we might explore the 3D printing route – but they mentioned they had been doing some work with DA Design Automation and they said ‘these guys are really good, they have a really positive outlook’.”
Working in harmony
As luck would have it, DA had just bought a new “all-singing, all-dancing CNC lathe” that was perfect for the job of mouthpiece manufacture. And Carl quickly realised that that wasn’t the only happy coincidence.
“I discovered [DA Director] Tim Walton is a musician himself so he immediately understood the precision required. It was a really good fit.
DA set to work. “They have taken our idea and made it happen,” Carl explains, enthusiastically. “They can do the design, the CAD drawings and the manufacturing. They always go the extra mile, suggesting design improvements both functional and aesthetic. And they’re good lads, very proactive. We’re really happy with the work they’ve done for us.”
Glowing reviews
Creating a mouthpiece to excite the musical world meant making the best better. Carl worked with DA Design Automation to refine cup diameter and depth. They experimented with tapering within the mouthpiece and created a better and more comfortable rim (“good for endurance”). And the feedback? “It’s really good,” says Carl. “Actually it’s fabulous.”
Shortly Carl and George will be expanding the range to develop mouthpieces for all brass instruments, including trumpet, cornet, trombone and euphonium. And DA Design Automation will be with him every step of the way, helping to expand Mercer & Barker’s global reputation to the whole brass family.
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