In order to get exactly the kind of tone colors he wants, Bobby uses two different trumpet mouthpieces. The 'Jazz' model is his usual all-around choice. It has a fairly deep roomy cup for a warm, big sound, and a throat and backbore designed to give enough “jump and snap” for maneuvering through quick jazz passages with a rich full sound. The 'Lead' model, on the other hand, gives that extra sizzle and high note clarity for playing lead parts. It features enough air compression for high range playing, but still allows a big open sound. Bobby's flugelhorn mouthpiece was designed at the same time we produced the YFH-6310Z flugel, and perfectly complements the instrument. The rim is the same as that of the Lead mouthpiece but with a deep cup and a specially designed backbore for a smooth dark sound and great playability.

Bobby Shew is one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time. Equally at home in a variety of genres, he has played a powerful lead in many of the world's top bands, but is equally revered for his expressive solos. As Clark Terry says: “There aren't too many around who can play great lead, have tremendous chops, play great solos on trumpet for all kinds of songs, and still play beautiful flugelhorn, too. Bobby runs the whole spectrum.” For many years Bobby was one of Hollywood's busiest studio artists; you have heard him on the soundtracks of literally hundreds of movies and television shows. He's also made more than a thousand recordings. But despite his busy schedule he still finds time for regular performance tours of North America, Europe, and Asia. In addition to being a performer, Bobby is very interested in music education and gives highly inspirational clinics around the world.