One of the main goals of Mouthpiece Online is to introduce readers to the boutique brands and smaller shops currently creating brass instruments, mouthpieces, and other accessories and relevant gear. Legends Brass is the first in the series of spotlights on these brands.

Who is Legends Brass?

Legends Brass is a boutique trumpet mouthpiece brand, sold through the Legends Brass online store. The product line includes professional quality commercial trumpet mouthpieces, modern reproductions of classic vintage mouthpieces, custom trumpet mouthpieces, and more. Owned and operated by Derek and Leslie Saidak, in Lenoir City, Tennessee, Legends Brass has been in business since 2010. Leslie is the business manager, filling orders and handling day-to-day operations. Derek is the trumpet consultant, guiding customers with trumpet mouthpiece choices, helping design custom mouthpieces, and answering technical questions.

Derek and Leslie Saidak at DCI World Championship Prelims, 2026

What makes Legends Brass Unique Among Trumpet Mouthpiece Companies?

Legends Brass bridges the gap between mass-produced mouthpieces and high-end custom fitting shops. Some trumpet players reach a point where they play one, and only one, trumpet mouthpiece every time they pick up the horn. In other words, they’ve found their “holy grail” mouthpiece and they’re done shopping. But most Legends Brass customers haven’t locked in on a single mouthpiece. Instead, they are open to using multiple different mouthpieces to suit their different playing styles and various gigs. They may still be on the “mouthpiece safari”, trying different things, or they may be settled into a set-up that includes a few different mouthpieces. The Legends Brass philosophy is not to push players to commit to a single mouthpiece, but to encourage them to use the mouthpiece(s) with which they feel most comfortable and sound the best. Just as important, Legends Brass does not push players to buy more mouthpieces than they need. They simply listen to customer needs and guide them into an informed choice.

Most Legends Brass customers are serious trumpet players looking to upgrade their setup to find the best trumpet mouthpiece for their current, specific needs. Others are returning players, or players who have experienced some physical change, such as dental work or significant weight loss. These players often have a good idea of the mouthpiece specs they like; they just need some guidance to get dialed in. For trumpet players who don’t want to visit a high-end specialized custom mouthpiece maker, but need a mouthpiece more specialized than the mass-produced brands, Legends Brass is the perfect fit. 

The Legends Brass product line sets them apart from other brands. Sessions and lead trumpet players seeking a commercial trumpet sound have limited mouthpiece options from bigger name brands. Legends Brass has filled this niche with a wide array of commercial trumpet mouthpiece options. 

A sample of the Commercial Trumpet Mouthpieces from Legends Brass

Another popular category of the Legends Brass product line is the “Hall of Legends”. This is a collection of modern reproductions of vintage mouthpieces played by legendary trumpet stars. Iconic mouthpieces that are no longer available elsewhere have been faithfully reproduced, and are now part of the Legends Brass line. 

Legends Brass Hall of Legends Models are modern versions of vintage mouthpieces.

Legends Brass also offers custom mouthpiece services, with a no-pressure sales technique. Having a custom trumpet mouthpiece created is sometimes the only way for a player to get the perfect trumpet mouthpiece. But a one-on-one session with a professional craftsman for a mouthpiece fitting can be time consuming and costly. Legends Brass offers a more affordable option, by allowing players to design their own custom mouthpiece. Interchangeable tops and backbores from the Legends Brass line are another way to test options before settling on a final design. Some players build a mouthpiece “kit” by combining a single rim and cup with interchangeable backbores for trumpet, flugel, cornet, and the other horns they may play.

Two-piece trumpet mouthpieces offer flexible options.

The Legends Brass Catalog of Trumpet Mouthpieces

Hall of Legends Mouthpieces: These are modern versions of vintage mouthpieces. They are inspired by well-loved brands that have gone out of business, or changed hands, or for whatever reason have fallen out of production. Legends Brass starts with a computer-aided scan of a vintage trumpet mouthpiece. Minor adjustments may be made to improve the general playability of the piece, but extreme care is taken to preserve the unique qualities of the original to the extent possible. Usually, the rim and cup will be identical to the vintage piece. Small changes may be made in the throat, backbore, and exterior blank. Once added to the Legends Brass product line, the mouthpiece will be precisely reproduced going forward, using modern CNC technology. Legends Brass has created the Hall of Legends in hopes of preserving the legacy of mouthpiece craftsmen such as Ray Amado, Bill Ratzenberger, Rudy Muck, Dominick Calicchio, Ren Schilke, Larry Ramirez, and other craftsmen. The knowledge these craftsmen had was gained through decades of experience, and their designs have stood the test of time. The retail demand for their vintage mouthpiece designs may not be high, but there will always be value, especially sentimental value, in their unique qualities.

Commercial Mouthpieces: Legends Brass caters to sessions and commercial trumpeters, solo and lead players, and players spending a lot of time in the upper register. With the bigger, mass-produced brands, there isn’t always a huge selection of the small diameter, shallow cup mouthpieces used for this style of playing. Legends Brass has worked to cover that niche thoroughly. They have many models with inside rim diameters below 0.630”, all the way down to 0.500”, and cup depths ranging from shallow to extremely shallow.

Custom Mouthpieces: For players who have really narrowed down the exact specs they want in a trumpet mouthpiece, but can’t find it on the shelf from the bigger brands, Legends Brass offers custom mouthpieces. They aren’t a brick and mortar shop where the customer comes in and gets a professional fitting, and has mouthpiece made on the spot. Instead, they offer consultation and guidance through email and over the phone, and place the custom order with their manufacturer, Pickett Brass. If a player doesn’t have a fairly solid idea of the specs they need in a custom mouthpiece, Legends Brass will help them find a similar model from the product line, or suggest a top and backbore combination. 

Legends Brass Signature Series Mouthpieces: These models are available exclusively from Legends Brass. Several well-known trumpet players have worked with Derek Saidak to create a mouthpiece specifically for their unique needs. These projects often lead to novel combinations of rim, cup, and backbore elements, which then become Signature Series models, and permanent additions to the Legends Brass catalog. 

Legends Brass Exclusive Mouthpieces: These trumpet mouthpiece models were designed in-house by Derek Saidak. Most of them were designed to give commercial and lead trumpet players a variety of size options when searching for a mouthpiece that supports upper-register playing. They feature smaller inside rim diameters, shallow cups, tighter throats, and backbores with more focus and resistance. These elements can help facilitate endurance, intonation, and range in the upper register. The broad range of options in this category allows players find the combination that best suits their specific needs.

Tops and Backbores: Two-piece mouthpieces make it easy to change the player’s sound, or switch between instruments, without having to adjust to a different rim and cup. All Legends Brass mouthpiece models can be ordered as a “top only” during the checkout process. Backbores screw on to the top, creating an interchangeable two-piece system. 

Each Legends Brass backbore is available in lightweight and heavyweight blanks. Lightweight backbores have less mass, and are therefore less efficient. This creates a slightly tighter feel (or blow) and more focused sound. Heavyweight backbores are more efficient and have a more open feel (or blow) and broader sound. There are 14 trumpet backbore choices to cover the spectrum of desired sound characteristics. Also available are flugel backbores (in three shank tapers) and cornet backbores. 

Legends Brass Trumpet Backbores:

Other Backbores from Legends Brass:

Mouthpieces for other brass instruments: Legends Brass also offers a limited number of mouthpieces for flugel, mellophonium, trombone and tuba.

Legends Brass Backstory: How did the Saidaks get into this?

Derek studied trumpet as a teenager with two great trumpet players, David DeArmond and Ray Brooks. They were both from the Knoxville, TN, area where Derek (and Leslie) grew up. David was a band leader and performer with groups like Mickey, Larry and the Exciters, Mac’s Mob, and Boys’ Night Out. Ray was the leader of the Ray Brooks Orchestra, first conductor of the Tennessee Wind Symphony, and also a member of Boys’ Night Out. David’s lessons taught Derek to play trumpet, introducing him to the music of Maynard Ferguson, Arturo Sandoval, Doc Severinsen, and other great power players. Ray really focused on teaching Derek the mechanics of trumpet mouthpieces. He gave him an informal, but hands-on, practical apprenticeship of sorts. Ray introduced Derek to two-piece mouthpieces, Reeves sleeves, and taught him about gap. They experimented with throat cylinder lengths and backbore tapers, and even modified mouthpieces by hand. 

Derek continued playing trumpet throughout his time at Auburn University. He never pursued trumpet performance as a career, though. Instead, he majored in finance, went on to get an M.B.A., and entered a career in banking. Derek and Leslie had met in high school marching band, and became one of the ubiquitous trumpet-flute romances. The relationship carried on through the Auburn marching band. When college was over, they married and settled in their hometown, Lenoir City, TN. Since they both had non-musical jobs, time for playing music was limited. They continued playing in their church orchestra weekly (and still do), for holiday events, and whatever other opportunities they could manage. Music has been an enduring part of their married life that they share and love.

As a serious amateur trumpeter, armed with the knowledge about the mechanics of trumpet mouthpieces taught by mentor Ray Brooks, Derek started experimenting with custom trumpet mouthpieces. He began designing and then tweaking designs, and found a craftsman who would manufacture his custom mouthpieces. This craftsman happened to be a young engineer just starting a small business in his garage – Peter Pickett. 

Derek was fully committed to his mouthpiece safari, and was building a sizable collection of custom mouthpieces. They were great designs – they just weren’t his personal holy grail. He began to sell some of these one-off mouthpieces on EBay. They sold better than he expected, and replenished some of his funds, which helped continue the safari. By 2005, their first daughter had come along, and Leslie was a stay-home mom. In 2007, Derek had the opportunity to march a season with the Atlanta CorpsVets, a DCA Drum and Bugle Corp. He played lead soprano trumpet, performed a couple of solos, and had the special privilege of being part of the La Fiesta trio feature with Hunter Moss and Bill Wear.

Left: Derek Saidak, Hunter Moss, and Bill Wear playing La Fiesta, 2007. Right: Derek Saidak, Hornline Rookie of the Year

By the time their second daughter arrived, in 2010, Derek had started an EBay store selling his mouthpieces. Derek and Leslie chose the name Legends Brass for their enterprise, in honor of the legendary trumpet powerhouses they had always loved. The business grew, and by 2017, Legends Brass had grown from an EBay store into a web-based business with an online e-commerce store. Since then, Legends Brass has grown into a small, but solid, boutique brand. Pickett Brass still does all of Legends Brass’s manufacturing. The Saidaks credit Peter Pickett’s high standards and strong commitment to producing the best quality mouthpieces in the industry as foundational to the success of Legends Brass.

Legends Brass ships mouthpieces worldwide, every day. The Saidaks still operate the business from their home, and are committed to continue to do for as long as possible. No overhead means lower prices for customers. They’re not trying to grow the business big, or fast. Instead, their commitment is to providing the best quality trumpet mouthpieces, at the best prices, and with the best customer service they possibly can. 

In May of 2026, the Saidaks took on Mouthpiece Online. John Hutchinson, trumpet player and composer in the UK, started this website in 2016. By about 2024, his career began to evolve in a different direction. By 2026, he realized it was time to find someone else to manage the site. Leslie and Derek have jumped in, and plan to continue building on John’s foundation. The Mouthpiece Online mission is to build an online community where smaller independent stores and boutique brands are featured. Serious musicians playing trumpet, flugelhorn, and other brass instruments will be able to connect with craftsmen producing more specialized and customizable pro quality horns, custom mouthpieces, and fine quality gear and accessories. 

The world of music is always changing, but the Saidaks stay committed to quality over quantity, cooperation over competition, and integrity over individual gain.

The Saidak Family