Tools of the Trade: Mercer & Barker

I first became aware of Mercer & Barker mouthpieces when people around me started talking about 'The Beast'. I didn’t initially realise it was the name of the mouthpiece, thinking that people were just describing it as such. I read up about it and was intrigued but as I wasn’t really playing at the time, and when I was it was mostly tenor, I couldn’t justify buying the mouthpiece just because it sounded cool and looked even better.

A couple of years later however, I made my move onto bass trombone and, whilst I instantly realised it was the right thing to do, the mouthpiece with the band’s instrument was from a ‘mainstream’ manufacturer which I have never got on with. In my head then I knew which mouthpiece I’d like to move onto and was able to try it out at the next contest where there just happened to be a Mercer and Barker trade stand. It didn’t take much testing to know that The Beast mouthpiece was for me and I’ve been recommending them to my friends ever since.

Here then is the story of how two friends came together to share their professional expertise and their love of brass playing to create one of the UK’s most popular mouthpiece ranges.

 

Background and Beginnings

The foundations of Mercer & Barker are rooted in long and varied musical and professional journeys, shaped by decades of experience both in and outside of banding. The men behind the names are George Barker, and Carl Mercer, brass players from the North West of England. The pair make up 50% of a brass band’s tuba section with George having played Bb tuba since the age of 14, and Carl being a lifelong Eb tuba player (who occasionally dabbles on Bb). Professional lives prior to Mercer & Barker followed equally varied paths, far removed from instrument design but rich in transferable experience. George “was a Warehouse Operations Manager for 25 years in various industries, before moving into Health & Safety, which is the industry I still work in.” Carl on the other hand was “an engineering apprentice and craftsman at British Aerospace in my early career. A big chunk of my career then moved into the logistics industry, with roles ranging from driver to Operations Director. Following this, I successfully began dealing in second-hand instruments”.

 

Rooted in Tradition

Banding has been central to both George and Carl from a young age, with early experiences shaping what would become lifelong involvement in the movement. “I started in the School Band and the St. Helens Music Centre with John Durrant at the helm” explains George. “I then joined Stacksteads Band at 14, who at the time were Championship Section. After one year I joined the Greenalls Band under John Hudson, before moving to Besses o’th’ Barn under Major Peter Parkes, Sandy Blair and Paul Hindmarsh at 16”.

A career that followed would see extensive experience at the very top level of the banding world for George. “Being part of the British Bandsman Centenary Concert at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester was a fabulous experience, along with taking part in various world premieres and recordings over the years with players such as John Wallace and Jim Gourlay. I currently play for Hatfield and Askern Colliery Band under Richard Marshall, but I’m always happy to help others when needed”.

Carl’s route into banding followed a similar early introduction, shaped through The Salvation Army. “At the age of 10 or 11 my parents started taking me to the Salvation Army at Preston” he recalls. “Very soon afterwards I joined the Young People’s Band on tuba”. Progression into senior banding came quickly, before a shift into the contesting band scene. “I progressed to the senior band at 14 or 15, and left the SA at 17 or 18. Shortly after I joined Warburtons Bakery Band (formerly Hogarths). In my first six months outside the SA, Warburtons won the North West Area (I think in the Second Section) and we also qualified for the Nationals, which were still held in London at that time”. Life outside banding would later bring a pause, before a return many years on. “After a couple of years at Warburtons I joined Longridge Band, but around the age of 25 or 26 I stepped away as I had a young family and couldn’t fully commit. I then had a break of around 25 years. At 50, I got back in touch with some old Salvation Army friends who invited me to a rehearsal at Blackburn Corps, and within a month or two I was hooked again. I bought my own instrument and was practising daily.” A renewed involvement followed, though more recently other commitments have taken priority. “Since then I’ve played with Lostock Hall, Darwen Brass and Eccleston Brass, as well as helping out numerous other bands. Following Covid I haven’t done very much banding. I helped Brindle at the Areas a couple of years ago, but the demands of Mercer & Barker, along with a dental issue, meant I could no longer commit to a band. These days I do very little playing”.

Mercer & Barker

The origins of Mercer & Barker came from a combination of practical experimentation and

circumstance, evolving organically into what has rapidly become a well-established brand. “I was playing around with trying to make a mouthpiece at work with the help of the CNC (Computer Numerical Control) guys and a friend who was a genius at engineering design” George explains. “I had a few drawings and was chatting with Carl, who was importing mouthpieces at the time, and we decided to give it a go and manufacture tuba mouthpieces.” A similar set of circumstances was unfolding from Carl’s perspective, ultimately leading to the same conclusion. “As part of dealing in used instruments I was importing Mike Finn mouthpieces from the USA” he recalls. “After a short period of time, Mike seemed to disappear and I was no longer able to order from him. Around the same time George had tried replicating one at work. We discussed it over a coffee and one of us (I can’t remember who) suggested making our own. Which we did, and the rest is history.”

From those early conversations, the focus quickly turned to design and developing a product that met their own expectations as players. “My inspiration came from wanting to perfect a heavyweight mouthpiece for Bb players, based loosely on an American mouthpiece I used and couldn’t get hold of a spare for” remembers George. Starting from a shared preference, the design process became one of refinement rather than reinvention. “We both liked heavier mouthpieces, so we looked at what was available and found a design we liked. We took that basic shape and developed it, putting our own spin on it. We’ve tried to maintain that core identity right across the range, from soprano to tuba.”

What followed was the emergence of a product range built around consistency, comfort and attention to detail. “How comfortable they are to play on is an important thing” reflects George. “The rims are that comfortable, you can play on them all day. That’s the best feedback we get, along with the sound they produce.” Standing out from the crowd is also important though, as Carl explains. “They look quite different to most other mouthpieces. We offer a range of finishes as standard, and we’re always open to custom ideas. One request involved silver, smoky black nickel, gold and rose gold all on the same mouthpiece. Not necessarily to everyone’s taste, but it shows what’s possible. Ultimately, the aim is to create something comfortable, with a strong core to the sound, good centring, and solid tuning.”

Behind the finished product sits a manufacturing process combining specialist engineering with close oversight. “We outsource manufacturing to a Lancashire-based team of precision engineers” explains Carl. “They’re incredibly forward-thinking and have recently invested heavily in new CNC technology, including automation specifically for mouthpiece production. Being able to say everything is 100% UK-manufactured is something we’re really proud of.”

The development process itself is detailed and iterative, built around player feedback and extensive testing before anything reaches production.

“Most mouthpieces are machined from brass bar using fully automated multi-axis CNC machines, which gives incredible accuracy,” George explains. “They’re cut from both sides, then polished, engraved and sent for silver plating before coming back to us. Gold plating we do in-house depending on requirements”. Each mouthpiece design follows a similar process, and “it starts with an idea, for example, a soprano mouthpiece” says Carl. “From there, it’s about market research, speaking to players about what they like and what they’d improve. We then produce CAD designs and prototypes, which are tested, often by the same players. It’s then a process of refinement until we’re happy, followed by wider testing before full production. That whole process can take anywhere between six and twelve months”. From those early prototypes came the first production model, the MB1 tuba mouthpiece, which remains a key product.

Central to the development was early engagement with trusted players, something that remains a key part of the process. “All of our mouthpieces were tested within the banding community, across all levels. Being tuba players, we started by trialling those ourselves.” “Testing is something that we’ve always done, and still do” explains Carl. “Andy Cattanach (Principal Bb tuba at Foden's) lives locally and was the first person, other than us, to test the early prototypes. When he first tested it there were certain things that he didn’t like about it and Andy being Andy was very blunt in telling us what he didn’t like – but, he did feel that overall, it was a decent mouthpiece. We took the comments from Andy on board and worked with him to improve it. By this point I was determined to come up with a mouthpiece that Andy loved. Several prototypes later we had a mouthpiece that Andy loved which became the MB5 Cattanach (that’s how much he loved it) which is our most popular tuba mouthpiece. In fact, it was the best-selling mouthpiece from the complete range last year”.

Beyond the design, one feature that makes the M&B range stand out from the pack, is the creative names assigned to each product. “Both Carl and I have come up with the various names whether it be mythical creatures, Dinosaurs, animals, just really cool names” It’s not always a unanimous decision though and sometimes requires compromise from both sides. “Strangely this is one area that George and me sometimes disagree on” reflects Carl. “I might suggest a name that George doesn’t care for and vice versa. The first name we had was Cattanach – which is obviously in recognition of the support we have had from Andy. The bass trombone mouthpiece Phoenix came about as that particular mouthpiece was based on an old Mount Vernon mouthpiece that is no longer available but I think the Beast was the second. From memory I think the feedback we were getting was that it’s a big mouthpiece, and a ‘bit of a beast’. So, we took a chance and called it ‘The Beast’”. The chance certainly paid off for the fledgling company as “The Beast has been our best-selling mouthpiece over the last five years”.

Building a new brand in an established market presented its own challenges, particularly in the early

stages, but growth “has been fairly steady” says George. “There’s always competition, but we’ve found the products speak for themselves”. That said, timing is an important factor and “the business was registered in December 2019, right as Covid began in China” remembers Carl. As a result, “the first couple of years were quite slow in terms of business growth although it did give us the opportunity to focus on marketing and start getting the name out into the banding community, as well as developing some new models”. “Being the new kid on the block will always be difficult for any new business” he reflects, “especially when you are trying to compete against long established brands and players who have used the same mouthpiece many years. We were no exception but by consistent good marketing, getting out and about with the trade stand and encouraging people to try them we have made quite a bit of headway and I think that M&B now gets considered when someone is thinking about changing their mouthpiece”.

Progress since then has been measured not just in sales, but in reputation and reach within the banding community. “The fabulous feedback we get from our customers saying how wonderful the mouthpieces are” is valued, says George. Customers regularly tell “how comfortable they are to play on and the difference they have made to their playing”. For Carl, “the key measure is that when people think mouthpieces M&B is now part of that thinking. Our mouthpieces are going all over the world and we have a growing number of overseas retailers”. Endorsements are a major success marker and with some of the biggest names in the banding world now using their mouthpieces, Carl and George are right to feel proud. “It’s brilliant that some of the best bands and players in the world want to work with us” says Carl. “just to name a few, these include Foden's, Five Lakes, Grimethorpe’s basses, Andy Cattanach, Jonathan Pippen, Les Neish, Jamie Smith, Glyn Williams, Lionel Fumeaux and many more”. That feedback, both formal and informal, has been central to shaping the brand’s development. “Comfort is the thing we hear most, along with improvements people feel in their playing” reflects George. Carl agrees that “at most trade events we get at least one person coming to the stand to thank us for making such a wonderful mouthpiece. In addition, we get lots of people who contact us privately via email or messenger to tell us just how much they enjoy their new mouthpiece. From the launch of the business we set out to deliver a fantastic customer service experience for everyone who purchases one of our mouthpieces. George agrees that “we pride ourselves on customer service, and ensure we give a personal touch and speak to our Artists, Ambassadors and customers regularly at trade shows and various events around the globe”. As Carl puts it “we really do try to get it right the first time and if we don’t, we make very sure that we do it the second time.

A bit of fun

What is your favourite hymn from the red hymn book and why?

CM: My personal favourite is No 43 Lloyd. No particular reason, I just like it.

GB: Ellers 39, love the BB notes you can feel them.

If you could invent a new brass instrument, what would it look like and sound like?

CM: Good question. I think it would be something the size of a penny whistle but with the sound of a Bb tuba as carrying those big lumps of brass about isn’t any fun but the sound is amazing.

GB: A Bb Bass with Cornet Valves, still needs to sound like a Bb. 

If your life were a movie, what would the title be, and who would play you?

CM: This is a tough one! I think the name would be “I did a thing”! I would like Tom Hardy to play me but my daughter insists that it should be John Goodman as she thinks he looks like me – I strongly disagree!

GB: “Big as Bollxxks” and I would be played by Kristofer Hiyvju (when I had hair in my younger years) (John Candy )or Maybe Kevin James when I lost the beard.