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In the past ten years i have been in regular contact with Mr. @Absolute and had the opportunity of testing several pieces and prototypes.
Always innovative, always somehow surprising, so I asked to try the new Pro Brass; a large chamber tenor metal mouthpiece.
The mouthpiece, together with some Absolute 3d printed models was sent to the Sequoia workshop in Italy where I was going to test some new saxophone models, together with our very @David Roach
First impression of the pro brass was great, while I postponed the testing of the 3d pieces, but I was focussing on testing the instruments, so decided to bring the Pro Brass to the UK with me.
I tested it the hard way, as I did years ago with their ST model: I put it on half way through a noisy gig with the first reed that I found. Jazz Select Unfiled 2m.
It worked great and I did not go back to the Florida Link 9 (refaced) that I have been using since the lockdown. Next day I used the PB straight away at a noisy restaurant gig. "Noise" is a regular occurrence, these days. Still worked great.
So I tried a LaVoz MS that I had around, and it actually improved the feeling and gave me a wider range of colours. Now it is the regular setup on my Sequoia. I still have to test it on the MkVI, that I haven't played recently.
Surprisingly the mouthpiece does not sound as you would expect looking at the chamber: large with no steps whatsoever down the the bore.
The result is brighter than expected with a perfectly manageable edge. I would use the word "modern" to describe it, as opposite to the Links I've been using recently.
Tiprail is thin and I guess it is the reason it has suck a crisp articulation. I even thought it was too easy for an 8* and measured the tip: 0.115 spot on.
It comes with a beautiful machined ligature, but it is too dependant to the thickness of the reed bark (that is rarely consistent across cane reeds). I haven't experimented yet with it: a soprano HR ligature works perfectly and fits the caps that I have around. I must try the "old" Absolute soprano ligature.
It has a reliability similar to the ST but less edge and, at least for me, a wider palette
It is raw brass, so some oxidation will likely happen, as with my refaced link. Easy to clean and would probably benefit from NOT leaving the reed on when not played (but laziness flows powerful in me)
Here is a short clip that I made after the two noisy gigs, brand new LaVoz:
https://www.aldevis.com/soundfiles/Absolute2023/absolute probrass1.wav
Always innovative, always somehow surprising, so I asked to try the new Pro Brass; a large chamber tenor metal mouthpiece.
The mouthpiece, together with some Absolute 3d printed models was sent to the Sequoia workshop in Italy where I was going to test some new saxophone models, together with our very @David Roach
First impression of the pro brass was great, while I postponed the testing of the 3d pieces, but I was focussing on testing the instruments, so decided to bring the Pro Brass to the UK with me.
I tested it the hard way, as I did years ago with their ST model: I put it on half way through a noisy gig with the first reed that I found. Jazz Select Unfiled 2m.
It worked great and I did not go back to the Florida Link 9 (refaced) that I have been using since the lockdown. Next day I used the PB straight away at a noisy restaurant gig. "Noise" is a regular occurrence, these days. Still worked great.
So I tried a LaVoz MS that I had around, and it actually improved the feeling and gave me a wider range of colours. Now it is the regular setup on my Sequoia. I still have to test it on the MkVI, that I haven't played recently.
Surprisingly the mouthpiece does not sound as you would expect looking at the chamber: large with no steps whatsoever down the the bore.
The result is brighter than expected with a perfectly manageable edge. I would use the word "modern" to describe it, as opposite to the Links I've been using recently.
Tiprail is thin and I guess it is the reason it has suck a crisp articulation. I even thought it was too easy for an 8* and measured the tip: 0.115 spot on.
It comes with a beautiful machined ligature, but it is too dependant to the thickness of the reed bark (that is rarely consistent across cane reeds). I haven't experimented yet with it: a soprano HR ligature works perfectly and fits the caps that I have around. I must try the "old" Absolute soprano ligature.
It has a reliability similar to the ST but less edge and, at least for me, a wider palette
It is raw brass, so some oxidation will likely happen, as with my refaced link. Easy to clean and would probably benefit from NOT leaving the reed on when not played (but laziness flows powerful in me)
Here is a short clip that I made after the two noisy gigs, brand new LaVoz:
https://www.aldevis.com/soundfiles/Absolute2023/absolute probrass1.wav
