Mouthpieces Alto Mouthpiece...

[kevgermany]

Ideas please - I'm thinking about alto mouthpieces for the Kohlert...

I curently have a couple of Selmer soloists (D & E), Selmer S80 C*, Rico B7, vintage Brilhart Tonalin Pesonalin s5.

Brilhart's sound is wonderful, the Soloists not quite as good, but still good. the others OK, but nothing special. But the PPT sound on tenor is much better than the Brilhart.

However.... The Brilhart is very resistant and difficult to play afte my tenor PPT 8*. And it's spoiing my enjoyment.

Currently using RJS 2M filed reeds if that helps.

Looking for an alto mouthpiece that's free blowing, will play like the PPT and add the richness/depth that's present in the tenor. But also retain some/most of the Rico's sound. - I see the PPT as having an added dimension compared to the Brilhart, as well as being more versatile.

 

[zootsaxenberger]

I use a Claude Lakey 6.3 with a 2-2 and a half rico royale reed and i find it very free blowing on my Cigar Cutter Alto

 

[TomMapfumo]

Hi Kev!

Follow the train of thought below:

1. Morgan Fry compares the sound of a PPT mouthpiece as a little more akin to Berg Larsen than Otto Link.

2. Sax Alley compare the Francois Louis Alto Spectruoso Sphere Mouthpiece as like a Berg Larsen but with a greater sound palette, freer blowing and with greater focus.

3. They are stocked by Thomann at €169 - very good value for a handmade mouthpiece. The A205 at 0.080" would be my recommendation.

4. I use the same RJS reeds on my FL Tenor and they sound great.

5. The other Alto mouthpiece I would recommend, if you like richness etc. is a Peter Ponzol Vintage HR 0.085" which is €89.25 at Sax Company NL in Netherlands - handmade.

Both mouthpieces have an excellent sound palette, and real body.
Well that is the contribution from the Welsh Jury.........

Kind regards
Tom

I am also aware that my friend - Dick Hamer (South Wales Woodwind) has a used Ed Pillinger LA 6 available at £75 - another free blowing piece as used by our very own GJ77.

 

[jonf]

This sounds a bit daft, but consider a metal Yanagisawa 7. Very free blowing, superbly made (so no need to try a dozen different examples before finding one that works) and very flexible. Can do a bright tone if you want, but also has plenty of body. Love 'em.

 

[TomMapfumo]

Howarth's in London currently have them at Half Price - £92.00, if you are interested.........

 

[c9off]

I believe that everyone will have their own favourites, a couple above, that certainly don't work for me... you will have seen my list in another thread including ML185 & yani metal (albeit 6).. I very rarely sell any, but did my Claude Lakey!.... My favourites in reverse order are Jody Jazz 6 ebonite (refaced by Eddie McLean to correct the rubbish table), then Wolfe Tayne, PhilTone Meyer & Pillinger....

I would not like to sink 'proper' money into a new piece without trying (& I can probably guess the outcome..).

 

[Young Col]

Yes, I agree, it's a difficult one Kev and very much a personal choice. For what it's worth when I wanted to change from a Selmer Soloist C, I tried a lot out. Soloist D was OK, Meyer 5M , Jody Jazz HR were among the best. Otto Links I found very resistant. I settled though for a Jody Jazz Classic, which I found very free blowing. Gives a nice full tone throughout and particularly at the bottom end (but the Mauriat has a rich tone at the bottom with other mpcs as well). I use La Voz medium reeds.
YC

 

[Young Col]

ps to above. The JJ Classic has a removeable baffle, which gives it quite a lot of edge and a bit louder. I rarely use it. I find the tone is better without and there's plenty of power if you need it anyway.

 

[jazzdoh]

I have never played a PPT but i recently bought a RPC 90R off Ebay and its the only mpc that i have had in 20 years that ticks all the boxes.

Brian

 

[AndyB]

I am really fond of my Meyer 6M HR alto mpc.

 

[Rikki]

I found a runyon quantum 8 gave a very agreeable freeblowing sound with alto and was very good value too

 

[kevgermany]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, real food for thought. Keep them coming! Wish there was a shop near here where I could go and try the suggestions out.

 

[TomMapfumo]

You could always get a Runyon 22......................:shocked:;}

 

[picconose]

My first line alto is a Selmer ciger cutter. For big band work, I use a Claude Lakey 4*3 Jazz, with a rico royal 3 reed. For theater and concert band, I use anearly 1960's Brilhart tonalin 3* with a Rico Royal 21/2 reed, but I am thinking about trying out some legiere reeds to see if I can find one that will play for me. In theater work, the horn often has to sit untouched for as much as 1/2 hour, then be played on in a hurry, with no time to re-soak the reed. My second line alto (for when the primary one is in the shop) is a silver plated stencil American Professional, made by Martin in about 1925. One that horn, I am using a Rico Metalite M3, with a Rico 2 1/2 reed.

 

[Nick Wyver]

I'm currently using an ebonite Lawton (7*B) on alto (Keilwerth SX90). I think I'd call it pretty free blowing with LaVoz med or med hard.

 

[O.C.V.]

I just put a Sharkbite 6 on my YAS 32. Very free blowing with just the amount of edge I was looking for using a Rico Royal 21/2 reed. For £33 inc postage I was amazed. I have tried a variety of much more expensive pieces but this is the best so far.
Regards.
O.C.V.

 

[kevgermany]

You could always get a Runyon 22......................:shocked:;}

I'm not good enough to do it justice...

 

[AndyB]

I found some cool links that demo a Meyer 5M (mine is a 6M). I just love that classic jazz sound of the Meyer.

 

[johnboy]

Hi "picco"

"On that horn, I am using a Rico Metalite M3, with a Rico 2 1/2 reed."[/QUOTE]

With reference to your excellent article on "Improving your saxophone sound", you talk about sanding reeds until they blow easily (this is something I've been banging on about since joining the forum), so I presume that you have reduced the stiffness of the Rico 2 1/2 to suit ;}

Regards,
John.

 

[kevgermany]

I found some cool links that demo a Meyer 5M (mine is a 6M). I just love that classic jazz sound of the Meyer.

Thanks Andy, helps a lot! I've wanted a Mayer for a long time. But the links made me realise that the Meyer sound is not where I want to be. Something darker, richer, creamier....