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Mouthpieces Bari Esprit 1 or II for Alto?

DavidUK

DavidUK

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I was just about to order a Bari Esprit Alto MP from John Packer: http://www.johnpacker.co.uk/Catalog...piece-Esprit-cap-ligature-208826#.UiCz3NJvP6U

Thought I'd phone and check it really does come with a lig and cover, all for £13.53 posted (2nd class)!

Yes, it does BUT it's an Esprit not an Esprit II. They went off and fetched one whilst I held to check and it did not have the "II" in red on it.

They give these away with some of their saxes and I suggested this might be why they are buying in the "old" model. I also suggested they look into selling the II model too.

So.... what's the difference between the original and the Esprit II?

I know the II is available here for £13.99 (1st class): http://omegamusic.co.uk/buy/alto-sax-mouthpieces

But I also wanted a soprano Esprit MP and Omega don't have that one listed. Where's cheapest for the Sop MP?
I'm fairly sure it will still be from Packer at £14.44 posted.

Tom... over to you!

;}
 
Hi David!

The Esprit II came out in 2011 and had a square chamber for a more focussed sound. Both the alto Esprits are still available but I have only tried the Esprit II, which I think is very good indeed. Bari were going to bring the Esprit II out in soprano and Tenor sax but they no longer advertise this on their website http://www.bariwoodwind.com/index.html

Ackerman Music was where I have bought all my Bari Esprit mouthpieces - the soprano is £18 and the Esprit II is £15, but JP sounds a good price for the soprano.

Hope that helps!
Tom.

Back to my Flugelhorn........
 
I've had a number of Esprit alto and sop mouthpieces from John Packer. All the sops have been Esprit IIs, all the altos plain Esprit, all with both a lig and cap. Different shape tone chamber as Tom says. Both pretty good, amazing for the money and very helpful in selling on a sax, as for minimal cost I've been able to sell with a new Bari mouthpiece.

Interestingly, the image in the ad for a Bari II on Omega's site seems to actually be an Esprit.
 
jonf said:
I've had a number of Esprit alto and sop mouthpieces from John Packer. All the sops have been Esprit IIs, all the altos plain Esprit, all with both a lig and cap. Different shape tone chamber as Tom says. Both pretty good, amazing for the money and very helpful in selling on a sax, as for minimal cost I've been able to sell with a new Bari mouthpiece.

Interestingly, the image in the ad for a Bari II on Omega's site seems to actually be an Esprit.
Click to expand...

More confusion... Whereas Bari show the Alto Esprit and Esprit II versions on their website, they only list a Soprano Esprit, not an Esprit II version for Soprano. In fact, in their Alto Esprit II blurb they say "Available in alto sax only": http://www.bariwoodwind.com/new site/altosaxtnew.html

Are you sure your Sop Esprit is a II Jon?

Tom, do you fancy buying an Alto Esprit (original) with lig and cap for £13.43 from Packers and doing us a comparison with the Esprit II?
 
jonf said:
I've had a number of Esprit alto and sop mouthpieces from John Packer. All the sops have been Esprit IIs, all the altos plain Esprit, all with both a lig and cap. Different shape tone chamber as Tom says. Both pretty good, amazing for the money and very helpful in selling on a sax, as for minimal cost I've been able to sell with a new Bari mouthpiece.

Interestingly, the image in the ad for a Bari II on Omega's site seems to actually be an Esprit.
Click to expand...

As long as you realise that there is no such thing as a Bari Esprit II soprano mouthpiece, just a Bari Esprit, as mentioned above.
 
Hi David!

You must have just posted at the same time as myself. Jon is wrong about the Esprit II on soprano, as you realise.
I am not keen on purchasing any more cheap mouthpieces at the time of going to press, but would be happy to swap with my Esprit II for a blow or two!

I note on Stephen Howards review of the TJ Alphasax that mention is made of the Esprit II alto, which he thinks is a decent mouthpiece, but "...it's a little warm for my tastes (but this will raise another cheer from long-suffering parents) but it at least blows quite nicely - which is much more than can be said for most 'supplied-with-horn' pieces. Better still it comes with a decent single-screw ligature, which will be an absolute boon for beginners. Trust me on that." http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk/Reviews/Saxes/Alto/alphasax.htm

No wonder he likes Yamaha's - bright boy!
 
TomMapfumo said:
I've not seen one, but I could imagine a TJ sax having a mouthpiece with cap and ligature when accompanying said sax.
Click to expand...
Maybe that too is the original Esprit, like John Packer supply with their saxes?
i bought a TJ tenor MP last week off eBay for £7.50 posted. It's very good, unlike my experience with the Esprit Tenor MP I borrowed from your good self. Strange!
 
DavidUK said:
But I also wanted a soprano Esprit MP and Omega don't have that one listed. Where's cheapest for the Sop MP?
I'm fairly sure it will still be from Packer at £14.44 posted.

Tom... over to you!

;}
Click to expand...

I bought a bari esprit for sop from Ackermanns last Oct £15.00 but no lig. Don't know if they still sell them.

Jx
 
jonf said:
I've had a number of Esprit alto and sop mouthpieces from John Packer. All the sops have been Esprit IIs, all the altos plain Esprit, all with both a lig and cap. Different shape tone chamber as Tom says. Both pretty good, amazing for the money and very helpful in selling on a sax, as for minimal cost I've been able to sell with a new Bari mouthpiece.

Interestingly, the image in the ad for a Bari II on Omega's site seems to actually be an Esprit.
Click to expand...

Now I'm back home I realise I'd got them the wrong way round. But the point was, they were consistently the same ones. Both altos and sops came with lig and cap from John Ps.
 
jonf said:
Now I'm back home I realise I'd got them the wrong way round. But the point was, they were consistently the same ones. Both altos and sops came with lig and cap from John Ps.
Click to expand...

Jon, are you sure the Alto was an Esprit II, as they checked one for me and it didn't have the "II" on it. Maybe they ran out of II's and are now selling the ones they supply with their saxes?
 
DavidUK said:
Jon, are you sure the Alto was an Esprit II, as they checked one for me and it didn't have the "II" on it. Maybe they ran out of II's and are now selling the ones they supply with their saxes?
Click to expand...

Yes, definitely. I've just checked a couple of boxes in the saxophone room (!) and the sops were Esprit, the altos Esprit II. I bought about ten in total, I think, to help sell some saxes. The alto ones had Esprit II on both box and mouthpiece, in red, and a gold TJ on the mouthpiece. The sops had Esprit in red and a gold TJ. On the end of the box is a little sticker saying Esprit Alto (or sop as appropriate) Kit, making me think that they may have added the lig and cap themselves. Still got the eBay ad sales pics as a reference.

They may well have run out of alto Esprit IIs, which I may have something to do with.......

For what it's worth, for my tastes, I found the sop Esprit to be a better mouthpiece that the alto Esprit II. I know that's a bit like comparing apples and pears, but I'm sure you get what I mean. I thought the alto to be pretty good, the sop to be really excellent. I've played sop for about 28 years and the Bari is probably my second favourite sop mouthpiece over all those years. Beaten by the PPT, slightly ahead of metal Bari Gold, Yanagisawa Ebonite and Yanagisawa metal. A good bit better than Runyon Smoothbore and metal Selmer Jazz. Streets ahead of Berg Larsen, Selmer S80 and vintage Buescher ebonite (even on 1924 Buesher True Tone straight sop).

It's probably all just a matter of personal taste, though.

Now, been away from home and saxes for a week, so time for a blow.
 
jonf said:
Yes, definitely. I've just checked a couple of boxes in the saxophone room (!) and the sops were Esprit, the altos Esprit II. I bought about ten in total, I think, to help sell some saxes. The alto ones had Esprit II on both box and mouthpiece, in red, and a gold TJ on the mouthpiece. The sops had Esprit in red and a gold TJ. On the end of the box is a little sticker saying Esprit Alto (or sop as appropriate) Kit, making me think that they may have added the lig and cap themselves. Still got the eBay ad sales pics as a reference.

They may well have run out of alto Esprit IIs, which I may have something to do with.......

For what it's worth, for my tastes, I found the sop Esprit to be a better mouthpiece that the alto Esprit II. I know that's a bit like comparing apples and pears, but I'm sure you get what I mean. I thought the alto to be pretty good, the sop to be really excellent. I've played sop for about 28 years and the Bari is probably my second favourite sop mouthpiece over all those years. Beaten by the PPT, slightly ahead of metal Bari Gold, Yanagisawa Ebonite and Yanagisawa metal. A good bit better than Runyon Smoothbore and metal Selmer Jazz. Streets ahead of Berg Larsen, Selmer S80 and vintage Buescher ebonite (even on 1924 Buesher True Tone straight sop).

It's probably all just a matter of personal taste, though.

Now, been away from home and saxes for a week, so time for a blow.
Click to expand...
Why TJ when they came from John Packer?
 

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