Mouthpieces Brancher Mouthpieces

[rmdickaty]

Firstly...A Happy New Year to all forum members....

I have a question regarding the Brancher J29 Tenor Mpce.
Has anyone had any experience with these pieces...?
How do they play...Bright...Dark...etc...I know this is pretty subjective but a ball park description would be appreciated.
Cheers
Ray

 

[Jules]

Your Berg Larsen 115/2 not behaving itself? I personally find Metal Branchers big, loud and bright (good for Sanborn). Very nicely made pieces and a winner for a powerful modern sound... (David Keighley on this forum uses on, I seem to remember).
Happy New year to you (BTW- I'm Jules from Sax.co....).
You're looking very "Taxi Driver" on that pic!

 

[rmdickaty]

Hey Jules,
Fell out of favour with the Berg a while ago now...Playin some gigs I found certain tonal qualities I just did'nt like...
Moved onto a JJ HR which is great for most stuff, even a bit of raging screamo....and a Pillinger Link copy....HmmmNNN...?? Great but for me, not sure still working on it.
Anyway, I always have a fondness for metal mpces so have been checkin these out so thanks for the info.
Yea.... photo, mohican and joe strummer c/w shirt, great combo.
Happy New Year..

 

[TomMapfumo]

Hi Ray!

I trialled a Brancher J27 piece a few weeks ago on my quest to find my preferred tenor piece. It was a really good solid piece with a full tone. On my Yani T901 it sounded a little too neutral and I ended up in a straight fight between a V16 HR T8 and a Francois Louis Spectruoso T280 ML, the latter being the eventual winner - better all round and with a solid loud sound - full, rich complex, neither overly bright nor dark. (Its about the same circumference as an HR Alto piece).

I play a J15 on Soprano which I like very much. I am just aware that the Branchers have gone up in price. Have a look at Law mouthpieces for metal - seem to be rated quite highly, including by one on the forum that used to own both types of Branchers B29 and J29.

But for me just too neutral, but solid enough.

Kind regards
Tom 8)

 

[rmdickaty]

Ok I did a forum search for Brancher ( why did'nt I do that sooner...Duh ! ) and found my answer....So I am thinking this may be a contender in certain musical situations....OR.. at least cure my post christmas GasAttack....

 

[rmdickaty]

Cheers Tom,
If I had the cash I would try the Law as I hear so much good reports about them, but this may be a trade for my V16 T77 mpce, which I dont really get on with anymore....

 

[TomMapfumo]

Jules will probably buy one off you - he likes his V16 metals - I had a T77 also but it felt a little too neutral for my set up.

Kind regards
Tom 8)

 

[daveysaxboy]

Hi, it's your lucky day as i have owned both the J29 and the B29 Tenor piece's.The J29 is as they say,round lush sound and very jazzy.It's very easy and free blowing with good altissimo,great warmth and a FAT bottom end sound.I rate it very highly and it still has a modern sound but not to bright.The B29 is a LOUD SCREAMER piece with fantastic altissimo and great for full on band gig's and so free blowing and stacatto is great but on soft jazz gig's it's to bright and lack's body and warmth but depend's on what you play.There so well made and the lig's are spot on.I now use a Law Buzzer,1st piece i had was 115 tip but got a new piece made and now use a 120 Buzzer,Law custom lig,V16 2/5 Reeds,WOW it sound's great,Hope this help's.

 

[rmdickaty]

All great advice. Thanks everyone.
The V16 used to work great on my Keiwerth SX90R, but what a sax for problems, (see S.Howards site for his tech take on this)..so I gave that up and got a Mauriat 66R... wow...
Hardly see my sax tech at all now. But since the new sax I have been on a Mpce search to compliment this horn and looking for that elusive sound...as we all are i guess.

 

[Jules]

If ebonite's doing it for you i've found a few that seem to work well on my Mauriat- Berg Larsen Grained 105/2 (one of my main gigging pieces- love it, little bit of a bullet baffle to give it extra grit and scream power but otherwise big fat 'n' mellow), I'm a big fan of LeBayles at the mo- not really experimented with them until recently but the ebonite jazz and LR chambers are pretty tasty. also- another slightly more obscure one Rousseau JDX- again big chamber, dark but with a bit of bite due to a small baffle (pretty sexy piece- I'm tempted to get one for my alto 67R).

 

[rmdickaty]

Well Jules at the moment im lovin' the JJ HR piece, there is something really "woody" and pure about the tone, especially with alexnder dc reeds. For more of a buzz, I use ZZ or alxndr NYs.
This seems to work in a variety of settings...BUT....I always have a fondness for metal mpces, hence my persisting with the V16, post dental work, for the past 12 months...but just does not work for me anymore.... :cry:
It seems that its a B29 Brancher not the J, a bit of a screamer by all accounts, so could be fun...

 

[Saxlicker]

RMDickaty wrote:
BUT....I always have a fondness for metal mpces

Sounds like me!

hence my persisting with the ******, for the past 12 months...but just does not work for me anymore.... :cry:

Also sounds like me!
The only cure to date has been a 115B RPC.
(I have yet to try the PPT).
I have tried most of the usual candidates in metal though.
Only tonight did I add the beautifully made Law Buzzer 8* to that list and yes I could have got fond of it but not without the same can't put my finger on it underlying niggles that all my metal pieces give after a while.

 

[rmdickaty]

Saxlicker wrote:
The only cure to date has been a 115B RPC.
(I have yet to try the PPT).
I have tried most of the usual candidates in metal though.
Only tonight did I add the beautifully made Law Buzzer 8*

Ah the RPC and the PPT...One day...
I am surprised about the Law buzzer though, did you try the LCD (large chamber dark) ? as the audio clip on Neff musics site sounds great. Full on dark and thick......Less "harsh" perhaps than the buzzer, but still with some bite. IMO.

 

[Saxlicker]

RMDickaty wrote:
[I am surprised about the Law buzzer though, did you try the LCD (large chamber dark) ? as the audio clip on Neff musics site sounds great. Full on dark and thick......Less "harsh" perhaps than the buzzer, but still with some bite. IMO.

No,
Just the buzzer AD 8*. It was nice, more refined than an MBII in a Lawton sort of way but over all not doing enough to dethrone the RPC. Who knows? maybe the LCD could.