Ligatures Law Custom Ligature

daveysaxboy · Nov 17, 2008

Just got a Law Custom Ligature made by Lawrie Waldron off Pete Scadden at StudioSaxophone's and am really pleased with it's responce on my Law Buzzer,testing it against my many other lig's,Fran Louis,Vandoren Opto,Saxxas winslow type,BG,Rovner and other metal lig's and finding it to be a wonderfull lig,open's thing's up and a very fast responce .It's a whacky looking thing but really work's and look's like this is winning in the ligature stake's.

rhysonsax · Nov 17, 2008

That's interesting because I found that I prefer a Vandoren V16 Optimum lig to Lawrie's custom lig on all his pieces. He also recommends a BG Jazz metal that works well and brightens the sound up a bit.

Do you find that the width of the lig is just a little bit too small and the reeds touch on both sides of the black plastic ring thingy ?

Rhys

PS Interested to hear what you think of the Saxxas lig as that looks nice, but pricey.

daveysaxboy · Nov 17, 2008

Just show's about different taste's,the Law fit's great and i am feeling more of a boxy ,MK6ish sound and better bottom end with his,the Saxxas is fantastic aswell but am preferring the LAW,I got the Saxxas on my old Keilwerth HR slimbody alto mp now and it's fattened it up a touch,the JK MP was made by Wagner of Germany by the way and it's the best alto mp i have ever blown,had many and still it's the 1.I had my V16 OPTO on my alto for a while aswell as a FL and like the OPTO but dont see much between the 3 plate's,they are a bright lig i think but with the Saxxas you can hear and feel the difference much more when you change the stud pattern's about,love my buzzer,want to try other Law's now :whistle:

daveysaxboy · Nov 17, 2008

What other model's of Law's do you have and what's your thought's Rhysonsax,size,sound etc

rhysonsax · Nov 17, 2008

Hi David,

The LAW mouthpieces I have got are all tenors - really looking forward to Lawrie making a bari piece, although I hear that alto is next. He has also done some facing and baffle work for me on a Selmer soprano piece and a Lawton alto, both of which are really nice.

The LAW tenor pieces are described pretty well on Pete Scaddan's Studiosaxophones website, http://www.studiosaxophones.co.uk/Data/Pages/law.htm but here are my brief thoughts:

1. LAW Buzzer - you already know all about it. I think he should have chosen a different name for such an excellent piece.
2. 7*D - Link style, moderately dark and warm
3. *8 MC - medium chamber, medium baffle piece with a Lawton type sound
4. 120 S Snake Mod - one-off high baffle piece, apparently based on Snake Davis' own piece. A nice player, but the baffle makes it a bit bright for me.
5. 8** .118" SP RD - A one-off that Lawrie made for me, adapted from my very favourite tenor piece (a Lawton). It has a two slope baffle going into a bullet chamber and a medium/small throat. Really nice balance of edge and warmth and quite a focused sound.

All of them have an amazing standard of finish with very thin side rails and excellent facing curves. They blow really easily.

I think that Pete Scaddan may offer trials on some of the LAW pieces.

My advice would be to stick with the Buzzer - but I am rubbish at following my own advice and so end up with many too many mouthpieces for all my horns.

Rhys

PS If you are anywhere near Surrey/Hampshire then you would be welcome to have a blow on some of these LAWs.

daveysaxboy · Nov 17, 2008

Hi, sticking with my Buzzer 100%,just when i get the chance to try more Law's i am sure i will like them all,i like the way it's a high baffle but it's so much warmer,rounder sound compared to most high baffle piece's,i have had 6 Guardala's,3 lawton,s,Lebayle, and many more high baffle mp's but the Buzzer is much more warmer and you get great altissimo.I have a Brancher B 29 that really cut's but not as full as the Law but is still a great rock gig mp.Just been going through some latin playalong's and the Law was sounding great.Did you ever get your Goodson curvy sop and what's your thought's

rhysonsax · Nov 17, 2008

Hi David,

It's turning into a bit of a two-way conversation !

That warm, rich tone with some power / edge / ring to it is pretty much my ideal and what I get from my favourite Lawton as well as Lawrie's copy and also the Buzzer. But the LAW 7*D is very nice too, in a mainstream jazz way.

I did get the Goodson curbed soprano, for a reasonable price, but when it arrived it had a few problems. The low C pad was miles off sealing and you could easily see the booster showing when the key was closed. BR's very own Griff sorted out the little problems for a very reasonable ?25 but I had no luck at all claiming that back from the US seller, despite their 1 year no quibble guarantee promised on the eBay advert.

The horn blows pretty well now, except maybe a touch hesitant on low C and B. It's almost too free-blowing and powerful and I really prefer my Yanagisawa curved soprano for a richer, singing tone. Still, the Goodson looks flash and is quite nice to have.

How is your Goodson ?

Best regards

Rhys

Saxlicker · Nov 17, 2008

Hi,

rhysonsax wrote:
Hi David,

It's turning into a bit of a two-way conversation !

I tried to chirp in earlier but I think the room went down for a short while....anyway!

rhysonsax wrote:

1. LAW Buzzer - you already know all about it. I think he should have chosen a different name for such an excellent piece.

I'm glad to hear you say that Rhys.. 😡
I Have heard clips, seen the baffle shape and decided that everything seems right for this to be a great piece for my tastes.
The thought of it being a BUZZER in its tone is what's putting me off spending my hard earned cash along with the fact that my RPC is soooo good and is the only mouthpiece ever to enhance my Guardala experiences.

rhysonsax wrote:
4. 120 S Snake Mod - one-off high baffle piece, apparently based on Snake Davis' own piece. A nice player, but the baffle makes it a bit bright for me.

On that note?
I thought Snake used an RPC? is his website out of date?

daveysaxboy · Nov 17, 2008

Hi,mine's really nice on the bottom,middle now with my OttoLink HR 7* EZ reface,been meaning to get mine sorted for a while as the only thing wrong is my front F aux key,something aint working,tryed myself but no luck yet.Tiny leak some place's on the top.They are really free blowing but has a nice mix of sweetness and power for a sop,Yani's are top's for there soprano's but as you say for the cash they are solid well made,very pretty,good intonation and you can push some air in the little thing.I still would like a R&C Jazz Curved Soprano but along wait far that :cry: One of my old Lawton's i had was a 8*B AND WOW,it rocked the house but i have a brightish tone so let the beast go,Cheer's David.

rhysonsax · Nov 17, 2008

rhysonsax wrote:
4. 120 S Snake Mod - one-off high baffle piece, apparently based on Snake Davis' own piece. A nice player, but the baffle makes it a bit bright for me.

Saxlicker wrote:
On that note?
I thought Snake used an RPC? is his website out of date?

It's one that Lawrie had in the back of a drawer from a few years ago. He was trying to make some enhancements based on whatever Snake Davis was playing at that time. For whatever reason, it didn't work out and went back in the drawer. When he came across it a couple of months ago, he thought it might be up my street, so he tidied up the facing (his methods have apparently improved) and sent it to me.

Lawrie may have mentioned what mouthpiece it was based on, but I forget. Could it have been a Freddie Gregory ?

Anyway it's a nice mouthpiece to have in the collection !

Rhys

Saxlicker · Nov 18, 2008

Anyway it's a nice mouthpiece to have in the collection !

Rhys

I'll bet it is!!
Lucky find me thinks.

daveysaxboy · Nov 18, 2008

I agree with the name Buzzer not being fitting with the piece as the mp is very smooth,lot's of rich sound's and warmth to it.I think the Snake Mod also sound's very nice.We are lucky he live's here in the UK and he's close at hand to get great custom mp's.So what sax's are you playing on Rhysonsax?

rhysonsax · Nov 18, 2008

david keighley wrote:
So what sax's are you playing on Rhysonsax?

Hi David,

I've got a few (or more than a few) .....

Some of the horns are really collector's items (Grafton, low A alto) but the ones I play as first choice are:

Soprano - Yanagisawa SC991
Alto - MkVI or Walstein
Tenor - MkVI
Bari - Selmer SA80 Serie II

The bass, 'nino and C melody don't often come out of their cases.

How about you ?

Rhys

daveysaxboy · Nov 18, 2008

Hi, well got a,
82Z Tenor in gold laq
Yamaha 21 with Custom G1 crook,monster alto.
Goodson Curvy sop
Yani copy silverplate straight sop.
Have had about 6 MK6'S in the past,Keilwerth's(3)a few more Yam's,1 Borgani ,a few Selmer serie's 2's and a serie's 3 tenor and soprano and there's more i cant remember,mental gearhead r wat :cry: