Mouthpieces Lawton chamber sizes

I had a chance to try out a Lawton metal MP for tenor. Seriously thinking of buying one but am a bit confused about the different chamber sizes. I currently play a Jody Jazz HR7 ebonite so any advice would greatly appreciated. Anyone got one floating around for sale. ( i know it should be in the for sale section but i figured if someone rerads this saves doubling up. Also i don't know which one to go for. Looking for a fuller beefier sound, not necessarily loud or bright. Thanks Phil:w00t:
 
Hi Phil

I've had loads of Lawtons over the years (although not as many as Rhys), and I think that overall the B chamber is the best all rounder. Plain chambers are nice and rich sounding, but for me a bit lacking in sparkle. BB chambers are bright bordering on the piercing, at least when I play. B chambers are rich and full but with plenty of brightness on top, and I find them very adaptable.

One thing with Lawtons. Some people say they are prone to squeaking. Not one of the ones I have had has caused any squeaking for me, from my first one when I first started playing to the present time, thirty years on. The one thing you do need to do, though (and this applies to alll thin-railed mouthpieces) is make sure your reed is perfectly aligned.

A final point. Lawtons were originally made by Geoff Lawton, and now are made by his son, as Geoff died a few years ago. Some say that the originals were better. I reckon this is just an attempt to build up a market for older ones, and having played oringinals and current models I can't discern any difference.

Jon
 
I would endorse everything that Jon says. Lawtons are great pieces and I have only had one squeaky example out of about 35+ that I have played.

For a "full, beefy" sound I would avoid the BB chamber, but definitely consider the plain (i.e. no letter) model as well as the B.

There seem to be fewer ebonite Lawtons around than metal, but both have an equally good sound - it just comes down to comfort which you prefer. I don't know why, but I don't like the stainless steel models quite as much as the goldplated bronze or goldplated nickel silver (Geoff Lawton used that rather than brass).

As for tip opening, anything in the range from 6 or 6star through to 8star should be playable if you are happy to experiment with reed strengths. You may have to take what you can find in shops or on eBay.

Good luck

Rhys
 
Thanks Guys, that is what i thought. Next question who has the best offer around. I see Sax.co have a sale on but no Lawtons. Come on Jules!
Not seen any on e-bay but then i am a bit busy and find trawling through the e-bay world rather tedious. So not really looked a great deal.
Any body out there got one for sale. I'll post this on the yard sale as well.
Thanks again
Phil
 
I've never found them to be squeaky either. I currently have a steel 9* LW which is quite nicely mellow (by my standards) but plenty beefy.
 
Ive got a very early 10b which is prone to chirp, but you get used to it and kind of know when it's going to happen...before it actuarly does, i think the odd chirp when in context with what you are doing sounds great.

I also have a stainless 7* bb that no matter what you do it will never chirp....
 
Had about 5 Lawtons over the years and i had a great old 8*B piece that was so nice.I also had a 8*BB stainless steel 1 and that was also great.I agree with the chaps and i think the B model is the most versitile and pleasing design.I find your locked in to just 1 sound type on the BB models,my 8*B i could use for any kind of music and i could make it wail.Sold it to a mate who blew it on a jam and wanted it straight away,he put his metal Freddie Gregory MKIII in the draw then.Glad he did as i got it now.Strange thing is i could never get away with the FG on the few times over the years i tested it but i asked for another go a few months ago and it was amazing,go figure.
 
Are you thinking about ebonite, one of the various metals or not fussed?
I can't remember how many different metal options there are but may be Rhys will chip in again?

If you are considering metal here is some food for thought.
SR Tech fusion or Pro. Great pieces, not exactly the Lawton vibe but for me play beefier than most other pieces of similar design and not on the same radar as Lawtons so a second hand bargain may be around to be had.

The one odd thing I found about them was the difference in character between acoustic and amplified playing.
But even that was EQ'able...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I know you're talking about tenor, but my experience of Lawtons is on Baritone, and it's been good. I have an 8*B Ebonite which is fantastic, it's an old one that Geoff Lawton made. Last year I bought a new metal 7*B, it was just as good, played superbly, but I sold it as I preferred the ebonite.
I recently bought a Drake Contemporary Crossover II for bari from Juju on the forum here, and it's really good as well, it has a full beefy sound and I can do anything I want on it. You'll see on the Drake website that Bruce Johnstone changed from a metal Lawton to the Drake, and from his description doesn't sound like he'll be going back. So this is another brand to investigate for tenor.

On the other hand, if you're looking for full and beefy, rather than loud and bright, why not consider a Link, it's the classic pairing for a Tenor, I'd try and get one that's been refaced so you know the rails etc are good, perhaps an old one, the Early Babbitt STM's are excellent and are a lot less than the Floridas. Or another brand is Barone (Phil Barone) - I have a Barone Jazz for tenor and it's really good, big sound, dark but with a good Linkish vibe to it - lots of people swear by them, and they come occasionally used.

Hope this helps, and hasn't confused your mouthpiece search.
 

Similar threads... or are they? Maybe not but they could be worth reading anyway 😀

Members' Blogs

Trending content

Forum statistics

Topics
29,587
Messages
513,052
Members
8,736
Latest member
Fitzon_cider
Back
Top Bottom