Accessories lefreQue tone enhancer

[jeremyjuicewah]

Anyone tried one of these? Seems to make sense, but does it? 45 quid is too big a gamble for me.

http://www.reeds-direct.co.uk/saxophone_accessories/reedsdirect/lefreque-tone-enhancer-saxophone,-large-brass/lfq19045.html
Cheers
Mike

 

[Ads]

it`s only a bent bit of metal and two rubber bands, I`ve try making one yourself to see first (use cable ties)

 

[Nick Wyver]

See here.

 

[kevgermany]

Snake oil.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Anyone tried one of these? Seems to make sense, but does it? 45 quid is too big a gamble for me.

I'm not really sure in what way it "seems to make sense"

As a way to overcharge for two pieces of brass maybe?

 

[Chris]

Snake oil and Voodoo.

 

[aldevis]

I tried it, in that very shop, and found very little difference, but it felt there was a difference.
I preferred without, though. And would rather buy more reeds (that I did)

 

[Pete Thomas]

Anyone tried one of these? Seems to make sense, but does it? 45 quid is too big a gamble for me.

Cheers
Mike

BTW, I did some sound clips with and without lefreque

See:

Sound Enhancing Products - Taming The Saxophone

 

[altissimo]

unlike this it's not even very chic -

(someone was going to have to...)

 

[jbtsax]

Congratulations Pete. There need to be more "blindfold" tests such as the one you did with this product. There are still far too many players who believe that the vibrations of the body tube, neck, bell, or mouthpiece of a saxophone somehow effect the sound waves in the air column inside. Science has looked for this effect in woodwinds and found that it does not exist.

The power of suggestion in human beings is very strong, and our human senses are quite fallible. This is why all of the "anecdotal" evidence needs to be viewed with a healthy skepticism.

One of the experiments that I want to try is to connect the mouthpiece directly to the neck with no cork or other material in between. That would involve making an insert that fits snugly into the mouthpiece shank that has the same opening and taper as the exterior of the neck. Such a device would transfer virtually all of the mouthpiece vibrations to the body of the sax via the neck.

 

[aldevis]

Ideally you may softsolder the mouthpiece.
A limit of blindfolded tests is that musicians tend to adapt very fast to equipment and end up with the usual sound.

Mr.Sequoia always bases his opinions on my first five minutes ot testing, after that, he says, I sound the same on anything.

 

[altissimo]

it's possible that vibrations in the instrument or mouthpiece may have some slight effect since that'd involve removing energy from the air column in order to generate those vibrations, but the effects would be so slight as to be unmeasurable. A bit of metal 'connecting' the vibrations wouldn't make any difference

 

[jeremyjuicewah]

Oh gosh, I am nearly sorry I asked. Ok, makes sense? Yes, bridging, grounding, beefing up the mass, all can make a difference. Apparently this thing does not make a dif. OK. Having played about with guitar bodies, blanking holes and making wood bungs and changing from trem block to fixed bridge, I can say that fooling around with mass and space and materials and vibrations can indeed change the sound, frequently not for the better. Don't try, you don't know. I am assured that I should probably not buy one of the lefreQue pieces of metal.
Cheers
Mike

 

[Jeanette]

Mr.Sequoia always bases his opinions on my first five minutes ot testing, after that, he says, I sound the same on anything.

Mu tutor has the same opinion that you will always end up sounding like you no matter what the equipment

Jx

 

[Colin the Bear]

The only tone enhancer that works is practice.

If the mouthpiece started receiving body vibrations I'm sure I'd be spitting my fillings out. I'm using two thick patches at the moment to stop them rattling my brains.

 

[jbtsax]

Oh gosh, I am nearly sorry I asked. Ok, makes sense? Yes, bridging, grounding, beefing up the mass, all can make a difference. Apparently this thing does not make a dif. OK. Having played about with guitar bodies, blanking holes and making wood bungs and changing from trem block to fixed bridge, I can say that fooling around with mass and space and materials and vibrations can indeed change the sound, frequently not for the better. Don't try, you don't know. I am assured that I should probably not buy one of the lefreQue pieces of metal.
Cheers
Mike

It is good that you brought this up. On stringed instruments where the body of the instrument is the "resonator", the material indeed makes a great deal of difference. On woodwinds the body is simply a container to hold and shape the standing wave.

 

[Nick Wyver]

If the body or anything else is vibrating then it's sucking energy out of the sound. That doesn't sound like something you'd want to increase.

 

[Colin the Bear]

I'm lost now. Vibrations suck? Is that it?

 

[jbtsax]

Not necessarily. Think of it this way. Your speakers for your computer or stereo are enclosed in cabinets. When music is playing you can touch the top or sides of the cabinet and feel the vibrations. Just because some of the vibrations from the cone of the speaker have transferred to the cabinet, it doesn't mean that the cabinet is taking sound energy away from the cone of the speaker or the air in front of the speaker.

 

[jbtsax]

I'm lost now. Vibrations suck? Is that it?

I think it depends upon who is playing the instrument.