Hi David (and Smiffy 😛 )
On Tenor I play a V16 T77 or 8 equivalent, on Alto a V16 7m (7) and on Soprano I have previously played a 6.
I played the Branchers with their own ligatures which were good (like a standard BG lig) and the Yani HR and V16 with a Vandoren metal Masters lig. The reeds I used were Rico Royal 2 & 2.5, Vandoren ZZ 2 & Marca Jazz 2 & 2.5.
1. Yani HR 5 - sounded fine; warm, clear tone, a degree of smoothness and a lesser degree of vibrancy. I found the ZZ's were good. A very easy blow. General rating was 7.75/10.
2. Brancher B21 - lively, more resonant sound, bright but not in any way shrill. Was my initial favourite but a little too large for my embouchure and intonation suffered above second octave key initially.
Got more comfortable with time and played best with Marca 2's.
Has huge potential but just too large to play comfortably in highest and lowest registers on first day. Rating 8.5/10.
3. Vandoren V16 - really beautiful HR mouthpiece - gave of its best with Marca 2.5's, and no criticism in any areas. Comfortable in the mouth and had a lovely flow to it. High level of clarity/purity, but with an excellent tone - not in any way sterile. Was very happy with this (first time it had been played since purchase and now put away for birthday. Rating 9.25/10.
4. Brancher J15 - not my favourite to start but soon got there and remained in first place, shading it from the V16. It had the edge in terms of the clarity/purity which I really like on soprano sax - my test pieces are some tunes of Garbarek that I know off by heart, and it was spot on IMHO. Has all the other features of the V16, and again sounded brilliant on Marca Jazz 2.5's, just less so on Marca 2's and ZZ 2's. I found the Rico least interesting, in the same way that I don't really enjoy V16 reeds - lack of finesse to my ears. Rating 9.5/10.
My wife listened throughout and contributed significantly to the above findings, and thought that some of the sounds I produced were quite exceptional, which was nice!
The Brancher is a seriously good mouthpiece - I would be interested in trying it on Tenor, but am happy enough with my other mouthpieces to not crave any new recruits.
I will do some more testing of the Branchers on the W/E and update you if there is any change. I am disappointed that the B chamber is not available in a 15(6) or 17(7), but the J15 was just great.
My biggest challenge was getting any of the mouthpieces far enough on the cork to play in tune, but the distance shortened with time and there was a good 6/7mm left over by the end.
So I'll definitely buy one on Monday, and it is likely to be the Brancher J15 Gold Plated (I own the Yani and V16 already).
Thanks go to Howarth's who let me try out both pieces at home, and didn't charge a restocking fee. Good value/excellent service!
I have not tried many soprano mouthpieces, but have not been disappointed with any I've tried. Big positive, though, for the Branchers. I emailed Pascal Brancher and his recommendation at the time was the B21, given what I wrote. Neither disappointed, but I so far prefer the sound of the J(azz) chamber.
Kind regards
Tom 8)
Birthday is same date, but needs must!
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