Mouthpieces Mouthpiece for Soprano

[Tommy Ng]

Hi,

I am currently using a selmer D mpc on soprano. The low notes (below F) are dull and not responsive.

Thinking to get a Dukoff, probably D chamber.

Has anyone here used a Dukoff sop mpc before?? Any comments??

Cheers

tom.

 

[jonf]

That's going from one extreme to another isn't it Tommy? Isn't it worth trying something a bit more inbetween? I find a Bari Gold to be about the best compromise on sop. I haven't played a Dukoff sop but I did have one for tenor for a while. I sold it as it was just too screechy, and a bit squeak-prone too.

Incidentaly, I did once have a Selmer sop piece. Hated it. It was like blowing through a sock.

 

[dooce]

I asked a simialr question - see this thread. http://cafesaxophone.com/showthread.php?2389-Soprano-mp-advice

I am also using a Selmer D on my BW straight sop and while not familiar with blowing through a sock, it is pretty uninspiring. I have a list of ebonite pieces I am going to try next time I am passing a suitable emporium of saxophony comprising Rousseau, Brancher, Le Bayle, Meyer, Link, Vandoren Java, Yani, Beechler......etc.

I may be there some time ;}

 

[TomMapfumo]

Hi Dudes!

4 recommendations worth trying IMHO.

1. Rico Graftonite - I have a B7 Soprano, best £15 I have ever spent. Lively without being in any way screechy.
2. Vandoren V16 6S HR - my main mouthpiece of choice. Lovely tone but with some edge.
3. Brancher J15 Metal - very close, again not in any way painful - the trouble I find with Soprano.
4. Berg Larsen Ebonite - as initially used by Jan Garbarek. Again lovely tone but not sock like. Used
to play it on my straight soprano a few years ago - sold it when I decided to quit soprano in favour of Alto.

Obviously I've not played every soprano mouthpiece, but these are tried and tested. I have tried the Yani HR but found it a little dull in comparison, but not sock like!

Get a Graftonite at the very least (good range of choices available!) before shelling out the pennies
IMO.

Kind regards
Tom

 

[Tommy Ng]

I might be going to woodwind exchange to try out a few mpcs. Has anyone been there before? How friendly are they to allow you to try their Mpcs??

 

[TomMapfumo]

Sounds like a friendly place. Can't imagine they wouldn't let you try their mouthpieces out from the way the website reads. Also sounds like a very good range!

Good luck!
Tom

 

[Tommy Ng]

By the way, do you all usually clean the mpc before trying it??

 

[TomMapfumo]

I would imagine that they are all sterilised beforehand, which is common practice. More important will be that your mouth is clean beforehand!

Kind regards
Tom

 

[Jules]

1. Rico Graftonite - I have a B7 Soprano, best £15 I have ever spent. Lively without being in any way screechy.
2. Vandoren V16 6S HR - my main mouthpiece of choice. Lovely tone but with some edge.
3. Brancher J15 Metal - very close, again not in any way painful - the trouble I find with Soprano.
4. Berg Larsen Ebonite - as initially used by Jan Garbarek. Again lovely tone but not sock like. Used

I'd agree with Tom on these- Though can't comment on the Graftonite as i've never played one. I'd also add ebonite Yanagisawas & BARIs- both ebonite and metal...

 

[thomsax]

I play a Dukoff D6 soprano mpc on my Conn -25. That mpc really cuts through! I would like to described it as an "edgy, bright and loud" mouthpiece. It has a high baffle and the tip opening is .065". The chamber is medium. I'm not playing soprano that much but I like the Dukoff on my Conn. I use MH La Voz reeds.

I also have a Selmer metal "D" (I think it's a classical mouthpiece) The tip opening is 0.51". No baffle and a smaller chamber compared to the Dukoff ("darker and more mellow"). On a mouthpiece like this most players prefer softer reeds S/MS or 1½.-2½. At least that's what my friends says!! This mouthpiece plays fine on a Beuscher TT (LP-122). You can play pretty with this setup.

I can take some pictures of the mouthpieces this evening, so you can see the differences.

The Dukoffs are the right mouthpices for me. I use D6 on soprano, D7- LaVoz MH on alto and D9-plasticover 3½ on bari. My bari is open up to c 0.140" and the baffle (more like a rollover) is taken down so the low tones comes out better. I was playing D7/X7 or D8/X8 on my tenor but now I'm using Rovner Deep-V D40 #8.

Thomas

 

[Tommy Ng]

I am looking for a mpc that sounds a bit Kenny G-ish. He is on Dukoff D8 with Hemke 2.5. D8 might be too much for me, so i will try something less than D8.

My selmer D gives too much resistance on low notes. My lung nearly explode everytime i go down the register. I think a wider tip might help.

 

[kevgermany]

Kenny G is that smooth on a Dukoff

Unbelievable.

 

[thomsax]

Here is some pictures of Dukoff D6 and a Selmer "D" soprano mouthpieces.

The Dukoff is shorter than the Selmer mpc. Dukoffs become tarnish after some years.
http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm201/thomsax/?action=view&current=selmerdukoffjmf.jpg

Selmer has no baffle but a smaller chamber comparing to Dukoff.
http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm201/thomsax/?action=view&current=selmerdukoffkammare.jpg

I use the original ligature on my soprano mouthpieces.
http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm201/thomsax/?action=view&current=selmerdukoffjmflig.jpg


A Dukoff D8 is c .075" tip opening.
You can play smooth on a Dukoff as well. But most players, like myself, likes the edgy and piercing tone that a Dukoff can produce.

Thomas

 

[dooce]

Get a Graftonite at the very least (good range of choices available!) before shelling out the pennies
IMO.

Kind regards
Tom

Excellent advice - never realised they were so cheap. Ordered one from Trevor Jones so we'll see how that works out before I start looking at anything more exotic.

 

[dooce]

we'll see how that works out

Mmmm - not well. Has the sort of sound I am looking for but needs lungs like furnace bellows to blow, even on a very soft Hahn synthetic reed. Oh well, it was only 20-odd quid.......

 

[TomMapfumo]

So that's why I can play a B7 - I use Marca Jazz 2 Reeds, and subjectively find it an easy blow. Mind you once I mastered the trombone my breath control is very solid, and I can shift a lot of air (more than I ever could when just playing sax).

Hope you find the right mpc on your search.
Kind regards
Tom

 

[kevgermany]

What opening did you get for the Rico? I've found (on tenor) that the 5 was a bit tight, good for starting on, but the 7 on Alto is great.

 

[Tommy Ng]

What opening did you get for the Rico? I've found (on tenor) that the 5 was a bit tight, good for starting on, but the 7 on Alto is great.

Since you are OK with a 7 on alto, i think you can go for at least a 7 or 7* on tenor. I switched from a 4C to an 8 without any difficulty. Somehow i feel that a wider tip mpc helps to play low notes (most will disagree however).

 

[dooce]

What opening did you get for the Rico? I've found (on tenor) that the 5 was a bit tight, good for starting on, but the 7 on Alto is great.

I went for a B7

 

[thomsax]

What opening did you get for the Rico? I've found (on tenor) that the 5 was a bit tight, good for starting on, but the 7 on Alto is great.

A B5 tenor is c .095" tip opening and medium chamber. B7 is c .105" tip opening.