Intonation Mouthpiece tuning - Otto Link vs Jody Jazz

[GRoss]

Hi everybody,

I got a new Otto Link Super Tonemaster 6* metal mouthpiece around a month ago and I've been enjoying playing it. Wasn't actually planning to buy one, but was always interested in trying a metal mouthpiece and my music store had them on sale. Tried a few and ended up sticking to 6*, which is great for me.

What sold it to me was the tuning, which has been an issue for me in my last year of playing. Basically with the hard rubber Jody Jazz mouthpieces that I've tried, I always seem to rapidly go out of tune (very flat) after 2nd octave A, whereas playing on the Otto Link I was able to play in tune pretty much across the entire range.

I actually ended up trying a metal Jody Jazz mouthpiece at the same store just for comparison and I also noticed that I played massively out of tune up high, but even down low I needed to make an effort to play in tune.

So my question is this - does anyone else notice different mouthpiece playing with different tuning or some (brands?) tending to play flat or sharp across the entire range or below/above a certain note? Is there any reason for this? Any ideas on why would an (old design?) Otto Link play so much better than modern Jody Jazz mouthpieces when tuning is concerned?

Last bit of thoughts - I do think that Jody Jazz have better low and more punchy low notes and sharper high notes, whereas Otto Link seems a bit more mellow, but the ease of playing really sold it to me!

Thanks!

 

[Colin the Bear]

It's due to different internals. The chamber size plays a big part.
The mouthpiece is the interface between your chops and your horn and needs to suit both.
Finding the right solution is a relief and a pleasure. 😉

 

[GRoss]

Right, I see. Have you had similar experiences as well, where certain mouthpieces just seemed to work against you?

It's a bit (a lot) of a shame though, since I do love the sound of Jody Jazz!

 

[Colin the Bear]

On my recent search for a new alto piece I tried several. If they don't work they get put aside quite quickly. It doesn't take long. I'm using a Selmer Soloist D on a G4M horn. The intonation using the same piece on a TJ and an Elkhart is all over the place. More than I can lip in.

I had to really push to move a friend of mine away from a piece he liked the tone of, to a piece that played in tune.
It doesn't matter how great the tone is, if the tuning is noticably off, it's not nice. A little can give a certain personality but it needs to be mostly there.

 

[GRoss]

I see! That's so interesting! I've never heard anything like this anywhere on mouthpiece reviews, etc. Reviewers just seem to play everything fine with no issues and just talk about how they sound and how easy/hard they are to play in tune. I thought it was me that was the issue, but I guess it was the compatibility between me and the mouthpiece!

Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[John Laughter]

I actually ended up trying a metal Jody Jazz mouthpiece

Was it his "Super Jet" model?

 

[GRoss]

I think it was DV or DV NY or something along those lines. It looked like this: https://saxalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Jody-Jazz-DV-NY-Alto-5-Stranahan-3-2048x1365.jpg

But even my hard rubber Jody Jazz HR* 5* or Jody Jazz Jet 7 have the same problem where the pitch goes really flat, progressively, after 2nd octave A (and the problem is most likely me, it's just that I'm not getting that with Otto Link)