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Mouthpieces Mouthpiece upgrade

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bibbage

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Hi. I'm considering upgrading my 4c Alto mouthpice to an Otto Link 6*, I have been playing for 18 months and I feel that I could benifit from a better piece, but do you think 4c to 6* is too much of a difference or is it about right.
Also do you think I'll have to use a different reed strength, at the moment I'm using Vandoren 2.5.

Thanks for any help-Bibbage
 
Should be no problem at 18 months, but I'm curious as to why you would want an Otto Link on alto. Have you tried one?

A Yamaha 4C is a good mouthpiece (I use on on soprano). Once you are ready for a better mouthpiece, then you are also ready to try many differnt mouthpieces and decide which is best for you.

You need to realise that "better" in this case should mean "better for you" and that is not the same thing as a more expensive mouthpiece. If you know what you want, the sound you want, then go for it. But an Otto Link sound on alto is quite a rare thing so you really need to be sure that is what you want.
 
I went from a 4c to a Link HR piece, a Tone Edge 5 when I'd been playing for a few months. It was fine at the time - as a bit of a novice I found I could get quite a bright jazzy tone by comparison, but eventually after trying a few more pieces later on I settled on a Meyer, and a Selmer Soloist, both of which I use about equally. I still use the Link from time to time, it's nice, but as I've noted elsewhere seems to be a bit on the quiet or restrained side. I use Rico Royal 2.5 or Jazz Select 2H reeds, aboit equivalent to a Van Doren 2.5. It might be worth experimenting with different reeds before commiting to a new mouthpiece.

If you do decide to replace your mouthpiece, I'd echo what Pete says about trying various pieces, preferably side-by-side in the shop. Also, and this has been discussed elsewhere here, don't worry too much about the ligature if the piece doesn't have one - many people think the ligature only has a minimal effect on the sound.

Good luck and have fun

Cheers, Bob
 
Did you know you can buy Rico Royal mouthpieces? I didn't...

They are designed by Arnold Brilhart (spelling ok Pete), made of a revolutionary New HR-esque material and come in 3 facings of each of the 3 chamber sizes. The mathematically astute will correctly calculate this to be 9 variants. I saw models for tenor and alto.

There were a few rattling around in a box at a music store in Chesham today - they are very cheap (22-25 quid), whether this is because they are a) not selling or b) not good, I don't know.

Has anyone else seen or played these pieces? Should I be that roving reporter/guinea pig? Or should I avoid?

Cheers, Bob
 
I reckon that as I've improved in ability, it's become easier to swap between mouthpieces.

Today I got a Brilhart Level Air for my alto (screeching, baffled duckbill metal thing) which I took to within seconds. I have a very specific idea of what I'm after, and this Brilhart lets me get it very easily.

Its predecessor was a Phil Barone custom, which he tells me is more or less an old Meyer. Lovely round, fat sounding mouthpiece, but lacking in the psychotic projection that I'm after. He designed it specifically for me as a tenor player doubling on alto; whereas now I'm playing alto in its own right. I orginally took to the Barone in seconds, perhaps because it was so much better than the dog rough Yani that came with the sax.

On the tenor I had more trouble getting to grips with mouthpieces, but I reckon that's cos it was a while ago, didn't know what I was after, and wasn't capable of getting the best from the mpcs.

My first decent one was an Otto Link ebonite 10* (yes 10*!!!!). It was beautiful, but took some real getting to grips with. Its only flaw was that, link the Barone, I couldn't get the projection I needed, though its deep, rumbling subtone was majestic.

I then got my hands on an Otto Link Metal NY 6*, which gave me the projection, but which didn't instantly give me the full dynamic range. It was almost the complete opposite to the 10*, and it took me months of persistence to get fully to grips with the quieter and deeper end of things.
 
Robaldo wrote:

Today I got a Brilhart Level Air for my alto (screeching, baffled duckbill metal thing) which I took to within seconds. I have a very specific idea of what I'm after, and this Brilhart lets me get it very easily.
Read more…


I got one of those off ebay for about 25 quid during my mouthpiece experimentation period, and it's a bit good. Especially so for subduing guitarists.

Cheers, Bob
 
Robaldo wrote:

I then got my hands on an Otto Link Metal NY 6*, which gave me the projection, but which didn't instantly give me the full dynamic range. It was almost the complete opposite to the 10*, and it took me months of persistence to get fully to grips with the quieter and deeper end of things.
Read more…
I have a Brilhart Level air also. They are a scream! and a screamer.
Not what I'm looking for these days though.

I have been around the block with Tenor mouthpieces to suit SKA and although my hand made DG Studio was the Daddy, this made me wrap it up in cotton wool and hide it away from the rest of the world, So I enjoy a Gold plated Lawton 7*B which is easy enough to adapt in a horn section when you drift between 50's to 80's sub genre.
That said the band split before laser trimmed DG's but these days I would be tempted to try a laser cut Studio !
I have one and I just know it would be great for at least the 80's stuff.
 
Good call Tengu - I've tried all sorts of stuff that people swear by and I just don't get on with . It gets to the point you wonder weather you're doing something wrong. And same goes for saxes, the first MkIV I tried I just didnt like, it was awful (and it had been recently serviced, well at woods). I've tried different ones since then and got on well with some, but before I tried that first one, I was told they were almost the perfect sax.

Its good to know what some people like and what some don't, but you gotta try stuff before you buy. As tengu says you can be very suprised.
 
I'll have to jump in and say for an all-around mouthpiece, the Selmer C* is a great mouthpiece. Certainly a different sound than a lot of the suggestions mentioned above, but as a step up from the 4c, it works darn well.
 
I use Selmer mpc's on alto and tenor - a Soloist D on alto, and a Soloist C* on Tenor, which have slightly more oomph than standard Selmers. If I need a bit more fizz on the alto I use a medium chamber Meyer 5 HR, if I need more welly on tenor (gettin funky etc where electric guitar and/or bass are involved) I have a Rico Royal C5 which does the job and only cost about 25 new.

I must agree with rs2, the Selmers are good all-round mouthpieces and are relatively inexpensive.

Note the use of the technical terms oomph, fizz and welly.

Cheers, Bob
 
I recently bought Woodwind @ Co steel ebonite B5* very cheaply on ebay. It's amazing, the sound is vintage in character with tremondous volume and exceptionally easy to play. I'm also waiting for a chicago mouthpiece to be delivered, alto jazz .75 opening, these are hand finished by Ed Hurling; I'll report back once it arrives.
 
Hi talking mouthpieces I use a Yam 4C on my tenor. But for nearly 12months I`ve been trying to get a low C without it first producing a top C harmonic and then dropping down to the bottom C. Lots of kind advice about opening the throat more, and keep trying etc. but I still can`t get rid of this pre C harmonic. I`m sure you will be appalled at my suggestion, but what about a different MPC. Would it not be worth at least a try?
 

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

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