Tonykaye17
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I wanted to put a word up about the Phil Tone Sapphire soprano mouthpiece. I posted some thoughts on another thread but Aldevis suggested that I start a dedicated thread for this piece.
First off, I have been mainly a tenor player and have only been playing the soprano properly for the last year so I'm relatively inexperienced on this horn. Please interpret my views in the light of this! I play a Selmer SA 80 ser. 2 and a Beuscher TT. On these I have owned and played a no name vintage large chamber piece refaced by Sakshama, A Drake Son of Slant and a Soprano Planet Missing Link. I found the Drake very free blowing and found control and intonation hard as a result, although I know many love this piece. The vintage large chamber was stuffy for me and again the intonation was challenging. I loved the Missing Link and that was my main sop piece until I got the Sapphire. The Missing Link is definitely a keeper. I have sold the others.
I ordered and received my Sapphire from Phil about a month ago. Phil is a really good guy and great to deal with. His turnaround is quick too. His refacing and tenor and alto pieces have a fan following on Sax on the Web but this is his first foray into soprano pieces. Phil will work with the buyer to vary the baffle on the Sapphire and other pieces to optimise the sound to the players requirements within the design concept of the piece.
I have loved this piece and haven't taken it off the horn since I got it. It's got a great full rich tone, but with quite a bit of flexibility (I'm not a fan of the more nasal tone of some soprano set ups). The intonation is really good on both my horns (it plays easily in tune on my TT as well as the Selmer which isn't true of other modern pieces that I have tried on it). Some have said that the barrel might be too long on vintage sops, but I haven't found that to be the case on my TT. The response is great and it plays beautifully and easily through the whole range of the horn, but gives enough resistance to give control (which I need on soprano).
Because of my inexperience relative to many on this forum I have put some edited comments from other, more experienced, players from a thread in SOTW below. I hope that these, together with my thoughts will give others a flavour of the piece. If you are looking for a full rich tone with control and flexibility on soprano, I think the Sapphire has to be a contender!
Tony
http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showth...hpiece&highlight=Phil+tone+soprano+mouthpiece
Phil Tone
I was after something a little different, something non abrasive and pleasant to the ear with more subtle tones. Altering that is just a small shift in how the piece is made. The piece can also be made brighter and more punchy.
Dave Dolson
In a word, Phil's soprano mouthpiece is sweet. If I didn't already have some great mouthpieces with more open tips, I'd be clamoring to buy Phil's piece right out of the pass-around. I'm wondering how Phil's piece would play for me if he made it with a more open tip, say the .070 size that seems to work perfectly for me?
As far as playing Phil's piece goes, it was very responsive, had a great sound to it (not nasal or oboeish), the intonation was superb, and the sound was very focused. No spread in this piece.
DCTWells
I received Phil's newest creation for soprano in the mail yesterday. I've had a lot of fun playing this mouthpiece!
I compared three mouthpieces (Sapphire, a Riffault .055 refaced by Erik G and a Morgan Large Chamber piece in a .060 tip) and found the Sapphire to give me the best of these mouthpieces. I find the sound falls right in the middle, not as focused as the Riffault and not as spread as the Morgan. The intonation is just as easy to control as the Riffault, and I can push lots of air through the horn like on the Morgan. The Sapphire is a powerful piece, but not particularly "edgy" unless you really try to push it that direction. I could imagine using thismouthpiececomfortably in virtually any musical situation with no problems.
Sapphire Reflections
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=13047844
Sapphire For Lovers
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=13047845
BlownSi05
The tone is open and clear, but not overly bright or harsh. Very smooth and thick, but it can be pushed to get a little of that Wayne Shorter type of tone, i.e. his recording of "Beauty and the Beast" on the Native Dancer album. Shorter has a wide range of tonal qualities in his soprano sound. I would say that the Sapphire gives, to me at least, a solid middle ground between his very dark and hollow softer tones and his really bright and edgy louder tone. The piece is very easy to control and allows for some crazy swings in dynamics, always with a really solid core. This seems to be the most notable feature I have noticed on all of Phil's pieces. Of course the craftsmanship as usual is top notch.
The new sapphire soprano piece is just a continuation of Phil's excellence in craftsmanship and knowledge of sound.
Dr G
Phil has one sweet sop 'piece here. I shared this with him today:
This 'piece is great stuff. I've continued A/B/C'ing it with my Link/Tenney and Lamberson, and I really like a lot of its qualities. It has a rich sonority with my Borgani sop, and is especially comfortable for me to play compared to the small beak of the Lamberson. I've been playing the Fmaj7 for so long, that I have to alter my blow for the Sapphire, but once I do, the sound is amazingly full. Similarly for the palm keys - it's a different animal, and as soon as I adjust to it, it becomes quite a natural piece. It is very efficient - I get a wider dynamic range on it that on the Link/Tenney. Articulation is excellent.
Bottom line: This Sapphire has all the positive qualities of my Lamberson Fmaj7, plus better comfort for extended playing, and a richer voice that I love.
DJM0226
Philtone Sapphire Passaround .065: Phil's Sapphire is a special piece! Really hit the spot for me. Reminded me of the first time I played my Philtone Rift alto. It does share many similar qualities: good focus, projection, but still warm, flexible and full! Good intonation and response on my setup. The Sapphire takes what I like about the Lamberson and what I like about the Tenney Link and combines them into one piece! One piece to rule them all!
First off, I have been mainly a tenor player and have only been playing the soprano properly for the last year so I'm relatively inexperienced on this horn. Please interpret my views in the light of this! I play a Selmer SA 80 ser. 2 and a Beuscher TT. On these I have owned and played a no name vintage large chamber piece refaced by Sakshama, A Drake Son of Slant and a Soprano Planet Missing Link. I found the Drake very free blowing and found control and intonation hard as a result, although I know many love this piece. The vintage large chamber was stuffy for me and again the intonation was challenging. I loved the Missing Link and that was my main sop piece until I got the Sapphire. The Missing Link is definitely a keeper. I have sold the others.
I ordered and received my Sapphire from Phil about a month ago. Phil is a really good guy and great to deal with. His turnaround is quick too. His refacing and tenor and alto pieces have a fan following on Sax on the Web but this is his first foray into soprano pieces. Phil will work with the buyer to vary the baffle on the Sapphire and other pieces to optimise the sound to the players requirements within the design concept of the piece.
I have loved this piece and haven't taken it off the horn since I got it. It's got a great full rich tone, but with quite a bit of flexibility (I'm not a fan of the more nasal tone of some soprano set ups). The intonation is really good on both my horns (it plays easily in tune on my TT as well as the Selmer which isn't true of other modern pieces that I have tried on it). Some have said that the barrel might be too long on vintage sops, but I haven't found that to be the case on my TT. The response is great and it plays beautifully and easily through the whole range of the horn, but gives enough resistance to give control (which I need on soprano).
Because of my inexperience relative to many on this forum I have put some edited comments from other, more experienced, players from a thread in SOTW below. I hope that these, together with my thoughts will give others a flavour of the piece. If you are looking for a full rich tone with control and flexibility on soprano, I think the Sapphire has to be a contender!
Tony
http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showth...hpiece&highlight=Phil+tone+soprano+mouthpiece
Phil Tone
I was after something a little different, something non abrasive and pleasant to the ear with more subtle tones. Altering that is just a small shift in how the piece is made. The piece can also be made brighter and more punchy.
Dave Dolson
In a word, Phil's soprano mouthpiece is sweet. If I didn't already have some great mouthpieces with more open tips, I'd be clamoring to buy Phil's piece right out of the pass-around. I'm wondering how Phil's piece would play for me if he made it with a more open tip, say the .070 size that seems to work perfectly for me?
As far as playing Phil's piece goes, it was very responsive, had a great sound to it (not nasal or oboeish), the intonation was superb, and the sound was very focused. No spread in this piece.
DCTWells
I received Phil's newest creation for soprano in the mail yesterday. I've had a lot of fun playing this mouthpiece!
I compared three mouthpieces (Sapphire, a Riffault .055 refaced by Erik G and a Morgan Large Chamber piece in a .060 tip) and found the Sapphire to give me the best of these mouthpieces. I find the sound falls right in the middle, not as focused as the Riffault and not as spread as the Morgan. The intonation is just as easy to control as the Riffault, and I can push lots of air through the horn like on the Morgan. The Sapphire is a powerful piece, but not particularly "edgy" unless you really try to push it that direction. I could imagine using thismouthpiececomfortably in virtually any musical situation with no problems.
Sapphire Reflections
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=13047844
Sapphire For Lovers
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=13047845
BlownSi05
The tone is open and clear, but not overly bright or harsh. Very smooth and thick, but it can be pushed to get a little of that Wayne Shorter type of tone, i.e. his recording of "Beauty and the Beast" on the Native Dancer album. Shorter has a wide range of tonal qualities in his soprano sound. I would say that the Sapphire gives, to me at least, a solid middle ground between his very dark and hollow softer tones and his really bright and edgy louder tone. The piece is very easy to control and allows for some crazy swings in dynamics, always with a really solid core. This seems to be the most notable feature I have noticed on all of Phil's pieces. Of course the craftsmanship as usual is top notch.
The new sapphire soprano piece is just a continuation of Phil's excellence in craftsmanship and knowledge of sound.
Dr G
Phil has one sweet sop 'piece here. I shared this with him today:
This 'piece is great stuff. I've continued A/B/C'ing it with my Link/Tenney and Lamberson, and I really like a lot of its qualities. It has a rich sonority with my Borgani sop, and is especially comfortable for me to play compared to the small beak of the Lamberson. I've been playing the Fmaj7 for so long, that I have to alter my blow for the Sapphire, but once I do, the sound is amazingly full. Similarly for the palm keys - it's a different animal, and as soon as I adjust to it, it becomes quite a natural piece. It is very efficient - I get a wider dynamic range on it that on the Link/Tenney. Articulation is excellent.
Bottom line: This Sapphire has all the positive qualities of my Lamberson Fmaj7, plus better comfort for extended playing, and a richer voice that I love.
DJM0226
Philtone Sapphire Passaround .065: Phil's Sapphire is a special piece! Really hit the spot for me. Reminded me of the first time I played my Philtone Rift alto. It does share many similar qualities: good focus, projection, but still warm, flexible and full! Good intonation and response on my setup. The Sapphire takes what I like about the Lamberson and what I like about the Tenney Link and combines them into one piece! One piece to rule them all!
