Mouthpieces Otto Link Tone Edge - Vintage Tenor MPC question

[SansSax]

I purchased an Otto Link Tone Edge - Vintage Tenor MPC (6*) not so long ago - a bit of a shot in the dark as I'm not that much of an experienced player. Prior to that I had been using a HITE Premiere.

One thing I noticed about the Otto Link is that the tip rail seems more rounded than the HITE - this also means more rounded than the RICO Royal reeds I use too.

This means that the reed doesn't cover the tip rail evenly - closer to the corners than the middle if you know what I mean.

Assuming that this is normal for this MPC/Reed combination is it something I should be worried about? I am having a bit of difficulty with some of the lower notes. If I go back to the HITE it seems to play easier.

Any comments/advice will be most welcome.

 

[TomMapfumo]

Hi There!

It is a very good question! I just checked all my mouthpieces (soprano, alto and tenor) and they all have a curve that seems spot on with the various reeds that I play. Morgan Fry will hopefully throw some light on the matter in hand once he has woken from his slumbers.............;} He is a top mouthpiece maker and also specialises in Links.

I am not sure how many folks on the Forum actually play a Tone Edge "Vintage", but do use other Link pieces, especially the STM. As far as I am aware reeds of yesteryear had a more rounded tip, though I'm not sure which came first - the mouthpiece or reed curve.
Here's to other contributions to your interesting question.

Kind regards
Tom😎

 

[Morgan Fry]

Yeah the tip shape is a bit unfortunate on these. Not a huge deal, though. It does negatively impact response a bit but it's not end of the world bad. The difficulty you're having sounds like you might just not be adjusted to the larger piece yet. Are you using the same reeds? Try some new ones.