Mouthpieces Rico Graftonite B7 Tenor - Outstanding???

[ellinas]

Hello

I took out of the drawer a B7 Rico Graftonite and played it with a RJS 2H.
I can't believe how good this mouthpiece is for the money paid (15 euros 5 years ago).
It has a strong core and it's reaaaally expressive.

I remember I didn't like it in the past but I was playing Blue Vandorens. I tried it with a blue vandoren and I got the same negative feeling. With the RJS it's like they were made for each other.

Does anyone else like his/her tenor B7? Or am I just lucky?

 

[BigMartin]

Yes. I played one for years. Amazing value.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Rico mouthpiece will be american lay? Vandoren classic blue french filed. I'm guessing you're using unfiled RJS, American cut.

 

[kevgermany]

They work well with filed reeds like Rico Royal and filed rjs..

 

[kernewegor]

They are incredibly good value. I was very impressed when I got a Graftonite A5 for my tenor.

After a while I thought I'd try the Metalite M5 and found I liked it even more. Even more expressive possibilities and a lot more volume but needs more control or you can split notes until you get used to it.

I use the Metalite all the time now.

I see that I have been using RSJ filed, Rico Royal filed, Superials unfiled... they all sound good, sometimes after a little sanding, sometimes just as they come.

 

[Jose]

I use a Metallite 7 with my Bundy baritone and the combination is terrific! I alternate it with a superb RPC 120B ten times more expensive. At the moment I can´t decide wich suits me better. When the RPC arrived in june the Rico was on the box some time..., last month I only played the Rico....

 

[Colin the Bear]

I have the Metalite M11 for clarinet. Very sweet and lots of projection. Experimenting with the same on alto produces honks and squeals at present. Who'da'thought

 

[Ads]

I never got into graftonites especially in Alto, I found the lay to be steep so the thing either octaves too easily with a soft reed or tiring with a hard one - given the universal appraisal here, it`s obviously me and my preference for long lay wider tip mouthpieces . Could be that I never found the right reed for them though......

Never tried a Metallite , I doubt it`d suit Yamahas unless in the commercial decorating business.

 

[BigMartin]

I never got into graftonites especially in Alto, I found the lay to be steep so the thing either octaves too easily with a soft reed or tiring with a hard one - given the universal appraisal here, it`s obviously me and my preference for long lay wider tip mouthpieces . Could be that I never found the right reed for them though......
.

I'd agree they're not the easiest to blow I'm just getting to the point with the PPT where I can get a similar sound to the one I had on the Graftonite, but with a softer reed and a lot less effort.

 

[Ads]

I found the PPT despite its wide 8* tip far more stable than a graftonite , the thing about a long lay is that it makes control easier, hard reed on a narrow tip, no problem, likewise softer reed on an 8* you get finer control (and bags of power) - it`s simple leverage principle, playing a short lay is like holding a lump hammer too close to the head ..

I liked the sound of the graftonite, just wish they made it longer lay.. Bari ought to do larger tip versions of the Esprit too, am Esprit-II Alto with a 7 tip would be bargain backup piece of the decade ! ..

 

[BigMartin]

Yes, but with finer control comes more responsibilty to exercise that control. The PPT is a bit like I magine driving a sports car would be, compared to the Graftonite's family saloon. Much more sensitive to the controls, so you can get more out of it, but if you don't keep your foot steady on the gas...