Mouthpieces So, the time has come to start looking at new mouthpieces..

[ManEast]

I've started to form quite a long list now (growing bigger all the time) of mouthpieces to try. Had a look at sax.co.uk again, and saw their little bit about famous saxophonists and their set up, co-incedentally 4 of my 5 top idols (Ben Webster, Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young) All use Otto Links... Are they really that amazing as everyone says they are?

Link's yes they are,if you are so lucky to have a good one.

If you can go a little bit more cash ...The Ed Pillinger NYT is a close as your find to a good Link for that kind of cash. Do not be put off by his somewhat old looking web site, as Ed is too busy in his workshop to bother with an upgrade. His M.P.fLY out of the door to players all around the world, many in the U.S.

I have a very nice old Link that came with an MK6 that I got in 83, the MK6 has long gone but I have played this Link ever Since.
I have a student that has a 7* Pillinger NYT and it plays as well as my Link.

I am not a fan of ed's Bronzite M.P.s

 

[FirstyB]

I actually saw Ed's site a while back, and made a mental note of his NYT model.

When you say "Link", do you mean Otto Link, or is Link a general term for something else? Also do Otto Links vary in quality that much? (within the same model)

 

[TomMapfumo]

Yes:welldone

No:welldone

Yes

 

[FirstyB]

lol
thanks, just what i needed

 

[Semiquaver]

Sax.co.uk

The new Sax.co.uk shop opens in Denmark street, London soon.

Why not go there and try some out? They are very helpful and will let you try out what you want.

 

[dooce]

Good Luck! If ever there was anything that fell into the category of "black art", it's mouthpieces and their selection. I had an eBay complusion about a year ago and bought just about anything that got described as loud, great for rock and roll, etc, and bought what I thought at the time was a load of old sh*te, couldn't get on with any of them and stuffed them in a box for re-selling when I got round to it.

I gave them all another try a couple of months ago, and as a result the expensive Lawton and Link STM are sitting in the eBay box, and I am now playing a 35 year-old Brilhart Levelair that I picked up for 40 quid - plays sweet as anything. However, no doubt in another couple of months, I'll try something else and it will be back to the sinbin for the Brilhart.......

 

[FirstyB]

The new Sax.co.uk shop opens in Denmark street, London soon.

Why not go there and try some out? They are very helpful and will let you try out what you want.

Yep, thats the place i was going to go to, the bottom floor just opened the other day, so they'll have even more selection than the last tme i went there

 

[FirstyB]

Good Luck! If ever there was anything that fell into the category of "black art", it's mouthpieces and their selection. I had an eBay complusion about a year ago and bought just about anything that got described as loud, great for rock and roll, etc, and bought what I thought at the time was a load of old sh*te, couldn't get on with any of them and stuffed them in a box for re-selling when I got round to it.

I gave them all another try a couple of months ago, and as a result the expensive Lawton and Link STM are sitting in the eBay box, and I am now playing a 35 year-old Brilhart Levelair that I picked up for 40 quid - plays sweet as anything. However, no doubt in another couple of months, I'll try something else and it will be back to the sinbin for the Brilhart.......

I've been thinking about blind ebay buying, but have always been abit dubious... When you bought them, were they described as "Lawton" or "Link STM" or "Vintage" at all, or were they one of the "Generic mouthpiece i found in a box under grandads stairs, no reserve" kind?

 

[dooce]

Actually the Lawton and Link are the only pieces I have bought from a shop at full retail. I wouldn't buy off eBay unless there was a full description and pics. and then I usually did a bit of research on this site or SoTW to see what sort of reputation the piece had.

 

[ManEast]

Hi Dooce

Are you still loving the Cannonball . I have a couple of Cannonball Sop's around here somewhere. I was the first dude to import Cannonball into the U.K.
I think thing's are now a bit better in that company now.

Brilhart Level Air wooo ! I remember that one. Kind of space age looking thing with what looks like a Breez block on the inside. I think you are ment to tilt your head back to play it...Right?

 

[dooce]

Yeh, still getting so much pleasure from playing the bling-encrusted thing despite it's mystical semi-precious b*ll*cks studded all over it. Did they have all that nonsense when you were bringing them in? I saw 4 of them in a display case in Sheehans in Leicester recently - a Raven tenor and alto, a Gerard Albright and the bare brass Mad Meg - so it looks like they are becoming more available.

That's a good description of the Brilhart - it looks like an early sketch for the Space Shuttle. Hadn't consciously noticed tilting my head back, but it is sensitive to head angle, come to think of it.

 

[ManEast]

Yeh, still getting so much pleasure from playing the bling-encrusted thing despite it's mystical semi-precious b*ll*cks studded all over it. Did they have all that nonsense when you were bringing them in? I saw 4 of them in a display case in Sheehans in Leicester recently - a Raven tenor and alto, a Gerard Albright and the bare brass Mad Meg - so it looks like they are becoming more available.

That's a good description of the Brilhart - it looks like an early sketch for the Space Shuttle. Hadn't consciously noticed tilting my head back, but it is sensitive to head angle, come to think of it.

No they did not ...semi-precious stones were my Idea !
One of the Sops is 24ct gold Plate n the other is black nick/PL

The L-air came with a small paper that Picture/demo's how to use. David Sanborn played one for a bit . He has had a bit of head tilt ever since.

 

[dooce]

No they did not ...semi-precious stones were my Idea !

Ooops

Did I say the wrong thing there? Actually the jasper stones and finger pads are very cool and much admired by most who see the instrument - I just cannot get my head around the, ahem, quasi-scientific reasoning that Cannonball would have you believe about their effect on the sound of the thing. But hey, it sounds great so who am I to doubt them - or you!

 

[ManEast]

cannot get my head around the, ahem, quasi-scientific reasoning that Cannonball would have you believe about their effect on the sound of the thing. But hey, it sounds great so who am I to doubt them - or you!

No that was them!... running with the Ball. Its a long story best done over a pint. I am glad you like your sax tho.

 

[dooce]

No that was them!... running with the Ball. Its a long story best done over a pint. I am glad you like your sax tho.

That will be an interesting pint! One day maybe.

 

[FirstyB]

Well, I returned back from the store, with a Bari Ebonite (Thought the Jody Jazz was the best, but they only had it in 8, and i found a good size for me was 6*)

I got home, tried it, though it didn't sound as good as in the shop, which was justification enough for me to then go get a Jody Jazz 7 and a Lawton B 6* off eBay... Is this the mouthpiece "bug" i've heard so much about?

Thanks everyone for your help, speak to you all soon
David

 

[dooce]

Well, I returned back from the store, with a Bari Ebonite (Thought the Jody Jazz was the best, but they only had it in 8, and i found a good size for me was 6*)

I got home, tried it, though it didn't sound as good as in the shop, which was justification enough for me to then go get a Jody Jazz 7 and a Lawton B 6* off eBay... Is this the mouthpiece "bug" i've heard so much about?

Sounds like a particularly bad case to me - at least I only ever bought them one at a time. Never mind, the ones you don't like just keep Ebay ticking over in sellers fees. I reckon some mouthpieces spend more time in the post than ever they do on an instrument......🙂