Mouthpieces Tenor Mouthpiece

[Mikey B]

Hi all,

I have been playing tenor for years but have never really experimented with different mouthpieces. I played an ebonite selmer C* most of the time and I changed to a Lawton 7*BB metal piece a few years ago.

Whilst the Lawton has a bright open sound and projects really well I am looking for another piece preferably metal, which will give me a warmer dark tone.

Any ideas where to start would be really appreciated.

Thanks, mikey B.

 

[old git]

Pete's PPT is available in a semi metal substitute.

 

[jonf]

Mouthpieces

Hi Mikey

Sooooo much choice. Also, the sound of the mouthpiece depends on the player too. I would suggest you get to a big music shop and just try out as many as you can. If you want a darker tone, as a starter I'd suggest trying Otto Link STM or STM New York, Bari WT, and a plain chamber Lawton if you can find one. I've owned all these, and I think the Lawton is the best. If you like the Lawton BB you'll probably like the plain one too. Much mellower, darker tone but still plays and projects well.

The Lawton 7*BB is one of the most desirable Lawtons in many peoples' eyes, so you should get well over £100 for it as a second hand sale.

 

[Mikey B]

I will be keeping the Lawton 7* BB, no chance of me ever getting rid of it because it just plays so easily. It was an easy choice after trying a lot of mouthpieces.

After Geoff Lawton died I seemed to hear something about his son taking over the business, did this in fact happen? If so are his pieces up to the same standard?

Regards, Mike

 

[jonf]

Lawton the Younger

Yes, Geoff Lawton's son has taken over, and although his output seems to be a bit sporadic, the quality is still there. I've had several Lawtons, both pre and post Geoff's demise, and the quality is the same high standard for both. Doubtless there'll be some chancers making up tales about the old ones being far higher quality. They'll be the same chancers wanting to make a profit out of some old knackered ones.

 

[Mikey B]

Thanks for your input Jon, do you know how the Otto Links numbers work? I think my Lawton 7*BB has a 105 thou tip opening?

Regards, Mike

 

[jonf]

Tip opeinings

Hi Mike

Yes, the Lawton 7* is a .105 The Otto Link scale is the same.

There's a comparative openings chart on Bill Lewington's web site - see link.

http://www.bill-lewington.com/charts/tnrsax.htm

It's in several bits so you need to scroll down for the wider openings.

Jon

 

[Mikey B]

I have bought a Otto Link STM 7* metal mouthpiece and whilst I like the tone of this I find that it is a loose fit on the neck corks of my Yam YTS 61 and Super 20 and totally useless on my Yani T991.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Regards, Mike

 

[Jules]

I have bought a Otto Link STM 7* metal mouthpiece and whilst I like the tone of this I find that it is a loose fit on the neck corks of my Yam YTS 61 and Super 20 and totally useless on my Yani T991.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Regards, Mike

This is a very common problem. for a quick fix, lightly steam your cork in the steam from a kettle (wrap the bore of the crook in a tea towel as steam can crack the lacquer, then spin the cork in the steam jet for no longer than 15 seconds).... if that doesn't expand it enough, any repairer should be able to replace the cork quickly and easily....

 

[Phil]

Ive even found you dont need to steam the cork. I just dip the cork end of the neck in some cold water for 2 or 3 minutes. I then hit it with a hot hair dryer...if your worried about the lacquer...which Ive never had a problem getting soft, you can always shield it with a towel. Nonetheless, some cork/mouthpiece combos are just not compatable. Sometimes you have to change the cork. The biggest nightmare is mixing a selmer mouthpiece with a link...huge differences in the bore. In that case you have to resort to using teflon tape or even a piece of paper wrapped on the cork before using. Dont use adhesives. They make a nasty mess.

 

[Justin Chune]

A friend of mine uses cigarette papers to get a fit for his Otto Link. His sax came set up for a Selmer C**.

Jim.

 

[Mikey B]

Hi guys,

thanks for all your tips regarding this thread and have managed to sort out the neck cork on the Yani.

I quite like the tone that the link gives me, Might see if I can get a plain Lawton 7* shortly as well.

One other question regarding the Otto link, is there a better ligature than standard that can be fitted, only because it seems that the reed wont stay clamped properly! Anybody else encountered this.

Regards, Mike.