M/Pieces - Ligs Theo Wanne tenor mouthpiece

[Tommy Ng]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190412369278

Theo wanne mouthpieces are so expensive. Wonder if it is really worth that much!

Anyone here has got a Theo wanne mpc?

 

[kevgermany]

I'm just waiting for our Theo Wanne proponent to chime in... Where are you Davey?

 

[izzy_tenor_sax]

I've never come across that make before, but it does seem to be a lot to spend on my mouthpiece. That's almost as much as my whole sax was! I bought a new mouthpiece a couple of weeks ago for about £100 and I think its great.

 

[jonf]

I did at one stage think of charging three times as much for the PPTs, as people might then think it's a better mouthpiece, but I found I could not justify that morally.

What economists call inverse price elasticity - something becomes more desirable as the price goes up. That's how perfume pricing works. Good on you, Pete, for having the moral standards to not do this.

I've got nothing against paying more money for a high quality product where the price is justified by craftsmanship, but I find it hard to see where the £600 for a new Theo Wanne is going. That said, Davey clearly loves his, so maybe it represents value for money for him.

 

[griff136]

We sell them in John Myalls in Croydon, I have tried the Durga and liked it.

 

[Der Wikinger]

I thought I paid too much for my Otto Link 6* Tenor MP

I thought I paid too much for my Otto Link 6* Tenor MP $ 150

 

[thomsax]

I saw a Selmer Mk VI fran mid 60's that was sold for 55 000 s e k (c £4600.00). A private sale. The guy didn't have to pay any employee, pay any salestaxes, develope costs, ..... Hard to justify that morraly as well.

 

[Jules]

Not specifically Wannes, but we deal in Stefen Boesken's crooks (up to £900 a go). We were discussing the price with him at Frankfurt and got this enlightening response- His angle was that, as a perfectionist, he rejects over 50% of the necks he makes and is only sending under half his production out onto the market. Hence a buyer is technically paying for several crooks of which Stefan only sends the best . Not sure if this is a justification but it at least it goes a way to explaining the high cost of some of these items.

 

[Tommy Ng]

Are all expensive mouthpiece patented? If not, i think the Chinese can produce them to the exact geometry and sell at £29.99.

 

[kevgermany]

Are all expensive mouthpiece patented? If not, i think the Chinese can produce them to the exact geometry and sell at £29.99.

I don't think you could patent a mouthpiece - it's all been done before. Many existing mouthpieces are based on older designs of well established manufacturers - or are direct copies.

But I'm sure that a large part of owning a mouthpiece like this is the same story that makes people buy designer clothes.... And so while guys like me may buy the copies, there'll still be a market for the label. And lets face it - when you pay that sort of money for a mouthpiece, you believe it's good. It has to be And it's really difficult to be objective about it. And one ends up evangelising about it. And so the myth grows... And the hype sells more. There are a lot of similar stories in the computer industry - and even more in the art market.

I'm really happy with the sound of my PPT. I may try one of Morgan Fry's Floridated links - but that's about the absolute limit for me. I think mouthpieces in the $400 and over price bracket are way too expensive. But I may have a different viewpoint if I was able to afford an Inderbinen....

 

[Tommy Ng]

sold for £320.

 

[Pete Thomas]

You could patent a mouthpiece or part of a mouthpiece only if it was a radical departure from existing designs, which is not so easy to find as people like a saxophone to sound the way it does, most radical departures would probably affect the sound and only if it was perceived as an improvement would it be worth the bother and expense of getting a patent.

But you can register a brand name and/or trademark which would deter counterfeiting. Someone might copy your mouthpiece exactly, but they couldn't then call it the same name with the same brand logo and market it as such.

 

[Morgan Fry]

Theo has a few patents -- on the mouthpiece, the ligature, the cap, the manufacturing process.

The one on the manufacturing process is interesting. You can't just machine these for £29.99 anywhere, even China. There is a reason every cheap chinese metal mouthpiece out there is a copy of a Berg or a Guardala -- because that's what you can make cheap. Machining a large chamber and especially a large throat is difficult -- you just can't get a tool in there. One solution is to use a 5-axis machine. Very expensive. Another is to machine a really long window, (Rovner, Jody Jazz). Theo solved the problem by taking a cue from Otto Link -- Links are forged in two halves then brazed together. Wanne's pieces are machined in two halves, brazed together, then machined again before hand finishing (if needed from what I gather), plating, etc.. Somewhat complicated and rather time consuming process, but he gets very accurate and repeatable results, from a much simpler (and order of magnitude cheaper) milling machine.

Yes, the price is high. But looking at how they are made, and what the wholesale price has to be for his retailers to make an acceptable margin, I'm not sure he can afford to sell them for much less.

 

[daveysaxboy]

I'm just waiting for our Theo Wanne proponent to chime in... Where are you Davey?

Just seen this so here i am.I thought they were crazy high priced,yes they do cost loads of your hard earned dosh but for me who is a gear nut and has owned,spent loads on all the other mp's i now dont mind as the Durgas do it all for me.I was always wanting a mix of a great Guardala and a metal Link type of piece that was free blowing and with easy response,well thats what i get on my durgas.You will be amazed at the perfect work done on these,as i have said before they are art in your mouth.Theo has done alot of work on his concept of A TRUE LARGE CHAMBER mp and when you blow it it's huge so with my Mauriat tenor it shakes the building.For me they work and i love them but we all different.I have always went for high baffle pieces but as with most they can be to bright and thin,well the durga is very fat,Link like and ticks all my box's.

 

[TomMapfumo]

So, they are like a Rico Graftonite, but made of a different substance, and made with less efficiency................;}

 

[daveysaxboy]

So, they are like a Rico Graftonite, but made of a different substance, and made with less efficiency................;}

Dont understand your comment,can you explain it bit more.

 

[kevgermany]

Dont understand your comment,can you explain it bit more.

He's winding you up. :shocked:

 

[TomMapfumo]

Apologies...............................

 

[Mikey B]

Very subjective of course, I am looking for a replacement for my Link 7* STM, only because it is a rubbish fit on my super 20 Tenor, yes I know I could recork the neck but then my Lawton doesn't fit! Anyway I recently tried a Gaia and Durga alongside several other offerings from Lebayle, SR technologies and Other Otto link without knowing the prices beforehand

I have to say I quite liked the Wanne Gaia mouthpiece and it would have been my choice but after discovering the price (£600) it didn't seem that much different than my £90 Link pound for pound, a bit darker maybe. They are without doubt superbly made pieces though.

Regards, Mike

 

[Rogerb]

I was amused/bemused to see that when my $450 XXXX mpc was replaced due to faulty plating, the proprietor/maker declared the replacement's value at $5!!
When I asked what he'd have done if it had gone missing in the post, he said "I'd just have sent you another!"
Hmmmm!

(Actually, I had paid rather less, as I have recently for a similar tenor model)