Mouthpieces Why buy a Link?

Nick Wyver

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Why spend money on a mouthpiece that needs a load of money spent on it before it sounds any good?

What's magic about the sound of a decent Link? I've never played one despite having tried a load of them.
 
sometimes getting something which is almost there, tweaked the last 10% can be better than spending weeks confusing yourself trying every alternative out there (and as you`ve said, there are loads) , often ending up in circles and likely not getting something to suit fully in the end anyway.

Even then, that only applies to those who live within commuting distance of a shop which stocks a plethora of pieces to begin with or have a money tree and serious Mouthpiece GAS .

many people don`t I fall in to any of these categories so getting something close (whether it be a Link, Berg, Selmer or hell forbid, even a Sharkbite) and paying a skilled refacer can end up with something vastly better than the sum of the parts .
 
I'm batting .500 on them, with a 7 that's a real gem out of the box and a 5* that plays OK but needs the tip reshaped. The "magic" for me is that it gives me that warm, open sound I'm looking for.
 
Nick,i agree with you 100%,there are so many average Links about and lots of poor ones too,although i have been told that when you have a good one theres nothing like it,i like you have never owned a great one but tried loads.
 
sometimes getting something which is almost there, tweaked the last 10% can be better than spending weeks confusing yourself trying every alternative out there (and as you`ve said, there are loads) , often ending up in circles and likely not getting something to suit fully in the end anyway.

Even then, that only applies to those who live within commuting distance of a shop which stocks a plethora of pieces to begin with or have a money tree and serious Mouthpiece GAS .

many people don`t I fall in to any of these categories so getting something close (whether it be a Link, Berg, Selmer or hell forbid, even a Sharkbite) and paying a skilled refacer can end up with something vastly better than the sum of the parts .

I can only see getting a mouthpiece refaced when
1: It doesn't play at all,due to either damage or very poor table or facing
2: It is a poor player or squeaks.

Paying a lot of money just to get 10% to me wouldn't be worth it,due to the number of excellent mpc's that are out there now.
 
Yep, there are hundreds . It`d be nice if Dawsons (who are the only shop within a 50 mile round trip to me) would stock every model out there and loan each to me in two facings to find the perfect one .. BTW, for the record Dawsons only sell the 4C as far as I know - not everyone lives within commuting distance of a mouthpiece world

Each to their own I guess but I see the "Floridising" or link-tweaking which the likes of Phil Barone does to finish off that last 10% , to get a piece which is close and OK to superb . as I said, it doesn`t just apply to links . the STM I`ve got is a good one, I`ve played duds too, no harm in wanting it to be even better - more of the same etc
 
Yep, there are hundreds . It`d be nice if Dawsons (who are the only shop within a 50 mile round trip to me) would stock every model out there and loan each to me in two facings to find the perfect one .. BTW, for the record Dawsons only sell the 4C as far as I know - not everyone lives within commuting distance of a mouthpiece world

Each to their own I guess but I see the "Floridising" or link-tweaking which the likes of Phil Barone does to finish off that last 10% , to get a piece which is close and OK to superb . as I said, it doesn`t just apply to links . the STM I`ve got is a good one, I`ve played duds too, no harm in wanting it to be even better - more of the same etc

Yes it is a problem,i have no woodwind shop close either but Howarths will let you trial mouthpiece's for just the cost of postage,I've even used shops as far as Holland for trials.
The only thing is you can pay £100 for Floridising but what happens if you don't like it when it comes back,then you are left with a mpc that might well owe you £250ish and you are no better off.
 
same with ending up paying £100 on postage trying a number of pieces (Talking £7,15 each way per mouthpiece remember by special delivery) and still not finding one to suit -

The STM I have as it is , is almost there , I could live with it as is but there`s no harm in better is there - £100 for used STM, £100 for Floridising = less than many expensive alternatives (Jody Jazz, Aizen etc) and about the same as a "blank" (stock) new STM ...
 
Morgan Fry charges £75 for a reface on an ebonite mouthpiece - http://morganfrymouthpieces.com/content/mouthpiece-refacing
"Standard refacing includes optimization of all of the most functional parts of the mouthpiece, typically including (but not limited to) the following:
Flattening the table
Correcting the facing curve
Thinning the side rails
Correcting the baffle
Correcting the throat
Opening or Closing the tip opening (up to about .010")"

seems like a bargain to me...

the advantage of getting your mouthpiece worked on by someone like Mr Fry is that he'll try his best to do what suits your requirements. An off the shelf mouthpiece may fail in that regard.
Getting what you want without spending months/years searching for 'the one' seems like a sensible idea.
There are so many improved Link type mouthpieces out there you'd spend forever trying them all and most of them are made in the USA so have limited distribution over here.
I'm sure Ted Klum, Phil Barone, Raphael Navarro, PhilTone, Aaron Drake, Eric Falcon, Fred Lamberson, Ishimori, Aizen etc etc all make wonderful mouthpieces, but how would you ever get to compare them side by side and find out which is the best?
If you've got a mouthpiece that's 'nearly there' and you can get an expert to adjust for you, it's worth a try

One of my friends got a cheap secondhand metal Link and sent it to Morgan to be 'Floridated' and was delighted with the results - and it was cheaper than buying a brand new Link STM
Custom mouthpiece modification is the one thing I've not tried yet, but it's only a matter of time...
 
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I own and played (metal):
Florida USA refaced by Pillinger 7: great but not my facing (my very first good mouthpiece).
Modern link tweaked by Wrathall and filled with funny putty stuff by Tony Coe (7*): great but not my facing.
Modern link tweaked by Wrathall filled with funny putty stuff by myself (8): great but not my facing.
Florida Link with serial, refaced by Pillinger to my facing (9): great facing, but a Pillinger NYT plays better.
Florida Link no USA 11: I swear I used it for a while.

I play something else
 
Also Philtone Tribute and Mosaic are a lot in the ballpark.
And you have a return policy for most of the new pieces.
 
Last edited:
I own and played (metal):
Florida USA refaced by Pillinger 7: great but not my facing (my very first good mouthpiece).
Modern link tweaked by Wrathall and filled with funny putty stuff by Tony Coe (7*): great but not my facing.
Modern link tweaked by Wrathall filled with funny putty stuff by myself (8): great but not my facing.
Florida Link with serial, refaced by Pillinger to my facing (9): great facing, but a Pillinger NYT plays better.
Florida Link no USA 11: I swear I used it for a while.

I play something else
Sounds like a triumph of hope over experience.
 

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