Anybody use a Link STM on soprano?

[CMS]

Hey all, I was wondering how popular this particular mouthpiece is on soprano. I would appreciate any real life applications from any past or present Otto Link soprano mouthpiece owners. Thanks everybody! :USA:

[MojoBari]

Bootman likes his. I tried one and found it too harsh sounding for my tastes.

[Thomas]

I used an STM 6*-opened to .080 for nearly 20 years. I liked it just fine and it never failed to be versatile enough to use for most situations. About 3 years ago switched back to HR and prefer the warmer tone with it on my sops. Currently using a Selmer super session "J" and an RPC .080 and am pleased with both. Main sop is a Couf/Keilwerth Superba-backup/alternative sop is a serie II. Still have the STM,might get it out today just for old times sake.

[MitchP]

I tried the modern metal one for a while but found it not open enough, even the 8*. It also for me was too harsh and I didn't like the over-all sound. Some folks sound great on them, depends on how it feels/sounds to you as well as horn and reed.

[Bootman]

My Link 7* plays great on a Buescher straight Sop. Intonation is excellent as is altissimo response. These mpcs can be a little temperamental as far as reeds are concerned. The sound isn't harsh at all, rich strong and clear. In fact I was gigging on this set-up last night. This is also a loud playing set-up, the sound can be heard quite easily over the top of a band without sounding brittle or thin.

[CMS]

Great comments everyone, this is exactly why I love this forum!

I know that the STM Otto link has been a very popular mouthpiece choice for years no matter what the sax. However, I have no experience on them at all so please keep posting your experiences and opinions.

Thanks a lot!

[Dave Dolson]

I bought a metal Link 6* for sop based partially on Bootman's recommendation, but as good as it is, I still prefer my Super Session Js because of better control, better focus, more centered sound, and smoother response. I guess I just don't care for metal pieces, either. DAVE

[Tears June]

I've a modern STM for soprano. It sound BIG difference with their tenor STM! The soprano STM is so bright and sharp, so much cutting and edge that I cannot suffer. I even use very dark reed like Hemke but still too bright. Of course this is my personal comment, other player may not agree.

To find a nice soprano MP sound that we really like is very difficult, much difficult than alto & tenor. I tried many - Metal Link STM, Beechler Bellite Metal, Lawton P Chamber, Lawton B chamber, Selmer Super Session, Dukoff D chamber, Yamaha Custom, Bari Gold Metal, Bari HR, Vandoren S-35. My final choice is an economic solution - S35, which sounds nice. I wonder if it's stupid to spend too much $ buying a lot of MP but finally my choice is a cheap MP.

:cry:

[CMS]

Well everybody, I tossed aside my soprano Meyer 7 tonight and made a change for the better.

I purchased a new production soprano 6* STM Otto Link from Saxquest and it arrived today. I spent about an hour and a half with it on my SX90II sop and really loved it! Great tone (just enough bite to the sound but not too bright), good flexibility (easy to control), great intonation and superb response in all registers. I'm sold.

Thanks everybody for your input onto my Otto Link for soprano post, it really helped me decide on a great soprano set up.

Now it's time to go practice!

[Dave Dolson]

CMS: Congrats on finding a good mouthpiece. One word of caution, though . . . the real test of any equipment is on the job. I've bought a lot of stuff in my time (horns, mouthpieces, ligs, etc.) that played great in my kitchen, then folded like a tent under the pressure of ensemble playing. I hope your new piece can stand the test. Good luck. DAVE

[Tears June]

CMS

Not too bright??!! I'm very surprise! What reed and strength you use?

:cry:

[Dave Dolson]

Tears: I must comment. My metal Link 6* is a very warm piece - for me. Everyone plays mouthpieces differently - and achieves different results. That you find a Link to be bright doesn't mean I will have the same experience with it. We could both play the same piece and sound completely different from each other. Expressing surprise that someone had a result you did not expect denies the inherent differences in embouchure we all possess. DAVE

[CMS]

Well, I understand your concerns BUT, I recorded myself in varying styles of jazz in a practice room for over an hour and the STM kicked the Meyer's &** hands down. I have a good idea of what I am looking for in a mouthpiece, I know what I can get out of the Meyer on live gigs and I also know what to expect outside of the practice environment. I am in a military jazz band and have played in almost every situation imaginable over the last five years. So needless to say, I know what I need from a mouthpiece.

For ME, I have found exactly what I was looking for taking into account the "Kitchen Factor". It is my first Otto Link STM and I really like it a lot. I have generally shyed away from metal mouthpieces on sop in the past because of what my previous instructors have told me about them and what they were using at the time. I was just tired of my typical Meyer non-commital sound.

Tears, I am using Alexander Superials (#3 1/2 on sop) and they sound great on all of my jazz set ups for alto, tenor and soprano. I've been using them for over a year and they are the best bang for the buck that I have found.
Thanks guys,
CMS

[Txsaxkat]

I have a STM 6* and 7* and the 7* is alot brighter than the 6* even with the same reed.But I did a little custom work on the 6* which took a little of the egde off.Everyone that hears it tells me it's a keeper. I also want selmer classic metal in may stash. Like all purchases try more than one!

[aanz]

I have a metal Link 7 sop piece. It's not horrible on my 20's vintage straight Buescher and Martin but not all that good for me. I can't help wondering how it would sound if I had some work done on it, some fairly major work: thinning the rails, opening up the chamber...
Has anybody tried this?
MojoBari, what do you think of such a plan? Think you can swing it? Without starving the baby?
Drop me a line if you're interested.

Alan
aanz@mindspring.com

[Tears June]

Txsaxkat

Could you please explain how you modify your Metal Link to reduce the brightness sound. Is it a complicated work?
It hurt my ear too bad...personal feel


:cry:

[MojoBari]

aanz, I've only dabbled with such mods on a few sop pieces. No metal Link sops. The mods you mentioned work nearly all the time on ATB MPs, but with sop, messing with the chamber volume is more risky. It can throw the intonation off (or fix it). My prices are on my 2nd Mouthpiece Page.

TJ, it sounds to me like this is the wrong mouthpiece for you. Find one that has a warmer sound. Try a Bari/Ponzol/Barone HR or a Super Session. If you want to stick with metal, look at a Selmer. These all have squeeze throat designs that give some brightness and projection without the piercing high baffle sound.

[Johannes Gerber]

I used a STM 7* I refaced and modified on soprano exclusively before I designed and started using one of my own pieces.

Great projection, powerfull, easy altissimo, -response etc. But it was too bright for my taste.

The facing as it came from the factory was way off - I still got the measurements somewhere.

It's got a long window and long straight baffle.
But look at the rails on the inside of the window - they're not straight, quite thick to the back of the window. I needed to open the chamber to get the tone more to my liking. I opened the overall diameter of the throat by 1mm. I then filed the inside edges of the rails so that the line from the tiprail corner, to the back of the window was straight. Then I made the sidewalls slightly concave. The piece kept the easy altissimo, great response + projection. But the tone was fuller and richer.

Don't try this at home.

Mojo - you may. This setup really works well - but it takes some time and patience.

I did this over a period of time until I was happy with the results.

I sold it on eBay and this is what the buyer had to say: quoting:

'Got the Link today. What a beautiful piece. I think I'm going to be playing soprano a lot more now! Let me know if you ever have a comparable Link for tenor'

JG

[Buster]

I have been looking for a new soprano mouthpiece and in my search I tried a STM 7* and a hard rubber 7*. Perhaps I got a lemon but the STM was badly made and sounded harsh but ran up to altissimo with incredible ease. It is interesting to hear that so many of you have refaced or modified your STMs. I used to own a very nice STM tenor piece which was stolen with my sax - the one I bought to replace it sounded good but had a terrible warble/squeak/flutter around the middle of the middle register. Are these modern Links very variable and do you have to shop around?

[MojoBari]

JG, sounds like just what the Link "blank" needed.

[aanz]

Johannes,
I saw that on ebay, it's what got me thinking. Looked like great work, and lots of it.

[Johannes Gerber]

For me, that's used to making mouthpieces from solid bar, by hand, everyday, it's a joy to do a job like that on the Link STM sop piece, but for someone that's not used to working mpc's everyday - it's gonna take some effort and PATIENCE.

The easy part is the throat, the Link throat isn't round - I said above that I opened the throat by 1mm, but I actually just made it round, easily obtained with a dremel. I use a 3x40mm wire and attach different grits sanding paper to it with tape.

The next step is getting the inside of the rails straight, now this is something else - you have to file it carefully so that you don't damage the tip rail, also the straight line should be the same from the top of the rail to the bottom (at the roof, inside the chamber). And there's quite an amount of material to be removed. After this you will have straight flat siderails, but to make it concave is quite an art, because the Link is so small. The dremel can be used for the back of the chamber near the throat, but the rest should be filed.

Although some would be able to do this sucessfully, the refacing after it all still comes. It doesn't help to do all the mods and end up with a bad facing - which I believe almost every Sop STM Link have. And if you're not carefull, the dremel's gonna touch the facing for sure at some stage when you loose consentration, believe me, it happens.

JG

[Rev. D]

I'm the guy who bought the Link in question from Johannes. It is one killer piece: free-blowing and (to my ear at least), still a pretty classic Link sound- not too bright or harsh. Check out Johannes' work everyone, its amazing.

[Johannes Gerber]

Thank you so much for your kind words.

I'm glad that you still enjoy the piece.

Kind regards
Johannes Gerber

[cd]

I'm a little late here, but I think the STM 7* is the best soprano mpc I've tried. It's on the bright end of the spectrum, so I understand if some don't like that, but I don't find it harsh in the least.

[yixiang]

i've recently ordered a soprano metal link 8* but is yet to arrive...
like a mouthpiece on the brighter side yet is able to produce a classical, full sound...wonder if 8* is a good choice...also bought a rovner mk3 for it...wat do u all tink of de set-up or would de original lig do betta...my horn is a yamaha YSS-475 btw...thanks 4 ur comments