geauxsax
03-18-2009, 11:48 PM
Holton fans,
What mouthpieces do you use on your horns?
--Do you find them "mouthpiece friendly" or not as compared with other era horns? What about the whole large chamber vs small chamber issue, especially prevalent concerning older saxophones?
--Do you use something different on the Holtons that you don't on your other horns? Why (if so)?
Are they finicky about intonation vs mouthpiece choice?
I've seen folks note that their older Holtons were brighter than other horns of the era (talking about 20s-30s here). Can anyone speak to that? Does that affect your mouthpiece choice?
My observations: I play a link STM 7* opened to .113 by EZ on my Revelation tenor. I also just bought a modern Berg 115/0/M, unmodified, that works very well too. I intially started on the horn with a modern Link HR 6*, and a Rico Graftonite A5, but the first two metal pieces work much better for me. My tenor Rico Metalites (M5 and M9) work OK on the Holton, but aren't anything earth shattering. The Berg has neutralized almost all negative intonation tendencies on the tenor, with the STM coming in 2nd. With the HR and plastic pieces, I go a little flat at C3 up through the palm keys.
My Rudy alto works better with my Metalite M7 better than any of my other altos. Who would have thought? It also works well with a Couf 4*S that's a mouthpiece I play on all my altos. For comparison, I have a late Buescher TT alto that I only really play with a S80 C*.
My 232s have old pads and need to have some leaks fixed, but they had a much more modern vibe, and were fun with the metalite and Couf too, although down low was tough given the leaks. No intonation issues noted on the 232s or Rudy with any mouthpieces.
What mouthpieces do you use on your horns?
--Do you find them "mouthpiece friendly" or not as compared with other era horns? What about the whole large chamber vs small chamber issue, especially prevalent concerning older saxophones?
--Do you use something different on the Holtons that you don't on your other horns? Why (if so)?
Are they finicky about intonation vs mouthpiece choice?
I've seen folks note that their older Holtons were brighter than other horns of the era (talking about 20s-30s here). Can anyone speak to that? Does that affect your mouthpiece choice?
My observations: I play a link STM 7* opened to .113 by EZ on my Revelation tenor. I also just bought a modern Berg 115/0/M, unmodified, that works very well too. I intially started on the horn with a modern Link HR 6*, and a Rico Graftonite A5, but the first two metal pieces work much better for me. My tenor Rico Metalites (M5 and M9) work OK on the Holton, but aren't anything earth shattering. The Berg has neutralized almost all negative intonation tendencies on the tenor, with the STM coming in 2nd. With the HR and plastic pieces, I go a little flat at C3 up through the palm keys.
My Rudy alto works better with my Metalite M7 better than any of my other altos. Who would have thought? It also works well with a Couf 4*S that's a mouthpiece I play on all my altos. For comparison, I have a late Buescher TT alto that I only really play with a S80 C*.
My 232s have old pads and need to have some leaks fixed, but they had a much more modern vibe, and were fun with the metalite and Couf too, although down low was tough given the leaks. No intonation issues noted on the 232s or Rudy with any mouthpieces.