jazz band mouthpiece with projection!

[Bari Saxy]

I'm looking for a mouthpiece that I'd use when i'm in my high school jazz band. What I really need is just more volume, that's it. But if I'm gonna spend $100+ on a mouthpiece, I'm going to want it to be edgy if it has to. I'm also working on soloing so I'll need that edgy, almost tenor sound if I can.

I play on a Selmer C* b/c that's what was in the school-owned case, and it's a YBS-62 (low A). Upper and lower registers are no problem, cus I can get around fine. When I played tenor not too long ago, i played on a Rousseau (if that helps).

So like I said: projection, volume, intensity. I know I have the lung strength and capacity, but everyone still tells me to just be louder than the whole jazz band and they'll tell me when it's too loud, but you can never have too much Bari sax in the Jazz band (I love it when they say that!).

I was looking into a Berg-Larsen, so any comments or other suggestion would be very much appreciated.

-Thanx

[super20dan]

i recommend the ponzel hard rubber custom. i played big band on mine and rock& roll too. its also very easy to play but is expencive. rico metalite is good too but no longer made. dont get a metal link!!!!! no balls!runyon quantum a good bet also.

[Bari Saxy]

so you're saying not to get a meta 0tto-link?

the guy who sits next to me (tenor) has a meta 0tto-link and he's phenominal, but I'm sure that's b/c tenor links and bari links perform differently

thanx

[RS]

To get a bari to cut it helps if the mouthpiece has a good bit of baffle. A Berg with the 0 baffle (the highest) should cut pretty well. RIAs have some baffle and can cut. Also some of the Runyon models with the spoiler (a removable baffle) have good cut. Links have practically no baffle but can be hot-rodded with add-on baffles like Powertones, epoxy wedges, etc.

[JS]

HR Berg Larsen's can be good (it may need to be refaced though), HR Yanigasawa's are a great mpc for the money. Don't rule out metal or HR Otto Links - there are PLENTY of bari players playing on Links and sounding GREAT - you don't need to "hot-rod" the mpc, just practice on it and you'll learn to get a great, big, projecting sound out of it that will still be able to blend in a section.

[ZenBen]

I use a HR Link 6* on my The Martin baritone. I can get a quite a range of sounds out of it. It can be sweet or roar. I use it in big bands, small combos, and a garage rock band. No one has a hard time hearing me.

[RS]

I've heard some players that get a reasonably strong sound out of an unmodified Link but I've heard more players on Links that get a weak and stuffy sound. These players would be better off using a piece with some baffle. Just because a piece works for Player A doesn't mean it will work for Player B.

[Bari Gordon]

My Ponzol Custom is much brighter and stronger sounding than the Berg 115/0, 125/0 HR or the Berg 130/0 Metal I have had. It also takes much less air than the 125 or 130.

It can cut through a big band, and can also be played soft in a combo setting. Its the middle ground where I thought it left something to be desired. I also had to do a lot of reed trying befor finding one that worked for me (Carbon Toptone Medium).

[Whatasaxman]

For Bari I highly recommend the RPC mouthpieces. Ron is primarily a Bari player so that is his forte. I play a model he specially made for me, which has a .150 opening, yet is extremely versatile and much less work than the Metal RIA 6* I used to play.

[MPL]

I've tried Rick's baritone mouthpiece - he and I play at the opposite ends of a big band saxophone section! His RPC is quite large, so you need some serious chops to use it, but it does make a big, beefy noise with a lot of edge.

I had a Link 7* that I sold awhile back...big sound but no edge to speak of, and that was with Fibracells, which add a little edge on their own. I still have a 100/3 Berg that I got a loooong time ago, but I've since switched to a smaller setup. The Berg sounded better on the Yamaha 61 I played in grad school than it does on the Martin I play now.

[RS]

I play a RIA HR 10* (.145" tip) to which I have added an epoxy wedge that I got from Mojobari. This piece can produce tremendous volume but it does take alot of air, especially with the 3 1/2 Rico Royals I normally use. That .150" RPC sounds interesting. I might have to look into it. Is it metal or HR?

[Whatasaxman]

All the RPC's are hr.
Ron's site is saxmpc.com

[MojoBari]

The big piece sound great on bari but I find I can not play the long phrases that I want with them. I'm using a metal Quantum 11 faced to ~.105" with 3 or 3.5 Fibracells. (I play mostly .110's on tenor.)

[Bari Saxy]

Thanx everyone, you've really helped. I've started playing with 4 reeds so now I don't honk when I try to push the limit on the volume and I think I'm going to try out some removable baffles before I do anything major.