And the winner is... Rico Royal?!

[Stencilman]

Dig this. I've been trying soprano mouthpieces this past week, some bought, some borrowed, some in the store. Over $1500 worth of mouthpieces. There's one I keep coming back to: a Rico Royal Graftonite B7.

It has a baffle and chamber ring that I threw in there for grins. I'm no expert at working mouthpieces, mind you. I'm leaning toward a bright sound (Dukoff D8 is my second pick) and I find that this Graftonite is clear with plenty of projection. It is just a little too closed and has a rough spot at low D, but these wouldn't take much to fix.

If this really is "the one" that I end up adopting, I'll have to sand off the Rico Royal name for sure. And to think I could buy ten of these for what I paid for my Dukoff or my Berg. Who wudda thunk it? :-)

[gary]

Just shows how personal mouthpieces can be. I've been unsatisfied with the Selmer Super Session on my soprano and am now playing a Morgan Protone (the student line).

[jd]

when i was playing soprano(currently just tenor and alto) i thought that the rico mp that came with the instumnet was the best one i tried out of like 5 main named brand pieces . they seem to work great with sopranos. didnt like them as much for alto though

[horatio]

OK I will bite. I have been looking around for a mp for my sop, and the price is worth the look. thanks neal

[Stencilman]

I took about 45 minutes to put a a significant baffle and chamber ring in my Graftonite B7 and probably wouldn't use it without the modifications.

I'll put a permanent buffle and chamber in tomorrow and see how it goes. I played on a Dukoff D8 years ago, but the one I have now seems to have more buzz than I remember. The modified Graftonite is brighter than many of the the mouthpieces I've tried but doesn't have the buzz that the Dukoff has. I'll probably use both mouthpieces if the permanent fixes to the Graftonite work the same as the temporary ones.

[tomsch]

I've been using a Rico Royal Metalite M7 for the past year on my Yani SC901. Great playing mpc! Sounds like a small alto in tone. Bright but a very full sound.

[OLDAIR]

What is a chamber ring? What does it do? How do you install it? Also how do you install a permanent baffle?

[OLDAIR]

I have a B5 for my soprano and an A5 for both my C-melody and Tenor have been working out great. Unfortunately I don't have much experience and feel like I probably should try some better (more expensive) mouthpieces, but I just don't feel that the mouthpiece is my limiting factor right now. I'd love to try some others but these mouthpieces really seem to work well.

[gyrofrog.com]

I've tried the alto mouthpieces and I'm not sure if this would apply to soprano... Has anyone besides me noticed a problem with octave jumps on the Rico mpcs.? They seem to respond very slowly across the octave jumps. Of course, it could just be my chops, or lack thereof.

While this was a big problem (for me) with these mpcs., other than that, I did like the Ricos!

[Bloo Dog]

I just got a Rico Royal metalite M9 for alto. Other than the slow response, it produces a sound I like.

I am wondering if a minor tip refinishing to remove that lip where the tip meets the baffle. It creates a pretty blunt tip.

Anyone know why this mpc was discontinued by Rico? It seems that as a student mouthpiece it is ideal for allowing the student to own several mouthpieces with different characteristics without spending serious cheese on a $200.00+ piece.

Rico could have marketed this as a beginner pro mouthpiece of some sort, then offer the same thing in hard rubber to appeal to those who prefer their mouthpieces be made of traditional materials.

[Stencilman]

I am wondering if a minor tip refinishing to remove that lip where the tip meets the baffle. It creates a pretty blunt tip.
I'm not sure what you mean. Are you talking about the recess right behind the tip before the baffle really starts? I found this to be a problem for me so I filled it in with a smidgen of JB Weld epoxy. You still need a little recess behind the tip or you end up with chirps or it will actually keep the reed from vibrating freely.

My second favorite mouthpiece on alto is now a Metalite M9. I did change it up by reaming out the chamber a bit, narrowing the side rails and filling in the recess behind the tip. I paid $120 for a new Dukoff D9 and only $12 for the Metalite. I spent 30 minutes messing with the Metalite and I sometimes prefer it to the Duke.

[MojoBari]

The Metalite were actually around for several years. Like 10, but dont quote me. We only discussed them on the forum as they were being closed out. I think some band directors did not allow them. "Gotta play a C*". The black Graftonites are easier to get away with, but their design is not as good.

[Hurling Frootmig]

You have to love those well meaning band directors. Probably brass players!

Seriously, I have talked to some brass players who are current directors and former directors and it is very funny to hear what they recommend for their saxophone students. Not a clue (at least the ones I have run across).

[Stencilman]

The black Graftonites are easier to get away with, but their design is not as good.
Mojo, the Metalites and Graftonites that I have are very similar. Both made from the same plastic, just different in color. Facing curves are the same (ex. Graftonite B7 = Metalite M7) but the Metalites offered larger openings.

The Graftonites come in 3 different chamber sizes: A=large, B=medium, C=small. The C-model has the same small U-shaped chamber as the Metalite. The Metalite has a high baffle whereas the Graftonites don't. In fact, if you take a Graftonite C7 and add a baffle, you end up with an M7.

I have about 10 of the Rico mouthpieces that I've used as mouthpiece blanks. The only things I don't like about them is that the plastic can melt if you use a Dremel tool to remove material too quickly and that it is difficult to form a good tip with files or a knife blade. Also, the facing curve is really long on the more open pieces. I prefer to start with one with a smaller opening like an M7 or a B7 and open it up with a shorter facing curve.

[oppai]

I was wondering if the metallites are still available? most stores don't seem to carry them anymore.

[Stencilman]

The Metalites have been discontinued for some time but occasionally they can be found on a music store's shelf. The Graftonite C5 and C7 are basically the same as the Metalite M5 and M7 minus the baffle. Just add a baffle made from dental wax or Ticky Tack.

Personally, I don't care much for the small U-chamber in the Metalite and Graftonite C-model. Of all the Rico's, my preference is a Graftonite B7 (medium chamber) with a baffle. Without further modification, the Rico is a far cry from the Dukoff D9 that is my main piece, but for a student jazz piece, it's fine.

[MojoBari]

The RR plastic is very hard. I prefer to work on brass.

I prefer the Metalite wedge baffles over any of the Graftonite arch baffles.