went Alto MP shopping today....

[scale_master]

I was playing on a Vandoren V16 M7 HR piece lately, on a MKVI 150k. On and off, I switched to a Selmer Soloist.
What really bothered me with the Vandoren: it played sharp in the palm keys. Otherwise I got a great sound.
So, today I went to the shop playing a few MPs. Tried a new Meyer 7, a Morgan 6, Morgan Excalibur 8, and a refaced Vandoren V5, and a Barone HR.
Strange enough, the V5 had the same problem as my V16. Maybe the combination me-the horn and the Vandoren doesn't work....anyway, the Morgan Excalibur just blew me away. It is used, discolored, but it sounds great, and is perfectly in tune. Also, it doesn't feel like an 8, there is no noticeable difference between the Vandoren 7 and the Exc 8.
The other Morgan 6 had a thin sound, and the Barone was nice, but not as singing as the Excalibur. The Meyer also was in tune, but sounded stuffy.
Anyone else plays Morgan Excaliburs on Alto, I would like to hear your experiences.

B.

[singlereed]

I think the relatively small round chamber of the Vandoren V5 and V16 may be what causes you problems. For me, on my III alto and VI tenor, this is just the right sort of mouthpiece, I get very good intonation. On some horns, the larger chamber pieces have given me intonation problems.

So, you probably are right to look at the likes of Selmer and Meyer, and from what you say, the Morgan - though I haven't played one myself.

[MojoBari]

A small chamber would force you to pull out a lot to tune the mid-range of the sax. The palm keys would then be flat, not sharp.

So this sounds like the Vandoren chambers are too large for you, or there is something else in the setup that makes you want to bite up the pitch on the palm keys. I doubt the chamber volumes are significantly different, but I would not worry about it. There are a bunch of other good mouthpieces that are working out.

[super20dan]

i had a morgan e 7 for a very short while. it was an awful mpc. stuffy and so reed picky .i got rid of it . all my other morgans are great.this one was a dud!

[MBushaw]

Mojo- that's what I used to think too, small chamber = flat palm keys. I think it was PaulC that explained how the small chamber had more effect on the shorter horn, and so a small chamber = sharp palm keys.
At least that's how I remember it.

[FrankB2]

A stuffy Meyer??? I LOVE my 5M. I tried about everything they had
at the store over the course of several visits, and the Meyer was
the easiest blowing. The 7 might need a softer reed(???). Also, the
Meyer I have plays in tune VERY well. I used the cruddy Yamaha
mpc supplied with the sax, and that was all over the place with
intonation, etc.

Frank

[scale_master]

MojoBari, I think you are right: the excalibur seems to have a slightly smaller chamber than the Vandorens that I tried. It also has a much more centered sound.
What I was wondering: does the facing curve impact the tuning?

[MojoBari]

Facings only effect tuning indirectly. If they are are too out of wack, they force you to use an embouchure that is too tight or too loose to get the sound you want or to play them in tune. If the tip opening is too wide for you, you may not have the muscle control or endurance to maintain a steady embouchure over longer playing sessions. You'll sound great for a sprint, but not a marathon.

[baribri]

Not only is Mojo (Keith) a really nice guy and a good woodwind player but now he has added to his repetoire (pardon my spelling I are only a dumb sax player) He has taken my early Babbitt Link alto piece that was a 6 opened it to a 7 added a baffle and did some other magic to it and it now plays as good or better then any alto piece I have ever owned and that includes a few New York Meyers that were just too valuable to hold onto with the insane prices being paid for them.
Mojo was great and I highly suggest that anyone looking for a great piece just tell him what you want and turn him loose..
Brian Axelrod (Baribri)

[MojoBari]

Thanks Brian, but I'm really not that nice. :argue:

[sjabariiii]

Can anyone describe the difference in sound between the "E" and "EL" Morgan excaliburs? Is it much darker? Also, I understand they need a clarinet ligature? Any recommendations? :?:

-ANDYJ

[baribri]

The original Excaliber by Morgan was a bit shorter than the EL models. I kind of liked the older ones better because they seemed brighter playing.

[Roger Aldridge]

Ralph Morgan's jazz mouthpieces (including Excalibur) come in 2 basic models -- medium and large chamber.

The regular Excalibur (E) has the same features -- chamber design, baffle, facing curve, etc -- as the M (medium chamber) jazz mouthpiece. The essential difference between them is that the Excalibur has a much thinner wall. This gives it a different tonal quality than the M model.

In a similar way, the EL (Excalibur large chamber) has the same features as the L (large chamber) jazz mouthpiece except that the EL has a thinner wall.

I really love the Morgan M and L pieces. I've been curious about the EL and I ordered one just a couple of days ago. It's my understanding that the EL combines the richness of the L with the excellent response and projection of the M. I can't wait to try it!
Personally, the E (Excalibur medium chamber) doesn't interest me. I'm happy with the M -- it's fairly close to the old NY Meyers -- and I'd be concerned about the E being too bright for what I'm looking for. I like a darker sound.

[coolsax_ca]

I play on standard Yas-23 alto. I currently have a (about a .63 tip opening) Rosseau mouthpiece. It's great for classical and and some mellow blues, but I'm looking for something that has the capabilities of projecting a little more, still dark but with a little more edge, for more of the jazz and blues stuff only. Would a Link be sutible, a Meyer, Vandorean V16...I'm at a loss. Looking for a good Redman sound on alto, or of that sort.

[FrankB2]

I have a YAS-23 as well, and wasn't happy with the stock mpc.
The Meyer mpc's offered the best jazz/overall tone of all the
MANY mpc I tried. I'm using a Meyer 5M, but didn't try a 6M.
The 5M provides much more projection, a rounder tone, the
ability to shape your tone better, and is just MUCH easier to
play. I played clarinet for 30 years before buying a sax
last September, but that stock mpc was a chore. I tried a Link 5,
but it sounded a lot like the Yammy mpc, and a Link 6 was
a little stuffy. The Meyer 5M was significantly better from the first
note. In other words, TRY A MEYER<GRIN>.

Frank

[scale_master]

If you go for a Meyer, try a few before you decide. They vary a lot.

B.

BTW I have been playing the Excalibur for 2 weeks now and I am extremely happy, altissimo pops out, I can get overtones, and the sound range goes from soft to scream. I always thought my MK VI Alto is on the stuffy side, but the Excalibur changed this completely.

[rcwjd]

I am a big fan of Morgan mouthpieces (and Mr. Morgan, a very nice and extremely well informed fellow to talk to personally). I have had a 7E (excalibur) that I have used for some time on tenor. On my Buescher, it has a really nice sound, excellent intonation, and response. Almost classical sound. On my Super 20 it was a little too close. Kind of like putting a governor on a corvette. Nice sound, but not a Super 20 sound. I do use it occasionally on the Super 20, but tend to use a Link, NY Model, Large chamber (tip .105 I think) more. Of course it is more open than the 7E (tip .090 I think) and the 7E has a medium chamber as opposed to the large chamber on the Link. Also, Morgan is hard rubber, Link is metal. I had a Mark VI alto (low A) that I tried both the Morgan 7M and 7EL on. Nothing made that VI sound good or play in tune, but the 7M came closest (tip.080 I think). I also tried both on my old Buescher 400 alto, and preferred the 7M. I gave the 7EL to a friend who had a Yamaha (forgot which model) alto and he loved it. I now have tried the 7M on my newly acquired Buffet Super D. Nice sound, but a bit too classical and not near the huge sound this horn has the capability of producing. I just tried a vintage Runyon 7 I acquired on ebay, and it really pumped up the overall sound. However, I think the old Runyon Custom 7 must have a much smaller tip opening than the current production because I had to go to a harder reed (in fact trying Fibercell at Charlie A's suggestion). Looks like I'll have to go to a 3 medium fibercell to get the higher notes. But then, I've always favored the low end of the horn, and found that true of the Morgans too. For me the 7M was better on the high end than the 7EL on the alto. I don't notice the high end issue on tenor as much with the 7E (probably has to do with the difference in chambers). On Bari I have used the Morgan 7 (tip ~.090 I think) and it is a great all around piece. However, I want more sound in a combo setting, and tend to go to my more open Link metal 7* (~.115 tip opening). I am considering the new Runyon Jaquar. For all around good quality, I recommend Morgans. In my own experience, I tend to do better with the medium chamber Morgans.

[coolsax_ca]

Scalemaster-
What sax are you playing your excalibur on and what size is the excalibur?
Thanks session!
Coolsax

[T.J]

I love my Morgan 6E on my alto (by the way, this is the 'alto mouthpiec' forum right?). I use Olegature for more bright, edgy sound and Rovner for more deepened sound. Anyways, I love its sound and playability.

Only thing I hate about these Excaliburs is that the beak is way too low! I have to use thick patches and I hate that.. I wonder anyone else feels the same.

[scale_master]

coosax_ca,
I play an 8 E excalibur. In the meantime, I also bought a 7 EL. Big difference between the two: the 7EL has a very lively, round vintage sound. It tends to open up in the higher registers (=sound brighter). The 8E is brighter in general, but never thins out. I use the 8E as all around mouthpiece, the 7EL for small jazz groups. With the 8E, you can show up in a funk band and cut through.
B.