new alto mp

[Phil]

hi,

i'm looking for a new alto mp. what do you think of the pillingers? or how about a wanne meyer mp or a bob ackerman ny meyer copy finished by the late jon van wie? thanks

[jaankaden]

it's a bit hard to give you sound advice, especially since this is all a very subjective issue. nonetheless, the choices you have provided are all very good ones and every one of them will probably be a great mouthpiece. if i had to give a recommendation, i'd say give the pillingers a try. not that it's better than the other two, but considering all the good reviews it's been getting, why not?

[Phil]

What are people's experiences with the Ackerman "Lost Wax" alto mpc?

[Michael Ward]

Phil one thing to consider is that the lost wax and Ed Pillinger mouthpieces are made from resin not hard rubber although many mass produced rubber pieces these days have plastic added. I have no experience of lost wax but have played Pillinger pieces.I think resin has very different playing qualities to rubber, some like them , some don't . I don't.
A friend of mine plays on a Babbit Meyer 5S Refaced by JVW and he loves it , the workmanship is superb. In my own search for a Meyer type alto piece I tried V16, Barone, Freddy Gregory, Morgan and Pillinger but the best by far for me are the Lamberson M models which in my opinion are excellent pieces. Versatile and responsive, play in tune and real rubber with no plastic. Obviously all this comes at a cost and they are considerably more expensive than some of the pieces mentioned but again IMO well worth it. Cheers

[josephmd]

I have owned all of those mouthpieces- it started after I played a New York USA Meyer. My first was a Bob Ackerman (got it from Bob himself), then a Wann Meyer, then a Pillinger NY, then a Van Wie Meyer. They are all similar in the way they play and sound. Any would be a good choice. For me, what ultimately had me searching again (other than my own discontentment) was a tendency to be thin ihn the upper register. My two main pieces now are an RPC (0.090) and Lamberson 6M. They seem to be more open, fuller, and more versatile.