Bright Mouthpiece for 1925 Handcraft

[Ctenorman]

Hey guys. I just got a new Runyon Quantum 10 plastic /w spoiler for tenor, and I'm blown away. This totally changes everything for me, and I'm thrilled belief, there isn't much I can't do with that piece if I push it. But now that I'm setup on my tenor, I want to get my 1925 handcraft alto brightened up as well. I've already got a meyer 6m, but it really doesn't cut the way I'd like it to. I'd like a drastic change, more than just a reed or lig fix. I want something that can take on amplified guitars and win :twisted: , like that new Quantum seems to do on Tenor. The trouble is, I know most people say that these older saxes can't handle high baffles without going crazily out of tune. Does anyone have any suggestions for mouthpieces that can make my old alto loud and cutting without making me go insanely out of tune? Thanks,

Scott

[Bootman]

The Quantum works well on the Martin saxes, the Runyon Custom or custom jazz would be a good choice for your Martin Alto. I have found that this combo plays exceptionally well.

[Stencilman]

The two 1926 Martin stencils I have (alto and soprano) have been happy with almost every mouthpiece I've tried. Right now, I'm playing recent a Dukoff D10 on both of them and am very pleased with the results. Very minor tuning problems occur around high A and are easy to correct.

[Bootman]

Stencilman,
Teh High tunign problem can be corrected by the height adjustment of the G key and the octave mechanism. The horn should play in tune on the A.

[Stencilman]

Bootman, I've adjusted the G key but this made A sound stuffy. What really helped was constricting the top octave vent a tiny bit with some epoxy. My experiments show that lowering the octave pad height or contricting the vent hole greatly effects the tuning of A, Bb and B. The effect that this has on C on up tapers quickly.

After this little modification, both the alto and soprano are easy to play in tune. I don't think about compensating for these notes at all. I did notice that when I tried some modern horns, I played these notes a tad flat.

[Bootman]

Getting this adjustment exactly right is very difficult, but it is well worth experimenting with until you do. Some of the older Conns can have similar problems unless they are sorted out to the correct point. It is a little trial and error but it can make a huge difference.

[Ctenorman]

Grand, thanks very much guys! I was pretty sure the old Martin could handle a bit more power, it always felt like it had more there. But for a horn that can get me sounding so close to Paul Desomond to sound like a raging machine, well, I guess I'm just constantly amazed by these older guys. Cheers,

Scott