For Alto: Jody Jazz ESP, Runyon XL, Jaguar?

[leehwd]

I play the Yanagisawa alto saxophone (A991) on the stock mouthpiece. I also play my soprano (Yamaha YSS 475) on the Runyon XL (opening 8), and I really love my XL. I play rock and contemporary christian music mostly.

I heard many good things about the Jody ESP, the Runyon Jaguar. I tried the Runyon Smoothbore on the Yanagisawa A991, but the results were disappointing. (I used RJS 3S, filed.) Has anyone compared the Jody ESP and the Runyon XL and Jaguar on the Yanagisawa alto sax before. If so, what is your assessment? Is Jody ESP worth the money? Or should I stick with the Runyon XL? Or try Jaguar?

I thank you all for your comments and advice.

Howard

[Bootman]

Definitely try the Jaguar and the ESP. I have just got hold of an ESP #9 and this is making alto fun again. Drop me a line if you need to hear a sound file.

[disgruntleddave]

try the esp. I have had my 074 for a few days and it is absolutely amazing. extremely thick in the upper register. easy in the low register. bright as you want it, dark as you want it. a great mpc. i dont know about the other one. never tried it.

[leehwd]

Dear Bootman and MajinX,

Thank you for your evaluation and great information. If I decide to go with the Jody Jazz ESP, what opening do you recommend. I have no problem with my Runyon XL of opening EIGHT. Should I try the same opening? Please advsise me. Thank you all again.

Howard

PS: How can I enter numeric in the posting. When I entered numeric eight key, some emoticon showed up.

[disgruntleddave]

i dont know about that numbers thing, but anyways...

depends on what kind of tone you like. i have a 0.074. with the right reed and without a spoiler it is pretty dark. not too dark, but dark enough to my likings. Low notes come out with amazing ease, and the upper register is really really thick, first mouthpiece i have had with this kind of tone. the tone is pure and consistant. It almost plays too in tune, as I am used to adjusting my embrouchure depending on where I am on the sax, but now I have started to tend to play out of tune because my adjustments are not needed, but this is not a problem by any means. With the spoiler in and the right reed, it is brighter and still great. Not too bright though.

The projection is great too. If you want a brighter sound with more pitch flexibility, a larger facing is for you. I dont care about pitch flexibility that much, and I hope to learn how to properly bend notes eventually (that throat tongue thing has never worked for me at all yet).

As well, mine eliminates all unwanted overtones, but I can still easily get em. When going from a higher note to a middle D (with octave key, not the D2), I no longer get the A overtone I dont want.

I only have experiance with the 74 facing, and it has all been good. You could always try a few and ship the facings you dont want to jody if hes ok with it.

[Bootman]

Lee,
Try an #8 tip opening to start with. The #9 works well for me on alto but this sizing is considered on the larger end of reasonable.

[leehwd]

Dear All,

Thank you for all your comments and helpful information. Bootman also graciously sent me an audio clip recorded on the Jody Jazz ESP Alto one. In fact, I have already placed an order for the ESP (opening eight), and this was recommended by Jody. Wow, he is the man. Superfast reply full of information and professional guidance. You know, only 5 minutes later I placed an order, I received an email from both Jody and USP, letting me know the tracking number. I have never seen internet biz people like him. I like his view of putting the customer first. Well taken.

I will report the results of my test soon. Thank you.

Howard

[leehwd]

The Jody Jazz Alto ESP mouthpiece (opening: 0.083) securely arrived at my home yesterday. At first glance, it was clear that the mouthpiece was well manufactured with high craftmanship. As a Runyon lover (I use the Runyon XL on the Yamaha sopran saxophone), I have not been fully satisfied with some mediocre craftmanship of the Runyon, which does not match with its high quality sound. However, the ESP has a stunning beauty. It is no wonder that this is a great mouthpiece at least from an aesthetic point of view.

I tried used and new Rico Royal (strenth: 3) and Rico Jazz Select (3S, unfiled) on the Yanagisawa A991. In every set up, the low end was full, rich and resonant even with the spoiler (gold plated, another beauty). However, the high notes did not sound clean although they popped out easily. It sounded like muffled spit sound. Well, I am a HR mouthpiece player, so I may need some practice on metal pieces. The sound was powerful with just the right amount of edge, but the high note did not simply sound clean unlike other HR mouthpieces I have ever tried.

Having said that, my evaluation score at this moment is 70 out of 100. I will try it for a few days more, but if I am not able to make any clean high notes, I think I have to return the mouthpiece.

Any comments? Thank you. Howard

[MarkD]

leehwd - You might try a slightly softer reed. Here's my experience which you might find relevant.

After reading this thread last week, I contacted Bootman for a copy of his sound clip too. WOW! What tone! Thanks, Bootman!

I then sent an e-mail to Jody with some questions and asked if he could recommend a couple of ESP Alto mpcs for my son and I to try. I described the set-ups that we were currently using and Jody recommended that we try the .074 and the .078.

After my first note on the ESP Alto Gold I knew that it was for me! I have heard many times that JodyJazz mouthpieces are smooth and free blowing but until you actually try one, you just can’t imagine how incredible they are. Like myself, my son fell in love with the ESP Alto Gold right from his very first note!

I had originally intended to keep the .074 for myself since it is closer in tip opening to my Meyer 5. However, my son had different ideas. He latched on to the .074 even though he could handle the .078 just as well.

Since I didn't stand a chance of playing the .074 again, I started playing the .078 and I had a similar experience as you described - some notes sounded muffled. I had never played an alto mouthpiece quite this open before and I had never played a metal mpc on alto before either. But I could play the .074 perfectly and my son could play both the .074 & the .078 so, I knew that the problem I was having on the .078 was me and not the mpc. What do you do in cases like this? Experiment & practice.

I tried the .078 with a VanDoren ZZ 2.5 at first. This reed had played great on the .074 but had some muffled notes for me on the .078, but not for my son. I switched to a softer, well broken in, Rico 2.5 on the .078 and away went the muffles. For the heck of it I tried a stiffer VanDoren ZZ 3 on the .078 and this confirmed my suspicions. My chops couldn't handle a stiffer reed on the wider tip opening. Finally I put a VanDoren Java 2.5 on the .078 - EUREKA!!!

I played for about 4 hours on Sunday with the Java 2.5 on the .078 ESP Gold Alto and was electrified. I played on a student Yamaha YAS-23 and on a black lacquer Selmer Serie III - and it plays wonderfully on both. The low Bb just jumps out and the high F# can be played cleanly from pianissimo to ear piercing levels.

Jody's service was great too. I contacted him on Tuesday; had his recommendations on Wednesday; and, received the mouthpieces on Thursday. By Friday night my son and I were hooked on the ESP Alto Golds.