What Runyons work good for soprano?

[Brice B.]

I've never gotten a chance to try a Runyon or JJ on soprano, so I was wondering what you guys have had luck with. I play a Series III soprano and a Selmer Super Session E. Thanks!

[Mike Ruhl]

The Runyon Custom is a great little mpc. The Jody Jazz is a Runyon Custom with the facing and baffle tweaked to Jody Espina's specifications. Great little mpcs, if you can get used to the teeny bite.

[Bill Mecca]

Mike,

tell me, do you think they're small? :D

seriously they are a bit on the smaller side, but they are the only soprano mpc I have played and that was borrowed. I realized I'm a tenor player :wink:

[Santee>]

I just tried a metal XL and Custom sop. mpc. from Runyon yesterday and the Custom is by far the nicest sounding mouthpiece I've ever tried on soprano. If you use LaVoz or Superial reeds on it, you can get an amazing buzz to the sound similar to Kenny G's. Add the spoiler, and you've got a great wedge baffle in it, making it very crisp and cutting. The sound still remains somewhat big though for a soprano sax! It has a large chamber and high baffle when the spoiler's inserted. The control and volume is the best I've ever experienced on a sop. mouthpiece. I've been using Rovner's Deep V metal #9 (which they've now discontinued), which is basically a very long baffle that goes right in to the neck! It can play even louder than that mouthpiece and compete with an alto and tenor in volume (I'm using a #12 w/#2 1/2 superial reeds). I've tried everything from Guardala reg., Guardala Fat Boy, Dukoff, ARB, you name it, and they don't come close to the control, volume, crispness and overal playability of Runyon's Custom with our without the spoiler! And it's cheap too, like $70.00 I think on gigdust.com or runyonproducts.com. Did I mention that I love those little mouthpieces!?!?!?!? :lol:

[Bootman]

The Quantum sops play well too. These may be worth looking into.

[jim3121]

I love my Quantum soprano mouthpiece - it's really hard to play "sloppily" with this piece - very forgiving. It also enables great control and lots of volume!

[djonk]

Santee said: "It has a large chamber", when referring to a Runyon Custom Soprano mouthpiece.

I beg to differ---- the Runyon Custom soprano mouthpiece has a medium chamber, which becomes smaller with the spoiler inserted!

[johnc]

Custom for Soprano. A tiny little gem of a piece. my vote is cast.

[MojoBari]

I've measured the volumes of several sop sax MPs. The Custom is on the small end of the range even without the Spoiler.

[super20dan]

just got a quantum sop w/spoiler.this is a smoking mpc!

[Paul Coats]

I play both the Custom and Metal Quantum. Both are excellent.

The Custom was played by Grover Washington, Jr., and is played by Ernie Watts. An excellent all around mouthpiece, from Ragtime and Dixieland to solos in concert band.

[super20dan]

played my first gig with my spoiler quantum sop mpc. this is hands down the best sop mpc i have ever played!any one looking for a bright sop sound MUST try one of these! ok now i think its time to try one on the tenor.

[Ray]

Is the Custom the darkest mpc Runyon has for soprano? I'm trying one and the intonation is superb but I would like a little darker tone.

[oppai]

Has anyone tried a Metal Smooth Bore on the soprano? how does it compare to a Quantum? The metal XL is way too bright for my taste.

[Brian]

Oppai, Im a hughe proponent of the smoothbore on Alto, but personally I found the smoothbore on soprano to be a very difficult piece to control. I might be just me, Id like ot hear other oppinions on this, but I could not get any dependability from the control aspect.

[MojoBari]

The Smoothbore is just a metal version of the XL. It may be just a tad darker, but will still be very bright. I find anything with a baffle higher than the Custom Spoiler to be too bright on soprano.

[super20dan]

mojo-you wouldnt say that if you were playing sop in my band. brightness and volume are a must.the only mpc thats too bright is my dukoff . i actually have to back off some when using it.

[oppai]

Brian, when you said that the smoothbore is a difficult piece to control on the soprano, do you mean the intonation or the dynamics, or just everything? I just had a look the at runyon site, the XL metal and the smoothbore metal are listed as separate entities (and they look different as well). Btw, which other runyons have you played or are currently playing on the soprano?

[Brian]

In Alto and Tenor, the Metal XL IS trhe Smoothbore. Maybe this is not so on the Soprano, though I thought it was. I could be wrong. I was referring to the smoothbore soprano. As far as control issues go ... specifically tiring is what I meant. That results in pitch / tone issues all accross the board to me.

I havent tried any other Runyon soprano pieces other than that. I use the smoothbore / Jody Jazz / and Jaguar on alto, depending on the gig.

[Ray]

I've been trying some mpcs from Runyon for my soprano and what amazes me is how well in tune they all play. I think I'm leaning toward the Quantum with the Spoiler.I like the Custom but the Quantum has a richer tone to me. It sounds nice with and without the Spoiler.
I'm trying a #6 but might try a #7 before buying.

[Brian]

When you guys talk about the Quantum for Soprano, are you playing the metal, or plastic? Has anyone tried both and what are their differences?
Thanks, Brian

[Ray]

I'm trying the plastic one...I may also look into the metal.

[frankbiff]

How do you think the Custom or Quantum would work on an older horn like a 1929 Conn sop?

[MojoBari]

I have a '28 straight Conn. Its a dark horn so there are some playing situations where you might want to brighten it up. I'll go as bright as a Custom Spoiler. I tried a metal Quantum and a Smoothbore but they were too much for my tastes. Mostly I prefer the HR Ponzol/Barone/Bari clones. They are a darker and are more comfortable in the mouth than the Cyustom. They all play very well in tune.

[zan]

What lig and cap fits the Runyon custom ? :?:

[Mike Ruhl]

You can get a Consoli Ramplig that fits the Custom very nicely. I used this setup for a while.

[Ray]

I've fhnally chosen the plastic Quantum #7 for my Antigua soprano. Without the spoiler it has a nice rich tone, a" haunting" tone, according to my wife in a blind listening test of mpcs by me. With the spoiler it give a brighter variation. Intonation is fabulous. While I had the folks from Runyon on the phone, they told me about the alto Finesse which I will be using in the orchestra at church now...blends well and is also very in tune.

[Paul Coats]

For all of the Runyon soprano pieces, Rovner #1RXS or #1MS fit perfectly. These are the same size, different material. I like the material of the 1RXS a little better.

[tomsch]

Does the spoiler in the soprano custom slide in/out? I have one but it looks pretty firmly attached. It would be good to know before I start prying at the spoiler :shock:

[Rahspeak]

this is just another vote for these great little soprano mouthpieces. i am not that experienced on soprano and was not willing to drop big bucks for a soprano mouthpiece when most of the problems I was having (intonation and palm key response, what else is new?) were probably my fault anyway. i'm not a believer in "chops in a box" but for 55 dollars I got a Runyon custom 8, and it has made my soprano playing much more pleasurable. immediate improvement in the two problem areas, and the sound remains full and strong. I play a couf soprano and I was afraid getting this mouthpiece would make it too bright, but no, the warmth is still there. all of these things make me want to practice soprano more, which of course will be the real path to progress.

also, I play mostly tenor, and larger HR pieces on tenor at that, and I didn't find adjusting to the smaller bite to be that much of a problem. it is a tiny piece and I could see how it could be problematic for some though...

the only negative was that I HATED the ligature that came with it, but I got myself a rovner 1RXS and it works great with this mouthpiece.

anyone looking for a good, easy to play soprano mouthpiece at a really good price should look this way. I had been playing a morgan protone which is also a nice affordable option for a piece to get into soprano playing, but for my purposes, the Runyon blows it away, for really not that much more money.

[super20dan]

another satisfied runyon convert

[Dave Dolson]

I replied to a post in another thread earlier today about a soprano Runyon Custom. I bought a Custom #7 a while back but put it away after trying it. It played okay but . . .

Yesterday, I got it out while testing reeds for my metal Link 8*. The Runyon played great with the reeds I'd prepped for the Link . . . not so for Super Session J reeds. The Runyon required a stronger reed. But once I matched the reeds to the piece, the Runyon really played well. I will test it on a job this coming Sunday. DAVE

[dpwadw]

I bought a Custom 8 several months ago. Teeny it is. Plays real big though.

My original mpc had a nice focused sound, but was way too resistant for my tastes. I needed to be able to project more (on occasion).

The new Runyon solves the problem quite well. It still can be very mellow, or can go edgy and peel paint. Like a turbo boost in reserve. Cheap, too. Wow.

[Mike Ruhl]

Cheap, too. Wow.And they come in purty colors!

[dpwadw]

yeah, I took the basic black one though (offered from wwbw). Like it so much, I had better order a spare. I have been known to drop mpcs at the most inopportune times.

[Mike Ruhl]

I had an amber #8 soprano Custom. It was the mouthpiece that taught me how to play soprano. Fibracells work great on them. I also had a Consoli lig for it. Very cool setup.

I sold my soprano a couple years ago, and sold the mpc and lig on ebay.

[Dr_sax]

I play a blue custom #8 with a consoli lig and vandoren v16 #2,5 reeds on my yanagisawa s900. Love it!

[super20dan]

mine is plain black but i dont think i could ever find one that plays as good as this one in another color but i like red best- dave let us know how the runyon does on a gig.

[Dave Dolson]

After Action Report: I tried my Runyon Custom 7 (with spoiler) on my gig today. Tried it on two sops (Yana SC902 and S992). It didn't cut it for me.

I went back to a metal Link 8* on the S992 and finished the gig with more power and ease of expression. The Runyon is a nice piece, but like most everyone knows, I don't play with amplification AT ALL, so I need something strong for the venue where I play. I'm surrounded by strong players (cornet, trombone, grand piano, string bass and banjo) in a less-than-live room; the Runyon was just weak in that setting. Playing in one's own kitchen/family room is a lot different from a public performance. I knew that and waited for the real test before making a decision. I'll stick with my Links and Super Session J's. DAVE

[super20dan]

nothing like a live gig to test a mpc on. i can relate to needing more power for that type of gig. i played soprano and clarinet in unamplified bands (german) for several years. i discovered plasticover reeds and that helped a lot. i use the quantum and more powerful runyon xl in my rock band (with mike)