how do I make my otto_link better?

[bloozer john]

alright. I have a porblem :oops:
I bought an otto_link last november. It is a mordern otto_link 5*
I play a selmer series 3 and i am wondering if u could give me any tips for a more dark fluffy sound, (Tommy Smith) I have heard him play with SNJO and i love the sound he makes.
Most reeds i get come over the edge of my otto_link.
I was thinking about buying a ebonite meyer, but dont have any money from my otto_link savings. So instead of gettin a brand new mouthpiece i would be grateful for any tips you could give me on improving my sound.
Bloozer John 8)

[DanF]

I would suggest sending your piece to Theo Wanne. My experience with him has always been if you describe the sound you want he can get it for you. Go on his website WWW.Mouthpieceheaven.com and you can contact him. He is very reliable and quick to respond. Good luck.

[Ritchie]

Roll a bit more lip over your lower teeth. This will dampen some of the higher harmonics, hence make your sound darker. Also keep your oral cavity as open as possible, like when saying "aaa", not "eee" which is for the brighter sound.

For a darker sound try some "darker" reeds, like Vandoren blue box, Alexander DC or Classique. Try if you can play a harder reed strength. And try a Rovner dark ligature.

[singlereed]

I love Tommy Smith's sound too, and of the mouthpieces I have, I would say my Weinberg 1950s Link 8* copy (www.dawkes.co.uk) is closest to his tenor sound - I assume that you are talking about his tenor playing. Although it's a bit more open than yours, it is effortless to play, and Anton Weinberg is also an excellent re-facer and makes copies of various classic pieces, at a reasonable price. I use Meyers too and these are very good, but I think the vintage Link type is probably better suited to the sound you are after. I am talking about hard rubber pieces here BTW.

[bloozer john]

Hey,
Thanks for all the replys.
Would it cost me a lot to get my link refaced??
I might try that but first i will take ritches advice and try out what he said.
Cheers.

John 8)

[singlereed]

Anton Weinberg charged me £25 inc return postage and it was back by return of post.

[Tom Goodrick]

I found a nearly ideal dark sound with an HR Link 6 using a Rovner dark lig and Vandoren V16's in 2 1/2 strength. On my New York Otto Link 6* I need to sand down (very lightly) and round the edges of the V16 reeds just a little bit. The New York Link is not as dark as the HR Link even using the Rovner 3NL-NY dark lig. But then I am just getting aquainted with the setup.

I double on trumpet and trombone. The wide reeds hurt my lower lip so much it swelled and I had trouble playing the other horns until I got out the sand paper and the dark lig.