Jupiter 593GL

[electricninja]

New to the baritone sax field, short on cash, and burnt out from bad experiences on eBay, I bought a Jupiter 593GL from wwbw.com. The thing is, after a week or two with the stock mouthpiece, I find that the upper registers sound weak.

Is this just a mouthpiece problem, an embouchure problem, a reed problem, or something else I haven't thought of? I'm able to play from low A to high F, and there are no pad leaks I'm aware of...it's just that the timbre on the higher notes bugs me a bit.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[CultureOfOne]

I recently purchased a JBS-593GL used on eBay, but I immediately discarded the stock mouthpiece in favour of a vintage berg larsen metal (for rock & blues) and a guy hawkins metal (for jazz). The stock piece was simply too closed, and produced a really poor tonal colour. The 593GL itself has good projection for a student/intermediate grade horn, making it great for big band and blues work (where delicacy is not an issue), although I found it too harsh for classical and jazz material - it lacks a degree of richness. I also found it had a tendency to rattle in certain ranges - the rollers on the pinky keys vibrate at certain frequencies, as do some of the other mechanisms, causing it to buzz. Admittedly I'm spoiled; I've been using a '62 Mark VI for the past year.

To make a short story long, you can start with the least expensive options and try altering your embouchure (take in more or less of the mouthpiece) or check out a variety of reeds to see if it makes a difference, but the stock piece just isn't built to give you a great tone. These mouthpieces are roughly cast, and can be modified slightly (by taking the flashing off of the baffle for instance) to produce a better tone, but this change may not solve your problem. Personally I would suggest you try some different mouthpieces and see what results you get. There are no shortage of people on this site who can help you out in this regard. Best of luck,

Greg Marks
CultureOfOne

[electricninja]

Thanks for the reply, it's been a long wait for me. 8)

I haven't had the rattling problem, perhaps your rollers are loose? And could you tell me more about the Berg Larsen mouthpiece? My goal is, after all, rock and blues.

Would you say the 593GL is decent enough to use in a gig?

Again, thanks.

-jas

[madtownsax]

Hello Ninja,

I'm an soprano/alto/tenor player just presented with what appears to be a good deal on a Jupiter 593GL from a fellow horn section member. My buddy bought it from WW&BW last year (2003) new for $2,100.

He's offerring me first dibs on it for $1,250, including a stand and a new mouthpiece (not sure which it is, though its metal and apparently a significant step up from the original mouthpiece that came with).

I literally brought it home last night from a gig and haven't played it yet. I wasn't necessarily looking for a bari, nor do I necessarily have the bread, but you know how it is....when the opportunity presents itself....and I could round out that collection of horns!

I've been doing a lot of Internet checking and people seem pretty happy with the Jupiter line, though maybe some complaints about the Taiwan manufacturing and potentially thin/cheap brass.

Any comments or feedback you could offer would be much appreciated!!!

Cheers,
Bryan Husk
www.groovology.com

[barisaxplayer]

The thin brass is what I was going to post about. If you get a jupiter, take very VERY good care of it, they're one of those chinese horns that, even tho they are getting better, don't use enough nickel or something like that. according to the repairguy in town they often times will "evaporate" if you need to bring a torch near it(soldering, pad replacement).

I donno anything for sure ;) but that's the gyst of what I remember.

[bariman]

I thought a long time about getting a 593, but went for another sax later on, but that's not relevant. The bad stuff that I heard about them was their thin walls, poor materials, and the biggest thing, the weakness at the top of it's natural range. This is actually a common affliction among a lot of budget baritone saxophones, and often an indication of a lesser brand. But of course, the stock mpc that came with it is probably the main cause of the problem. These things are barely pieces of pipe with a flat surface on one end. It would sertainly be a good idea to buy a quality mpc like a Meyer or Otto Link. Good Luck!

Bariman

[rcwjd]

I play Selmer baris. However, if I were looking for a bari in decent condition that would really sound like a bari - and I was spending around $2,500 - I think I would look at a Yamaha YBS-52 or for even less - pick up a Buescher 400 vintage 1964 or earlier. Then I would put on a Runyon Jaguar or Morgan 7J or more open mpc- and 2.5 Fibracell or stronger. I have a hunch that any of the above would pack a much more satisfying punch than a Jupiter or similar horn.