Fred Rast mouthpiece question

[rispoli]

Does anybody know whether this Fred Rast mouthpiece is part of the "J" series? It is not written anywhere and I know he does not make just the J series.Please click on the thumbnails for better resolution.

Thanks everyone!

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(http://community.webshots.com/photo/2092170440070784529PKcMkp)



[URL=http://community.webshots.com/photo/2309596240070784529LRUntC] (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2157397050070784529lFYkkG)

[Kritavi]

His website shows a single model for tenor:
http://www.rastmusic.com/sax.html
are you mixing up your Freds and thinking of Lamberson? :?

[rispoli]

His website shows a single model for tenor:
http://www.rastmusic.com/sax.html
are you mixing up your Freds and thinking of Lamberson? :?

I thought to buy a Lamberson but they are chronically on backorder...
I then ended up with this Rast because of raving reviews of other members, in particular Bigdaddyj, and some of them mentioned other models than the "J".
The one I have plays ok, it's very warm and dark but doesn't seem to shine in the upper register. Well, maybe I need more time to familiarize with it...
My Morgan 7L blows easier but it's considerably edgier and brighter, in particular when pushed. The Rast is more stable in tone with air flow variations.

[BigDaddyJ]

Hey rispoli,

That is not the same baffle design as my J model. My J model has very slight step baffle that extends further into the chamber, where as in your picture, it looks kind of like a very slight bullet baffle? It's been a few years but I tried a couple of Rast mpc's that were significantly darker than my current Rast at Sax Alley. I don't remember what the baffle design looked like. I didn't really dig them all that much.

PM with your email, and I'll send you pics of my J model.

I've tried a few Rast mpc's now. The Rast mpc's I've tried varied from fairly buzzy (tried at the store that Fred Rast works in) to pretty damn "buttery" (sweetsax's Rast). Mine is my favorite. It's some where in between. I started with Rico RJS #3M unfiled and ended up with Vandoren ZZ #3 reeds. The ZZ's help me get the projection I need for louder situations; yet they preserve a really full Link-like sound on the Rast. I think in general the Rast mpcs are a shade on the dark side, but just like Links, they need a really good airstream to make them really sing. I am amazed at the amount of air I can push through this .105 tip. Before this mpc, I was really diggin' tips around .115+. I do admint, that I'm still itching to try a Lamberson SB or an RPC. I tested my Rast against a couple of Lamberson J mpc's. I felt that my Rast was a bit brighter and more free blowing.

later

Joel

[bennyw]

Hey Rispoli,
In case you haven't contacted Fred yet, as a long-time student of his I think I can help you out. That looks like the Link Slant-Sig copy he's been doing for about the past year now. I came across a 6 in a store at about this time last year, and he spent probably a month with it. It's a hit for him now, and he might have a 10* ready for me to check out this weekend so I can tell you more then. I've been happy with my J series for years, but obviously this 6 is too small for me. The thing to keep in mind about Fred is that he's always applying new ideas & techniques so they can look kinda different anyway. Plus he does custom work. But you should go straight to him about that as I believe he's pretty strict with the serial/record keeping & can tell you a lot more about it. Just don't give up on it yet!

[sweetsax]

Hey Rispoli,
My Rast that I got from Tim at SaxAlley is a J7*, and it is marked with a J on the side. I remember Tim told me something about Fred changing the way he marks the mouthpieces when he started making more and more of them. I had also trailed a 7 that was not marked with a J, but Tim said the chambers were the same, so I don't know if Fred added the J to his markings at some point or what (this was over a year ago).

As BigDaddyJ said, mine is pretty smooth and buttery sounding. It has way less of a baffle than his and the one in your pics. My baffle is a roll-over that sort of channels in the middle and down into the chamber. their is no step at all. Every Rast tenor peice I've looked at or played was different in the baffle area. I really like mine. It plays great on my CJS tenor, a very dark but strong sound. BigDaddyJ got a real nice sound on his too. Maybe the baffle on his compliments his darker Mauriate 66R tenor.

Regarding the high register problems you are having - maybe you could elaborate on what it seems to be doing. I'm curious because just last week I picked up a Rast alto piece since I like the tenor so much. At first I was dissapointed in it because the high register seemed to crack up or not want to speak as easily. But after a good week of playing it, its doing just fine now. I'm still getting used to it but I'm stoked that its sounding this good after only week. I'm looking forward to how it'll sound after a month.

[rispoli]

Ok guys, thanks to all of you.
It is definitely my opinion that Fred is not doing right the marketing of his products since it is not reasonable to have apparently a unique line (the "J" model that you see on his web site) and wild variations in design within that same line. As things are now the prospective customer doesn't know what will receive.
Who goes for custom mouthpieces is likely to have quite an idea of what is looking for, but here you might think you are ordering a step baffles mouthpiece and then you get a rollover one.
He'd better do what Ron Coelho (RPC) does: at the bare minimum classify your models according to the baffle.