Otto Link altissimo issues

[OOlufoks]

Hello there,
I have a modern Mojo tweaked Link STM 7* that I occasionally use, and I like using with because of its depth of sound (warmth) and its volume.
But out of all my mouthpieces, its altissimo notes are the hardest to control, as they are more difficult to establish and the notes crack more easily.
In contrast, my Barone Jazz 7* has the best altissimo response, followed by the JJ ESP. I typically use the ESP most of the time.
I use #3 DC reeds, or #2 Vandoren Blue box with an FL lig.
I noticed that most tenor sax players that played links (e.g Trane, Eric Alexander, Wayne, old Branford) don't really have that nice clean altissimo sound. Could it be me, or are links not too altissimo friendly?

[whaler]

Coltrane's altissimo not clean? Listen to the ballads record, for one. The altissimo notes on Links have more "body" to them than other mouthpieces. There are the older Brecker recordings where he was playing Links where he sounds great in the altissimo. Some of the other guys you mentioned never really played that great in that range no matter what kind of mouthpiece they are playing. Rick Margitza plays on a Link and IMO has the cleanest altissimo I've ever heard. The main reason I keep going back to my Link is the sound, feel, and intonation of the altissmo. With other mouthpieces (like high baffled Bergs, Guardalas, etc.) they feel more like sqeaks or squeals than notes. I find that smaller tip openings ( I use a 5* Florida Link) and harder reeds are the key for control of altissimo and a good sound when it comes to Links. That warmth that you like about your Link should carry into the upper range too.

[A Greene]

I just switched the the Tenney Links and I agree. I play a lot of rock stuff with this mouthpiece and the altissimo is WORK. BUT the overall sound with the links is so much BETTER. I'm just going to have to work the overtones and long tones until I come up with a different approach to altissimo.

I'm also on a reed search - V16's had a better upper register. I'm trying Alexander Yellow Box this week. I also have some ZZs and Rico Jazz Select waitingfor trial. My favorite for the last 20 years La Voz just don't work on this mouthpiece.

I find softer reeds give me a fuller sound BUT make the altissimo even more difficult.

Good Luck. I look forward to hearing about other link experiences.

[sinkdraiN]

The link is not the problem. My experience has been that links respond great in the altissimo register (including multiphonics). You don't have to work as hard on a link to play big and full in that register.

[asaxman]

The link is not the problem. My experience has been that links respond great in the altissimo register (including multiphonics). You don't have to work as hard on a link to play big and full in that register.
I agree! Maybe the WORK on the piece was TOO MUCH on the baffle. I have a Hollywood Dukoff, with no baffle, and the high notes are impossible, but easy on my Link!

[Grumps]

Could it be me, or are links not too altissimo friendly?
Not a fair question considering the piece has been altered. How did it play before it was tweaked?

[MojoBari]

OOlufoks, contact me and let me know which altissimo notes are giving you trouble. I worked on this piece back in Nov 2005 (which included adding a small baffle to it). I'll still adjust it for the cost of return s/h.

[OOlufoks]

Not a fair question considering the piece has been altered. How did it play before it was tweaked?

I never really ventured into altissimo playing when i first got the Link. The normal range of the horn was giving me fits on the mpc before the tweaking, and it plays great now.
I did remove the baffle Mojo installed, as I felt I was getting too much edge with the baffle in it. And that may be the source of the problem; I probably messed with a good thing.

I also didn't mean to generalize that maybe Links were not altissimo friendly. I meant metal Links. I have heard Josh Redman on his HR Link, and it is one of the most beautiful altissimos ever.

[asaxman]

I never really ventured into altissimo playing when i first got the Link. The normal range of the horn was giving me fits on the mpc before the tweaking, and it plays great now.
I did remove the baffle Mojo installed, as I felt I was getting too much edge with the baffle in it. And that may be the source of the problem; I probably messed with a good thing.
BINGO!

[SAXISMYAXE]

As others have said, altissimo on the STM Links pops out easier than most of the other tenor pieces out there. You need to properly shape your throat and keep that air stream full and focused.
You might need to tighten up the embouchure muscles for some of the range, but absolutely NO biting. Most complaints of a thin sounding upper register are due to this bad habit and an improper, unsupported airstream.

[OOlufoks]

Then it is probably me, and not the mpc. I'll go ahead and incorporate the suggestions into my practice. Thank you all for the input
OO

[Grumps]

I did remove the baffle Mojo installed, as I felt I was getting too much edge with the baffle in it. And that may be the source of the problem; I probably messed with a good thing.
Ahhhh... an altered, altered Link then.
I'd send it back to Mojo... though I'd understand if he retracted his most generous offer.

[OOlufoks]

Ahhhh... an altered, altered Link then.
I'd send it back to Mojo... though I'd understand if he retracted his most generous offer.

Then, it may be altered back to its previously altered state.FYI, the baffle was not all Mojo installed. The other alternations made the mpc play much better than the unaltered version ( I gotta stop, this is getting dorky:) ).
If I didn't care about altissimo, this thread would never have been put up.

[Razzy]

Try a rubber Link, see if it helps you out. Rubber link-style pieces, for me, achieve the cleanest most even results in the altissimo, making it sound like a regular part of the range rather than an added register. Also the experience is the opposite for me: larger tip openings (I use 8*) and medium strength reeds achieve the best results in the altiss. Of course, all that practicing up there probably helped a bit :) I used a metal link for a while and the altissimo was good but not nearly as easy or clean as on the rubber.

[Tryptykon]

I never really ventured into altissimo playing when i first got the Link. The normal range of the horn was giving me fits on the mpc before the tweaking, and it plays great now.
I did remove the baffle Mojo installed, as I felt I was getting too much edge with the baffle in it. And that may be the source of the problem; I probably messed with a good thing.

I also didn't mean to generalize that maybe Links were not altissimo friendly. I meant metal Links. I have heard Josh Redman on his HR Link, and it is one of the most beautiful altissimos ever.

Next to Mark Turner's ..;)

[MojoBari]

OO is sending it back to me and I will attempt to improve the altissimo in its altered-altered state (no added baffle) . Then it will be altered-altered-altered.

[gary]

OO is sending it back to me and I will attempt to improve the altissimo in its altered-altered state (no added baffle) . Then it will be altered-altered-altered.
So - would that mean, then, that it will be especially adept at playing # and b 5ths and 9ths? :twisted:

[jazzbluescat]

Poor neutered link.

[Grumps]

Any more monkeying around with it and it'll be a Lancelot Link...

[OOlufoks]

Yeah, Yeah you haters :x Pick on my Link all you want, but I bet some of you are dying to try it out. Just kidding ;) . It can only get to be a better player.

[MojoBari]

Poor neutered link.More like surgically enhanced...:tongue1:

[EZ]

Any more monkeying around with it and it'll be a Lancelot Link...

I sometimes wondered who else in the world knew about Lancelot Link. They sure don't make TV like they used to. I wonder if there's a DVD collection out there somewhere...

[Grumps]

Top Secret (http://www.amazon.com/Lancelot-Link-Secret-Dayton-Allen/dp/B000F4TMI2)

[gary]

And all this time I thought Lancelot Link was an adult film star. :twisted:

[nichwan]

Hey, Im new to this forum, but links i find are stuffy and inconsistent and not responsive... Get a Zagar Vintage Bronze piece. They have the warmth of a link, but have the altissimo range of something noone else can get!!! LOL>.. I love the Zagar Vintage Bronze piece... its is not baffled, so a very versitile sound, and it is easy to play, sounds great... Try one to find out..
check out www.zagarsaxmouthpieces.com
it will change you opinion of what a mouthpiece is!

[Grumps]

Get a Zagar Vintage Bronze piece. They have the warmth of a link, but have the altissimo range of something noone else can get!!!
What... a kazoo? They're not so hard to get...

[kavala]

I played an unmodified Link for years.
More recently I have been using JJ ESP and JJ DV NY.
I like the JJ's, but the one thing that I miss about the Link
compared to these new pieces is the ease with which the
altissimo popped out and the purity of the notes up there.

[nichwan]

What... a kazoo? They're not so hard to get...
I never said they were hard to get, just the zagar mpc is far superior to the links

[Grumps]

Read what I wrote again... but this time as if it were funny.

[Nefertiti]

Man, If those Zagars are the same as the old ones Junkdude use to sell I'll take my chance with a link.

[nichwan]

Nah, heaps different now, they are much better, and acutally play better than a link... got to www.ozwinds.com.au, then go to accessories, then mouthpieces, then tenor... click on the zagar bronze mpc, then read the two reviews, they are from me, and a student studying jazz at monash clayton.. that explains the new range...

[Grumps]

Just wondering nichwan... how did you find this site? Were you referred to this site by anyone, or asked to post about the Zagars here? I only ask because your first eight posts here are all plugs for Zagar. Folks that show up and start promoting goods right off the bat are viewed a bit suspiciously. There's a long history of marketers sending shills here, and although your choice to begin your posting on SOTW with product plugs and links to websites might be innocent, it may not be viewed that way.

[gary]

I played an unmodified Link for years. More recently I have been using JJ ESP and JJ DV NY.I like the JJ's, but the one thing that I miss about the Link compared to these new pieces is the ease with which the
altissimo popped out and the purity of the notes up there.
Your stock Link's altissimo was better than the JJ's?!

[OOlufoks]

I played an unmodified Link for years.
More recently I have been using JJ ESP and JJ DV NY.
I like the JJ's, but the one thing that I miss about the Link
compared to these new pieces is the ease with which the
altissimo popped out and the purity of the notes up there.

Just to clarify, my Link is a STM NY, bought brand new about a year ago. I believe the "unaltered" version of this Link falls among one of the Link categories labeled by Phil Barone as Crap, in one of the threads on this site.
Kavala, your unmodified Link was probably one of the better ones, as you had it for years.
On a slight tangent, Kavala, I also wonder if you use your spoiler on the JJ ESP. My bandmate prefers the altissimo on the ESP without the spoiler/wedge than with it. He describes the altissimo on the ESP (with wedge ) as sounding more like a tone than a note, and I have been trying to play it w/o the spoiler. But it is still my primary mouthpiece.

[SoulMate]

The best way to improve the altissimo on a Link STM is to add a little baffle in the MPC (aside from the hard practise work).

Funny, I had this Link for more than 8 years and I liked the huge sound (especially the bottom end). But it was kinda stuffy and needed lots of work to produce a decent sound.
I put it away in favour of some high baffled mouthpieces, but their "bottom" was a little thin and difficult to produce.
Very recently, as an experiment, I added some putty baffle shape in the Link and after a few adjustments, BANG! a terrific MPC. No more stuffiness, great sound with less work, whispers and roars on demand and plays great altissimo.

I think I'm in love again...:D

[OOlufoks]

I just got the mouthpiece back from Mojo, and I am glad to say it has been "surgically enhanced". After getting warmed up, I started hitting the altissimo notes with more ease than before. I also played an altissimo G (G3) to a whisper , and I almost could not believe it (G3).
Anyway, thanks to Mojo for the good work.

[Chris Mickel]

I sometimes wondered who else in the world knew about Lancelot Link. They sure don't make TV like they used to. I wonder if there's a DVD collection out there somewhere...

Secret Chimp

[Chris Mickel]

I just got the mouthpiece back from Mojo, and I am glad to say it has been "surgically enhanced". After getting warmed up, I started hitting the altissimo notes with more ease than before. I also played an altissimo G (G3) to a whisper , and I almost could not believe it (G3).
Anyway, thanks to Mojo for the good work.

I'm glad the piece works for you. Now get raschers Top Tones and work overtones alot this will help out with not only with tone production but with more control in the altissimo register.

If you can find it get a book called Beginning Studies in the Altissimo Register by Rosemary Lang. I is full of altissimo exercises that start at I think fourth line G and goes up in half steps until one octave above top F. The excersizes are all done in a melodic context that is they are all simple tunes and scales. Great altissimo practice.

The Lang book is out of print and I only have a photocopy missing a few pages. The guy that gave me the copy is going to get me the missing pages soon. I'll try to get a PDF of it when I get all of it.

Chris

[jsweenie]

i personally find split tones stupidly easy on metal links
but go with a hard rubber if you really want em to sing
(i never do this because i basically scream into the horn with altissimo ala Bob Mintzer)