anybody have their modern Meyer refaced?

[sweetsax]

I've had a Morgan Excalibur 6E for a couple weeks, and comparing it to my plain old off the shelf Meyer has made me realize a couple things. The first is that I really love the sound I get from this Meyer 6M, it's just about perfect tone-wise. The second thing I've realized is that the Meyer probably suffers from less-than-perfect finishing work on the table, rails, and tip. The morgan just responds so much faster and easier. The Meyer isn't bad in this aspect, mind you. I have been playing the Meyer for a few months now and never thought once that there was anything at all wrong with it, really left nothing to be desired. It has only been since comparing it to this Morgan that has brought out some pretty glaring differences in the way the two pieces respond.

Now I am wondering if my stock Meyer 6M would benefit from some touch-up work to the table and rails. I really don't want to change the sound of the Meyer, but I would be a pig in poop if I could get the meyer to respond as well as the morgan but still keep its "Meyer" sound. What I don't know is if there are differences in actual design of the facing, or just the quality in the execution of it that causes the differences in response. Or perhaps it's not worth it to reface a cheap off the shelf Meyer? Even though I think I would be getting a minimum amount of work done to it, it can still be rather expensive. Then of course there's the small band of guys making pieces that are in some cases reported to be excellent copies of Meyers and capture a similar feel and sound. Those may start from a better rubber blank than off the shelf meyers which are more of a plastic/rubber blend :?

anyway, does this all make sense? I don't want to radically change the meyer, but I also don't want to spend a bunch of dough for a barely noticeable difference. I could start shopping around with the guys who make hand-finished meyerish pieces, but I don't want to get back into the endless hunt again. Is it possible to take everything I like that I get from the meyer and simply add to it the response I get from the morgan, without taking away any of the things about the meyer that I like?

[Razzy]

Send it to Mojo. He worked on my modern Alto Meyer and it's fantastic.

[Peter Stevens]

I've had a Morgan Excalibur 6E for a couple weeks, and comparing it to my plain old off the shelf Meyer has made me realize a couple things. The first is that I really love the sound I get from this Meyer 6M, it's just about perfect tone-wise. The second thing I've realized is that the Meyer probably suffers from less-than-perfect finishing work on the table, rails, and tip. The morgan just responds so much faster and easier. The Meyer isn't bad in this aspect, mind you. I have been playing the Meyer for a few months now and never thought once that there was anything at all wrong with it, really left nothing to be desired. It has only been since comparing it to this Morgan that has brought out some pretty glaring differences in the way the two pieces respond.

Now I am wondering if my stock Meyer 6M would benefit from some touch-up work to the table and rails. I really don't want to change the sound of the Meyer, but I would be a pig in poop if I could get the meyer to respond as well as the morgan but still keep its "Meyer" sound. What I don't know is if there are differences in actual design of the facing, or just the quality in the execution of it that causes the differences in response. Or perhaps it's not worth it to reface a cheap off the shelf Meyer? Even though I think I would be getting a minimum amount of work done to it, it can still be rather expensive. Then of course there's the small band of guys making pieces that are in some cases reported to be excellent copies of Meyers and capture a similar feel and sound. Those may start from a better rubber blank than off the shelf meyers which are more of a plastic/rubber blend :?

anyway, does this all make sense? I don't want to radically change the meyer, but I also don't want to spend a bunch of dough for a barely noticeable difference. I could start shopping around with the guys who make hand-finished meyerish pieces, but I don't want to get back into the endless hunt again. Is it possible to take everything I like that I get from the meyer and simply add to it the response I get from the morgan, without taking away any of the things about the meyer that I like?

Sounds like you have a mild dillema? You like the tone of the meyer yet want a more responsive meyer.

Here's the expensive solution: Buy a NY meyer - these mpcs rock! (in order to be able to afford one you will be eating cheap TV dinners for the next 10 years though!)

Now the el-cheapo solution; try a V-seris alto mpc. I recently tried out one of these (I was pretty sceptical at first but all the talk about the zagar mpcs got me interested). The sound and response of the V-seris is somewhere between my favorite NYmeyer and my slant link. This piece works (for me at least), and also pretty cheap at 150 bucks delivered. I hope this helps...

[Stretch]

I have a Jon Van Wie refaced Meyer 6M that works great on all the Selmer and Yamaha saxes that I have tried it on. It has been my one and only alto mouthpiece for over 15 years with the exception of the brief time I was playing a Vandoren V16. The V16 according to Doc Tenney is the closest modern replica of the Meyer Bros. mouthpiece and from my viewpoint the modern Meyer works better. There are a number of refacers that are members here at SOTW.

[Nitetimer]

I'd leave the Meyer like it is. Before the comparison it did the job but after playing the Morgan it just seems like something is now wrong with the Meyer.
The fact that it's not as responsive as the Morgan just means you'll have to adapt to the mouthpiece which looks like you had no problem with previously.
This could be a good thing for you because you'll have to exaggerate certain aspects of your playing to compensate (compared to the Morgan) that will come across in your music as added emotions with a more humanistic quality. It can actually work in your favor.
Side by side comparisons can really fool you and might not give an indication of the potential of either mouthpiece. Play the Morgan for a while then see how they compare.

[captain blowhard]

I refaced my own modern Meyer, which improved the response. The facing curve was not quite right as I recall, and the table was OK but was able to be improved as well.

So I say, go for it!

The only downside with the modern Meyers is that the hard rubber is not that great. It is relatively soft and seems to contain quite of lot of plastic in the mix.

I think Vandoren for one use better hard rubber in their pieces.

[brianpowell]

Like just about all modern mass-produced mouthpieces, current Meyers will benefit from a good refacing job. Yes, the modern Babbitt rubber is less than ideal, but with good finish work, these things can still play great! Usually, the table, facing curve, evenness of side rails, and tip rail shape need some attention.
Vandoren V16s are made from really good rubber compound, and for mass-produced pieces, the finish work and facing consistency is really pretty good. The medium chamber is a fairly decent replication of a Meyer M, but in my opinion, the chamber already starts just a bit larger. They play with a little harder sound though, due to the hardness of the rubber compound. For those looking for a more authentic Meyer M copy, we've been taking the small chamber V16s and reworking the chamber to create a more exact Meyer M copy with the squeeze in the bottom of the floor that has already been taken out to a degree in the V16 Ms. Combine that with the good Vandoren rubber and some fine hand-facing and finish work, and you've got a mouthpiece that really pops!
Not trying to talk anyone out of a Meyer, though, as I said, with some good work, they can really play great!
Brian

[sweetsax]

Vandoren V16s are made from really good rubber compound, and for mass-produced pieces, the finish work and facing consistency is really pretty good. The medium chamber is a fairly decent replication of a Meyer M, but in my opinion, the chamber already starts just a bit larger. They play with a little harder sound though, due to the hardness of the rubber compound. For those looking for a more authentic Meyer M copy, we've been taking the small chamber V16s and reworking the chamber to create a more exact Meyer M copy with the squeeze in the bottom of the floor that has already been taken out to a degree in the V16 Ms. Combine that with the good Vandoren rubber and some fine hand-facing and finish work, and you've got a mouthpiece that really pops!
Not trying to talk anyone out of a Meyer, though, as I said, with some good work, they can really play great!
Brian

When I first purchased the Meyer 6M, I compared it to several mouthpieces including the a V16 medium chamger (don't remember the exact facing). The V16 was just a tad bid darker than the meyer, and to my ears the meyer had a much better sound. The V16 was sort of blatty - a hard sound, as you say. The Meyer was also by far the cheapest of the pieces I tried that day so I felt good about choosing it. I can see how starting with a small chamber V16 would give you more room to turn it into more of a meyer M. I think what I'll do is some pricing online to see how much I'd be looking at spending to touch up the Meyer 6M I already have. I'm leaning in this direction primarily because the work I think I'll need done to it is minimal enough to be on the cheapest end of the pricing spectrum.

[Sebastian]

I've noticed that at most local stores I've been to in Toronto and Edmonton (Canada) the vandorens are actually cheaper than the meyer. Buy the V16 small chamber.

[hgiles]

The Meyer 6M medium is hard to beat. It is my only alto piece and never I had a need for anything else.

If there is any question at all about any imperfections, just send it to somebody for a second opinion. I sent mine to ez_sax about six months ago just to be sure I wasn't missing out on something.

[A Greene]

Sweetsax,

Why not by a used Meyer 6M on E-bay and send that to a refacer. Then compare your original 6M to the refaced. I'm in a similar situation. I have a 6M that seems to work REALLY well. I purchased others that just don't have the same punch.

I recently purchased a Tenney Reface 7M to see if there's any difference. I had planned to get the Saxquest Tenney 6M but the 7M came up for sale.

Let us know how it goes.

[sweetsax]

Sweetsax,

Why not by a used Meyer 6M on E-bay and send that to a refacer. Then compare your original 6M to the refaced. I'm in a similar situation. I have a 6M that seems to work REALLY well. I purchased others that just don't have the same punch.

I recently purchased a Tenney Reface 7M to see if there's any difference. I had planned to get the Saxquest Tenney 6M but the 7M came up for sale.

Let us know how it goes.
I just might do that, I mean, I'll need something else to play anyway if I send a piece of to refacer. I really do like these modern meyers, I've even recommended them to a couple kids I give lessons to who were starting jazz band in school this year. It's strange - I definitely would not consider these to be top-shelf pieces, but the two 6Ms I played that day were head and shoulders above several other HR alto pieces, some of which were four times the cost of this meyer. There's something heart-warming about that.

It's funny you posted this too because I just read your thread inquiring about obtaining a Tenney 6M and I was going to demand a full report on the matter (with the secret hope that you would say it's not worth it - it's the same as the off-the-shelf meyer...:D )

[Stan]

I have a modern 7M Meyer refaced by myself :) which plays OK!

Stan

[tensopbass]

Had a killer 5M from Mark Spencer here in Oz, and since have got a 6M which is the holy grail in my opinion.
A previous thread.....http://www.saxontheweb.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=46875&highlight=mark+spencer

[MM]

Mojo does great work on Meyers. I have an older and newer one and both are excellent.

[carr]

I would suggest trying a Morgan 6M.

[Exiled92]

When I was recently shopping for alto mouthpieces, I skipped the modern Meyers because of allegations that have come up here and elsewhere: inconsist facing quality and lesser quality rubber. I tried a few different MPs, including the Vandoren V16 small chamber in four different sizes (6-9). The workmanship really is fantastic for a production mouthpiece. I settled on the A7S. It was a very difficult decision - I loved the feel of the 9, but the 7 had the "right" sound. I didn't like the 8, which has a shorter facing, and the 6 was too closed.

Purists may recoil, but I play it with a Fibracell medium reed and it has a pretty classic "lead alto" type of sound with good volume and flexibility. It's the most fun I've had playing alto in, oh, 20 years, during which time I had morphed into a tenor/soprano/flute player. It's nice to have alto back on the menu. :D

[shmuelyosef]

I bought one of the Limited Edition NY Meyer altos when they first came out, and was unimpressed. Jon Van Wie suggested that I let him 'fix it'. To this day, it's the only alto piece that I play, although I continue to look for a suitable backup.

[saxymanzach]

If you are interested, I am selling a Vandoren V16 A5S. I would say that it is pretty similar to a Meyer. PM for details.

~Zach

[Stan]

I bought one of the Limited Edition NY Meyer altos when they first came out, and was unimpressed. Jon Van Wie suggested that I let him 'fix it'. To this day, it's the only alto piece that I play, although I continue to look for a suitable backup.

Send your piece to a good refacer asking him to make a similar sounding mouthpiece. Not a so difficult task if you have a reference mouthpiece to look at for measurements and timber and if the refacer is also a good saxophone player of course.

Stan