my final tenor mpc choices and clips

[garyjones]

OK, so i have been in new Tenor equipment mode for some time corresponding to practice mode.
I have tried lots and lots of horns and mouthpieces so i thought I'd share what i came up with here.
Info and soundclips both wheeeeee.
to help others skip the trouble and also expose myself to more ridicule as the SOTW village idiot.
I love that so keep the flames coming ! NO i don't have GAS sorry. These are the mouthpieces i pick out and i will play them for the next 20 years. BUT it took me a couple of years to decide what to use.
These are easy setups that can be reproduced with stock equipment.

The only thing not stock is the superial DC reeds 3.5 i made flat with a reed knife and shaped the tip with fine sandpaper.
I was looking for a straight ahead type sound.

First clip:
http://patriot.net/~gary/hollywood.zip
Selmer MK VI Tenor 97xxx and a phil barone hollywood 9*
this is a very singing setup.

Second clip:
http://patriot.net/~gary/link.zip
Reference 36 tenor with a gloger reference 54 copper neck and an Early Florida short body Otto Link Super Tone Master 8 "no USA" with a serial number on it (very similar to a two line).
This setup is a little more intellectual than the other one and less singing but still real good in a different way.

These recordings were made on my little shuttle computer running Debian etch Linux with a cheapo SB Live soundcard.
Music is just doodles to an ambersold cd, not intended as well recorded or good.
I know it sucks i was just trying to hear the tone.
I made a point not to warm up alot or be playing really well so i could hear worst case.
sound is further degraded by lossy mp3 comression.


download , listen, then ridicule !

yea i know i could sound just like this using a new otto link if i could really play.
i'll check that out that same day in the future when pigs can fly and all other myths come true.
now that i have good setups all i have to do is learn to play -- uh oh.

[rispoli]

Great sound, no way to ridicule you!
I personally prefer the sound you get on the second clip, I simply find it a bit more pleasing to my ears.

[grantonsax]

I kind of like the sound better on the second recording too. It's a little warmer, although both have a trane vibe, which I'm sure is intended.

[Sigmund451]

I happen to like the Hollywood but the recordings beg the question of what the 36 sounds like with the Hollywood ....

Id be interested in knowing. I think with a different recording method the VI and Barone would be nice....real nice.

[hallkat]

Sounds great ...Ilike the Link as well

Steve

[Nefertiti]

I prefer the link over the Hollywood. Another Steve

[steevemcbry]

Sounds like you listened to coltrane ;-)
i like your sub tones and i prefer the hollywood set up...

[Berko]

The Second !!!!
Good Sound

[Stan]

I absolutely like the first clip, great sound but IMHO the saxophone volume is too high with respect to the (maiden :) ) background music. Have you tried the florida on the VI? just to have a direct comparison.
Thanks, for the clips.

Stan

[Mike F]

Another vote for the Link. It would have be good if you had used the same horn for both takes, or done takes with both pieces on both horns for a more interesting comparison.

Your too hard on yourself with regard to your playing, and it takes courage to post clips of your playing here!

If your looking for constructive criticism about your playing, I would say that you need to think about your time. I know that you were playing freely, but sometimes it doesn't work so well. Nice sound though.

[Dave Wright]

Yes, i'd like to hear both mouthpieces on both horns too. Thanks for posting, to me they sound different in character, but equally as good.
cheers

[Swampcabbage]

The link sounds a little more fluid. It's nicer on the corners. But, I think it's more of a matter of the Hollywood being too open.

[jazzsax07]

I like the 2nd clip better.

[saxguy1953]

Sounds good- I like the Hollywood; fwiw sounds to me like your more comfortable on that.

[Giganova]

I like the Link clip much more -- but I believe the main difference is the horn and not the mpc, especially since the Barone is modeled after a Link anyway.

Since you changed two parameters at the same time (horn and mpc) it is probably impossible to figure out which parameter has a larger impact on the sound.

Edit: on the first clip you sound like Trane -- whose sound I never liked.

[Sigmund451]

The barone is designed after a dukoff....I like the ringing quality of the first but perhaps more controlled in the mixing room. The link is a little muffled for my taste.

[Hotspur]

Otto link is more pleaseing to my ears as well, but you should try both on both horns

[soulysax]

I agree with some of the others that the biggest influence here may be the horns. The first one definately has the Trane vintage Selmer sound. The second is smoother and seems easier to play. I am a VI guy so the new Selmers just sound clear and lifeless to me. But I am sure others feel just the opposite.

Ultimately, the decision is multifaceted. Which sound do you prefer? Is that sound worth any extra effort? And now that you have put it on the web what does the listener prefer? Or for some who cares what they think.

Thanks for sharing.

[garyjones]

thanks for all the interesting replies.
the help is apreciated.
Mike i agree the playing is weird.
I'm working on it. I have been an r&b player for many many years.
so jazz is like foreign thing i'm going to try again.
I think i like the link and ref 36 better too even though it's kind of dry.
The reference horn was horrible till i found the neck.
the mk VI with the hollywood can sound so much like trane its kind of embarassing.
although it remind me of a night i heard pharoah sanders play one song till like 3 in the morning for his last set.

as far as switching the mouthpieces they don't realy work on the other horn. would be fun for everyone to listen in on all the combinations but not enough room on the computer for all the clips.

the link is really really too brite on the Mk VI and the hollywood is lifeless on the reference. Its all about mating the mouthpiece with the right horn. The reference is very nearly dead compared to the Mk VI.

heres another one since people are interested. This one i'm really not sure about yet and still looking.
I was reluctant to put it originally because people seem REALLY hostile here to altering mouthpieces. (or being critical of mouthpieces)
Mouthpiece started out as a phil barone NY. stuffy like you filled the horn with spray insulation. Had it refaced by mojo to .117 and the window fixed. reed vibrates now but still sounds weird. used like a half pack of 220 sandpaper and got a blister sanding at least 1/3 or more of the baffle out of the mouthpiece. Paired it with a MK VII with a silver reference 54 neck. further comments on the sound are apreciated. another horid maiden voyage clip ;-)
vandoren java 3 reed.
http://patriot.net/~gary/NY.zip

[MojoBari]

If you want any help hacking up the Barone, I'll help you out for the cost of return s/h.

[tomsch]

I like the first clip better (Hollywood). Much more interesting than the Link. Certainly has a harder edge (ring) than the Link but more personality.

[Othello3]

I really like the link. It has a hard edge and slightly buzzy tone that sounds really good. However, I think you will find that it will be easiest to pick a horn and then pick a mouthpiece as opposed to trying to pick both at the same time. What you are doing now will make it very hard to determine what is effecting your sound. I suggest getting a wide range of mouthpieces (different chamber sizes, different baffles, different sizes) either from eBay or on loan from the local shop, and play a couple horns.

[Razzy]

Each of these setups has a different personality that I like. The Hollywood/VI setup is a more interesting sound to listen to, it's less predictable. The Link/54, however, sounds like it is a lot more comfortable for you to play, or like it is a lot EASIER to play. I'm not sure that's always a good thing. In the hollywood I hear potential; in the Link I hear ease with room for development. I guess it's up to you which of these you feel is the better path to take. The first setup is going to take more work to flesh out a tonal concept.

Given the choice I'd probably go with the Link/54 setup from a player's perspective. time-tested, kid-approved! If the Link doesn't work well on the VI then so be it... I'd still like to hear a recording of it so that I can tell you how wrong you are. :D