The New Wonder problem

[zgatt]

I'm having a mouthpiece problem (I think) on a Chu/tranny tenor I got not long ago. If I play with my SR or new Meyer in a "normal" position on the cork, the sax plays great but is way sharp. If I pull it out so it's in tune, it's on the very end of the cork, and I get persistent problems with the low D-Eb-E: it tends to warble or burble, and breaks when I switch notes.

I've seen statements suggesting this is an issue with old saxes, and that some mouthpieces are better in this regard. If so, what sort of piece should I look for? Will a JodyJazz have this problem? I have an alto JJ I like a lot.

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[Lee]

I'm having a mouthpiece problem (I think) on a Chu/tranny tenor I got not long ago. If I play with my SR or new Meyer in a "normal" position on the cork, the sax plays great but is way sharp. If I pull it out so it's in tune, it's on the very end of the cork, and I get persistent problems with the low D-Eb-E: it tends to warble or burble, and breaks when I switch notes.

I've seen statements suggesting this is an issue with old saxes, and that some mouthpieces are better in this regard. If so, what sort of piece should I look for? Will a JodyJazz have this problem? I have an alto JJ I like a lot.



I imagine yoI ur horn has the microtuner neck, if so, try putting the mouthpiece all the way on the cork then adjust the tuner neck to achieve tune
lee

[danm]

He is talking about a Chu tenor and those had a microtuner on the mouthpiece not the neck. There are some mouthpieces that just will not work on a Chu properly. I do know that square chamber pieces do not work. The JJ and Runyon custom will work great on that horn. I know because that's what I use on mine. Good luck. :)

[Lee]

:oops: Sorry I was thinking alto. :oops:

lee

[retread]

This is also a problem on my 1936 10M. Mouthpieces that work for me: Link HR, Hite, Selmer Soloist.

[JunkDude]

Players call me about this problem at least once a week. It is very common with the vintage Conn horns. The solution is a large chamber mouthpiece. Many of the mouthpieces made up through the 1940s were large chamber mouthpieces, as a result, many of the vintage horns were designed to play with large chamber mouthpieces. Of course, I always recommend the Morgan L or EL models as he is very familiar with the designs of the vintage Conn saxes and his mpcs are a great match for them.

Many of you may have seen the post a few weeks ago of a customer of mine who was told by a popular mpc maker that his 1926 Conn Soprano will never play in tune and should be traded in for a newer soprano. This player contacted me, I hooked him up with a large chamber Morgan mpc which solved his problems and now he loves the sound of his vintage Conn.

I can't tell you how many intonation problems I've fixed by suggesting a large chamber mpc.

[Jody Espina]

I heard a soprano player the other night who sounded beautiful on a Morgan so I don't disagree with JunkDude, but I do have to say that JodyJazz mpc's work very well with the old big horns. And my new ESP line will all be big chamber mouthpieces. Once the alto prototype is in production I'll begin work on the soprano.

[Dave Dolson]

Jody: Is your JodyJazz soprano piece considered to be a large-chamber?

My JJ 7 will play on anything to which I affix it (new and vintage, curved and straight), as will my metal Link 6* and my Super Sessions (I know, I've made this point before).

But I'm curious about this large/medium/small chamber thing. I've never paid attention to it before and merely selected mouthpieces for the way they played for me, not by their chamber design.

Specifically, my 1925 Conn straight sop plays pretty good with all of the above noted pieces, as well as my open-faced Selmer S-80s. Same with my straight True Tones and new Yanagisawas. My experiences are contrary to what some posters mention (vintage requires large chambers, or vice versa, etc.). Can you clarify your experiences? Thanks! DAVE

[Bootman]

Try a Quantum on you Conn tenor, these work very well indeed. The older big chamber mpcs also play great on the old Conns.

[paulwl]

Dave Dolson: I'm curious about this large/medium/small chamber thing. I've never paid attention to it before and merely selected mouthpieces for the way they played for me, not by their chamber design. [...] My experiences are contrary to what some posters mention (vintage requires large chambers, or vice versa, etc.).

Mine too, by and large. I always tell people it's less important to do what you're told will work than to experiment and see for yourself -- at least if you are past a beginning level as a player. People who cite immutable acoustic principles as regards sax chambers are often unwittingly biased, either towards a certain sound or a certain brand of equipment.

The wildcard is the player. As it should be.

[Jody Espina]

I agree with you guys 100%. Don't believe anything until you try it for yourself. I'd call my soprano mpc a medium chamber and it's in tune with these horns. I've had conversations with Santy Runyon about this and although these aren't his exact words at all, I think that he believes that you have to go on a mpc by mpc basis and not generalize about chamber size. I'm not saying that the solution isn't a large chamber mouthpiece, I just think that it doesn't have to be the only solution. And let's face it, some of those old sopranos have some funky intonation compared to some of the modern horns. But the big sound may be worth it, depending on the type of gig you're doing.

[Dave Dolson]

Jody and Paul: Thanks for the replies. I have had some bad intonation problems with vintage sopranos (and a new Taiwanese curvy), but I never found a mouthpiece that would solve the problem. I came to believe it was the horns, not the mouthpiece, especially when I tried several different mouthpieces and none brought those monsters into tune. Glad to see I'm not the only one that doesn't buy into the chamber voo-doo stuff. DAVE

[Roger Aldridge]

I agree with the comments above that it can be necessary to try different things in order to find the particular kind of set up that works best on that particular horn.

I've come to understand that in playing vintage horns we need to be open minded and be prepared for "any of the above" in resolving intonation problems and other things we run into. I've had horns that gave me fits with intonation that were IMMEDIATELY corrected with a large chamber mouthpiece (Morgan). I've also had horns that were problematic even with a large chamber piece. After getting some special work done on them the intonation was fine. Thus, it can be a mistake to overly generalize.