Rico Royal Mpcs. fantastic?

[jazzbeau75]

I have never seen any discussions on this thread about Rico Royal Mouthpieces. I have a RR Metalite M5 for my vintage Aristocrat and Mark 6 tenors and it works better for me than any other much more expensive mpcs I have tried and they are so comparitively cheap to buy. I also own a similar Metalite on for my Mark 7 alto with the same good results. I can get great mellow sounds as well as real edge when required with these.
Anyone tried these with same result or are they not in favor for some reason?

[SAXISMYAXE]

Well, I think that one reason is they aren't pricey enough, or "Sexy" if you will, for a lot of saxophone "Gear" obsessed players out there(admit it, this breed of cat does exist in rather large numbers-I am certainly guilty of this too). I have a fairly large collection of the best mouthpieces available, both vintage and current production, and if I had a limited amount of money, the Graphtonite and metalite Ricos are the best buy for the money. My Graphtonite Tenor piece is a pretty damned impressive player-one that I still use from time to time. They seem to sound better with Rico Plasticover reeds, I wonder if Rico designed them that way! :lol:

[jazzbeau75]

Mike R. Thanks for your comments. I will try the plasticover reeds and see if they make a difference. But it rather amazes me that I have never ever seen any other comments ever on these mpcs. on the Forum. I paid $230 AUD once for an Otto Linke metal mpc. and I can't say it gives me the verstility of tones that I get with the R.Royal. Thanks again for your comments. Anyone else out there tried them?

[SAXISMYAXE]

Forgot to mention that they were, of course, designed by A. Brilhart, no slouch in the Mouthpiece department either! My mouthpiece of choice for Tenor is actually a Vintage Otto Link, but I wouldn't hesitate to sub my Rico Metalite or Graphtonite in a pinch. The Plasticover reeds give more projection and edge, great for when you are seeking those qualities from these pieces. I generally prefer a darker tone, but Rico designed these specifially for a more modern sound.

[Helen]

I use one on my bari. Works great. For $25, it sounds just as good, and is a bit more stable than my $200 Berg Larson. I did pick up some for alto and tenor as well. They too work well, but for those horns, I prefer my "old" set-ups.

[paulwl]

The bari mpcs are more popular among pros than the other models. The 3rd alto/bari player on my big band uses one routinely on a 12M.

[Subtone Sam]

Metalites work well on bari and soprano.

[super20dan]

i agree with sam -these are great mpcs for sop and bari especially with plasticover reeds. its a shame these are no longer made.there is even one for clarinet but its not for the timid. i use these mpcs on gigs all the time.

[Stencilman]

The Rico Metalite and Graftonite mouthpieces are very similar except for the baffle. Add a baffle to a Rico Royal Grafonite B7 mouthpiece, and you have essentially the same thing as a Metalite M7.

Graftonites are great mouthpieces to work on. Add a baffle, thin the side rails and tip rail and they can be outstanding.

[Subtone Sam]

I added an epoxy baffle to a bari Metalite 11,looks similar to Dukoff now.It plays even better now,really strong and solid sound but plays easy.

[MojoBari]

Metalites already have pretty significant baffles. Where did you add to it?

Graftonites have a long arch baffle in them. Not a lot, but more than most plastic mouthpieces.

[Subtone Sam]

Mojo,I added the baffle just after the tip,ending at the "step".Just enough to cover the lake(?) that is after the tip,more or less smooth surface from the tip to the step.

[frankbiff]

I have 2 Graftonites B5's, one for Altos (1929 Conn and Beuscher) and one for Sop (1926 Conn). Don't realy play them much, and don't see a need for anything better right now. Will probably get one for tenor just to see how it is.

[MojoBari]

Neat Subby. I may give that a try to see what happens. I had forgot about the dip just after the tip trail on these. Its a nice design, but more than it needs to be.

[Azrayl]

I know it's an old post, but great googly moogly, I love the search button. :)

Thank you guys for the information and opinions. I can always count on ya'll for good information and such. Adding a baffle, thinning the rails... that will be my next project for my B3.

Thanks again!

[Frank Frasche]

The rico royal mouthpieces still amaze me to this day. For a loud gig they are great and consistent. I would love to play my link ny stm in my current band but the metalite is just easier to put the sound out there and the sound is there. Good bottom and altissimo. R&B and rock is all about attitude and your airstream . I even do some ballads with the rico pieces and get a decent sound just by controlling your air and embouchure.

[Frank Frasche]

It can be noted that I too have gone down the mouthpiece road through the years and still have a collection of them (some pricy). These rico pieces to me are not necessarily student pieces.Read some of the reviews of them in WWBW. If you control them and with different reeds, many different tones can be produced using these. Good bang for the buck IMO.

[bruce bailey]

Excellent for the price. I think the Tenors are their best however and rival some really high end pieces.

[SAXISMYAXE]

Excellent for the price. I think the Tenors are their best however and rival some really high end pieces.
The Baritone pieces are my personal favorite in the Graftonite line. I've semi retired my Lawton and Runyon Quantum MPs in favor of this model.

[rispoli]

I have collected many of those (since they are so cheap...) for tenor. I like all of them, actually, and not just in light of the price.
My personal favorite is the "middle-of-the-road" B5, supposedly a 6* opening. For the Martin tenors I used to own I did not find a better match than that for intonation. Generally I find them excellent on all my vintage tenors.
There is some degree of excellence in their design which, among other pleasant things, also allows a cheap manufacturing process.
The finish looks cheap, the price makes them non-trendy, but.... get one (or more)!

[bruce bailey]

Yep, I am using a B5 on my Martin tenor. I sold my slant FL link I had for 30 years and rarely use my Brilhart tonalin now that I have the Rico. I have some Rico soprano mouthpieces new if anyone needs one. B3.

[MartinMusicMan]

I just got a Graftonite B7 for the Martin bari I bought a couple of weeks ago. It honks. You can't beat it for the price. I ordered a new Metalite M9 and I'm waiting to see when it will come in.

[Orionsax7]

Where were you able to order it from? I emailed WWBW sales but they haven't replied yet.

[click]

I just got my B7 Graftonite for my bari, played it for the last hour. I am very pleased. Ancient 2 screw brass lig (off an old King 4 mpc that made my high notes way sharp) and plasticover 3s.