Looking for some new HR Berg Larsens...

[TenorX]

I can't seem to find an online vendor who has any kind of real stock and/or a trial policy for these.

I'm playing a $11 Rico Graftonite B7 (.110, "medium chamber") with a Fibracell med-soft and am generally pleased with this combo, but figure if I spend ~$150 my sound will exponentially improve. That IS true, right?:)

Seriously, any help on the above...or comments on the Rico/Berg comparison would be appreciated. Thanks all.

[Prairie oyster]

Hi :) I'm far from an expert but I can tell you my experience. I actually play with a Graftonite B5, and I've tried a Berg 110/2 HR: the Berg sure had a great sound, the timbre is similar to the Rico but with more body and a richer sound, and a better intonation in all registers. I haven't buyed it because i was searching something with more volume, and also because where I live the price for a Berg mpc is very high :( I've see that Weiner music sell HR Bergs, try to check it if you haven't already.

[Helen]

I played a Berg exclusively until my tech gave me the Rico to try. It was great! I switched to the graftonite on one horn (low A) and a metalite on the other (low Bb). By the way, I also happen to use Fibracell medium-soft reeds.

The sound of the 2 pieces is almost identical. The thing I like better about the Ricos is that the notes don't "break" (crack if you will) when pushed like the Bergs tend to do. And I have noticed no difference in the intonation between the 2 pieces.

I play in loud electric environments as a rule, and volume is important. Baris have to work hard to be heard above the clutter of the electric guitars, bass, and busy drummers. So for me, I had no qualms about playing a $15 piece. It's all about the sound and the projection.

So a short answer to your question is no, spending $150 rather than $11, is not necessarily going to improve your sound, and I would say for sure not exponentially. Play test a Berg for yourself when you get a chance, and compare it to your Rico. Don't be surprised if you find that the $139 or more difference in price can be better spent on other things.

By the way, the baritone Ricos are the best of the bunch (SATB). Don't know why it's the case, but many people have told me that. I also know this from personal experience since I own them for all of my horns (SATB).

[TenorX]

Thanks for the help/comments you guys!

Tenor is my main horn, but when I revisited the bari a few months ago after a looong layoff, I ordered up a variety of mouthpieces to try: HR and metal Links, Rousseaus, and the Ricos.

The Ricos were free-blowing, easy pieces with tremendous projection for this newbie at that time. The Links were out of the question: stuffy and fussy. The Rousseau Jazz model was a contender, but I couldn't justify the price differential.

On paper (or at least in my warped mind), the the Bergs and the Ricos appear to be kindred spirits. But I'm hoping for maybe a little less bark and raunch from the Bergs, so I ordered a nice variety in the .100-.110 range from Weiner with various chambers for a trial. We shall see.

I had forgotten about the Rousseau; I probably should've revisited that one.

Rico on tenor...sounds like a nice experiment. Thanks for the tip there, too.

[TenorX]

Aw, nuts! Weiner's online catalog shows a complete selection of Bergs available, but I just got an email from them cancelling my order because of no stock.

They have no "M" facings...and just a handful of the odd "SMS's".

Could anyone describe and compare the playability of the longer and shorter Berg facings?

Thanks again.

[Grumps]

Could anyone describe and compare the playability of the longer and shorter Berg facings?
Having recently tested out some tenor Bergs, as far as playability for the new models go... two out of three were unplayable. These off the shelf mouthpieces can be seriously defective.

[GAS_Wyo]

I ordered a HR Berg 110/2M from Sam Ash at the end of November. The mouthpiece arrived earlier this week. Haven't had a chance to play it yet, but I will report back on this thread.

So, I believe Sam Ash has some Berg Larsen Bari pieces...somewhere.

[jmathesonjr]

I have been playing a Berg now for over 12 years and would not trade it for anything. I use a 130/3 and love it. I cannot get one of those cheap Ricos to play in tune for anything and never have been able to. They have always played very sharp for me (+40cents). The Bergs I haved played have always been stable and power houses. I can drown out a Trumpet section when I need to.

Since they are now located in Belgium and the WWBW went bankrupt, it is almost impossible to get any in the US. I contacted them about getting another Berg. They would sell me what I wanted, but it would not be returnable if it was not right. It was also at a price of around $250.00. I will wait until they get their head on straight.

[TenorX]

Thanks...that's good info on the Berg situation...explains a lot.

I now have a Rousseau JDX6 here for a trial. Seems like a little "warmer" sound than the Rico, which is kinda what I'm looking for...at least for now. And very playable.

I do agree with you on the tuning idiosyncrasies of the Graftonite. On my horn I actually have to push this piece IN quite a bit and then really loosen up to match upper and lower registers.

[jmathesonjr]

I love my Berg. I cracked the shaft on it about 6 years ago and want to get it banded. I have been advised to do so only if I have a back up piece that is as good as this one. I have not found anyone who carries a 130/anything. I bought mine from the WWBW more than 8 years ago. I have contacted Berg Larsen and everyone else I can think of about getting another 130/anything to try. I am 0 for about 1,000. I wish someone would carry these mouthpieces again and I wish Berg would be more flexible in their trials. I like a wide open mouthpiece and just cannot find any to try that are as open as the one I have. I have some more closed Bergs that I am sitting on until I find someone who does mouthpiece work that more than one person thinks is good at mouthpiece work.

I could never get any Rico mouthpieces to play in tune. I also have trouble keeping a ligature from sliding forward and thus not holding the reed onto the mouthpiece.

I will stick with the Bergs.

[GAS_Wyo]

As mentioned above, I ordered a 110/2M from Sam Ash that finally arrived. It plays well, but is not very stable as of yet. I think I need to play it a little more to get used to it. There is a very nice rollover baffle and a bullet chamber in this piece. However, there were no hand-finishing marks on the piece as was reported this past fall.

It will probably be my backup piece as I also got a 95/2M that was opened up to 112. An ebayer didn't get the reserve price out of it and contacted me with a second chance offer. The former owner was a sax professor at Berkley. The facing on this baby is awesome. With my Rico Royal 2 1/2 I can play from ppp to fff with no hesitation. I think Bergs are the bomb for Baritone.