Claude Lakey mpcs -- do they all leak?

[Mal 2]

I was rummaging for a metal Link (alto) I know I have somewhere. I didn't find it, but I did find a Claude Lakey 4*3. Unfortunately, the bite plate is ill-fitting (I think it's a Lakey trademark), and the mouthpiece patch keeps peeling up at the edges because of it. Undaunted, I had to give it a spin.

In a nutshell -- IT LEAKS! The rails are exceptionally thin for the last 1 cm or so of the facing, and air escapes from between the reed and facing even beyond that. I see no signs that it has ever been worked on, so this is just how it was made.

Soundwise, it's a paint peeler just like I expected. The tip opening is slightly smaller than that of my Rousseau, but when I took a look inside at the baffle, I realized that my wedge job on the Rousseau makes the chamber almost identical to the Lakey (except that it stops being square a little bit sooner). Not surprisingly, they sound almost exactly the same, and the response is not much different, except for that damn leaking!

Now I see why it ended up in the mouthpiece drawer. If it didn't leak, and didn't have the funky bite plate, it would make a perfectly good alternative to the modded Rousseau. I had the "Lakey sound" in mind when I wedged the Rousseau, but I did not have one on hand to copy. I still managed to make a very close replica.

It's also commonly believed that Lakeys don't play in tune. I couldn't tell you for sure, as I couldn't put up with the leaking long enough to find out, but nothing egregious jumped out at me in terms of intonation.

[mattp169]

Most mass produced mouthpieces leak or have some issue with them. If you love the sound of the mouthpiece and wished you could play it then send it off to Brian and Erik over at mouthpieceguys.com. They will make that thing play better than any other mouthpiece you have played. Plus if you are worried about the intonation thy can check that and sometimes do something to corrct problems.

[Mal 2]

Nah, it's totally unnecessary. I'm already playing on a mouthpiece that is exceptionally similar in sound and feel, but without the "issues". I was amazed by the similarity between them, even though I had consciously been trying to make my Rousseau "Lakey-like".

[Mal 2]

I just did a "kitchen counter" refacing with 800 grit sandpaper, and it no longer leaks from the facing. This had the dual effects (both good IMHO) of widening the rails, and opening up the tip. It also let me get rid of a slight imbalance in the curve of the rails. As a result, the mouthpiece no longer leaks -- from the table. It still leaked from a poorly fitted bite plate, and I took that off entirely and replaced it with a 3M pad cut to the same shape.

That worked, but why do the stock bite plates always fit so poorly? I've never seen one that was a good fit.

[mattp169]

Why do stock bite plates not fit well? Why do brand new mouthpieces that cost over $150 leak or have tips that are off center or rails that are not symetrical? Why do brand new Selmer Paris Saxes sometimes have a key rod that is 3mm shorter than the distance between its posts? The short answer is the manufacturer's don't care and we reaffirm their decision to put out low quality products everytime we buy them.

[Mal 2]

Why do stock bite plates not fit well? Why do brand new mouthpieces that cost over $150 leak or have tips that are off center or rails that are not symetrical? Why do brand new Selmer Paris Saxes sometimes have a key rod that is 3mm shorter than the distance between its posts? The short answer is the manufacturer's don't care and we reaffirm their decision to put out low quality products everytime we buy them.

If it was just a matter of cheapness, or of sloppiness, then the obvious thing to do would be to not have a bite plate at all, nor the notch it fits into. I can't think of another hard rubber or plastic mouthpiece that does. But since the decision has been made to include a replaceable bite plate, why then make one with a poor fit?

I may have to fill the carved-out area with epoxy and pretend it never existed, but for now I will play it with the 3M patch in there and see how it does at the next gig. The sound and intonation differences between it and my modified Rousseau are very subtle, so I doubt anyone else will know the difference. Using a better microphone (I got a Sennheiser MD-421) will probably make more effect in what the audience and other band members hear.

If it works at least as well as the wedged Rousseau, great! Then I may have the Rousseau fitted to the C-mel that's in transit, or have two more or less interchangeable mouthpieces. If it's slightly less well suited, it may become the C-mel mouthpiece.

[cjpts]

I don't think the tables on my Lakeys are great, but the don't seem to be leaking at all. They're all stock ones, but I do think that the non-symmetrical cuts could be better but as it ain't broke I won't fix it !

[Mal 2]

I don't think the tables on my Lakeys are great, but the don't seem to be leaking at all. They're all stock ones, but I do think that the non-symmetrical cuts could be better but as it ain't broke I won't fix it !

Mine was broke enough that I had to fix it, but I'm actually fairly pleased with the kitchen counter refacing -- enough so that I got out the polishing compound and worked out the tiny leftover scratches because I think it's "done".

[mattp169]

So, I am curious. Does a kitchen table refacing mean you use the table as your flat surface or you just set up your glass and worked at the kitchen table?

[Mal 2]

So, I am curious. Does a kitchen table refacing mean you use the table as your flat surface or you just set up your glass and worked at the kitchen table?

Actually I meant kitchen counter, not kitchen table. Generally speaking, a stone slab is about the flattest thing I have around the house. Even a piece of glass will bend under sufficient pressure, but I don't think I can manage any appreciable deflection in an inch thick piece of granite. Maybe if I took all the support out from under it and then stood on it... but short of that it should be flat.

[cjpts]

I don't think I can manage any appreciable deflection in an inch thick piece of granite. Maybe if I took all the support out from under it and then stood on it... but short of that it should be flat.

Mrs Mal might not appreciate it if you break the granite worktop ;) it should be very flat though. All these threads on improving mouthpieces is making me wonder about buying another 5*3 and working on the window since the window on my alto 5*3 is no where near symmetrical :?

[Mal 2]

Mrs Mal might not appreciate it if you break the granite worktop ;) it should be very flat though. All these threads on improving mouthpieces is making me wonder about buying another 5*3 and working on the window since the window on my alto 5*3 is no where near symmetrical :?

There's no Mrs. Mal I'm afraid. :(

I'm not sure what you mean by the window not being symmetric. In theory it's probably better if it is (I bet more reeds per box would be playable), but what matters a lot more is that the distance from the rails to the reed at any given point is the same on both sides, and that there are no nicks in the rails or tip. If one rail is a little thicker than the other, making the window a bit off-center, this is not a show-stopper.

In practice, one rail slightly thicker than the other offers the option of turning your head slightly one way or the other (favoring the more or less damped side of the reed) when you need a certain response. I have had instructors who have told me to make one side of my reed softer than the other for the exact same reason. (I don't though.)