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View Full Version : My BBQ Review...


Santee>
02-18-2004, 01:13 PM
Hi guys, I tested a BBQ yesterday in a .125" opening ...here's my review.

First off, I really like how the mouthpiece looks and feels. It reminds me of a Guardala. The baffle is amazing! I had some photos taken of the inside of the mouthpiece at a photo shoot on Saturday, hopefully you'll post 'em on your website. The chamber is very similar to metal Yanagisawa mouthpieces - sorta a vertical rectangle. My only concern is the spoiler's staying put over time 'cause the baffle's second drop (step-down) has much less surface area as the Runyon mouthpieces...which is so perfect for use w/o the spoiler. I never thought a mouthpiece could have as much edge as the BBQ has when the spoiler is inserted! And I found the mouthpiece very easy to control. Even with the spoiler inserted, the mouthpiece is still controllable (and when U see how high that baffle gets with the spoiler insterted, you'll wonder how the BBQ can get any sound! But it certainly does!!!). Oh, and this is a very dynamic mouthpiece... it can get really loud! THE perfect mouthpiece for big band lead tenor players out there!!! Also perfect for fusion players and players who like the early Brecker and Lenny Pickett sound.

I know this mouthpiece will take off, and when it does, I hope you'll expand to a larger chamber model with the same baffle design, maybe narrow the rails a little too. That would be 100% the sound I've been looking for. It plays very similar to a mouthpiece I had Dave Guardala make me with the highest, longest baffle he would make, a bullet-hole drop-off, and a medium-large chamber. I switched to a Dukoff P9 though after a few years w/the Guardala just to get a bigger sound. If I could go back in time to 1996, I would have gone w/the BBQ and saved a thousand bucks and a 6 month wait for the Guardala!!!

Paul Coats
02-18-2004, 10:48 PM
If you want a dark, smooth, woody tone, go on down the street... but if you want to throttle up to 104%, Wide OPEN ROCK & ROLL... THIS is YOUR MOUTHPIECE.

This mouthpiece is brash, bold, edgy, loud... and pure Rock & Roll, R&B. If you want that Memphis Soul Sound, this is it.

Altissimo screams out easily!

And that was without the spoiler inserted. I have had so much fun playing it like that, I haven' tried it with the spoiler yet.

jr!
03-14-2004, 06:10 PM
umm...so, when can we purchase these??
Does anybody have pics?

Santee>
03-16-2004, 03:14 PM
I have a photo of the mouthpiece on my biography page and on my sax rig page (www.aaronsantee.com). Prices and availability, not sure... I think Charlie A (www.gigdust.com) is gonna try to keep prices low... probably close to Guardala's Laser trimmed mouthpieces. But these are hand made btw. Charlie should have pics up on his site soon...

tomsch
05-04-2004, 10:54 PM
I had the pleasure of trying Charlie's BBQ in the ~.110 opening. My tenor setup consists of either a Couf SuperbaI with a silver Gloger neck or a new Yamaha YTS-82Z UL. For mpcs I use a Ponzol M2/110 on most gigs with sanded Bari * M reeds. If I use cane they are typically V16s.
On to the BBQ. This mpc really has two personalities, with and without the spoiler insert. Without the spoiler the mpc is fat, bold, bright but with some warmth and body to the sound. Very similar to my Ponzol in versatilty. The low register is nice and fast for a high baffle mpc. Altissimo pops out with no problems at all. Put in the spoiler and it turns into a beast! This has to be the loudest mpc I've tried and had no trouble taking as much air as I could put through it. I was able to play one set of a gig using this mpc and had no trouble adapting at all.

Now for the improvement. As much as I loved the BBQ I struggled with the duck-bill style design. I was not able to open my jaw as much I'm used to on the Ponzol and it felt like my sound suffered. Drop the duck-bill design and this would be a perfect mpc for Rock/R&B/Funk styles.