JJ ESP bari pieces - anyone playing one?

[mark_m]

They sure look pretty, has anyone played one yet?

[shmuelyosef]

I'm just about to try one...I've been on the road almost nonstop since they were released, or I would already have. I'm going to order a couple (.100 and .110) when I get home in early March.

Sounds like what I might be looking for. Play a Lamberson SB currently, but I'm willing to give up a little volume for more 'darkness'

[mark_m]

Well, you know where you can unload your SB if you need to:) mmmalmberg @ comcast . net

And if you get an ESP before me, post your thoughts about it! I'd love to hear about it in comparison to the SB.

[mark_m]

Hey did you ever get the ESP?

[shmuelyosef]

Not yet...I've been on the road non-stop and I keep waiting for a week or two when I can get Jody to send me a couple of tip openings and give them a really good try. I'll be gone the next two weekends still wtih too many commitments during the week, but after that it looks like I have time for some shedding and equipment work and the ESP is tops on my list...may try a tenor piece also if cash permits.

[Saxmachine]

Hi there,

I have just tried a Jody Jazz ESP on my Conn transitional bari and I really liked the sound. Although I used a Fibracell medium soft reed I did not find the sound to be overly bright. I have only played it for 5 minutes or so, but I really liked it. Response was very good in all registers, at least better as my HR Link 7*.

I´m still waiting for my RPC mouthpiece. It will be interesting to compare these two mouthpieces. Hoping to get the right mix between a full round sound and a certain amount of brightness in it. I hope Ron´s piece will end my search for a perfect mouthpiece.

Greetings from good old Germany

Mr Low 8)
------------

[shmuelyosef]

Which RPC are you getting? If it is the 'rollover', I would be quite interested in hearing your comments on the comparison.

[Saxmachine]

Hi there,

the RPC I´m getting is the .125 one with a baffle inside. I told Ron to make the piece not too bright, so the baffle should not be too high, but I don´t think that it will be the rollover baffle. I hope that I will get this mouthpiece in a month or two.

Greetings from Germany

Mr Low 8)

[shmuelyosef]

Sorry about the length of this post, but a few people seemed interested in an objective evaluation of the bari ESP. I did finally get the ESP for trial the last few days...while my first cosmetic inspection was a little disappointing (not used to seeing residual machining marks on table and rails in a 'handfaced' piece...) playing this piece (the real test) has been quite a pleasure.

I have played it quite a bit, mainly comparing it to my Lamberson 7SB. JJ only had the .100 in stock and I always play .110 on bari, so not quite apples-apples. I also did some A/B with a Berg 110/1 and a quick check vs an old Woodwind NY. I tried it with both my 70s vintage Keilwerth low A and a 1950 Conn 12M.

I'm very impressed with the mouthpiece, very pretty baritone sound, warm yet focused without the spoiler. Did not like the spoiler much...a little too 'buzzsaw' for me...my Lamberson sound is a compromise between these two. My wife and daughter both preferred the sound of the ESP to my Lamberson 7SB...my daughter is a clarinetist primarily. The response of the facing is really excellent...even up and down the horn. The sound was not quite as 'rich' as I had hoped, particularly at the bottom...the core was quite similar to the Lamberson, but the Lamberson develops more edge when pushed and a much more flexible bottom end. I was hoping for more of a large chamber sound, however the ESP is a full cm shorter and about the same volume (25.5ml) as my Lamberson (26ml).

The piece played with more resistance than I like...both the Berg and the Lamb are quite free-blowing. A quick measurement showed the reason...the facing length is ~46mm for the ESP and 54/55 for the Berg/Lamb respectively. Jody had encouraged me to think that if I normally use a .110 that a .100 ESP might work.

The ESP seemed to prefer French cut reeds (Alexander DC and Rico Royal worked OK from the choices I had) so I did all the comparisons with Rico Royal 2.5s...new reeds.

It is a very hard choice as it is a very nice mouthpiece, but I am probably going to return it, for mostly reasons that I suspect are unique to me:
1) While my Berg works perfectly on both these horns, the Lamb has been slightly on the sharp side and doesn't leave me as much room for 'scoops', but I tolerate it. This piece is slightly sharper than the Lamb and it gets worse with the spoiler.
2) It is not sufficiently different than the Lamberson to warrant the investment. I was hoping for a bigger chamber sound like the Berg, but with the response and focus of the Lamberson...dream on!!
3) As much as I am embarrassed to say it, the finishing bothered me...for nearly $400, I wouldn't expect to see plated machining grooves on the facing and side rails...I know it shouldn't matter, but it does...I love the way my older Lawton tenor piece looks, all smooth and perfect...a work of art.

Don't misinterpret...this piece is GREAT!! Just isn't what I'm looking for.

[mark_m]

Finally! Thanks so much for your review.

Critical point for me is that it plays a bit sharper and has a bit less internal volume than the SB. I've been hoping to see people use volume measurement like this as another point of data comparison. And it's kind of fun, in practice:)

Have you measured chamber volume on the Berg?

[Jody Espina]

shmuelyosef,
Thanks for the fair and thoughtful review. I really think that the tip opening is too small for you. I went back and reviewed our correspondence and I couldn't find an instance where I told you the smaller tip opening would be better. My last email to you was this:

<<Hello (shmuelyosef),
Thanks for the order. We can get you out an ESP .100 and a JJ Classic #10 tomorrow, but unfortunately the ESP .110 is out of stock as is the .120. I have a waiting list of about 5 to 6 weeks. My suggestion is to try these two and if you really like the ESP but feel the . 100 is too small then we'll get you the 110 when it comes in. If that is the case then I'll pay for the extra shipping costs for the stuff that we send too you, if you agree to pay stuff to send back to us. If you end up buying an ESP I'll pickup all of the shipping. Please let me know what you'd like to do.
Jody>>

[lousaxmac]

I've been using the ESP (.100" opening) mouthpiece on my Cannonball Big Bell bari for a little over a month now, and I'm really pleased with it. I like to use Fibracell medium reeds with it. I've tried it with the spoiler, and I think the rock-and-rollers and modern jazz players will like it - but I mostly play swing tunes and ballads, and I like the nice round tone the piece has without the spoiler. I like to use Fibracell medium reeds with it.

The sound is _rich_ and very flexible - not what I expected from a metal piece. It's got plenty of power, yet it handles soft, low volume very nicely as well. Best of all, it stays in tune regardless of volume or register.

Yes, you can see some very light machining "swirls" on the facing. My guess is that it probably has something to do with the CNC method of manufacture. I can say, though, that they have no negative effect on playability or reed life (I been using the same Fibracell for about a month).

Jody will work with you in finding just the right tip opening. His trial policy is excellent, as is the quality of his customer service. If you're still "in the hunt" for a bari mouthpiece, I think you'll find that trying the ESP from JodyJazz will be a pleasurable experience even if you decide it's not for you. But I think you'll like it.

Lou

[WhisprnJohn]

I have been using an ESP.110 on my Kielwerth bari for several months now and am very happy with it. I am primarily a tenor player and I use an ESP (also a .110) for it as well. The response and ease of play on tenor are fantastic, and I get a beautiful round sound that blends very well for section work, and still has plenty of projection for soloing.
I ordered one for bari hoping to get the same qualities. Jody suggested a .110, so I tried one of those as well as a .120, and wound up going with the .110, as I thought it was a little warmer and for me seemed to have better response. I use 3 1/2 ricos or medium hard LaVoz and get very good "bark" without being obnoxious. This mouthpiece replaced the beechler 6 I had been using. The tone is fuller and more complex with the ESP, but the biggest difference is the intonation, which is much more even throughout the range of the horn. I consider myself a doubler on bari and having a setup that is consistent and reliable is important. The quality of these mouthpieces is exceptional. There are machining marks on the rails and table as posted earlier, but these don't bother me as I always considered them to be part of the design, and certainly are not a problem as far as playability goes. These mouthpieces are expensive to be sure, but I have a drawer full of lesser mouthpieces that I don't use, and I am sure I will be playing on Jody's mouthpieces for years to come. Jody is great to work with as well, and takes a very personal interest in his mouthpieces and the people who play them.
I think for the player who wants the absolute brightest and punchiest mouthpiece there are other choices, but for someone looking for a sound that is more versatile but still has authority, these shouldn't be overlooked.
I liked them well enough that I have three (one for my alto as well). I have been playing professionally for almost twenty years and they are the best that I have found. Hope this helps!

[shmuelyosef]

Have you measured chamber volume on the Berg?

The Berg is 29.5 ml but is only 1 mm longer than the Lamberson.

[mark_m]

Wow. That is quite telling. I've only had one Berg, it's a tenor piece and very medium-chambered. What vintage is yours? I wonder if it's worth buying a current one and having it hand-faced.

[Alan Brady]

I have had the Esp bari now for a couple of months, and I can say that is truly a great piece.

I have been playing on custom/vintage mouthpieces in my work in the New York area for the last ten years or so, and tend to play on tweaked/modified vintage pieces from the mouthpiece gurus.

I find that Jody's pieces are a wonderful addition to my mouthpiece cache; the esp bari in particular gives me an alternative to the standard classic mouthpieces. I find the sound to be even throughout the entire range, the intonation is spot-on, and the dynamic control it enables is the best I have encountered.

I frequently work with Jody in several contexts, and hearing the purity of his sound, the depth of his expression, and the amazing dynamics that he produces has been an inspiration to me; check out his sound files on his site if you haven't already done so.

I have been pleased that Jody has let me try his various prototypes as he has developed them, and have tried to give him my honest input. He has truly come up with a top-shelf line, and is a gentleman to boot!

I am not a paid endorser for these mouthpieces, but I encourage you to give them a try.

AB

[mookiex]

I've been playing on a JJ ESP .110 bari mpc for about a month now. I am a semi-pro alto/bari player and I am not a mpc. expert. Having said that, I can honestly tell you that for me the ESP has been a great find. I particularly find that it has nice intonation and great flexibility of tone and volume. Additionally, due mainly to its slenderness, it is very comfortable to play (an important attribute for a bari mpc). On jazz gigs it is very versatile and projects extremely well. On my funk gigs it has great volume (the spoiler can come in handy at times). It also seems to preserve reeds better than my Otto Link. Dare I say the ESP mpc is mad phat? Yes, indeed. :twisted:

[shmuelyosef]

Wow. That is quite telling. I've only had one Berg, it's a tenor piece and very medium-chambered. What vintage is yours? I wonder if it's worth buying a current one and having it hand-faced.

It is a modern HR 110/1. I imagine that the /2 and /3 are somewhat larger volume even. Don't know about the metal baris, but in tenor, the HR and metal are the same inside. I am seriously considering trying a better facing on one of these, but would probably rather invest in a metal one.

[domo]

I've been playing Jody's Gold ESP bari piece for a month. I've gone through a wide variety of pieces in the past. (from links to ARB's) Over the last month I've played it on big band gigs, recording sessions, loud blues and rock jobs and I havn't felt the need to go back to any of my other pieces. It has good response and intonation. A good core to the sound even when pushing it to play loud. The spoiler insert looked gimicky at first, but it does help make it work in a broad range of musical situations without it effecting the intonation too much. For someone like me who tends to float around trying different pieces, I have a feeling that this ESP will stay with me a while.

Doug Moffet

[MojoBari]

It looks like 1st time posters really like this piece.

[retread]

Astute observation, Mojo.

[Morry]

It looks like 1st time posters really like this piece.

You're not suggesting anything fishy are you? :-)

[shmuelyosef]

...chill out---be generous...maybe a lot of ghost surfers were inspired to join by their support for Jody.

just wanted to add that Jody has been wonderful to work with, and I did really like the piece, just not enough better than what I have now for the $$$.

[Morry]

I, too, have had nothing but good experiences with Jody.

[Rubel]

I had the same experience with him. A complete gentleman. Answered all my questions carefully and took the time to answer at least 30 long winded emails from me over the course of a couple years. I bought a jody jazz (blue) #7 and I'm still with it since October (which is a record for me). He even helped me with a school project about being a working musician for my careers class. Gave me lots of info. Frankly, I'm appauled that anyone would suggest anything fishy was going on.

Rubel

[MojoBari]

You're not suggesting anything fishy are you?

Not really. I'm confident the posts are from real people. They just look recruited, which is OK. There are plenty of other unsolicited posts of praise for Jody from established members.

Jody is a class act. Just compare the praise here to the praise in the Sugal thread.

[Alan Brady]

I can appreciate MojoBari's skepticism regarding "first-time posters" endorsements of various products. I do check in on this site occasionally to catch up on the general commentary within this community; the reason I have not previously posted on this site (or most others) is my own skepticism toward anonymous posting in general.

This is why I post under my actual name; I also freely acknowledge my professional association with Jody Espina; we have played together in Big Bands, creative orchestras, and have an ongoing collaboration in a sextet.

Please understand my comments on Jody's mouthpiece are sincere. Anyone wanting to sample his products is obviously free to do so quite easily with his generous return policies, and to make their own judgment (which, of course, is always the ultimate arbiter of taste.)

Thanks,

AB

[jjgold]

I have a 2 month old ESP .100...Brand New for $350 or obo if anyone wants one cheap. Not my thing!

[jjgold]

jjgold007@aol.com

[barimachine]

a also LOVE my JJ ESP I got it a robertos and I find that for once someone cared enough to make a good bari mouthpiece unlike Otto link and meyer.... but thats just a me thing...


I play a .120 and i love it the sound cuts through i can play a cutting sound with the spoiler like ronnie cuber on moanin' and if i take it out i can play loud and thick and still get out a brillent altissimo and upper octave that screams like gerry mulligan would, its clean and beautiful, despite the machine marks... but still i love it

although i do have one complaint, the string on the beautiful bag it came in unwound about 3 days after I got it, which was a total downer :(

but still i love it :D

[BariMelt]

I played on a few of ESPs today. The 115, 120, and the 130. They are nice pieces. I usually play on a Runyon Quantum 12 that measures at 115. I was looking for something a little bigger. After playing the ESPs I decided to stay with my Quantum for now. The ESPs have a great sound, just a little too dark for the R&B that I play. I was very surprised with the 130. I thought it might eat my lunch since I'm use to a 115, but it is very free blowing. If you want a beautiful, dark tone with some punch, get an ESP. If I didn't have my Quantum, I would be playing the ESP today.

[saxboy]

Saxboy - been a very very busy summer but I did want to post on Jody's ESP.
I am not a new poster, nore am I a big Jody fan until this past month.

I have a Yamaha 62 Bari that has a dozen mouthpieces in the case.
This is a great MP and thank God, ends 4 years of searching and a couple of grand in purchases and modifications.

As I begin selling off some of these MP I'm gonna be looking a bit closer at the other sax pieces now.

Other note...

The new Walt Johnson, giant Bari case has been purchased, used and came back with a clean bill of health from the repair guy after the first fly dates with my 62. It did go oversize half the time but came back perfect each time. $725.00 - it sure better.

SAXBOY
www.gregvail.com

[Morry]

Anyone want to give a review now that you've been playing the ESP a while?

[saxboy]

Morry

Good question. Many new things are cool due to the NEW FACTOR.

I still play my ESP and have found nothing that I like even close to it since making the purchase.

I have not made a change on any of my other axes yet, but they are nice on Alto and Tenor.

Saxboy
now gvsaxboy until I figure out what happened to my account.
www.gregvail.com

Morry, Side note - I have a new Christmas CD up with clips to 6 tracks. If I was smarter I would be able to get a Bari Clip online showing off that bad boy. But... I have too much running trying to get it out to even a limited retail and radio list - soon.

[Morry]

I love my ESP on alto, but wasn't thrilled with the tenor version. I think that I like a little more resistance on tenor than the piece has. I guess I'll bite the bullet chamber and try one for bari. Did you buy it directly from Jody?

[saxboy]

Morry,
I got it from a local shop here in So Cal.

Check it out...

Saxboy

[shmuelyosef]

I love my ESP on alto, but wasn't thrilled with the tenor version. I think that I like a little more resistance on tenor than the piece has. I guess I'll bite the bullet chamber and try one for bari. Did you buy it directly from Jody?

Just a point of interest...for a little less money than the ESP, you can buy a Link STM or Berg off eBay and send it to Doc Tenney or Mojo, etc for a custom facing...in spite of all the cool, expensive bari pieces I have invested in, I pretty much just play an old Link STM that I have...

[newking70]

This is why I post under my actual nameAB
Hey how are Rob and Laura Petrie, Mel, Sally and Buddy doing? :lol:

[SuperDave]

Newking your going to date yourself!!!

[newking70]

:lol:

[newking70]

:lol:

[baribri]

Hi,
just wanted to say, although it's a bit late, because I didn't follow the original thread here that Alan Brady is not only a REAL player that just happens to have a famous TV-land name, but he is a truly talented & gifted player with a wonderful resume' and not only have I found him to be a delightful cat to play in a section with but he is a brutally honest person. I say this just to dispell some of the "shill" inuendo's I feel have gone around in this thread.
I also tried a .100 JJ ESP bari piece and while I didn't find it was to my taste, I did find that it is one of the finest pieces I have ever used and dealing with Jody Espina was a very good experience. He is one of the few guys in the accessory business I have met that really cares about what players think of his work, and it shows in his products.
Brian Axelrod

[barimachine]

heres a question

I have a ESP .120 and while I still kinda like the piece... hadnt been playing it in a while I had been playing some classical stuff and now I need to get back to that amount of air I find I HATE the ligature it comes with and the reeds
I'm using Vandoren ZZ with the lig it came with
and I hate it

what lig and reeds are you using with your ESP's?

[domo]

Still playing on the Bari ESP. But I've recently switched from the 120 to the 110. The plating on the 120 has started to wear off, and it seemed like it was a bit reed picky on the soft low A sections.
If I'm recording traditional big band or in a pit orchestra I play my HR Link Slant. If it's live big band, with a powerful brass section, or any music with some funk in it...then it's always the ESP. Lavoz mediums. The Rovner lig that came with the piece is the one that works best for me, for response and sound preferences. My 2nd lig. pick would be a tightly-bound Oleg, or a Woodstone metal or wood from Ishimori.
:)

[Martin Williams]

Ive had a .120 ESP for some months now, very impressed. I came from a berg and before that a Runyon Quantum, and this just blows the others away. The response on the ESP is just so easy, its wonderful!

[gsaxman100]

I used to play an ESP on bari, but then bought a Jody Jazz Classic with spoiler here on SOTW, and liked the sound better so I sold the ESP. The classic is a bit warmer to my ear but still puts out a lot of sound, also like the feel of it better than metal on bari. Still have a Rico Metalite as a back-up.