My next mouthpiece

[newageanubis]

I'm in the long, expensive stage of experimenting with reeds and mouthpieces. Recently, I discovered that the Link 7 HR I use is one of the crappy ones. Kind members here have told me that it suffers from a messed up rollover. A $100 reface on a $70 mouthpiece is not a good idea at all...

And so, I'm planning to purchase another mouthpiece. I'd like to get a lot closer to the ONE mouthpiece, so I need a little help. The Link 7 HR I've been using has a tip opening of about .100 and my dynamics barely have any contrast and my sound is a little airy at times. How many facing numbers should I drop down to improve my sound?

I don't think I should dive into the world of metal pieces yet. I'm not ready. If I'm playing for a standard jazz ensemble and a jazz quintet, what mouthpieces would you recommend to help (with practice) to achieve a dark, "old school", Plas Johnson-like sound?

[Enviroguy]

I think a $100 reface on a $70 mouthpiece is not that bad of a deal. Because in the end, you know what you will be getting. Call your mouthpiece guy of choice and talk it over. It's probably the best way to get a good Link.

[pumseig]

I would highly recommend a Morgan, either the Jazz model or the Excaliber.

[Sigmund451]

You can get in for less and get a whole lot more value out of a reface/rebuild. Otherwise, you will enter the world of botique mouthpieces...some of which still end up needing facing work (Not Morgans). Refacing and custom work can offer tremendous values.

...then again Im biased ;)

[MojoBari]

I think a $100 reface on a $25 blank (eBay) can be one of the best values out there.

[dshook]

I am also in Canada and have a very nice Morgan 7L jazz piece I would consider selling, if you are local (Vancouver) you can even come by and try it out. PM me if you are interested.

Dan

[raiderjazz]

I agree with Enviroguy, its not that bad of an idea. I you want another HR mouthpiece, link, jody jazz, vandoren make some good ones. I just figured out how to play on my V16 and its amazing. Plus its only like 120 bucks, which isn't too bad. If you'd ever like to try a metal piece, id suggest a link as well. The only problem with metal link is that they are inconsistent, so you may have to try a few. Good luck on your search.

[10mfan]

I sell more mpc's than anyone, and I can tell you that I fully agree with my friends statements here.

Go get that mpc refaced to whatever tip you want to try, and tell the refacer exactly what you dont like about the mpc, and what you want out of it.

Mojo, Sigmund, Brian Powell, etc...all do great work. I have had many examples of each of their work through here. You cant go wrong with any of these guys.

[themacintrasher]

I sell more mpc's than anyone, and I can tell you that I fully agree with my friends statements here.

Go get that mpc refaced to whatever tip you want to try, and tell the refacer exactly what you dont like about the mpc, and what you want out of it.

Mojo, Sigmund, Brian Powell, etc...all do great work. I have had many examples of each of their work through here. You cant go wrong with any of these guys.
If your feeling conflicted about the idea of spending the cash, PM SOTW user Sakshama. He baffled and refeaced my mouthpiece, and he would do it for much cheaper. You could also contact David Spiegelthal at dspieg@earthlink.net. He also works for fairly cheap.

[MyMartinTenor]

I play with a dark, old school sound also. I use a hard rubber link refaced by Brian Powell. Amazing. Seriously.

Okay, you've heard enough of that advice. If you don't want to get a reface, get a Morgan 6L or 7L. I just sold a Morgan 9L which was dark, great dynamic options, and very easily adjusted by embouchure, air stream, etc for sound. But, the 9L is equivalent to a Link 8 (.110). If you're playing a Link 7 (.100) and want to step down, a Morgan 7L will be a slight step down (.095) and a 6L will be a significant step down (.090). Morgans are beautiful, and you can usually find them around here for approx. $200.

Other thing to consider -- sounds like you may be playing too hard of a reed. What strength and brand are you strapping on that Link? Do you have any trouble sounding the low B and Bb at a low volume? If you're airy, lacking dynamic contrast, and having trouble with playing ppp low notes, the reed is too hard.

How many years have you been playing?

One more comment -- there's nothing special about metal versus hard rubber. Seriously. Its just material. You don't have to be macho to play metal. Think about a Link Super Tone Master. A good one (or a refaced one) is a perfect dark mouthpiece. A bad one -- like your bad Tone Edge -- is .... well ... bad.

[newageanubis]

I play with a dark, old school sound also. I use a hard rubber link refaced by Brian Powell. Amazing. Seriously.

Okay, you've heard enough of that advice. If you don't want to get a reface, get a Morgan 6L or 7L. I just sold a Morgan 9L which was dark, great dynamic options, and very easily adjusted by embouchure, air stream, etc for sound. But, the 9L is equivalent to a Link 8 (.110). If you're playing a Link 7 (.100) and want to step down, a Morgan 7L will be a slight step down (.095) and a 6L will be a significant step down (.090). Morgans are beautiful, and you can usually find them around here for approx. $200.

Other thing to consider -- sounds like you may be playing too hard of a reed. What strength and brand are you strapping on that Link? Do you have any trouble sounding the low B and Bb at a low volume? If you're airy, lacking dynamic contrast, and having trouble with playing ppp low notes, the reed is too hard.

How many years have you been playing?

One more comment -- there's nothing special about metal versus hard rubber. Seriously. Its just material. You don't have to be macho to play metal. Think about a Link Super Tone Master. A good one (or a refaced one) is a perfect dark mouthpiece. A bad one -- like your bad Tone Edge -- is .... well ... bad.

I've contacted a refacer in my area, who goes by the username of "Merlin" on these forums, and am waiting for a reply. I realized, it is much cheaper than going for a new one.

On my Link, I'm using a Rico 3. The quietest I can get from E to low Bb is mf without getting air into the sound. The same reed on another similar facing piece I have (with no imperfections except being a student model) is much easier to play. I'm thinking a reface will help level the field on that part. 7 is a good, common facing, but I'll have to go down if I can't handle it. I'll talk to Merlin, who hopefully will reface my piece, and I think he'll be able to offer some advice in that same area.

As for metal...it's still out of my price range.

[MyMartinTenor]

Cool, that makes sense to me. Before you even send it off, go get some Rico Jazz Select 2M reeds. I find the RJS work really well on my Tone Edge, and that's a $15 experiment. The softer reed may make more difference than you think.

[newageanubis]

Cool, that makes sense to me. Before you even send it off, go get some Rico Jazz Select 2M reeds. I find the RJS work really well on my Tone Edge, and that's a $15 experiment. The softer reed may make more difference than you think.

It just so happened that I got into a conversation like this with one of the superb senior sax players at school. He's a wizard with the alto, and I really like his jazz sound - reminds me of Paul Desmond. He uses an Otto Link 6* with 2.5 Vandoren V16's.

So a softer reed will make more of a difference than I think x]

I'm going to my local music shop to try out and purchase a classical mouthpiece, since the one I use now has a tip opening of about .100 - WAY too much. When I'm there, I'll try out a few jazz pieces to see what kind of facing I'd like to try on my Link.

[toughtenor]

since you've mentioned Link and Plas Johnson I assume you're talking tenor.
.100 isn't really that big for tenor. I think Johnson played HUGE openings, but that isn't a necessity for a good jazz sound. The Morgan 7L is a bit less open, (.95) but plays very easy, might be just right for you but you won't know untill you try one.
Be prepared though that it is a bit brighter then a Link.
The morgan's I've seen are all great quality, which can't be said of all the Links.
If you really like the Link sound you might want to order or contact Sigmund and get one of his improved ones.
I have one of his alto Phil tone pieces and I've never had a better alto piece then that one so IMHO I think he really knows mouthpieces and what to do to make them right.
Look at his site, his prices for refacing are fair, especially when you supply your own blank.
(I don't have any business ties with him, I'm just enthousiastic about this piece of his)

[Bebopalot]

I have to agree with what some have said. Refacing a mouthpiece, no matter what the original price of it was, is a great investment. Especially if you like the mouthpiece but it is just missing a little something. An expensive mouthpiece will not guarantee that you will be satisfied. I look at my mouthpiece drawer and see that every day. My favorite mouthpieces are usually the ones that have had work done to them. One of them being a $70 HR Link that Sigmund451 (Phil) worked on.