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Otto Link Phil-Tone-Edge Review

9K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Sigmund451 
#1 ·
Well, here I am again with another review.

Dealing with the Dealer
Recently I've been trying to darken my jazz sound, be more like Rollins, and get the vintage sound coming out of my horn. My high-baffle-free-blowing-stop-thinking modern Levelaire, well, doesn't do that too well. And believe me, I tried. So I'm selling that bugger, should be gone by the time this review is finished, haha! Anyways, I contacted Phil Engleman to figure out what I really needed and his quotes. After about three months of research and discussion, moving from a possible STM NY to Berg to Soloist to now, we finally decided with what I needed, a refaced Tone Edge at about .100 with some little custom touches for a more Rollins-like sound. Contacting Phil was a breeze and he was fun to talk to, so major kudos to you Mr. Engleman! I really appreciate the additional effort he made to make sure that I got what I really needed.

Initial Impressions, Cosmetics, Facing
Definitely a lot better than some of the horror-stories I've seen come from the Babbitt factories, that's for sure. Phil seems to have cleaned up the facing and tip rail, modified the throat a little, smoothed the infamous chamber bump, and added a generous roll-over baffle. Everything seems ***** and span here with great craftsmanship. Looks like a good Link to me. I expected a dark sound with some "fuffy" buzz to come out of this, with a good bit of resistance, but had yet to blow.

Tone, Responce, Feel
My favorite part of any review. Well the initial blow was really odd. It honked. I was expecting only a little less resistance than my Rascher after all, both have huge chambers and I was using the same Gonzales 3 reed on this more open facing. But no, it is surprisingly free-blowing and responsive. It took some time to wrap my head around this one and get it to really speak. Moving to a Rico 2.5 sweetened up the sound a triffle and added some wanted buzz. By blowing slow, warm, and big, this piece will smoke, cry, and everything in between. Blow fast and direct, and this thing is actually a screamer! Comparable to my Levelaire really, so no worries if I need to play funk again! The tone is dependent on how you blow. It can be from dark, fluffy, and huge to bright, edgy, and screaming. Really makes me think of a good Slant Signature from the soundclips I have heard. I love the tone of this mouthpiece, and from day one, that is saying something.

Conclusion
Looking for a good Link? Pass up on the new Vintage and give Phil a talk about one of these. Seriously, its a giant killer. I can't say anything greater than that. At $175 and shipping, Phil has quite a deal here... Leave an opinion or question, I'm all ears :D

Pictures
Mouthpiece
Facing
Chamber
Baffle
Phil's "John Hancock"
 
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#2 ·
Nice review Carl! although i'm not sure I have the chops to confirm all of your adjectives, I agree 100%. Phil is a real pro and these pieces are a great deal for anyone looking to go Link HR.

One warning, however: You might want to hang on to your Levelaire. As loud as your Link might sound in practice, it probably will not have the same cut in a very loud onstage situation. These are not necessarily the same thing. It can be done, of course, but IMO it's a lot of work to get a TE to cut in super loud situations, and the tone suffers anyway. Nice to have a screamer on hand just in case--mine's a Ponzol.
 
#3 ·
One warning, however: You might want to hang on to your Levelaire. As loud as your Link might sound in practice, it probably will not have the same cut in a very loud onstage situation. These are not necessarily the same thing. It can be done, of course, but IMO it's a lot of work to get a TE to cut in super loud situations, and the tone suffers anyway. Nice to have a screamer on hand just in case--mine's a Ponzol.
Yeah, I really did contemplate weather or not to get rid of it. I've had it for so long (going on three years now) and it was my first step-up mouthpiece. Lotsa memories. However, memories don't pay for stuff, and I haven't played funk in quite a while. I don't play with acoustic instruments in our jazz band so its not too much of an issue.
 
#4 ·
Phil seems to have cleaned up the facing and tip rail, modified the throat a little, smoothed the infamous chamber bump, and added a generous roll-over baffle.
I'm considering having a Link that I just bought Phil-tone-ized (although we'll see how it plays for a while first of course) and I'm just wondering: what is the "infamous chamber bump" of which you speak?
 
#5 ·
Its not a bump, its a depression. The "lake" behind the rollover actually isnt fully eliminated as some have said. Unless it is filled, eliminating this area would really enlarge the chamber and remove a good portion of the original baffle (which I add to). The piece would be super tubby. I think people believe its gone since in the reface it is pushed back further in the piece and there is more of a transition into this area. I cant say that I think any of my Links are as bright as a Levelaire but they can have a healthy edge when pushed. Especially if one requests it during an order.
 
#8 ·
Elephant, the NVL is a brighter piece than the Tone Edge. It has a smaller bore which permits air to move faster through the piece. Its a nice piece if your wanting something with additional kick and more volume. My personal preference still leans towards the thickness of The Custom Tone Edge and the huge bottom end. That is not to say that the NVL cant be a great piece because it can.
 
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