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
Pictures
Mouthpiece
Facing
Chamber
Baffle
Phil's "John Hancock"
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
Pictures
Mouthpiece
Facing
Chamber
Baffle
Phil's "John Hancock"