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Vigilante Mouthpieces handmade by Dave Guardala's Ex-Wife

51K views 149 replies 55 participants last post by  Pete Thomas 
#1 ·
I was in BAC Horn doctor today to get my neck re-corked and try out some mouthpieces when I was told they had some brand spankin new ones in by DG's EX. Apparently the story I was told , is that she was a great saxophone player and did all the facing on his pieces. She took a bunch of blanks and came out with her own brand called the "Vigilante" They had two of them available , both with 120 openings. One was called the NY the other the NO ( New Orleans) And both were 600$

I was pleasantly surprised.

I'm mainly a rock/blues player and they were certainly able to scream and still have a full meaty sound while maintaining fantastic intonation. Subtone was a little difficult to play on the low B and Bb , but other than that they were good solid pieces. They middle register in particular was amazing.

If I could've afforded it I would've walked out with the NY , but due to $$$ I left the store with a Guardala Studio which while not as powerful still had me leave with a smile on my face.
 
#125 ·
Re: Admin note

I had almost forgotten about this thread, which has been soft deleted while we were investigating a possible case of double identity - Now that we were informed that user Saxylicious is not the same person as Vigilante Mouthpiece but her employee, it is now okay to re-open the thread.

Sorry for the inconveniences and thank you for your understanding.
Kim I have amazing amount of gratitude and respect for you Harri and all the SOTW staff for keeping an eye out for everyone while keeping peace around the world. Not an easy job! I also highly recommend anyone who has not had the pleasure of viewing Kim's art work, please do so she is an amazing artist and I especially love the logo you made for this site! Over the top! Thanks again for all you do!
 
#126 ·
Thank you. I got the email you sent via my website's email sending form. I meant to thank you earlier for your compliments, but I didn't email back because that would have been inappropriate at the time and might have made things look like I'm inclined to accept compliments as bribery.

Also, lately I have been making an effort to keep my personal life and personal email separate from SOTW as much as possible. Too many creeps lurking around!
 
#132 ·
I finally cleared up the insert problem and have gone to using a black with gold sparkle denture material it's way more friendly then white. I also tried white with gold sparkle I love the look of that also but it too was hard to deal with. This past year has been really fun and I appreciate all the AMAZING saxophonists which I have met and had the pleasure of working with!
 
#135 ·
I proudly play Vigilante Mouthpieces. I play the Hollywood and the NY. I support Jennifer and her work. These mouthpieces are top quality and they play very nice.
I am in process to purchase more styles like the NYII and others. I am headed to CA to try more styles. If you have not played one of these find one and try it.
 
#141 ·
At NAMM I purchased my second Vigilante, This time a NYII. I play tested many other top CNC manufactured mouthpieces at NAMM and once again I was drawn to the sound and playability of Jens Mouthpieces. These are handmade and Jens work to detail is amazing. The low Bb is there with the quietest breath and the altissimo pops right out. You cant go wrong.
I tried many other Vigilante models like the NY, Detroit Rock and the Boston Phoenix that was so warm. I know this is not the end for me as I also play other saxes.
Thanks Jen for your hard work and vision to supply us with remarkable mouthpieces.
 
#136 ·
Just added the complete line of Vigilante mouthpieces to my offering. I currently have 9 of the 10 tenor models in stock. Also have one of the bari pieces. I'm in the process of having Greg Vail do reviews and sound clips on all of the models. Look for that on the website very soon. Will also be publishing more photos with the reviews. Gorgeous work and exciting new mouthpieces!

For a short time as these are introduced on the site, I am offering a 10% discount! Don't miss out.
 
#139 ·
Don't want to speak for Jenn, but....... It was my understanding that the $450 was an "introductory" price. Kind of makes sense so she could introduce her line of mouthpieces. Based upon what mouthpieces are going for in the market place and the quality of her work, I'd say $675 is the right price. She makes amazing hand made pieces.
 
#138 ·
I would ask that question directly to Jenn. I don't know what the prices where previously, but can say that I have been discussing this with Vigilante since November 2012 and finalized our partnership the week of NAMM. From my side, the prices I publish online are based on those set up and published by Vigilante.
 
#140 ·
Just found this thread-

I met Jenn at NAMM last month and, sadly, was unable to test out her Bari piece due to my friend taking the one from our booth to his gig. BUT they are very nice and, as I told her, I am very interested to take a test drive on one sometime soon.
Ive been on the hunt, trying out different bari pieces periodically this year. I dont play it as much as I used to, but dang, you just want that piece in the case that really WORKS, you know?!

Plus- What a nice lady, y'all! She was very helpful and gave me a really nice rundown of the gear!

Anyhow, those folks I did hear trying out the pieces sounded really nice on them. I REALLY wish I'd have been able to try the tenor pieces as well, but time simply got away from me at NAMM... If you have been, you know!

Looking forward to reading more about the Vigilante lines!
 
#142 ·
I got a tenor NY mpc a few weeks ago... that's my main one now... nothing else to say... kind of Gu...ala MB sound, easy from bottom to... stars with friendly multiphonics... Really great and easy mpc (just needed 1 week pacticing to be 100% confortable)
Works great on Selmer SII, SIII, Model 26 big bore (YES I'm not kidding!!!!!) and King S20 Silversonic with 2.5 Hemke reeds and Selmer 402 lig
note : I'm not an "mpc addict" as I played my "home customised" metal Ponzol super 115 for 15 years ;)
 
#146 ·
Wow. I just discovered this thread. I guess I need to get out more often. I just wanted to say that Jen's story is a wonderful one of determination and talent. I wish you nothing but the best. I still play two original DGs, a silver tenor 'King Curtis' and a gold alto 'Studio'. It's very interesting for me to be able to put a name and a face to the person who did a lot of the work and plating on my mouthpieces. I never had any contact with Dave other than one phone call to Hicksville, and the news of what eventually happened to him/what he did to himself was pretty startling. Regardless, DG was a mouthpiece genius. Those who cannot separate the personality from the incredible work he did are simply small-minded. The fact that his original mouthpieces continue to be some of the most valuable mouthpieces ever made speaks for itself - and these prices are being paid mostly by players, not collectors. I would love to see your mouthpieces become just as famous. I will be checking them out.
I did have a question for you; my KC is numbered 20007. I've never seen another one with a number that high. Do you have any idea about when it would have been made? I got it used about 1999.
 
#147 ·
Thank You Very Much 1Saxman! I really appreciate your kindness!
It's been three years since I started and I've really enjoyed making pieces again. The best part is testing them when Im finished! It's been great having a chance to meet so many fine players, talk shop and figure out what will work best for that musicians needs. I always day dream where a piece will end up and what gigs will be played!

To be honest I never paid attention to serial numbers but I do remember asking Dave if he could tell when they were made and he did know, but never told me. It didn't matter at the time so I never made an issue to find out. I wish I could tell you more about serial numbers.

I would Love for you to check out one of my pieces! My email is VigilanteMouthpiece@aol.com my web site is almost finished.

Thanks again for your positive words! Jen
 
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