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rico royal mouthpieces

12K views 31 replies 11 participants last post by  MoonMind 
#1 ·
hi all;regarding rico royal graftonite mouthpieces;what exactly is graftonite?
 
#2 ·
I have had a few Graftonites and Metalites. All I can figure is that is some really hard plastic. The metalites do play a bit better and possibly it is the design of the baffle more than the material. Whatever it is, the Tenors are really nice mouthpieces but I wasn't blown away with the soprano and alto mostly due to the tips as they are not available in the sizes I like. Altos only come in even numbers like .070", .080", etc. and I prefer a .075". Whatever they are, the price is quite good and worth a try.
 
#3 ·
Advertising people have a tendency to invent new elements , deemed (by them) suitable to the product they are being paid to advertise.
Some Dukoff mouthpieces are made from "Silverite"....unique in being soft, frail & impossible to clean.
Graftonite and Metalite are similar manifestations of the Advertising Department's imagination....the rest of the World know these materials as Polycarbonate.
Polycarbonate is an exceedingly good material from which to make mouthpieces for manifold reasons....tough, resilient & being ideal for casting.....hence consistency.
I have no experience of Graftonite....but the tenor Metalite is up there with the very best of mouthpieces....with the dual advantages of being both inexpensive and consistent.
 
#8 ·
Polycarbonate is an exceedingly good material from which to make mouthpieces for manifold reasons....tough, resilient & being ideal for casting.....hence consistency.
I have no experience of Graftonite....but the tenor Metalite is up there with the very best of mouthpieces....with the dual advantages of being both inexpensive and consistent.
Maybe the ones you have. The B9 bari piece I bought had one of the worst twisted facings I've ever seen on a mouthpiece. If it wasn't so cheap to begin with I would have sent it back- wasn't worth the return postage. I spent about 2 hours evening-out the facing just so it would seal well enough to play. Can't comment on the alto/tenor models since I don't have either of those. I know lots of folks have had good luck with these and I'm not trying to invalidate those experiences but I wasn't impressed.
 
#6 ·
I generally agree with what Bruce said, but in my experience, even the A series aren't particularily mellow and the difference between the A and B series is rather small. This doesn't mean that Bruce is wrong - it's more about comparing the mouthpieces to a wider range of choices. For instance, I would say that the (comparably inexpensive) Yamaha mouthpieces are mellower than all Graftonites, regardless of series. As a matter of fact, I really dig that - there's more presence and body to the tone of the Graftonites than to the one of the Yamahas, and certainly more bite. That said, the Yamahas are famed for being very neutral - which they are indeed; they're also even more consistent than the Ricos. Anyhow, your choice of an A3 makes a lot of sense to me - on alto, the A series pieces are very convincing (I own an A5 and an A7 - and I actually use both in different situations).

However, in my opinion, the real hidden treasures are the Metalites - on soprano, the Metalite M7 is one of the most versatile mouthpieces I have ever played, and on baritone, I resort to a Metalite M7 whenever anything else fails to meet my needs in certain setting (with the exception of classical playing). While it's not always my first choice, the Metalite is a staple I wouldn't want to miss.

M.
 
#10 ·
Hey Bruce,
I'm using a tenor Couf 9* HR for my tenor and C. An old tenor Otto Link 7* HR that I bought new in 82 works OK on the C. I had a Morgan C 6, but it's lost and I never got a real chance to play it on my Buescher. I think I had an S-80 with it. Does that have a square chamber? Damn, I'm going to rip my place apart and find those mpcs.
 
#13 ·
It really depends upon the sort of music you play.
Do you use a high baffle piece?.....if so, buy a Metalite....if not, then get the Graphtonite.
Or....even better, buy both & try them out....the cost will be minimal.
 
#17 ·
FredCDobbs: Have you had that horn checked out? What you report suggests a leak, maybe G/G#, but essentially, it could be anywhere.

As Captain Beeflat suggested, I'd try both the Graftonite (the only available chamber is B) and the Metalite in "your" opening (I found that to be a reliable choice - it isn't always, but it was with Rico mouthpieces). I have both and like the Metalite better since I think it's more versatile, but the Graftonite B7 works surprisingly well on the otherwise fickle Keilwerth The New King bari. On the 12M, I prefer the M7, but it isn't a dark sounding piece. The B7 fits the bill much better in that respect - though I think it's actually just a bit rounder, not really warmer. While the M7 can do 'edgy', it's not as if it couldn't do anything else, though. Given the cheap prices, I'd really stick to recommending trying both.

As for quality, I've owned about a dozen Rico pieces for SATB - and though I didn't like all of them, there wasn't a real issue with any of them. That isn't to say that you can't pick up a dud, but the chances aren't very high for this to happen.

M.
 
#25 ·
mallyjames - I did say "some Graftonite in them" - the rest is carcenogenic polycarbon...

Isn't it amazing that something as personal as a mouthpiece - which by definition spends a lot of time in the mouth - doesn't have to have any indication whatsoever as to what materials were used in it's construction ? The materials don't even have to be certified as 'food grade' :(

I'm surprised that our 'Nanny State' hasn't latched onto that one, maybe I should contact my MP, but then again that might mean completing a 'risk assessment' form every time before playing, sigh...

Maybe if they were redesignated as (e.g.) 'musical lollipops', then a breakdown of the composition might have to be printed on the box :bluewink: Yep, I'll apply to the European Commisioners - stating that sticking a big lump of 'unknown origins' in my gob for hours on end is an infringement of my civil rights !

:soapbox: If I'm putting them inside my mouth, I want to know what they're bloody well made of !!!

So now I'll go and chew on a selection of old ebonite, highly sulpherous, mouthpieces - and I'm still alive after decades of doing it...:mrgreen:
 
#31 ·
Got the A7. Big round sound. Gets rid of some of the muffle and squeak. It has doble D hole. Like a D up and down. I put on a Rovner and a Rico royal 3 which feels just a little hard.
A 2 1/2 sounds thin. I like the way it responds, faster than my Otto Link 7* HR. It feels like subtones will be good (always hard for me on C melody) once I get my mouth used to it and the reed. I haven't tried it on tenor yet.
 
#30 ·
I don't have much experience with the Graftonites except recently tried a bari B5 which was pretty good. I also like Metalites for bari, tenor and soprano; the alto didn't float my boat.

All are made from Polycarbornate.

If you try a Metalite, I recommend going one tip size higher than you think since they blow pretty easily.
 
#32 ·
Interesting - and great to know. I'm really looking forward to trying my M9 on tenor, but also the B7 on soprano. Both are waiting at home, though ...

M.
 
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