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Pictures of my mouthipece collection (mainly vintage Otto Link's)

26K views 85 replies 30 participants last post by  saxobari 
#1 · (Edited)
Dear all,

I have a nice collection of mainly vintage Link's (and some other pieces) and just uploaded some pictures to Microsoft Onedrive (one folder per mouthpiece or horn). Most pictures are not made by me, but by previous owners (I hope they don't mind :)). I have more mouthpieces then listed, but no pictures of them all yet. So it's a work in progress. Also added some albums with horns I own or could play test for a while.

Here is the link to my mouthpiece and horn picture folders: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AnftxJXPnxvbikba2d9Tl5qSxbir

Enjoy :).

- Otto Link mouthpieces:

- 1930 - 1935:
Otto Link - Master Link 4 to 6 (unknown refacer)
Otto Link - Master Link 5 to 9 (Mark Spencer reface)

- 1935 - 1940:
Otto Link - Four 4* to 8* (FG/MOJO reface)
Otto Link - Four 5 to 9 (unknown refacer)
Otto Link - Four 5* to 10* (Freddy Gregory reface)
Otto Link - Four 8* (Jon van Wie reface)

- 1940 - 1950:
Otto Link - Tone Master 5 to 8 (Erik Greiffenhagen reface)
Otto Link - Tone Master 5* (original)

- 1950 - 1960:
Otto Link - STM NY Double Ring 4* (original)
Otto Link - STM Florida no USA 9 (original)
Otto Link - STM Florida no USA 10* (original, measures 10** or 0.137")

- 1960-1974:
Otto Link - STM Florida USA 11* (original)

- 1974 - 1980:
Otto Link - STM Early Babbitt 7 to 8 (unknown refacer)
Otto Link - STM Early Babbitt 8* (original)
Otto Link - STM Early Babbitt 10 (original)
Otto Link - STM Early Babbitt 10* (original)
Otto Link - STM Early Babbitt 11 (original, measures 12* or 0.155")

- 1980 - now:
Otto Link - STM 7* (original)
Otto Link - STM NY 7 to 9* (EJZ/MOJO reface)
Otto Link - STM NY 11 (original)
Otto Link - New Vintage Tone Master 10* (original)
Otto Link - Tone Edge 10* (original)
Otto Link - New Vintage Slant Sig Tone Edge 7* (original)

- Non Otto Link mouthpieces:

Berg Larsen - Metal 140/0 SMS (original, vintage)
Berg Larsen - Metal 150/2 SMS (original, modern)
Brilhart - Tonalin Great Neck 3* (original, measures 4* or 0.075")
China - Metal gold plated 10 (original)
Phil-Tone - Mosaic 9 (original)
Rico Royal - Metalite M11 (original)
Theo Wanne - Metal Durga 12* (original)
10mfan - HR Merlot 9 (original)
10mfan - HR Robusto 11* (original)

- Horns:

Alto - 1960's Klingsor serial 016xx
Tenor - 1932 Conn New Wonder Transitional serial 251xxx (not mine)
Tenor - 1945 Buescher Aristocrat serial 303xxx (not mine)
Tenor - 1953 Selmer Super Balanced Action serial 506xx
Tenor - 1983 Selmer Super Action 80 serial 345xxx (sold)

- Miscellaneous:

Pictures Selmer SBA necks
Pictures with multiple mouthpieces
Pictures with multiple horns
Pictures with mulitple reeds

- Sold or traded mouthpieces:

Barone - Metal Fushion gold plated 9* (original, sold)
Berg Larsen - HR 90/2 SMS (original, vintage, traded)
B&S - Metal 190 (6*) (original, traded)
King - Metal King tenor 8* (original, traded)
Otto Link - STM Florida no USA 7 (John Reilly reface, traded)
Otto Link - STM Florida USA 8 to 7 (unknown refacer, traded)
Otto Link - STM Florida USA 9* (original, traded)
Otto Link - Tone Master 4 to 7* (Erik Greiffenhagen reface, traded)
Otto Link - Tone Master 7 (Eric Falcon reface, traded)
Ponzol - Super 120 (original, sold back to the original owner)

More albums and pictures to follow :).
 
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#3 ·
- Beautiful. I could spot that 4star..with the JVW work on it from a mile away. That has to be amazing.

Thanks for posting.

* Just a passing thought; the Link that you have there, mentioned as unknown refacer. Sorta looks like Frank Wells work.
Something on the inside, but age and the light make it harder to see.

( I used to have a WT Link, I bought in Pontys. The best damn mouthpiece I ever had.Another was a Ben Harrad Link, I got in Flordia once at the factory. )
 
#8 ·
- Beautiful. I could spot that 4star..with the JVW work on it from a mile away. That has to be amazing.
Thanks for checking out Tim. That Jon van Wie Four 8* looks like a kind of Frankenstein mouthpiece. It's not so easy to play (lot of resistance) and it's also a bit reed picky, but in my ears it can sound very special with the correct reed. It has a real vintage vibe, something that the other refaced vintage pieces I own have not or less (they sound more like a mix between a vintage and a modern piece). I think Jon van Wie was really into something special, it's a great loss he died so young.

I have an example soundclip of the JvW Four 8* (please remember I'm only an intermediate amateur player):
- 'Skylark' (Four 8* JvW - La Voz medium): http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12085844
- JvW Four 8* picture album: https://plus.google.com/photos/1086...637650008771977212/albums/5944953524149766209

* Just a passing thought; the Link that you have there, mentioned as unknown refacer. Sorta looks like Frank Wells work.
Something on the inside, but age and the light make it harder to see.
Tim, are you referring to the Master Link: https://plus.google.com/photos/1086...637650008771977212/albums/5944955459665153793

It looks like a very old reface job, the refaced 6 stamp looks like a 40's Tone Master stamp to me. Would be cool if Frank Wells worked on that piece :). I've read a lot about him (like that he worked on pieces of most of the famous Basie band sax players).
 
#9 · (Edited)
Guys, thanks for checking out and commenting :).



Nick, I just added an album with some pics:
- Brilhart Tonalin Great Neck: https://plus.google.com/photos/108637650008771977212/albums/5945344704917134545

Also once recorded it for a TOTM of last year. Not easy for me to play such a small tip, but I don't think I sound that much different on it compared to a Link :).
- 'Stardust' (Brilhart Tonalin 3* - La Voz medium hard): http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=11972949

Looks exactly like my collection, except I don't have any Links.................... Oops!
In the end they are all just mouthpieces, all looking and doing (almost!) the same :)!
 
#11 · (Edited)
Actually not :).

For playing outdoors (gig's, rehearsal's) I mostly use my current main piece the Florida no USA 10* (and sometimes the Florida no USA 9, if a reed feels to hard for the 10*). I only use the other pieces for fun and making 'silly' mouthpiece comparison clips :).

Unless what you might think I like to stick with one piece for a longer time (before the FL 10* my Early Babbitt 8* was for 20 years my main piece). Still I'm always interested in what other pieces can bring to my sound, knowing that the real change will primary come from putting a lot of time in practising (time I unfortunatley don't have).
 
#15 ·
NOOOOOOOOOOO

And I though I could jam like Brecker if I just put the big bucks down on his setup.

To all the middle school students browsing this thread: I promise with a mark 6 and a wood guardala you WILL be able to hit that high G. :twisted:
Happily for me I never thought that (replace Brecker for Cobb, Jacquet, Hawkins, Webster, Quebec, Forrest and Gonsalves), not even before building up my collection... :mrgreen:.

Ha, yes! Actually I have a good number of large chamber Link like pieces - just not any actual Links!
Yes, there are a lot of good pieces available and we should just play what we think will fit our needs the best (and put in a lot of practise besides that) :).

What are you playing Mike?
 
#16 ·
For years and years I played on a modern SS Berg 105/1 (actually measured 92 or 93 depending on whether you measured from the front or the back of the table!), but I knocked it onto a stone tiled floor several years ago. Since then (and despite a very good reface on the Berg by Lawrie Waldron of LAW mp's) I've been playing on a variety of pieces, from a few LAW's, a FG MKII, and a number of TW's. At the moment I'm playing on a great TW metal Ambika and Gaia 6*.
 
#18 ·
Sounds like great pieces Mike (I also tried some of those pieces from collections of friends) :).

I'm recently got an old Ponzol 120 with a huge chamber and an incredible high baffle (don't have a picture album yet) and acutally like it very much.

Great pictures Peter. Nice to see your collection again. Is it time to sell yet ;)
Thanks Liam (I got some new pieces since we last met) :).

As you know I'm not interested in selling pieces or making profit at all, but some of them could go if people where interested. With other pieces I'm not ready yet and I'm afraid that's also the case for the piece(s) you are interested in :bluewink:.
 
#20 ·
Two answers:

1. I share the same address with this >very nice doggy<.

2. I'm often out of town (but he ^^^ always stays at home :mrgreen:)!
 
#26 ·
#27 ·
I wish I had two mouthpieces. I could only find one that I liked. My mouthpiece collection consists of one mouthpiece. I have probably tried 50 or so over the years, but I only kept one. I feel insecure about not having a backup, but not really interested in trying others. When Gerry Mulligan broke his mouthpiece he almost quit playing because he couldn't find another one he liked. :(
If you have a vintage piece it's not easy to find an exact copy, otherwise it should be easier. What mouthpiece do you use?

I'm very happy to have about 6 pieces in my collection that I really like (and a lot that are just good), so I always have a good backup in case something happens with my main piece (as mentioned earlier, I almost always use the same piece playing outdoors).
 
#28 ·
I'm happing to have about 6 pieces in my collection that I really like (and a lot that are just good), so I always have a good backup in case something happens with my main piece (as mentioned earlier, I almost always use the same piece playing outdoors).
I fully understand why some have a large collection of mouthpieces.
Usually one of two reasons:-
1/ Accumulated in the never ending search for perfection.
2/ Accommodating all the various combinations of mouthpiece styles.....baffle, chamber size etc.

What I fail to understand about your collection is the fact that, to the majority, your mouthpieces are virtually identical.

I have a chum with a large collection of vintage cars....including three virtually identical 1920s Humber 9/28s....his "reason" is that he has one of each colour produced in 1927.

You do not even have that excuse :).....I like eccentrics.
 
#32 ·
Ahaa....We did not know that you had all those lurking in the background.
As you say....."far more versatile than you (we) initially thought".
If you seriously wish to try a tenor Metalite M11 I will happily stick a stamp on mine & post it to you to evaluate.
I find it less lively than the M9....darker. Who knows, you might like it.
Just PM me (I hate that expression) with your address & I will pop it into the post to you.
 
#33 ·
Thanks for the very friendly offer Captain :).

I won't make use of it at this moment, hardly having time to play the horn at all lately. I will wait patiently for my change to acquire one myself (only for a honest price that is, I'm Dutch :mrgreen:), because I have the opinion that no serious mouthpiece collection is complete without a good Rico Metalite M11 :).
 
#40 ·
It sure is, FG is a real master :). The work was done before I bought this mpc (I don't think he still does do those things). FG also worked on one of the 8* Four**** pieces I own (also before I got it).
 
#41 ·
#42 · (Edited)
I just added a new album with (low quality) pictures of my main tenor, a Selmer Super Balanced Action with serial 506xx:

- Tenor - 1953 Selmer Super Balanced Action serial 506xx: https://plus.google.com/photos/108637650008771977212/albums/6210122244728477633

I always thought that my horn (a SBA with silver plated keys and a bar brass body) was build by Selmer in 1952 (based on the >saxpics serial number information<). I bought it in a sax shop in Amsterdam around 1995 and always thought it was an original silver plated horn coming from USA (because of a Elkhart USA stamp on the bell) and that the silver plate from the body was removed during a repair of the horn.

I recently asked our highly appreciated SOTW member Douglas Pipher about some more information on my horn, knowing that he has documents with original Selmer Paris information on when horns where produced and shipped to customers. Douglas wrote this to me:

According to the Selmer archives, your horn was originally sold in Europe and was originally a lacquered horn. Its construction was completed on June 13, 1953 and it was engraved and lacquered in France. It was sold on Sept 24, 1953 and the buyer is listed as Hampe. I believe that Hampe is (or was) a music store in Amsterdam. I have recorded Selmer sales to this name from 1927 to at least 1954.

The "New York Elkhart" stamp on the Super Action bells appears to have been standard for nearly all production (just like the New York Elkhart London stamp was for the early Mark VI horns).
So probably the charts of saxpics are not fully reliable, because my horn is from 1953 and not from 1952 (a very late SBA, close to early Mark VI production in 1954). Also nice to know that my horn was probably all it's life located in The Netherlands and didn't come from USA, despite the Elkhart USA stamp on the bell. I also found out from the man I bought the horn from that Selmer had some batches with gold lacquered horns with silver plated keys, like my SBA. Checking this further with Douglas he confirms that the horn was not delivered that way from the factory, so silver plating the keys and rods must have been done later in time. Douglas wrote:

The Selmer record for your horn says: verni grave. If the keys were silver plated at the factory, the record would say: verni gravé, clés argenté. Now ... it is always possible that there was a clerical error with your horn in the archives ... but ... if we are to trust the archives, then they indicate that your horn had the keys plated at a later date.
I also did some quick research on Hampe, the Amsterdam music store that imported my horn directly from Selmer Paris in 1953:

Hampe was (and still is) a music shop in Amsterdam. It's now called Hampe and Berkel music, but it was founded as Hampe music store in Amsterdam in 1842 by Wilhelm Hampe, a violin builder. They where the first music store that imported saxophones in The Netherlands, according to their history page (see below link). Before Wilhelm Hampe the house (located at Spui 11 in Amsterdam) was owned by Richard Haka, who came from London to Amsterdam in 1652. Richard builded flutes and other musical instruments, they even found some old wood he used on the top floor during a renovation of the shop/house in 1974. See this Dutch page on the history of the shop as posted by the current owner (in Dutch!):
http://www.berkelmuziek.nl/contents/nl/about.html
 
#43 · (Edited)
Added some more albums with horns I own or tried for a short test period:

- Tenor - 1945 Buescher Aristocrat serial 303xxx: https://plus.google.com/photos/108637650008771977212/albums/6210476342984139409
- Tenor - 1983 Selmer Super Action 80 serial 345xxx: https://plus.google.com/photos/108637650008771977212/albums/6210478071302691185
- Pictures with multiple horns: https://plus.google.com/photos/108637650008771977212/albums/6211089582736508689

(Also added the links to post #1 of this thread.)
 
#44 · (Edited)
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