OK, here it is. All of these were tested on my Keilwerth SX-90R tenor, with a standard Selmer Ligature (except where noted) and a Vandoren 3 1/2 traditional reed. I'm not going to comment too much on intonation, as every horn is different, but this should give anyone looking for a mouthpiece at least an idea of the characteristics of each. Oh, and because of the discussions about French vs. Rascher pieces that went on last time, I'm not going to attempt to categorize them that way this time. When possible, I tried multiple pieces of each mouthpiece to get a feel for consistency. (BTW, I'm sorry if it seems like I'm bashing J.J. Babbitt in this. The thing is, they make a very inconsistent product, which you REALLY notice when test multiple mouthpieces of the same type.)
Selmer S-80 (C* Facing) - Medium dark sound, small roll-over baffle at the tip. Medium square chamber. Fairly "spread" sound, good immediate response. Very middle of the road mouthpiece. Quality is inconsistent. I tried 4 of these and two of them were similar, but two were completely different down to the feel of the rubber.
Selmer S-90 (180 facing) - Slightly darker than the S-80, small roll-over baffle. Square chamber with small arches. Larger chamber than the S-80, but not as large as the Rascher or Caravan pieces. Response was difficult in the low register. I tried 3 of these and they were very consistent.
Selmer Soloist (C*)-Arched "horseshoe" chamber design, similar to the old Soloists. Medium bright sound, slightly brighter than S-80. Good hard rubber stock. Didn't get to try multiples.
Selmer LT- Medium round chamber, very small rollover baffle. Slightly darker than the other Selmer pieces, with a more focused sound. Rubber is softer on these out of the two I tried. Response is very good.
Selmer Metal (C* Facing)- Small round chamber. Brightest of the Selmer pieces with a very focused sound. Response is excellent. Didn't get to try multiples on this, but the metal is very soft. (Tested with Selmer 404 lig)
Rousseau Classic (5R facing)-Brightest of all the pieces I tried. Medium chamber, with an arch design. Long roll-over baffle. Excellent response, particularly in the high range, very focused sound. These can be inconsistent, so it's recommended to try several before settling on one.
Rousseau New Classic (NC4 facing)-Less bright than the regular classic, with more focus. Still the second brightest piece that I tried. Less baffle and a larger chamber as well. Excellent response across the whole range of the horn. Very inconsistent. Try several of these before you buy.
Morgan (3C) -Very dark piece, round chamber. There is a very slight rollover. Not as dark as Caravan or Rascher, but still very dark. EXCELLENT response. Very free blowing. I have no idea about the consistencey of these, but I would assume that they are very consistent since they are hand faced.
Rascher - Incredibly dark piece, bordering on "tubby." Lots of resistance in them, bordering on stuffy. Mostly flat baffle, HUGE round chamber. Difficult response. I tried two, and they seemed consistent, but they are made by Babbitt so it's tough to say. I want to note that the Rascher style players use these to great effect, and I am not trained to use them. I think that this is a piece that you have to get used to.
Caravan- Very dark, although not as dark as the Rascher. Lots of resistance but not stuffy. Mostly flat baffle. Better response than the Rascher, but see my notes above on that. I could only try one of these.
Vandoren V5 (T27)- Fairly bright, similar to the S-80. Medium round chamber with a small "squeeze". Poor response in low register. Long roll-over baffle. Very consistent pieces. (Tested with Optimum lig.)
Vandoren Optimum (TL3) - Darker than the V5, slightly larger round chamber. Very even response across the whole instrument, similar to the Morgan. Rollover baffle. More focus than the V5. Very consistent pieces, although the one that I use has been "perfected" a bit. (Tested with Optimum lig) (For this thread, I tried a stock piece as well as my own.)
Hite Artist 128 - Only comes in one facing (.95). The one I tried was produced prior to Mr. Hite's death. Bright piece with some "edge" that needs to be tamed. Unlike the alto one, this could conceivably be used for classical work. Round chamber. Very good response across the entire range, with the altissimo being especially good. I had to use an alto lig to try this, and the only one that I had was a Vandoren Optimum. I have no idea about the consistency of this piece, because they are being produced by Babbitt now, and not hand finished. I will try and get a "stock" piece and update this thread when I do.
Bamber Concert (5) - Horseshoe chamber, very similar to a Soloist. Long rollover baffle, medium bright sound. Very focused. Didn't try multiples of this. Might be a good choice for someone wanting a Selmer Short-Shank that doesn't want to pay the money for one! Again, these are made by Babbitt, so consistency will be an issue.
A few small notes:
-On the consistency issue: I'm not trying to bash J.J. Babbitt or Selmer, but they tend to make pieces that are very different from one to another. Selmer doesn't have this problem except in the S-80, and I suspect that it is because they produce FAR MORE of that type of piece than any of their others. On ANY of these, including the ones noted as "very consistent", I highly recommend trying multiples of the same piece.
-On the Rascher pieces: I am not a Rascher player (duh!) so I'm not used to these types of pieces. If you have been trained in that environment, or you play a vintage horn (non-Selmer), you will probably like these more than I did. I didn't have access to a Buescher (or Martin) to try them on the horn for which they were really designed.
-I have started working on a third thread like this, for soprano pieces, but it will be a bit before it's finished. Between Real Lifetm and my wallet size right now, I'll need a few weeks before it's ready.
-One last bit: If you want my personal recommendations, please PM or e-mail me. I don't want to color this anymore than I already have. BTW, if you are a high school student, I HIGHLY recommend that you stick to a middle of the road mouthpiece before you get into college.
Selmer S-80 (C* Facing) - Medium dark sound, small roll-over baffle at the tip. Medium square chamber. Fairly "spread" sound, good immediate response. Very middle of the road mouthpiece. Quality is inconsistent. I tried 4 of these and two of them were similar, but two were completely different down to the feel of the rubber.
Selmer S-90 (180 facing) - Slightly darker than the S-80, small roll-over baffle. Square chamber with small arches. Larger chamber than the S-80, but not as large as the Rascher or Caravan pieces. Response was difficult in the low register. I tried 3 of these and they were very consistent.
Selmer Soloist (C*)-Arched "horseshoe" chamber design, similar to the old Soloists. Medium bright sound, slightly brighter than S-80. Good hard rubber stock. Didn't get to try multiples.
Selmer LT- Medium round chamber, very small rollover baffle. Slightly darker than the other Selmer pieces, with a more focused sound. Rubber is softer on these out of the two I tried. Response is very good.
Selmer Metal (C* Facing)- Small round chamber. Brightest of the Selmer pieces with a very focused sound. Response is excellent. Didn't get to try multiples on this, but the metal is very soft. (Tested with Selmer 404 lig)
Rousseau Classic (5R facing)-Brightest of all the pieces I tried. Medium chamber, with an arch design. Long roll-over baffle. Excellent response, particularly in the high range, very focused sound. These can be inconsistent, so it's recommended to try several before settling on one.
Rousseau New Classic (NC4 facing)-Less bright than the regular classic, with more focus. Still the second brightest piece that I tried. Less baffle and a larger chamber as well. Excellent response across the whole range of the horn. Very inconsistent. Try several of these before you buy.
Morgan (3C) -Very dark piece, round chamber. There is a very slight rollover. Not as dark as Caravan or Rascher, but still very dark. EXCELLENT response. Very free blowing. I have no idea about the consistencey of these, but I would assume that they are very consistent since they are hand faced.
Rascher - Incredibly dark piece, bordering on "tubby." Lots of resistance in them, bordering on stuffy. Mostly flat baffle, HUGE round chamber. Difficult response. I tried two, and they seemed consistent, but they are made by Babbitt so it's tough to say. I want to note that the Rascher style players use these to great effect, and I am not trained to use them. I think that this is a piece that you have to get used to.
Caravan- Very dark, although not as dark as the Rascher. Lots of resistance but not stuffy. Mostly flat baffle. Better response than the Rascher, but see my notes above on that. I could only try one of these.
Vandoren V5 (T27)- Fairly bright, similar to the S-80. Medium round chamber with a small "squeeze". Poor response in low register. Long roll-over baffle. Very consistent pieces. (Tested with Optimum lig.)
Vandoren Optimum (TL3) - Darker than the V5, slightly larger round chamber. Very even response across the whole instrument, similar to the Morgan. Rollover baffle. More focus than the V5. Very consistent pieces, although the one that I use has been "perfected" a bit. (Tested with Optimum lig) (For this thread, I tried a stock piece as well as my own.)
Hite Artist 128 - Only comes in one facing (.95). The one I tried was produced prior to Mr. Hite's death. Bright piece with some "edge" that needs to be tamed. Unlike the alto one, this could conceivably be used for classical work. Round chamber. Very good response across the entire range, with the altissimo being especially good. I had to use an alto lig to try this, and the only one that I had was a Vandoren Optimum. I have no idea about the consistency of this piece, because they are being produced by Babbitt now, and not hand finished. I will try and get a "stock" piece and update this thread when I do.
Bamber Concert (5) - Horseshoe chamber, very similar to a Soloist. Long rollover baffle, medium bright sound. Very focused. Didn't try multiples of this. Might be a good choice for someone wanting a Selmer Short-Shank that doesn't want to pay the money for one! Again, these are made by Babbitt, so consistency will be an issue.
A few small notes:
-On the consistency issue: I'm not trying to bash J.J. Babbitt or Selmer, but they tend to make pieces that are very different from one to another. Selmer doesn't have this problem except in the S-80, and I suspect that it is because they produce FAR MORE of that type of piece than any of their others. On ANY of these, including the ones noted as "very consistent", I highly recommend trying multiples of the same piece.
-On the Rascher pieces: I am not a Rascher player (duh!) so I'm not used to these types of pieces. If you have been trained in that environment, or you play a vintage horn (non-Selmer), you will probably like these more than I did. I didn't have access to a Buescher (or Martin) to try them on the horn for which they were really designed.
-I have started working on a third thread like this, for soprano pieces, but it will be a bit before it's finished. Between Real Lifetm and my wallet size right now, I'll need a few weeks before it's ready.
-One last bit: If you want my personal recommendations, please PM or e-mail me. I don't want to color this anymore than I already have. BTW, if you are a high school student, I HIGHLY recommend that you stick to a middle of the road mouthpiece before you get into college.