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New Vintage Slant Link Thoughts

147K views 407 replies 100 participants last post by  whaler 
#1 ·
Hi everybody!
I just wanted to write my quick review of the new vintage slant, as I know a lot of people are interested in trying these and I hope this info will be helpful. I was following the info myself and had a chance to order from tenormaddness right after they got it in stock.:)

First of all I want to say that I'm a Tone Edge player myself. I have a bunch of different Links that I use including new and vintage models. As you know, these are not "chops in a box". Only after certain time spent in practice room you get to know how to play it and learn flexibility of each piece.

The Link I got from tenormaddnes is an amazing mouthpiece. :):):) It has very low serial number 0197 and it doesn't have USA on the shank. I've seen several pictures and all of them had USA. Interestingly mine doesnt. The baffle shape is very accurate and it goes very smoothe into the floor and chamber, no concavity, nothing. Rails are very accurate and table looks pretty flat to me. It appears to me that the chamber is slightly smaller due to more material under the table. And the floor height measures exactly the same as my Early Babitt. Identical.
Does it play identical? Well....the tone color is the same with different EQ in the high's. It doesn't necessarily means that it plays brighter, but boost in high's makes it feel so. Is the volume the same? No, it is definitely louder. You can still play pretty dark on it, and subtones are very lush and full. It can play as dark as my EB, but louder. This is the loudest Link I've ever played, it just projects! I believe it is due to a slightly smaller chamber and vintage like high floor.
How is the rubber quality I really don't know, looks fine to me. But basically this is a great piece and it definitely a winner for me. I'm still in process learning this piece and it get's better and better every day. First day when I was comparing it to my trusted old Early Babbitt I was not as happy as I'm today after playing it for a while. Today I compared it to EB and for some time I found EB to be a bit duller? Did I say that? Yes, it felt that way, no not brighter, but this new slant is somehow gets cleaner sound! Yes cleaner, I think this is the right word.
More time will show where it will go for me, but for now I just want to tell that it is a great mouthpiece and if you a Link player you really need to try it, I'm sure there will be opposite reviews, but for everyone it's different. What considered dark for one person- is bright for another and visa versa. All those things are very subjective and of course it's up to a player how you play it.
For me as a Link player it is very projective and loud with a good real Link core sound! Just wanted to get this info for those who interested and I hope this information will help you!
All have a great day! Peace :)

here are some pictures

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/zulfjazz/new vintage slant/IMG_5219.jpg
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/zulfjazz/new vintage slant/IMG_5221.jpg
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/zulfjazz/new vintage slant/IMG_5224.jpg
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/zulfjazz/new vintage slant/IMG_5227.jpg
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/zulfjazz/new vintage slant/IMG_5235.jpg
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/zulfjazz/new vintage slant/IMG_5240.jpg
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/zulfjazz/new vintage slant/IMG_5243.jpg
 
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#42 ·
Thanks again Zulfuger!

I also felt the EB had more ring and sparkle and preferred it in most of the segments (not all of them). Besides the reed issue that Thomas mentioned, do you think any of the difference could be due to the fact that you've played the EB much longer?
 
#47 ·
Thanks LampLight! :)
I definitely think that because I played EB much longer I feel more confident with it. And during the recording I was kind of sometimes hesitating on Slant because I'm not used to it yet. That's why sometimes EB is louder there, while in reality Slant is much louder. Maybe I will need to put another comparison within month or so, when I get used to this piece, I'm sure it will be different:)
 
#45 ·
The EB sounded better to me. It seemed to have more volume in most of the sound tests. It had more complexity to it. The Slant sounded to me like something a classical player would prefer- it was too clean and pure for my ears. It had a pretty tone, and w/o a comparison it sounds good on its own, but comes in 2nd place in comparison with the EB. I don't own an EB and don't plan on buying one of these Slants, so my opinion isn't "slanted" either way.:)
 
#48 ·
Although both sound similar, the New Slant doesn't sound as good as the EB because you're not pushing it enough. I think if you were to give it more air and search for a little more ring, I think it would actually sound BETTER than the vintage model! And I'm not an anti-vintage guy; I like my vintage pieces. But I think you'd do fine with a little more work on the New Slant. THen you could sell the EB for a hundred thousand dollars or whatever.
 
#49 ·
Thanks for that comparison!!!

I prefered the EB link but the new slant is out there with much less impact on my pocket and if you are lucky enough to get into a stockist you can try a whole bunch.....thats got to even it out hasn't it?

Any chance of comparing the slant to the standard modern tone edge:):?
 
#51 ·
Thanks again Z, excellent comparisons. Both pieces sound fine but if I had to choose personally between the two, I'd go for the new Slant. To my ear it seems more dynamically and tonally flexible. True in the upper range the EB does have somewhat of a more ring to it but throughout the ranges of the horn the new piece just has more of a presence to me. Thanks, good stuff.
 
#52 ·
Now the Slant sounds louder. It sounds better at today's louder volume as compared to yesterday's sound test. I like either one now.
 
#55 ·
Thanks everybody for checking recordings out. I hope this review and sound clips will help to those who in search of a mouthpiece :).



I'm not sure I understood your question Mojo. mouthpiece did not change, it is the same EB vs new Slant both 7* with RJS 4m, if that's what you asking? But what weight on recording you asking? I did not get that:)
 
#64 ·
Well, like I said before, it feels very free blowing and very easy to play. When comparing, my EB feels a tad stuffier and you have to push more to get same level. Although I like the resistance to certain extent. I may try RJS 4H to see if it will do same feel that RJS 4M does on EB (in regards resistance). Hope this is the info you were interested and were asking about?:)
 
#68 ·
I had a chance to try a couple of the vintage slant Tone Edges. The ones I tried were from a batch of hand-picked ones, so I can't draw conclusions about the overall consistency of them. I did, however, like the two I tried. They were 8s; both measured very close to .105" on my Fowler gauge. I measured (but did not play) a couple of 7*s and they were all a little smaller, so if you are ordering blind you might consider a step up from your usual tip opening. I thought they were pleasingly dark, fairly powerful, and even throughout the registers. I can't say how they compare to a vintage slant because I've never played one. I compared them to the Phil-Tone Edge and the PTE is darker.

I also tried a couple of the vintage metal pieces as well. They seemed to run to the dark side compared to my Millenium Link. For my tastes, I liked the ML better.

Bores on both rubber and metal models ran to the small side - adoptees of these mouthpieces are likely to need some neck cork removed.

If the couple of Tone Edges I tried are representative, these are an excellent offering in the $175 price range. Does this mean the end for the many boutique brands on the market? I don't think so. But in the short term, some of these makers might be hurt as a lot of dollars chase this "latest and greatest" offering from the 900-pound gorilla in the saxophone mouthpiece marketplace.
 
#70 ·
I got mine New Slant Signature HR 7* ser.number 357 from Junkdude


I just tested/played my New Slant for the first time.

I hadn´t the car today but I couldn´t wait longer to go to the customs so I toke my bicycle. I rode 15 miles one way, altogether more than 35 miles on my bicycle ( I made a round riding to my saxdoc in the city to buy some biteplates, it would be a sin to play it without one).

I am tired but haaaaapppy.

Holy grail man!! (did I say holy grail;)) ?

this is the best Link I´ve ever played.

It´s easy to control, great response through the horn, nice core. My Chu Berry sounds better, the low end goes easier, has more edge,all what I´ve been looking for on an Otto link adding bafles to standard HR Links without achieving the sound I wished.
My Aristocrate sounds for sure good too, but Conns go really best with Links.

I see lots of potential in this MPC, it sounds right away soo good and with more practice it will be sensationell.
I mean, you can concetrate yourself in other issues since the MPc works easy and sounds great. I did the same experience once with a MK VI Tenor which sounded great and was easy to control.
So for me it is a MK VI alike among the Mouthpieces.

Babitt has been just as consequent in my opinion making a more than decent Otto Link with a very slightly smaller chamber and good (as expected) final quality.

The Mouthpiece looks nice, smells as rubber (like the Morgans) and shows signs of small hand work on the rails inside.

For me is clear that this New Otto Link pass through a better control at the end.

Nice, this piece will stay in the family for ages.
That´s really black gold.
No wonder people are selling their old stuff or custom made pieces.;) for it
 
#71 ·
I got mine New Slant Signature HR 7* ser.number 357 from Junkdude

I just tested/played my New Slant for the first time.

I hadn´t the car today but I couldn´t wait longer to go to the customs so I toke my bicycle. I rode 15 miles one way, altogether more than 35 miles on my bicycle ( I made a round riding to my saxdoc in the city to buy some biteplates, it would be a sin to play it without one).

I am tired but haaaaapppy.

Holy grail man!! (did I say holy grail;)) ?

this is the best Link I´ve ever played.

It´s easy to control, great response through the horn, nice core. My Chu Berry sounds better, the low end goes easier, has more edge,all what I´ve been looking for on an Otto link adding bafles to standard HR Links without achieving the sound I wished.
My Aristocrate sounds for sure good too, but Conns go really best with Links.

I see lots of potential in this MPC, it sounds right away soo good and with more practice it will be sensationell.
I mean, you can concetrate yourself in other issues since the MPc works easy and sounds great. I did the same experience once with a MK VI Tenor which sounded great and was easy to control.
So for me it is a MK VI alike among the Mouthpieces.

Babitt has been just as consequent in my opinion making a more than decent Otto Link with a very slightly smaller chamber and good (as expected) final quality.

The Mouthpiece looks nice, smells as rubber (like the Morgans) and shows signs of small hand work on the rails inside.

For me is clear that this New Otto Link pass through a better control at the end.

Nice, this piece will stay in the family for ages.
That´s really black gold.
No wonder people are selling their old stuff or custom made pieces.;) for it
Congrats!!!!!! Wow you did 35mph on bicycle!!! :):):) COOL!!!
I'm sure u'll like it more and more once you play on it for longer. That what happened to me.:) Congrats again!!!:):):)
 
#72 ·
Wow you did 35mph on bicycle!!! COOL!!
No buddy:D

mph means ,miles per hour. So I´d had rode faster than Lance Armstrong ;)

http://www.lancearmstrong.com/

I rode today indeed a distance of 35 - 40 km or 22 to 25 miles at low velocity.

I did this struggle for the Mouthpiece. As my wife got home with the car the custom office would be closed.

Now I have aching muscles but a wide smile :D:D: :mrgreen::toothy7: :toothy8:
 
#73 ·
I agree to a very large degree with CONN-hunter. My New Slant (7* s/n 0180) is clearly different from all other tenor mouthpieces I have tried, including a Slant refaced by Adam Niewood, a brass Stubby Dukoff refaced by Ralph Morgan, my Morgan Excalibur (which plays just as well but with a more polished sound), House Blend and Espresso from Mouthpiece Guys which also play just as well but with different sound, RPC, Brilhart HR, etc. etc.
The difference is the sound with an edge and the large degree af versatility. This versatility also shows up in the response to different reeds. It's feels like it magnifies the different sound of different reeds.
In this respect - and in respect to versatility, ability to produce a broad palette of sounds, it is similar to the House Blend from Mouthpiece Guys. The latter is just more piercing.
Maybe use of different reeds for first trials of the New Slant is the reason for the disagreement on the capabilities of this new mouthpiece.
(My preferred reed (so far) for the New Slant is Rico Jazz Select 3H with a Vandoren Jazz 3,5 a close second)
 
#74 ·
My New Slant (7* s/n 0180) is clearly different from all other tenor mouthpieces I have tried, including a Slant refaced by Adam Niewood, a brass Stubby Dukoff refaced by Ralph Morgan, my Morgan Excalibur (which plays just as well but with a more polished sound), House Blend and Espresso from Mouthpiece Guys which also play just as well but with different sound, RPC,
Can you, or anyone, say how this new Slant compares to an RPC (115 or 120B)? I suspect the slant wouldn't reach as high a volume but maybe would have a richer or fuller sound? I really like the sound of a Link, but the ones I've tried haven't really had the punch, response, or volume of the RPC. So far the RPC has given me the best sound with relatively full body for a baffled mpc that can be played with plenty of volume. Still, I've never really spent much playing time on a Link. Maybe this new Slant would be worth checking out.

While I mostly play blues/R&B I like the "old school" sound and imo good tone is just as desirable in the blues genre as in jazz.
 
#75 ·
Interesting question about RPC .115B vs. new "slant". I've been happily playing one of the new slants for a month or so, and like it so much I bought a second one. For blues/rock gigs I was an RPC .115 B guy, but switched to the stainless Ponzol M2 recently, but still playing the RPC a bit. I compared the RPC & slant tonight while practicing.

You are right, the RPC is much louder. To me the two pieces (RPC and new slant) have similar sounds, but the RPC has more mids that help it cut more. The slant is more focused, has more resistance and only goes to 8 instead of 11 (talking about loudness).

I tried the new slant first set at a blues rock gig Friday, I figured I wouldn't need as much oomph because it was a yuppy wine bar. Anyway, great tone but for me it was a bit too tame for that style. Most the time it was great, perfect tone, cool for comping and mellow solos, but sometimes you need to really wail and for me I couldn't get there with it. I switched back to my Ponzol after the first set.

I do love the new slant though, for me it has the perfect jazz tone, very flexible tone-wise, easy to play, has a lot of soul in the sound, edge when you want it etc. etc. And the price is pretty reasonable. It doesn't have the power I'm accustomed to for blues & rock.
 
#77 ·
I do love the new slant though, for me it has the perfect jazz tone, very flexible tone-wise, easy to play, has a lot of soul in the sound, edge when you want it etc. etc. And the price is pretty reasonable. It doesn't have the power I'm accustomed to for blues & rock.
I couldn´t express better than that Gordon.:)

R&B is not the CALL for the New Slant Signature.
The resistance and the amount of volume/loudness (not too much at all) matchs perfectly a wide range of styles, but for not for R&B:cool:

I am going out to rehearsal now and taking my NewSlant with the Buescher for the first time. :D
 
#86 ·
R&B is not the CALL for the New Slant Signature.
The resistance and the amount of volume/loudness (not too much at all) matchs perfectly a wide range of styles, but for not for R&B:cool:
I don't know . . . I think you can get this mouthpiece to really wail. Try using a slightly softer reed and a real loose embouchure. I'm finding this to be one of the most versatile mouthpieces I've ever played. It's also very forgiving and easy to play. So in addition to sounding great, it's also just plain FUN.

It's still not my number one, but I wouldn't mind if it was. It may not be for everyone (as evidenced by some of the negative comments/reviews posted in some of these threads), but what mouthpiece is? I think it's a great mouthpiece at an even better price.

It suddenly occurs to me, though, that maybe those of us who appreciate this new offering should tone down the praise a bit. Do we really want to create shortages and price increases due to increased demand? ;)

Buck
 
#80 ·
Thanks guys! Pretty much what I thought, but I'm still thinking about looking for a Link because tone is becoming more important to me than volume. With the RPC I can play very loud when necessary, but actually it's not really necessary because I could just turn the mic up. At least on my own gigs. At a jam you don't usually have control over that....
 
#85 ·
what about the New Metal Vintage? I guess it would fit better than the NVS HR for you.
I've been playing an RPC for a couple of years and I like the HR, but metal is ok also. Why do you say the metal mpc might be a better fit? If you mean more volume, I haven't found any metal mpc to have more volume than a HR RPC, so if it's the same design as the HR NVS, I don't see how it could be any louder. Or is there some other feature with the metal mpc (other than higher price?!)?

Yeah, I agree arkansasRed, no problem turning up the mic. Volume is only one issue, and maybe not a major one. There have been situations where I have been glad to have some extra volume, but I'm not a big fan of ear-splitting volume anyway.

The "how does it play" question is the one I'm really after. And from what I'm hearing it seems these NVS play pretty well.
 
#84 ·
Jeeeeeeeeeze..........

NVS, NTSB, BVD, .035, 25mm, concave, blah, blah, blah.

How does it play?

My new Slant mouthpiece plays good. I've been comparing it to my original Slant and it comes very close. It comes so close that it's not worth thinking about anymore. Hey, you can't beat the price. Oh yea, this talk about volume??? Just turn up your mic.!

Looks like a bit of a mountain/mole hill thing going on here.

Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

Red
 
#88 ·
Jeeeeeeeeeze..........

NVS, NTSB, BVD, .035, 25mm, concave, blah, blah, blah.

How does it play?

My new Slant mouthpiece plays good. I've been comparing it to my original Slant and it comes very close. It comes so close that it's not worth thinking about anymore. Hey, you can't beat the price. Oh yea, this talk about volume??? Just turn up your mic.!

Looks like a bit of a mountain/mole hill thing going on here.

Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

Red
Hey Red,

When I suggested calling it the NVS, I had this post from chitownjazz in mind:

I had a chance to try a couple of the vintage slant Tone Edges...

I can't say how they compare to a vintage slant because I've never played one.
This could get confusing...
That first "vintage" should be "Vintage". Clear as mud now.
Whether or not a mountain is being made out of a molehill, it's still important for people to agree on a common brand name, like "STM" or "RPC" or "Florida Link". As for the comparisons of true vintage, NVS, etc., I agree that one has to play a specific mouthpiece to assess it's playability.
 
#87 ·
Why do you say the metal mpc might be a better fit?
I don´t know exactly, I guess it could be since the metal sounds more resonant, has even should I say...:idea1: more metalic sound?:D

If I wish to sound more present I use an Otto link metal STM, I considere the New Slant ToneEdge lush and extremly warm.

I don't know . . . I think you can get this mouthpiece to really wail. Try using a slightly softer reed and a real loose embouchure
that´s a good suggestion.

I am wondering how it sounds on a modern centered sax. (I play american Vintages)
Thinking on buying a new tenor with contemporary sound:TGNCHK:
 
#89 ·
Ok, thanks again for the feedback. Guess the only way to know for sure is try it myself. I'm tempted.

If I wish to sound more present I use an Otto link metal STM, I considere the New Slant ToneEdge lush and extremly warm.
Yes, lush and warm is what I'm attracted to. A bit of edge is great too, but I've never really felt that playing the blues (especially) or old school R&B required a harsh, shrill sound. And that's part of what I like about the RPC; it's not overly harsh or shrill, but probably still not as warm as a link.
 
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