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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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#359 ·
Man, How many of these comparisons have you done? I saw a whole bunch on your site. Anyways,I'm not one to talk. I thought the first one was the new slant and the 2nd one was the EB. I personally like the first cut. I was tempted to like the second one but the first one had a resonance to it I really liked. It was on the verge of being too bright but wasn't over that line. The second one had a nice tone but seemed cloudy around the edges of the sound. Not as much of a core to me. Anyways' great playing. loved it.
 
#364 ·
Allright, I guess it's about that time...:):):)

So, many of you might already know, and guessed it right---#1 NVS, #2 EB. :cheers::cheers::cheers:Thanks everyone for their opinions.

Hey Neff, this is actually only one comparison of this piece, I don't have many there. This is my recent one I got with very low serial, I don't know maybe you missed my previous post. And I put this one because this NVS plays very different from all I've tried before. And I tried a lot, at least 10 :thumbrig:

JJ, congrats on new piece, like Phannah said, play it for a while and you will like it more, and of course it doesn't matter how it looks, if it plays it plays.:headbang:
 
#365 ·
what constitutes a "low" serial number? I have one that's 07XX somethingorotherish, and it plays great... thinking about getting another one.... but am wondering if a new one will be similar or a different animal? Maybe I'll get a new one anyways... gosh, we don't need to start yet another serial number obsession....
 
#368 ·
It's not another serial number obsession Pete. Both Zulf and I have noticed that the lower serial numbers appear to have less to no dimensional problems. I'm speaking of serial numbers below 200, so far. This is not to say that the pieces above 200 are bad dimensionally and don't play well.
 
#372 ·
Yeah, mine has the obviously too-rounded tip, but it's a nice player. Feels like the facing is really short, though.... subtoning is a challenge.
 
#373 ·
I sat down a couple of nights ago and tried 6 NVS and all of them played stuffy. The funny thing is the stock Tone Edges I tried played pretty good, except the larger tips beyond the 7*. The stock TE's also didn't have the round tip rail.

I tried the NVS when it first came out and wasn't impressed and decided to try them again, but with more examples. Like the rest of you the tip rail was way too round and I have no clue why they did that. The examples I played had 9XXX if I remember correctly.

For my money I'll take a stock TE and put a dental wax baffle in it and call it done for half the price.

Like the guy above I to noticed subtoning problems, it seemed really stuffy down there and stuffy in the alttissimo.
 
#374 ·
Call me crazy. Is it possible that the NVS is truly a reproduction od the original, including the tip rail that may have been shaped to the reed tip cuts of the day. I have a bunch of old Ricos that are from the original Slant era and even though it's slight-the cut of the tip is a bit more round than contemporary reeds. In the pic the reed on the left is an old(60's) Rico and the one on the right is a new Rico Royal. Just a thought-go ahead-call me crazy.
 
#375 ·
I bought mine over a year ago along. It is around 0163 serial if that means anything. Anyway I played it a couple of times and
put it away. I have been sticking with the Ted Klum Acoustimer for the most part. I decided to try something different last night
and took out the nvs. Very nice indeed! I compared it back and forth with the Acoustimer and they are both 7*. I find there is
less restistance in the Link and a little more focused but wow what a nice complex tone it has and a bit brighter also.
I have never played a vintage slant before but have played a bunch of EBs and this NVS feels better than those by a long shot.
Anyway I think this mouthpiece is a winner! I also have the metal tone master new vintage but I am mostly playing hr and resin mouthpeices
these days. Oh yeah I thought the nvs gave a bit of a Getz vibe for me..
 
#378 ·
A few thoughts:
I've tried about five of these pieces and have noticed that the tip rails have much more curve than the Rigotti reeds I play, which could not be very good. The NVLs that I've tried weren't particularly consistent. The response was quite good, much quicker than Modern Tone Edges. I didn't like the rubber and it seemed to give the pieces a bit of a plastic-y buzz compared to my EB. Overall, I would definitely recommend them to a student who doesn't want to shell out much money, but I would ask them to try several different pieces before pulling the trigger.
 
#380 ·
one can't really tell much of anything by simply looking at a mpc. With a fair amount of experience you can have an idea of what to expect but the proof is always in the playing.
 
#382 ·
If you have an issue with your new vintage link piece send it back to Babbitt in Indiana. They'll fix it for you for free. I did. Just explain your situation and the problem you're having with your particular piece. I think they are trying to become better in the customer service area...

Ryan
 
#385 ·
yes, I got the mthpc back. Of course I payed shipping to send it back to them but they sent it back to me free of charge. YOu have to email them and explain your situation/job/location etc--maybe even call them. I sent them a Rico Select Jazz reed to have them re-shape the tip to fit the curve. It was super rounded when I got it new...They fixed it right ...
 
#386 ·
I don't think the older serial are better, this is just marketing, hipe....urban legend. I just try some at the shop 23XXX-26XXX and they are ALL different, I pick up the one I like best: a 7, that's it. I have an original slant 5 USA. The sound are realy look like, the original are just a bit more even, specialy at the palm. For the price man!........(Chhhut!!! (low voice) I ear that the first batch in store right now, come from some original HR bar they find in an old storage, the next batch gona be less good!)
 
#387 ·
I don't think the older serial are better, this is just marketing, hipe....urban legend.\)
No it is not marketing hype...older serials were made little different. I experienced that myself. I sold my first one (0197) and couldn't replace it!!! Later luckily found another 0233 on Ebay which is killing! The problem is not only tip curve, or facing, or too high baffle which any of these possible to correct with reface. I noticed on many later ones chambers were very different and inconsistent in shape. Some had huge I mean huge chambers and that you wont be able to correct with refacing....just my 2 cents....
 
#388 ·
I've just bought a New Vintage Slant Link #6 (ser No 0240), see the last page of the thread on where to buy them for the buying story. Like everyone else I guess, the first thing I did was look down the mpc to see what the chamber was like. I have to say that I wasn't too impressed with what I saw, attached. OK the pitted moulding is on the cork, but it sure made me look VERY closely at the rest of it. It plays fine so I'm getting more relaxed about the pitting, though it's still a bit disappointing.
 

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#393 ·
Really, that is nothing. It is better that they do not scrap these for minor cosmetic defects. It helps to keep prices down for consumerrs.
Looks like porosity in the material to me... Just adding into what Adam was saying about the quality of the material. You pretty much never see that with a VINTAGE Meyer, Selmer, or Link. Filing away "the defects" could just unearth more porosity (which would then need to be worked down)... Next thing you know it won't fit on the cork.

Just my 2c, but I could be way off.

That being said, I've played the NVS pieces (I bought one of the first 200 from Tenor Madness) and they are REALLY good, especially when you consider a comparable mouthpiece is at least twice the price. Too many people think that you need a big ticket mouthpiece to make great music, and you just don't. Some of the best players around use some of the "worst" gear around.. Go figure.

I just saw this clip on Facebook of Antoine Roney playing an old Buescher mouthpiece (original tip)... Sounds pretty great to me.

 
#391 ·
Oh sure, I go along with that no problem. It's just that I've got a couple of Selmers mpcs, a tenor soloist and alto S80, and Meyer and Lebayle tenors and a Meyer sop and I just wouldn't expect to find that sort of cosmetic defect, even such a minor one as you say, in mpcs with those names on them. Like you I wouldn't be too bothered about this Link if I thought that their quality control had picked it up and decided it was OK because it didn't affect the playing surfaces. I'd go along with that for the reason you say, but if it wasn't picked up by their QC at all then that would be worrying because you'd start to wonder what else might get through wouldn't you.
 
#392 ·
FWIW...

I'm really enjoying my new NVS. I just picked a 6* from a batch including a couple of 7s and 6*s.
I'm unsure of the words to use to describe it but it's bit darker than my Morgan Excaliber 7EL and just a tad harder to blow.
#4829 and the finish looks great...smooth as a baby's bottom.
 
#394 ·
At the risk of people just assuming Im just drumming up business I will say that you need to play one of the recent 200. When these pieces came out they were nicely finished. Im not saying they were perfectly finished but they were close enough for practical purposes. At this juncture they suffer the same issues of their older brother the Tone Edge. They just do it without being tubby because the overall volume is smaller. I know the folks at Babbitt are capable of making mouthpieces. However, I think they are overwhelmed by the sheer volume. At a certain point things begin to fall apart.

I do not consider these pieces to play as well as pieces twice their cost..not close.

As for many players being capable of sounding great on beater horns and mouthpieces...Im with ya 100%.
 
#400 ·
It is a different piece altogether but pretty much the same finish work as mass produced pieces. Tables are typical, tip rails not touching reeds, facings variable but not bad. I think they are more forgiving than the Tone Edge because its a smaller chamber with more baffle. A really dark piece like the TE can go south really quick if its not in made well and balanced.

Personally, I wish they had taken the TE, removed the "Lake" (the low area behind the baffle) and left it alone. Then again, if you like a bright sounding HR Link sound it is yet another choice. Personal preference aside, they can both be really nice pieces.
 
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