SR Technologies Tenor Pro .108 (default facing)
First Impressions: Read favorable reviews of this piece on SOTW. Initially intended on purchasing SR Tech's "tenor fusion" model, but read a thread on SOTW in which several contributors favored the Pro model as having a more flexible tone with more depth. I was growing increasingly frustrated with the "old fashioned" (in my opinion) tone of my Link Super Tone Master NY 7*. In search of a more modern tone, I took all of the Jody Jazz metal mouthpieces (DV, DV NY and Chi) for "test drives" and found them lacking (I prefer more resistance and volume, and the Jody Jazz was very reed picky). And the Guardala MBII was too bright for me, the likely culprit a very high baffle. Could the SR Tech be the knight in shining armor I'd been searching for? It sure looked nice, with the gold plating, moderately large tip opening and moderate baffle with ridges.
Reed friendliness: Wow, amazing. This mouthpiece is much more reed friendly than the Jody Jazz or Guardala MBII. This piece responded well and produced a good tone in all registers (including an octave & 1/2 of altissimo). While my trusty Rico Jazz Select 3M, Vandoren Blue Box 2 1/2, Lavoz 3M, Vandoren Java 3, Vandoren V 16 3 and Vandoren ZZ 3 all produced good results, I found myself favoring the ZZ. While all reeds responded and sounded excellent in the low and extreme high registers, I found the ZZ produced the best tone in the range that tends to be the pickiest for me (when using metal mouthpieces): the range from G2 (upper octave non-altissimo G) through C3.
Response: Free and easy blowing in all registers, from low Bb through the altissimo register. Produces warm, rich sub tones with ease.
Tonal/Dynamic Flexibility: Wow, impressive. I'm convinced that this mouthpiece has the perfect baffle for the funky fusion tone I gravitate towards. This baffle is substantially higher than the Link Super Tone Master I used to play on, which gives it the edge, projection and modern tone that I've been searching for. Yet the baffle is low enough that the tone is much darker than the Guardala MBII. I find that this moderate baffle produces a tone that is deep, dark and warm (due to a strong presence of the fundamental) and yet rich with overtones, providing a rare combination of depth, warmth and edge. In terms of dynamic flexibility, very impressive. I can play as soft as I've ever played on any mouthpiece (including my trusty Selmer C* S80) with a rich tone, but I can also play much louder than I've ever played before. I'm now (for the first time ever) gigging with very loud funky fusion groups without the need for a microphone.
Other: (specify) I highly recommend this piece for anyone looking for a contemporary funk/fusion/hard bop/rock tone with excellent volume and projection and an edgy tone that is not too bright.
Conclusion: I know, the way I've been raving about this mouthpiece, one might suspect that I'm somehow an employee or endorser of this company. I assure you that is not the case. I am a junior high band teacher who is unknown outside of my local social circle in Chicago. The reason I am so zealous for this mouthpiece is that after decades of frustration in searching for the ultimate mouthpiece, I've finally found a mouthpiece that I love in every aspect. Now if I could just find an alto mouthpiece that I love as much as this awesome tenor mouthpiece, but I'm still searching. So its off to the alto mouthpiece forum I go.