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* Phil-Tone & Theo Wanne Tribute Reviews *

122K views 228 replies 65 participants last post by  Sigmund451 
#1 ·
The early thread I trouncing this mouthpiece and discussing its progress (as well as my medical issues) has become a very large thread. It seems at this point logical (and I hope it's ok) to make a thread where people using the piece can post reviews, impressions, sound clips etc..

The first review is by our esteemed Steve Neff. I will post a link to his site.

Thank you Steve, and thank you all for your support and encouragement.

http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2013/06/phil-tone-theo-wanne-tribute-tenor-saxophone-mouthpiece/
 
#116 ·
I received my Tribute ordered from Phil today. It's obviously far too early to post any in depth review - I've only played it for an hour or so - but there were a few things that I felt were worth saying at this point. My normal go to mouthpieces are two Florida no USA links (7*) which I think are great mouthpieces. When I played the Tribute today it felt very similar to those links in terms of ease of playing/ resistance and it also produced the same sort of tone that I expect from my vintage examples, rich and complex with the "grainy" texture that others have described in this thread. It also probably goes without saying, with Phils great reputation, but the piece played beautifully straight out of the box.

As I said before, it's too early to say much more, but I think that at this point I already know that this is a lovely mouthpiece that is very similar in character to my vintage Florida links and plays beautifully. In his aim of producing a mouthpiece that pays tribute to the great mouthpieces it is based on I think Phil has certainly succeeded. I think if anyone wants a Florida link type piece, without the expense and worry of buying and selling trying to find a good vintage example, in a suitable tip opening, that may or may not play well already, or may or may not need refacing, then this is a very good place to start. To add to this, Phil is a great guy to deal with.

I'm really looking forward to really exploring what this piece can do!

Tony
 
#117 ·
Thanks Tony. Im glad you are enjoying the piece as much as you had hoped.

Tenor of The Woods gave me permission to post his impressions of the piece (See below copy).

Email from Tenor of the Woods:

Hi Phil!

I received the Tribute yesterday, everything went fine and quick! Thank you very much for posting it with express mail.

I like it very very much! It took me a few trials in order to find the right reed for it, and now I have a Rico JS 3S on it that makes it sing! I like that it is so even, and all notes come out with very little effort. Tonewise it is just like an original Florida link, very rich. The facing is more comfortable to play than that of my vintage pieces refaced by B Powell and I like it way more than the Navarro Maestra metal that I played for a while and that now will sit in my drawer (or more likely will be sold).
It will be my main metal piece! I am very glad you made it.
Kind Regards
Andrea
 
#118 ·
Paul Perez doesnt frequent the forum a lot. Ive had the pleasure of knowing and working with him for a number of years. Great guy...pure gold. Here is his reaction to the Tribute:

MY LINK STORY: I started formal sax studies in 1977 with a cat named
Roy Meder. He was 70 yrs old when we met and it felt very much like I
had just been introduced to my "Yoda" of saxophone. Keep in mind at
that time all the horn bands were in full swing, The Brecker Bros,
Average White Band, Cold Blood, Tower of Power, Chicago, Blood Sweat
& Tears, Earth Wind and Fire ect ect were all at the top of their
game. Being new to the sax I was influenced by everyone playin' sax
back then, bein' young and ignorant (weren't we all) I started buyin'
the set ups my heroes used to sound just like them (sound familiar)
so at one time or other I had a 130/0 stainless Berg to sound like
Lenny, an 8 Link to sound like Stanley T, a Strathon to be Tom Scott,
HR Berg 130 to sound like Ronnie Laws and Grover, a Level Air to
sound like John Klemmer, a Dukoff to sound like Mike Brecker and
that's just the pieces I can remember, there were more, many many
more! Of course my teacher was subjected to probably bad playin' on
all of them and finally one day he sat me down and said, "you know,
it takes about three yrs on one piece to really learn how to play
that one piece, you keep comin' in here with a new piece every three
weeks! How are you ever gonna learn what any piece can do if you keep
changing like that?" Then he said, "if you think about it, most of
the greatest Jazz solos were recorded on LINKS so get yourself a
Link, all you need is a 6*, spend three yrs on it and you'll be able
to do anything you want cause if you learn how to play a Link, it can
do anything." Well BOOM finally the answer I was lookin' for! As it
turned out, a good friend was up in the Bay Area so I called the dude
and asked him to stop by the "House of Woodwinds" in Oakland and grab
me a 6* Link cause it's all I needed and I was on my way to doin'
anything I wanted on the sax! A week later the Link arrived and I
started my 3 yrs exclusively on that Link 6*. I can honestly say I
hated every day on that Link BUT....... I kept at it, long tones,
voicing exercises on and on tryin' to get that tone all them cats I
was hearing on the radio was gettin'. Along the way my teacher added
in passing one day, "when you become a real man you'll figure out how
to play a Link." So, I continued on my quest for the next three yrs.
After 3 yrs on that Link 6*, someone handed me the new rage in
mouthpieces, something Dave Sanborn and Mike Brecker were playin'
called a Dukoff made outta this strange new metal called Silverite. I
played a couple notes on that thing and thought I'd died and gone to
heaven! The tone, the altissimo, the feel, everything I heard in my
head and couldn't do on the Link was there and I became a high
baffled player that day. HOWEVER......those words from my teacher
resonated in me, he had been right about everything else so every few
yrs I'd grab a Link, confirm I still hated 'em, couldn't play 'em,
wasn't a real man yet and continued on my journey. I did this for a
good 20- 25 yrs but more recently (in the last couple of years), I've
had the chance (because of a friend of mine that sells vintage Links
and was himself pursuing "The Missing Link"), to play some very fine
Links, Links from Bob Sheppard, Bob Mintzer, Brandon Fields, Ricky
Woodard ect. I'm talkin' Double Rings, Floridas, EBs, Tone Masters
you name it. On top of that, I've sent a few Links to Brian Powell,
Mojo, John Reilly and was sitting in John Reilly's house when he
baffled and faced 3 Links to send to Eric Alexander. So, when Phil
contacted me about his new Tribute you better believe I was
interested! It's taken me almost 30 yrs to understand what my teacher
was tryin' to teach me and to appreciate the beauty of what a good
Link can do. I can honestly say with no hesitation that Phil's
Tribute is as good as any Link out there, in fact there's no need to
continue searching for the "one good Link" in the batch or the
elusive "missing Link", Phil has done all the work for you, no
refacing necessary, no undercutting the window and so on, his Tribute
plays as good as Links play. Will you sound like Brecker on his
Double Ring or his Dukoff, prolly not, you probably wont sound like
Stanley T or Lenny Pickett either but you will have a gorgeous tenor
tone, the tone the tenor was meant to have. If that's what your
lookin' for, it's finally available, a Link you can play and enjoy
knowing there's nothing better! As for me, I ended up playin' with
Cold Blood, Tower of Power, the Temptations, Donna Summer, The
Coasters, bein' featured with Smokey Robinson ect just so you know I
ain't no slouch and finally the end of the story: About a year ago I
was relating my "Link story" to one of the music professors where I
teach, his face got kinda scrunched up as I was talking and then he
said,"you know, your teacher probably said a lotta great things that
day, (in reference to bein' a real man) but that's the only thing you
remember"..........................DOH!

Paul
 
#120 ·
Paul Perez doesnt frequent the forum a lot. Ive had the pleasure of knowing and working with him for a number of years. Great guy...prure gold. Here is his reaction to the Tribute:

MY LINK STORY: I started formal sax studies in 1977 with a cat named
Roy Meder. He was 70 yrs old when we met and it felt very much like I
had just been introduced to my "Yoda" of saxophone. Keep in mind at
that time all the horn bands were in full swing, The Brecker Bros,
Average White Band, Cold Blood, Tower of Power, Chicago, Blood Sweat
& Tears, Earth Wind and Fire ect ect were all at the top of their
game. Being new to the sax I was influenced by everyone playin' sax
back then, bein' young and ignorant (weren't we all) I started buyin'
the set ups my heroes used to sound just like them (sound familiar)
so at one time or other I had a 130/0 stainless Berg to sound like
Lenny, an 8 Link to sound like Stanley T, a Strathon to be Tom Scott,
HR Berg 130 to sound like Ronnie Laws and Grover, a Level Air to
sound like John Klemmer, a Dukoff to sound like Mike Brecker and
that's just the pieces I can remember, there were more, many many
more! Of course my teacher was subjected to probably bad playin' on
all of them and finally one day he sat me down and said, "you know,
it takes about three yrs on one piece to really learn how to play
that one piece, you keep comin' in here with a new piece every three
weeks! How are you ever gonna learn what any piece can do if you keep
changing like that?" Then he said, "if you think about it, most of
the greatest Jazz solos were recorded on LINKS so get yourself a
Link, all you need is a 6*, spend three yrs on it and you'll be able
to do anything you want cause if you learn how to play a Link, it can
do anything." Well BOOM finally the answer I was lookin' for! As it
turned out, a good friend was up in the Bay Area so I called the dude
and asked him to stop by the "House of Woodwinds" in Oakland and grab
me a 6* Link cause it's all I needed and I was on my way to doin'
anything I wanted on the sax! A week later the Link arrived and I
started my 3 yrs exclusively on that Link 6*. I can honestly say I
hated every day on that Link BUT....... I kept at it, long tones,
voicing exercises on and on tryin' to get that tone all them cats I
was hearing on the radio was gettin'. Along the way my teacher added
in passing one day, "when you become a real man you'll figure out how
to play a Link." So, I continued on my quest for the next three yrs.
After 3 yrs on that Link 6*, someone handed me the new rage in
mouthpieces, something Dave Sanborn and Mike Brecker were playin'
called a Dukoff made outta this strange new metal called Silverite. I
played a couple notes on that thing and thought I'd died and gone to
heaven! The tone, the altissimo, the feel, everything I heard in my
head and couldn't do on the Link was there and I became a high
baffled player that day. HOWEVER......those words from my teacher
resonated in me, he had been right about everything else so every few
yrs I'd grab a Link, confirm I still hated 'em, couldn't play 'em,
wasn't a real man yet and continued on my journey. I did this for a
good 20- 25 yrs but more recently (in the last couple of years), I've
had the chance (because of a friend of mine that sells vintage Links
and was himself pursuing "The Missing Link"), to play some very fine
Links, Links from Bob Sheppard, Bob Mintzer, Brandon Fields, Ricky
Woodard ect. I'm talkin' Double Rings, Floridas, EBs, Tone Masters
you name it. On top of that, I've sent a few Links to Brian Powell,
Mojo, John Reilly and was sitting in John Reilly's house when he
baffled and faced 3 Links to send to Eric Alexander. So, when Phil
contacted me about his new Tribute you better believe I was
interested! It's taken me almost 30 yrs to understand what my teacher
was tryin' to teach me and to appreciate the beauty of what a good
Link can do. I can honestly say with no hesitation that Phil's
Tribute is as good as any Link out there, in fact there's no need to
continue searching for the "one good Link" in the batch or the
elusive "missing Link", Phil has done all the work for you, no
refacing necessary, no undercutting the window and so on, his Tribute
plays as good as Links play. Will you sound like Brecker on his
Double Ring or his Dukoff, prolly not, you probably wont sound like
Stanley T or Lenny Pickett either but you will have a gorgeous tenor
tone, the tone the tenor was meant to have. If that's what your
lookin' for, it's finally available, a Link you can play and enjoy
knowing there's nothing better! As for me, I ended up playin' with
Cold Blood, Tower of Power, the Temptations, Donna Summer, The
Coasters, bein' featured with Smokey Robinson ect just so you know I
ain't no slouch and finally the end of the story: About a year ago I
was relating my "Link story" to one of the music professors where I
teach, his face got kinda scrunched up as I was talking and then he
said,"you know, your teacher probably said a lotta great things that
day, (in reference to bein' a real man) but that's the only thing you
remember"..........................DOH!

Paul
Now that's a great endorsement!!
 
#121 ·
The tribute arrived yesterday noon and I immediately tried it and even took it with me yesterday evening to our band rehearsal … (2 electric guitars and 1 electric bass amongst others …)

So, I have of course to work extensively with it in the coming days in order to build a complete impression about it but anyway, here are my first impressions:

The quality is really exceptional. I knew both you and Theo give great importance to deliver the highest quality products and the tribute is clearly in this category.
The ligature also works very well and it seems I prefer the one with the matte pressure plate (more core to the sound IMO).

Concerning the tone : here it is … the tribute clearly gives me the best tenor sound of all the pieces I know, as it was the case with some florida links I had the chance to try in the past. The low register is super easy to play, sub-tones work like a dream and the tone is extremely well balanced through all registers.

Power : I am used to play 8 or 8* tip openings on high(er) baffle pieces : MBI, T.Wanne Datta until now … So, this means that I still need some time to adapt to the smaller tip opening and to the lower baffle. I went up in reed strength on the Tribute. V16 3 gave the best results until I tried the Alexandre NY 3 which really boost the tribute to another level. So, it is clear I still have to decide about the reed that works best for me.

Also, and I don't know if this is linked to that fact that I use now a 7* OR because of the Tribute design itself but I find the articulation on the Tribute extremely precise and easier that on other pieces. I remember it was already the case with your HR tenor piece … :)

In summary, this is total success Phil IMO. Due to the fact that I have now reduced the tip opening and the fact that I come from a (very)high baffle piece will require some work in the coming days.

The rewarding in terms of control and tone, yes tone …. big big tenor tone ... is to die for :)
 
#122 ·
Just got the Tribute today..... first impression....Wow! Absolutely beautiful craftsmanship. Very clean, precise, obviously the work of folks that really care about putting out the best product possible. Then I played.... it's a 7*, and I'm used to bigger pieces, so it took a couple of tries to get the right size reed. I should also mention I've never had good luck with links, I play a Berg. The Tribute isn't like any link I've played, it's is a joy to play. I can get really nice subtones, I can push it and get a brighter tone, it's even throughout the register. I've only played it for about 30 minutes, I'll add to this once I've had more time.....

day two with the Tribute.... liking it even more.....the best description I could come up with is dark with a bite....and that really isn't a good enough description.... response makes it really a pleasure to play, and I've been at it long enough now to start getting really comfortable with it. This piece is worth every penny, congrats to Phil and Theo for a job well done. Anyone buying this piece is gonna be a happy camper.....
 
#124 ·
Hey folks, I wanted to chime in on Phil and Theo's new Tribute piece. Absolutely fantastic! It's extremely flexible, reed friendly and sounds just like a good Florida link but even easier to play. The altissimo is effortless, articulation is excellent, it's got a sweet edge sitting on top of a full deep tone, even across the range and just a joy to play. Excellent work Phil and Theo!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
#126 ·
This piece looks pretty rough inside (i dont care as long as it plays just curious ), the sidewalls and where the baffle meets the chamber. I guess its because of the technique and how its made? This leads me to the question if its machine faced or hand faced? If hand faced, are the baffle somewhat different from piece to piece resulting in slightly different individual pieces?
 
#127 ·
The roughness is a bead blasted finish on the floor and sidwalls. It actually not very rough. The pieces are very consistent. There are of course slight differences in the pieces but the baffles are cut on a very precise CNC setup. They are then finished out by hand and faced by hand (by yours truly).

thanks
Phil
 
#128 ·
Tanks Phil for the quick and precise answer! This forum is really amazing, got answer from the creator of this piece within minutes. Amazing really. I will receive my tribute next week and i will post my impressions here soon after.

Skickat från min LG-P880 via Tapatalk 2
 
#129 ·
Phil offered to send me a Tribute for review. This was an extremely kind and generous offer, and to tell the truth I was flattered. Of course, I accepted :)

Manufacturing

The Tribute is probably the cleanest, best looking mouthpiece I have ever seen. Every aspect of this piece is beautifully crafted, from the tip to the shank. It is based on one (or more?… not sure) vintage Otto Link STM, and the heritage shows, but no Link ever looked like this. The body is matte finish, the table, rails and baffle highly polished. The rest of the roof and chamber are matte finish also.

The tip, side rails and window are perfectly formed, with a well-defined edge to the tip rail, very thin side rails and a nice thin lip at the back of the window. There is no bite plate, but a mouthpiece patch on the beak serves very well.

The engraved logos and lettering are beautifully done, very tasteful. In short this is a very classy looking mouthpiece.

Playability

The piece is a joy to play - smooth and powerful, it plays evenly throughout the range, sub tones easily, and is very flexible. Intonation is as good as the player :) Some mouthpieces are so free-blowing that it is easy to focus the sound sharp or flat; this piece, while not "slotting in", definitely rewards the player with a well defined pitch center.

It is quite reed friendly, I tried RSJ, Vandoren Blue Box and Rigotti reeds, settling on a Rigotti 3M as the best fit for me. But any reed will play just fine on this piece, so it's a matter of choosing the reed that best suits the player.

I used an old Link STM ligature on this piece, it fit perfectly.

Sound

It's a Link, so the sound is classic Link. No tubby, dark sound of a bad Link though - this is the clear, focused, rich sound of a great mouthpiece. It FEELS great to play, so it invites the player to growl, sub tone, roar, cook or croon as the mood and the music demand.

Yes, you need "Link chops" to play it - whatever that means. Like any mouthpiece, time spent with it will teach you the best way to play it. I'm used to mouthpieces like this, and this one has the clearest, cleanest sound of any Link or Link-like piece I've played.

This mouthpiece sounds like jazz, and there can be no higher praise.

Clips

These clips were recorded with a Rigotti 3M reed, properly adjusted and balanced for this mouthpiece.





Bottom Line

I'm sorry to see it go. If you have a need (or desire) for a great mouthpiece in the Link vein, look no further.

Phil and Theo, you are to be congratulated, this is as high as the art of mouthpiece making gets.
 
#135 ·
Yes, you need "Link chops" to play it - whatever that means. Like any mouthpiece, time spent with it will teach you the best way to play it. I'm used to mouthpieces like this, and this one has the clearest, cleanest sound of any Link or Link-like piece I've played.
I agree with your review, with the exception of the statement I quoted. I don't have "link chops", I'm a Berg guy....and I loved the piece, and the sound I got with it. It may be more versatile than you stated....
 
#130 ·
Thank you so much Steve for such a wonderful review.

A lot of work went into getting this piece to market. In terms of thanks and credit everyone should also take their hats off to our very own "Spooner" who toils quietly in the background making all of this possible. His engeneering skiils are unparalleled in the mouthpiece world. In addition he is simply outstanding individual.

Thanks Spooner!
 
#131 ·
Nice review skeller047. Phil Engleman and Theo Wanne working together sounds like a dream team to me.
 
#132 · (Edited)
I received the Tribute yesterday and did a quick recording today. Its a superb piece with a balanced and rich sound across the register, right in the middle in the bright-dark spectrum. Great response and the low end is fluffy as it should! It plays as a great vintage link as it was made to do. Keep up the great work Phil and Theo!

Rico Royal 3.5 and matte pressure plate


RJS 3M and matte pressure plate
 
#134 ·
Roger I can listen to you playing solo all day long.

I just received my Phil-Tone Tribute on yesterday. Phil the mouthpiece is absolutely outstanding, the finish is gorgeous, top flight craftsmanship. Congratulations on such a magnificent piece of work All I can say is, ditto to all of the accolades by my fellow saxophonist. Very even scale from the bottom to the top of the horn, easy altissimo and subtoning, and the tuning is spot on. Love the articulation with this piece, and hearing more of the colors and partials in each note. My SX90 has never been this focused with such clarity of sound.

Good response from the TW ligature; both plates have there own vibe to them. Hate talking about dark and bright because it is subjective based on the player and the person listening. But you will feel the difference (vibrations) in your mouth and fingers. Also, tried a stock metal alto ligature and got a great response with a bit more edge and thickness to the sound. Forgot to mention the great palm key response from this mouthpiece, best those notes have ever sounded.

This is the first time in a very long time where I play a mouthpiece, and it seemingly disappears, and just allows the horn to be an extension of my voice. The Tribute totally allows you to be relaxed and in control of the creative process. Others have stated that you need to have a relaxed embouchure to really let the mouthpiece sing, and it is true. I loosened my bottom lip and the jaw tension just disappeared as I let the air stream into the horn. Looking to see how much more I can get out of playing the Tribute today. Phil, Spooner and Theo, again thanks for the great work. I have not been this happy with a mouthpiece in the first minutes of use in a very long time.
 
#141 ·
Thanks for your comments everyone. Feeling more and more comfy with the Tribute. This is defenitely my main piece now after only 4 days of playing it! For anyone looking for the vintage stm sound i say, just buy it. Thanks Phil and Theo for making this real!
 
#147 ·
There are starting to be enough pictures of the Tribute on the web that if you go to Google Image and type "Phil-Tone Theo Wanne Tribute" (without the quotes) you will get a fair number of pics.

Im really glad to hear that you are settling into the piece Rodger. It sure sounds like it to me!
 
#148 ·
Thanks, Phil. I just did that and yes, you're right, plenty of great pictures of the piece. I especially like the ones on Kessler & Sons' website. Very detailed close-ups.

The piece looks really nice. Simple and elegant, as I like it. very classy.

It also sounds great, tonewise. I am pretty settled on my main piece right now, but I do look forward to trying one of these if I have a chance in the near future. Maybe when I receive my new tenor ...
 
#149 ·
Has anybody compared the Tribute to Theo Wanne's metal Gaia?
The metal Gaia was my main piece for about a year, sometime ago. I loved it's bottom end and the medium register, but sold it because I found something else that was more balanced (that is, which had a fuller high register - the Gaia tended to thin out there).
 
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