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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/
 
#2 ·
Ok, I'll post a quick review (or at least a few comments) tonight, which I hope to flesh out a little more in the near future. Today the sax shop that I work in received two of these, and when I got home from work at 9pm this evening, I rushed to my practice room and did a little playing/recording. This is an interesting piece. I think I like it a lot. As I said earlier in a different post (and Neff said in his review) I have to take in a little more mouthpiece than normal, and make a conscious effort to keep my embochure loose, and then this piece really opens up. This is typical of links though, so this being a copy of a great old link, it's not surprising.

Now that I'm getting a little more used to it, MAN is the tone thick. I can brighten it up if I want to (or if tighten up too much), but when I play with a relaxed embochure, it has a lush, full tone. I'm not sure how much of the fullness is conveyed by my cheap microphone, but it's thick throughout the range, and incredibly even. I think Neff's comparison to early Joshua Redman is close (or at least as close as I can get at my level of playing).

Here's a quick clip that I recorded over Autumn Leaves. I didn't add any reverb/compression/eq, as I wanted to stay as close as possible to the actual room sound of the mouthpiece.



I'll try to spend a little more time and record some better clips on this piece later this week when I have a little more time.
 
#3 ·
One more clip. Just like Neff, I wanted to really blow on this piece to see if I could possibly use it for a more R+B/Funk gig. Here's a quick video of that type of playing. It can get quite loud/bright, although it takes a bit of work to get there. I think with some time, I could get some serious volume out of this piece.

 
#8 ·
Haha, I didn't even notice that until this morning. The funny thing is, he howls no matter how quiet the sax is. I can play a Michael Brecker CD on almost no volume, and he'll come over to me howling and wagging his tail. He seems to like it, although it drives my wife crazy! :)
 
#10 ·
Here is an interesting way to compare the piece...Steve has reviewed both modern and Florida STMs refaced by various expert refacers on his site. Since the Phil-Tone Tribute is an exact machined replica/copy of a Florida Link, it would be perfect to see how it compares to both vintage and modern links finished by other refacers.

Take a listen to the tone color of each piece and see which one you like best.

Theo Wanne Florida Link: http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2009/08/great-theo-wanne-florida-link-tenor-mouthpiece/

Brian Powell Modern Link: http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2010/...saxophone-mouthpiece-refaced-by-brian-powell/

Phil-Tone Tribute: http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2013/06/phil-tone-theo-wanne-tribute-tenor-saxophone-mouthpiece/

Eric Falcon Modern Link: http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2010/...-saxophone-mouthpiece-refaced-by-eric-falcon/

Florida Link by Erik Greiffenhagen: http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2010/02/florida-link-refaced-by-eric-greiffenhagen/

It's really cool to open them all at once in separate tabs and go back and forth quickly between each one, pausing, starting, stopping again on different ones to hear the comparison.

- Saxaholic
 
#11 ·
Nice.... Cool comparison. I've never been a link guy, but I want to spend some time with this piece to see what I can do with it. In my clips above, it sounds ok, but I feel like it has SO much potential once I get it under control.

On a side note, if anyone in Minnesota wants to try one, we have two in the shop. I'd love to hear some more people on it in person, and get their opinions.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
 
#12 ·
It would be cool if they were all done at the same time with the same setups, even better same tip sizes. of course that is hard to do. Steve has a nice collection of links. It would be nifty to hear side by side recordings of them, same setup, same recording method etc...He plays and sounds so good on all of them. It would be awesome to hear the individual character of each next to one another.

Vintage links are like Mk VI's they all sound like a six but they have individual voices...and some are dogs. On our first working day Theo and I had Floridas spread out on a table. Theses were all great links and they were all different, it took a while to decide but we kept coming back to one that just seemed to have something extra special. It took a lot of work to finally captured it in this piece. One would think that it would be a matter of plugging in the numbers but that is only the starting point. The numbers alone made a mouthpiece that played and sounded good but it did not make a great piece. The magic in the original piece was elusive and required more than lasers and mathematics.

I digress it one of the best things about this process was working with Theo and his crew. To my knowledge, this is the only collaboratively made mouthpiece on market. What is interesting is that if Theo had made this piece it would have likely been different. If I had made the piece it too would have been different. It truly is the product of what both of us heard ad felt. It was an and experience I will always value and it wasnt simply about making a mouthpiece. We did, however, make a mouthpiece and it is one of the finest, if not the finest piece I have ever played. I hope that others will feel the same.
 
#15 ·
It would be cool if they were all done at the same time with the same setups, even better same tip sizes. of course that is hard to do. Steve has a nice collection of links. It would be nifty to hear side by side recordings of them, same setup, same recording method etc...He plays and sounds so good on all of them. It would be awesome to hear the individual character of each next to one another.

Vintage links are like Mk VI's they all sound like a six but they have individual voices...and some are dogs. On our first working day Theo and I had Floridas spread out on a table. Theses were all great links and they were all different, it took a while to decide but we kept coming back to one that just seemed to have something extra special. It took a lot of work to finally captured it in this piece. One would think that it would be a matter of plugging in the numbers but that is only the starting point. The numbers alone made a mouthpiece that played and sounded good but it did not make a great piece. The magic in the original piece was elusive and required more than lasers and mathematics.

I digress it one of the best things about this process was working with Theo and his crew. To my knowledge, this is the only collaboratively made mouthpiece on market. What is interesting is that if Theo had made this piece it would have likely been different. If I had made the piece it too would have been different. It truly is the product of what both of us heard ad felt. It was an and experience I will always value and it wasnt simply about making a mouthpiece. We did, however, make a mouthpiece and it is one of the finest, if not the finest piece I have ever played. I hope that others will feel the same.
That would be cool. Steve sounds great on all of them, but some sound closer/further from the mic. At least with my mic, that dramatically changes the sound, so a comparison is harder.
 
#23 ·
Hi Marc,
When I played the TW Gaia years ago it was my favorite of all the Wanne pieces. I remember really having a hard time sending it back. In the end I felt like the tone was too spread and lush for what I wanted. I emailed Theo and said if he ever made a version of the Gaia with a smaller link type chamber I would love to try it. I think the Tribute is the closest thing I have tried to that. The evenness and smoothness between notes reminds me of the Gaia but the tone is more focused. I don't think it is any more bright or dark than the Gaia. It's been a long time since I played it but the I think the Tribute is in the same ballpark tone wise.
 
#21 ·
Thank you! I am always looking for what the saxophone community might need or want. Additionally, I am always pushing to bring my craft to the next level. If you had tole me 10 or 15 years ago that I would have a passion for making saxophone mouthpieces I would have said you were crazy...but here I am....possibly crazy :mrgreen:
 
#22 ·
Hi,
Thought I would throw my two cents in. I have had the chance to spend some time in the last few days with Phil's new mpc and there are a few observations I have. Outside of having what I feel is a very broad "link" sound (heavy in the low and mid freq.) the most noticeable characteristic that I heard and felt was how EVEN the tone was from top to bottom. Overall playing is a very enjoyable experience. Something I would feel comfortable in a saxophone section or in a small group situation.

Thanks
 
#24 ·
I compared the two as well (since we have both here), and found what Steve remembers to be true. They are very similar as far as bright/dark, but the tribute is a little less spread. The Gaia is the closest TW piece to the tribute in in my opinion though.
 
#25 ·
Thanks for answering the question for me. Where I live it's hard to access mouthpieces and I play what I make. I have not had the chance to play the Gaia, I live six hours from Theo and he is also a busy man. Most of our days together were spent working. There wasn't really the opportunity to play around...though it would have been fun. I am grateful that there were times away from work (meals and such). I found that Theo lives up to his reputation as a truly kind and gracious individual. The same can be said for his brother and everyone I met in his shop. It was a rare opportunity.

As for volume...I have played a lot of links as well as other pieces. With the right setup this piece can put it out there. There are certainly louder mouthpieces than links but I don't consider it quiet by any stretch. When making the piece we were looking for a big sound, not a loud sound. I think a lot of people confuse the two. The Tribute has a big sound and I would say it is as loud as any link that has not been supercharged by a lot of baffle.
 
#31 ·
Pleas stop bickering on this thread. If you must, please do it elsewhere or in private.

The Tribute's price is $495.00 They are packaged with Theo's Enlightened Ligature and two pressure plates.

Also they are made in a 7*.

It is very costly to have these made, stocking even more inventory for different sizes adds to that further. I am fully aware that it is an issue but finances pose limitations.

i have held back bare brass models for custom sizes. I am calling everywhere I know to get someone who will plate individual pieces at a reasonable cost. So right now custom tips can't be plated...and that does not please me...which is why it's not advertised on my site. It's just not a great answer to the problem. I can break the plating on the rails and baffle but its such a shame to do that to such a beautiful piece...so my search continues for a company to do the job. If someone knows a resource please send an email or PM?
 
#35 ·
I received my Tribute this afternoon. I'll post a more detailed review soon, but suffice to say that it is terrific! It's not as loud as the Navarro Bebop Special that I thought I had settled on, but in every other way, I prefer it.

I can go into more detail about what I've played on before, what I was looking for, etc.

I had other stuff to do this afternoon, but I couldn't put the horn down.

THanks Phil!
 
#36 ·
I'm mid-practice session now, and am still finding new things about this piece to like. I'm still trying to unlock it's secrets, but enjoying the journey!

Here's something I recorded with a Mintzer play-along on it this evening. Might be a fun funk/r+b piece after all!

 
#37 · (Edited)
Ok; after a night of REALLY playing the piece (the other night was just a brief first impression), I'll do an actual review, and then I promise I'll stop spamming this thread. :)

Tone
Thick is way I described it when I first tried it, and I still would describe it that way. That being said, I can brighten up this mouthpiece quite a bit if need be, but I don't feel like it gets harsh bright. Although the sound is dark naturally, it's compact, and doesn't get too spread. I'd describe it as a medium focused, complex sound. The palm keys really sing on this piece, and remain thick and complex. The altissimo pops out pretty easily, although I'm still gettting used to where it sits. One thing I noticed while recording is how clean/pure the altissimo notes sound.

Response
This mouthpiece responds well, but I found myself having to be very centered had to be careful not to get too tight with my lower jaw. The more I get used to this piece, the better the response is, but (like a link) there's not a whole lot of margin for error. Last time I saw Ed Calle playing, he was playing a Link. When asked why, he said it was because he wanted to get his embochure centered, and Links force you to do that. I felt that way with this piece. There's a pretty big range of timbres that you can get with this piece, but you have to learn where they sit.

Volume
Two days ago, I would have said that this is a piece for quiet playing only. Today, at the end of playing for a few hours, I can get about three times louder than I could the other day. I imagine that this trend would continue as I get used to the piece. When it gets loud, it stays fat and thick. That's something that you lose with a piece that's easy to play loudly.

Construction
Not much to say here...it's visually impeccable. No built in bite plate, just a mouthpiece patch. I wear through a built-in plate way too quick without a patch anyway, so this doesn't bother me.

Overall
Back in the day, I was a bright mouthpiece guy. I worked on cruise ships playing loud music, and I had a Guardala Studio and a Ponzol M2 that were my main pieces. These days, I'm an HR mouthpiece guy all the way. Now that I play gigs that are mic'd a little better, I've felt that I can get a better, more complex sound from them. I've been playing Phil's pieces for a couple of years now, and have always liked them a lot.

Now I work in a shop that carries Phil's and Theo's pieces, as well as many others. *disclaimer....while I sell their pieces a lot, I'm not commissioned in any way for them; I just like them, and enjoy recommending them. I sell (and like) lots of other maker's pieces too*

All of that being said...Phil's/Theo's Tribute is an incredible, complex sounding mouthpiece. I feel if I spent some more serious time with it, it could quickly become my favorite metal mouthpiece, if it's not already. If I was a little less broke, I'd be buying the one I have now.

Here's one more clip without effects from this evening. Even if you don't enjoy my playing, you can enjoy my dog quietly serenading you in the background from two rooms away.

(I'd watch in HD, as YouTube seems to compress the audio for anything below 720p)
 
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