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* PHIL-TONE and Theo Wanne MOSAIC Reviews *

118K views 254 replies 74 participants last post by  Vanadiel 
#1 · (Edited)
I am pleased to announce the arrival of the second cooperatively made piece by Phil-Tone and Theo Wanne Inc. Plans for the Mosaic began midway through the design of the Tribute. As many of you know, the Tribute is a precise replica of the Florida Link. It is focused, refined, and in every way embodies what most players envision when they imagine a great Link.

The support we have received for the Tribute has been outstanding. It is truly a phenomenal piece. However, most of us want more than one flavor of ice cream. Everyone doesn’t want to play a Link. Sometimes a player wants a piece that is a little less civilized, maybe sometimes even a bit rude. The Mosaic is that piece. It has color, texture and resonance to extend your sound concept into different realms. Offering a tonal palate that is thick, chunky and rich the Mosaic can get “Up in your face” when you want it to and simply sings.

The sound is inspired by the Dukoff “Stubby” but takes the concept a step beyond. The piece accomplishes what few pieces can. It is easy to blow, has an enormous sound and resonance. Never thin, the Mosaic has more color than any mouthpiece I have ever played hands down! The piece accomplishes this without the use of high baffles. This allows the player to shape his or her sound. From warm ballads to driving bop the Mosaic delivers.

The Mosaic is machined to the highest standards available. Each piece is then handcrafted to completion. Each and every piece is play tested prior to final finishing. The Mosaic will be offered as a 7* (.105) with custom tips available. The piece will ship with Theo’s Enlightened Ligature and two pressure plates. The retail cost for the Mosaic is $495.

As titled, this thread is for reviews....our very own Steve Neff will be posting very shortly.

Thanks
Phil
 
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#199 ·
Just my two cents worth on the Mosaic - I love it. My wife, bless her heart, gave it to me for an anniversary present. I've been playing on it for about a month now and am very impressed with the complexity of the sound it produces on my 150XXX Mark VI. Very responsive top to bottom on the horn, altissimo is easy to produce, easy to subtone and blow full out. My primary playing setting is in a full size big band. For years I've used an 8 Link and Ponzol ML, both of which I really dug playing on. The Mosaic, however, has put those two to rest. I'm still experimenting with reeds to find the best for my taste and so far the Rigotti Golds have provided the best response and overall sound I'm looking for. Phil was great to work with and I whole-heartedly recommend this piece for those looking for that Dexter sound. Thanks much for the fine workmanship and quality product.
 
#200 ·
I've been testing this for a couple of days thanks to Phil. Not much new to add but here's my thoughts. Plays on the dark side "for me" compared to my EB STM .100. I love the way it articulates, fast, very much like my EB STM. I tried several types and strengths of reeds and found my usual RJS 3M worked best for me. Excellent crafted mouthpiece, big dark sound, easy articulation, right amount of resistance (like a good vintage piece), not a (fill in the blank) mouthpiece on steroids, just a solid modern tenor mouthpiece for anyone looking for a great affordable vintage sound and feel. Thanks again Phil!
 
#201 ·
Just got a 7* Mosaic from Phil on Saturday. I have a Tribute 7* and an Eclipse 8 that I have been going back and forth with the last few months. Not going into a full review yet as I have only had two days and one gig with it so far, but first impressions are that this piece is what I have been working so hard for over the last two years in relation to my tonal concept and character. My quartet played our weekly Sunday brunch gig yesterday, which I do not use a mic. The room has a great sound to it and I did not tell the guys anything about the new piece. We finished the first song and they all asked me what in the hell did I change....lol. They were amazed with the tone. We are rehearsing tomorrow and we have a gig Thursday and Friday night, so after this week I will be able to give a much more complete review. But as of now, it looks like I might have a Tribute and Eclipse for sale!...lol.

Once again Phil, just an amazing piece of work!
 
#203 ·
I have finally been able to get some decent recordings of me using this piece. My quartet played a benefit festival last weekend and the sound guy was recording directly from the board. Decent recordings for a live environment in my opinion. Excuse some of my playing on the bop tunes as I really am not a bop player at all..lol. My reed was starting to give out during this gig as well.

What I have really come to love about this piece is the versatility. We play mostly straight ahead stuff, but there are a few modern tunes we throw in to mix it up a little. It is so easy for me to just change my tonal concept and focus to really get what I want out of my sound for each tune. Overall, it is definitely a brighter tonal character on my Cannonball BBSS Black Nickel tenor, especially when compared to my 1952 Conn 10M. The 10M needs a huge overhaul, but I can get enough out of it to hear that the Mosaic on the 10M is nothing short of absolutely magical. Once I get that horn in playing condition I will have to do a recording or two with it to post here. Anyway, here are a couple tracks from the gig; two straight ahead tunes, and two more modern fusion type tunes.

Lady Bird
Impressions
Sneakin' In The Back
Affirmation
 
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#204 ·
Over the last weeks I've listened to a couple of Mosaic soundclips here and on most of them I found the sound somewhat "hollow" and harsh. As I understand the Mosaic is meant to be a Dukoff soundalike and should deliver some kind of Dexterish sound (which I would describe as gutsy with a strong midrange core). But to my ears the Mosaic doesn't sound like that at all. Now is it just the soundclips or is there a hollowness in reality too?
 
#212 ·
I sat next to one of the tenors in my group (Anthony Hanna), sounded just like the recording I posted here...big, fat tenor sound...didn't hear any hollow, nor did I hear any harsh...
 
#216 ·
Thanks Hardy, i do ship to Europe. I also have a few vendors there. Shipping is not cheap but if you decide you are really looking for a piece like this it's worth the effort.

In terms of tone I'd also say the piece is extremely thick and it can do the dexter thing, with the right choice of reeds it can do many other things as well. It's tonally very flexible and it's colors can be shaped by the player and the choice of setup quite a lot.

Take care and thanks
Phil
 
#217 ·
Thanks Phil, but it's not the shipping alone. I have to pay about 30% tax and customs for everything I order from the US (and I don't think I get that back if I return the item), so the usual process is to buy a piece based on recommendations (and, yes, soundclips), and then hope that it'll be good. I've done that three times, two times I've been lucky...
The only european dealer for your pieces I could find is the Saxofoonwinkel in the Netherlands. Is there one in Germany as well?

Otherwise I'd have to wait until they sign that TTIP free trade contract...
 
#219 ·
What ligature do you guys use on the Mosaic? The Enlightened ligature that comes with it just doesn`t cut it for me. Sounds somehow dull and overly bright at the same time for me. I tried the Francois Louis Ultimate I had lying around and immediately got a better sound, darker but also with better color texture and projection. So any further suggestions?

Also what reeds do you use to darken the sound on the piece? I tried a few and settled with La Voz at the moment. Rigotti Gold Jazz also play really good on Mosaic, but found them too bright. I just happen to prefer a darker, late 50s/early 60s hard-bop sound...
 
#220 ·
You can get a lot of different sounds out of Theo's lig by changing pressure plates. You might experiment with that before giving up on it all together.

For reeds I really liked Rigotti, Rico Jazz Select, and Rico Royal. The audio clips I did for Phil were with a Rico Royal and I thought the sound was fairly dark but still lively.
 
#222 ·
Just a thought - try a Rovner. I'm usually not a fan of Rovners but I used one when I tried out the Isotope and it just gelled. My Francois Louis didn't work as well. Who knows, it might work.
 
#224 ·
I recently got one and I think it is possibly the best jazz mpc I 've had ( way too many...). I get best results with Vandoren 2,5 V16 reed that adds some edge to the sound. I use Silverstein size 3 silver lig on it, fits this piece well. Sound is close to Dexter Gordon's 50's -60's Blue Note records when he played with Dukoff and Conn.
 
#227 · (Edited)
Dear Phil :
reading the Forum , i have found some comments about the Mosaic that say you made some adjustments to the Mosaic , and now there is a so-called "2nd generation" Mosaic.
May you explain what are the characteristics of this new version of the Mosaic and how it is different from the first model ?
Many thanks in advance.
Humbardi
Are there some audio clips with the new version of the Mosaic ?
 
#228 ·
I cant recall exactly when you bought it. The newer version came after the first batch of Mosaics. I dont consider it different enough to call it a second generation. Steve Neff talks about the difference in two pieces he played. The difference was between the prototype and the final version. They were somewhat different. As for another change that came later it was very minor.
 
#229 ·
Dear Phil :
My Mosaic is a 7* that you adjusted to 095 to SimonJazzSax...
 
#230 ·
Im not too positive. I can tell you the ones done this year are different. The baffles remain raw rather than hand polished. This gives a little more baffle height. Given the dates I think...but cant absolutely say yours came from the first batch of Mosaic pieces. The ones I make now have a very slightly shorter facing curve and have a little more punch.

However you have to take into account that yours is a different size so the table to baffle ratio is different than the ones cut CNC.

...So in the end the differences may be negligible. I do remember that piece...it was nice.
 
#231 ·
Just wanted to chime after following this thread for a few years. Just got my Mosaic a couple weeks back from Phil after years of putting it off. I'm very happy to say this piece is a total monster. I had Phil make me a custom 10* and the piece is HUGE. Extremely dynamic, thick, and really quick articulation (which is typical of all of Phil's pieces I've played/owned over the years). When I originally got the piece, I loved it but had a feeling there was a little too much baffle for me. I sent the piece to Phil to do some work on it and in a couple days I had it back and it played remarkably! I've been playing a Ben Allen 10E 10* for the past year+ but I've been using the mosaic exclusively for the past week or so and been loving it.
Below is a good recording from a recent show where I used the Mosaic... forewarning: I do mostly free jazz/improv, noise, weirdo stuff, and below is definitely a pretty high-energy situation, but I'm playing acoustically and dynamically, so I think this should give a good idea of what the piece is capable of. I'm playing on a Selmer Radio Improved with a rigotti 3M or 3H reed (I forgot) and a basic rovner-type ligature (which I found actually suits the piece quite well).

 
#233 ·
It's been awhile since someone has posted to this thread, so why not resurrect it? I have been looking for a mouthpiece that was a bit darker then what I was playing on. As fate would have it, one of the Mosaic mouthpieces came up in a gently pre-owned condition for a very reasonable price, I decided I had nothing to lose and purchased it. In a worst case scenario I wouldn't like it and I could break even if I decided I didn't like it.

I am not a professional saxophonist, and I'm not a college student trying to become a professional saxophonist. I'm a guy that studied music in college that found another professional path in life. As with many middle-aged men, I've taken up a hobby from my youth which is playing saxophone :) I've been back playing for a couple of years, and this is the first time I've owned a "boutique" mouthpiece. Ever.

What's my tone quality goal? I have always favored the "West Coast/Cool School" sound for tenor... Specifically the tonal colorings of players like Warne Marsh, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims... and if you've ever had the chance to hear it Bud Shank playing tenor. Warm, round, full bodied and a little bit of bite when pushed. Truth be told there are probably many ways to skin the cat, but in the end everything I read was pointing in a couple of similar directions... Either something that was inspired by the Dukoff stubby or the Link Tonemaster.

Upon first playing, I found that the Mosaic has resistance that my previous mp did not. It's not a bad resistance that you get from a poorly faced mouthpiece. It's something to "blow against". It took me a few weeks to get used to that, and I'm about a month or month and a half into owning it. It's had me working on finding the right reed and I'm back to Vandoren Java Greens for the moment, although I'll probably change that to a v21 in the near future. I've had to go down about a half strength to accomodate the resistance. Mine has the stock 7* top opening and I haven't measured it for accuracy.

One thing that I've noticed from my perspective is that I find the effort to be fairly even across nearly the entire register of the instrument. Even low B and low Bb tend to play easier with less of the "bark" some mouthpieces have at the bottom end. Tone quality is definitely getting towards the direction I want it to be, with a rich, dark tone that I want to get out of the horn. I didn't consult my instructor, and this is roughly the exchange we had at the end of the lesson:

Teacher: "Is that a new mouthpiece?"
Me: "Yes".

Teacher: "I like it, your intonation is better and your articulation is clearer."


Being honest, I don't like the TW Enligthened Ligature. I find it difficult to put the reed on, keep it in place when I am adjusting pitch, and I can never get the pressure plate completely square with the reed. I went with a Rico H-Ligature and that works just fine for me.

I posted a recording in the April 2017 TotM thread playing In Walked Bud on this mouthpiece. I don't want to post multiple links to the same recording, but if there are no objections I can do that.

For me, it is a keeper. It is moving towards the tone I want, provides the right amount of resistance plays very evenly from top to bottom and can have some edge when pushed.
 
#234 ·
I traded for a Mosaic a few months ago, and have been holding my opinion to myself for a while until I'd spent some good time with it. I've had a LOT of mouthpieces over the past decade, and some of them I'd get and would fall in love with, then a few months later I'd be out looking for the next one to give me what I thought this one was missing.

So after a few months, I've decided that I like the Mosaic so much that I've committed to it fully going forward. Why?

It hits the sweet spot for me, in regards to being easy to play but not TOO easy to play. It has that tiny bit of good resistance to push against, without feeling like I need to drop down a reed strength to get the response I'm used to getting. One thing I was worried about, as I'd owned a Wanne Gaia before, was that it would be super free-blowing (to a fault). This is not. Tonally it is VERY versatile, not unlike a very good Otto Link. I naturally blow pretty dark, but if I focus my airstream I can play brighter/funkier, and this piece goes right along with me. I can subtone like a champ, whisper low Bb, and altissimo on this piece pops out easily.

I'm not a pro player. Many would consider me a weekend warrior. I practice a lot, I play in a few different bands, and I'm growing as a player every day. All I can say is that the Mosaic isn't getting in the way of that growth, and helps me find the sound I've been searching for. Intonation is dead-on too. If you're looking for a great, versatile piece, definitely consider this.
 
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