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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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#5 ·
The Mosaic on Steves site defenitely sounds darker than the Tribute he reviewed. A somewhat wider sound with less overtones or more mids? Could be the reed though. I am interested in the Mosaic but then i have to sell the Tribute to afford it!
 
#7 ·
Roger is generally correct. It's a thick and fat sounding piece. I'd say some of the upper partials in the notes are edgier than the Tribute. It's more textured in that sense. It has strong mids which help broaden the core. Being a large round chamber it also presents more spread than the Tribute.
 
#8 ·
Great sounding clip Steve!

Phil, how do you think a smaller tip opening would affect the sound in terms of bright/dark and projection? I think guys like Berg and Grossman used Stubbies in 6-6* openings and got really edgy powerful sounds that could hang in loud amplified settings.
 
#10 ·
The piece definitely brightens up when you start to give it a push. The term loud settings is really subjective. The piece would be loud in a trio...on the other hand I dont know that Id want to spend the night battling electric guitars with any round chambered piece that doesnt have a wedge baffle or a mic. The Mosaic is as loud as the Tribute or pretty much any Link. Truthfully, volume is a secondary concern when making a mouthpiece...the saxophone is by its nature loud. My focus is on a desirable sound. If you have that you are 95% there. The other 5% can be taken care of by modern electronics.

Sure, I could raise the floor or make some other changes to the piece to make it loud...I can make it really loud. However, there are trade offs. It wouldnt make it bad...it would make it different. I will chose any day to give up a few decibels for what is probably the thickest tone out there.

Despite what the world of marketing hype tells you: The laws of physics apply to every everyone :)
 
#11 ·
The piece definitely brightens up when you start to give it a push. The term loud settings is really subjective. The piece would be loud in a trio...on the other hand I dont know that Id want to spend the night battling electric guitars with any round chambered piece that doesnt have a wedge baffle or a mic. The Mosaic is as loud as the Tribute or pretty much any Link. Truthfully, volume is a secondary concern when making a mouthpiece...the saxophone is by its nature loud. My focus is on a desirable sound. If you have that you are 95% there. The other 5% can be taken care of by modern electronics.

Sure, I could raise the floor or make some other changes to the piece to make it loud...I can make it really loud. However, there are trade offs. It wouldnt make it bad...it would make it different. I will chose any day to give up a few decibels for what is probably the thickest tone out there.

Despite what the world of marketing hype tells you: The laws of physics apply to every everyone :)
I agree. I want more meat to the core! It takes air to brighten a dark piece but that is not a bad thing. You have to learn how to breath properly to get a good sound and i think its good for you to work out a bit too!
 
#12 ·
What I have REALLY noticed is how reed sensitive this piece is....NOT Reed Picky. The type of reed makes a massive difference in the color and edge. For myself, I get the best response and tone from a Java 3...but that is the sound more in my head. Steve gets a great sound from Riggotti. For me the RG is a little dark and stiff sounding...then again I may not have my strength dialed in on that reed. Regardless, going from that to Rico Royal, to Lavoz all yield a different range. Its kind of a lot of fun.

The Lavoz is not my favorite on any mouthpiece...I usually hate them but it works well with a center of the road darkish tone.
The Java has a brighter more bebop tone to me
For me the RG would be the piece I would take to a gig where I was playing a lot of sultry stuff where I wanted the thickest and darkest tone

I find the difference in reeds more pronounced than on other pieces...hard to say why but its worth noting.
 
#13 ·
Ok, I got my turn on the pass around of the Mosaic. It's yet another great piece by Phil and Theo. I find it very comfortable and it plays extremely well up and down the horn. I agree with Phil's characterization of the tone. Very thick, fat tone. It's on the darker end of the spectrum, but like a Link, if you push it the tone brightens up. I had the opportunity to compare it to the Tribute (for those who are wondering) and I'd say the Mosaic is a bit more spread and maybe more raunchy if you push it. The Tribute is slightly more focused. I'm using terms like 'slightly' because these are subtle distinctions. I would be hard-pressed to pick one over the other. I think if you like one, you'd be perfectly happy with the other.

In any case the Mosaic is a great metal mpc that plays really well and should allow you considerable flexibility to shape the sound to your own ideal. That's my take on it anyway.
 
#16 ·
I've just got my mosaic and played for a couple of nights (I already have a Tribute and am a fan). Its another fantastic piece. Its early days but the words wide, full, rich , broad and big come to mind. I think the Mosaic has a wider fuller tone than the Tribute, whereas the Tribute perhaps has more of a graininess to the sound. They are definitely distinct sounding and not the same, although I suppose both are more in the classic tenor tone as opposed to some more nasal modern ( high baffled) pieces. Not sure how much sense that makes but they are both great playing pieces. Really stunning.

Ps to Roger - I think you would like it!!
 
#17 ·
Hi All :
Any more reviews on the Mosaic ? Please post them, so we can have another point of view and more sound clips, please.
Best Wishes
Humbardi
 
#21 ·
Caught JL's pass.

Only had a few minutes to spend with the Mosaic today with a new RG 2 1/2; will give it a better work-out next week.
Lush, mellow, with ridiculously easy to sub tone low register. Put some air through it, and it yields a much more powerful high end than I got on the Tribute. Extremely versatile: playing soft and mellow is effortless, could even get a convincing "classical" tone; use more air to get plenty of power and volume. Wouldn't hesitate to use it on a R&B or any other gig.
This pass around model doesn't include a lig; used my 404 and that new nickel-plated Rico. Great mouthpiece.
 
#23 ·
Caught JL's pass.

..Put some air through it, and it yields a much more powerful high end than I got on the Tribute. Extremely versatile..
Hey, glad it arrived ok!

Interesting what you said in the quote above. I actually thought the Tribute had a bit more 'punch' (or maybe I should say more 'incisive', brighter?--hard to describe these things), that I really like, but maybe the Mosaic has a bigger tone in the high end? Either way, they are both fantastic mpcs.
 
#30 ·
Hey Guys,

I've been making some product videos as part of my day job, and we've been starting to do short videos demonstrating some stuff we have in the shop. We had just gotten in the Mosaic the other morning, so I recorded a quick clip. I'm still not happy with my reed choice (Vandoren V16 on this clip), but it is a cool piece. It was very dark for me, but I could still push it pretty loud if need be. I don't normally play metal pieces anymore, but this one is a lot of fun!

 
#34 ·
Got a Borgani in the house???

Or am I going to have to try one of these myself?

I've got a good idea of how that Mosaic will sound on the Conn... MORE!
 
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