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Benjamin Allen Tenor Mouthpiece is As Good AS IT Gets

52K views 211 replies 38 participants last post by  jazzznbluezzz 
#1 ·
Just wanted to leave a rave for my Benjamin Allen Hard Rubber Tenor piece. I bought the Tony Dargotti Model about two months ago and have had a great email and phone relationship with Ben since that time. The cost was just over 200 dollars and the mouthpiece is one of the best HR mouthpieces I have ever played. The work is flawless and the piece has a deep quality that I have only found from great vintage pieces. It is a traditional Link looking piece but it plays clearer and cleaner than any link HR piece I have. And it is really full sounding and can take a ton of air. I would say that it is they type piece that many professional players are looking for. Ben refaced some pieces for me and did a great job on them, but his own piece is a work of art. I have turned a few friends on to his work and they all seem to be very impressed with everything about the experience of the piece and Ben's work and communication. I think he is really on to something. He is an articulate and honest dude who seems to be mostly motivated by creating something unusually good and beautiful. I have mixed feelings about outing his great work since it might make for a wait for the next piece I order from him, but I also feel the need to sing his praises. Check out his web site. His piece is not a "chops in the box" wedge piece, but he is an artist on a high level creating the kind of work that will be in demand for a long time.
 
#3 ·
I am on the road at the moment,but will be home by the middle of the week and will post something then. I might also have my two tenors available, on a silver BA and the other a Conn 265k first year 10m. The piece works well with both but the 10m it is over the top. I may have Doug Lawrence from teh Basie Band over to my house at the end of the week and I'll get him to try it on his TM horn and my tenors. He loves this piece too.
 
#4 ·
By the way, someone on a gig asked me why the price is so low, intimating that he thought it couldn't be that good if it cost less. This piece has more hand work, and better hand work than any other piece I've owned with the possible exception of a Navarro. And for me , it works better than anything I've had other than that Navarro , which is different and a bit more open at the tip and therefore not fair to compare since I don't play the 8 tip opening anymore. It is that good. Mark my words, you will be hearing Ben Allen's work from some great players in the near future.
 
#6 ·
You can send Ben an email and he will respond. His phone number may be on the website. He is in the New Orleans area. I first saw a piece listed by Ben on ebay after Jon Irabagon had told me about his work over lunch. But I can PM you with his contact info if you don't find an email on the website.
 
#9 ·
A friend told me about Benjamin working on these pieces last year, and I am glad to see there are so many options for players these days. Whats right for one player won't be right for another.Try whatever you can until you find what works best for yourself. I haven't played any of his mouthpieces but I wish Ben great success. Tony sounds great as always...wonderful player. It is so incredibly rewarding helping a player get the sound and feel they have been searching for in a mouthpiece.
 
#12 ·
Sorry to all for perpetuating the spelling error (now corrected in my post).

To further clarify, "NO" decodes to New Orleans, Louisiana. Here's Tony's website: http://www.tonydagradi.com/

I received one of Benjamin Allen's "Model 10 E" mouthpieces this weekend. I concur with TraneSpotter that Ben's finish work rivals that of Rafael Navarro - details are outstanding throughout the piece. For those people looking for a Doc Tenney "Jazzmaster", this is the way to go.
 
#19 ·
I was speaking with Ben and ordered a Dagradi model. I liked what he had to say about the design and that they offered good resistance, something I find lacking in most modern pieces. With both a reasonable price and a very generous return policy he may be on to something really great here.
 
#24 ·
That's merely an equivalent value to a metric 2.6 mm. :bluewink:

No harm, no foul. His work is good.
 
#28 ·
Uh-oh...I may have opened up a box of pandoras for ole Ben here. (Followers of Gov. Bruce King of NM fame will remember the mixed metaphor). I think it is interesting how makers go about getting their product out. I don't think Ben has any aspirations of making lots of pieces or hiring others to do the work, so his model might be a good one for him. But he is making something that works well and is well made. I agree that there is some resistance built into his work that tends to deepen the experience and the sound. I find that a horn or mouthpiece with something "to blow against" gives me a feeling that I can shape the sound a bit. I think Phil Engleman makes pieces that work that way and I like his work too. Interesting, he is another guy who does his own work and does not charge much by today's standards.
 
#34 ·
I have been playing my Dagradi model for a week or so. It caught my interest because I know Tranespotter is a serious player who knows his stuff. Ben's website offered some interesting info and so I gave it a try and now it is my full time tenor piece I love it, it has the right kind of resistance that allows for shaping the tone and dynamics just how you want them. It's made playing Bach on my Super 20 a new pleasure as well as all styles of play.
This is a piece well calibrated for shaping your own sound. I find too many modern pieces too easy to play and thus not at all easy to play well softly. The Dagradi works extremely well at all volume levels and with a very pleasing and full tone. I get to try a lot of mouthpieces new and old, this is one that I'm most happy to be playing.
 
#46 ·
Kritavi, I think I must have missed your post before. I am sorting out my new tenor and was going to use my ol' favorites first, but I read this today just before heading out to practice. I had the Ben Allen pieces with me today, and went right to the Dagradi Sig, and... Well, I'm done - it's a happy, happenin' combination. Thank you.
 
#44 ·
I use a Red Java 2 or RJS 2M. I play with a relaxed double lip embouchure and can play with ease on this piece. Jumping between low Bb and high F is easier than with any piece I can recall ever playing. The more I play it the more I like it and the more I find myself concentrating on music and not my equipment. I've been doing a lot of practicing with it lately and it lends itself to getting serious.
 
#39 ·
Now I have been able to play test the Dagradi model from Benjamin Allen for more then a week I think is about time to share my first experiences with you. By the way Ben is a real nice person and a stand up guy who is a pleasure to deal with.

After unpacking the first thing that stands out is that the finishing work looks fantastic and immaculate. It is made of real nice quality hard rubber.

The beak profile feels comfortable. Not too large or too flat.
The ligatures I tried are a standard 2-screw Selmer like and a Bonade inverted.
Both work very well and both do affect the tone just enough to archieve an audible difference.
After the first notes I played on it I already noticed the very warm tone and how
comfortable and free blowing it is for me. It plays effortless from a crisp low Bb to high F ( as old fashioned as I am I am not much into altissimo's so that is for others to review). Also I feel there is still a nice resistance which I like for shaping the tone and subtoning. I do push a lot of air sometimes and the it can take it effortlessy without any tonal sacrifice. The tuning is top notch.

The tone, wow! the tone is very warm, fat and has a rich thick core. Very clear and articulate too. I love it. Not as spread like a Link type piece but more focussed. In fact it is not a Link like tone either.
I compared it to a CE Winds The Sig which is is very nice too and has a distinct EB Link tone. The Dagradi is a little more gently however very present and projects well.
It sounds really beautiful on my 10M and I instantly felt this is a great match. It plays very easy and
reponds very natural to light nuances in the airflow (how is that for a description).
Ben recommended the ML chamber of the Dagradi for a large bore Conn above the 10E model.
I have not tried the 10E but I believe he is right. The 10M likes it a lot too.

At first I had the impression it was not the loudest mouthpiece compared to other hard rubbers I have.
But that is not what I look for anyway in this case. However since I have been able to play it for week and got more familiar to it I noticed it now outplays almost any other piece I compared it with. And without sacrificing tone. Some loud playing mouthpieces sacrifice in tone and get brittle or nasty when pushed. The Dagradi does not and keeps it cool (or better: warm). The tone never seems to get brittle or harsh. On the other hand it can growl if you want that.

It has a very distinct quality in the sound that other pieces I have lack. I can not put my finger on it yet.
But I think it must be the beautiful rich core. It is great fun to play it softly too.
I can imagine it would also be great for classical. Although that is not what I play. For jazz it is fantastic.

I can also conclude that my tone is totally different from Tony Dagradi's tone. I sound more dark.
In fact I also sound dark on a paint peeler like a Dukoff or Berg. So no surprise here. Now I only wish I could only play half as good as Tony.

After testing a number of different reed brands and types I have lying around varying from Vandoren, Rico, Alexanders, Hemke, Marca, Gonzales, Lavoz, Rigotti and some ugly plastics and even some more ugly Chinese brands (yes I know, I'm sorry) I came to the conclusion it does not like all reeds equally though.
I eventually landed on the reed I actually started out on with, a RJS 2H. I tried to step up to 3S and 3M but I do prefer the 2H. The RJS are a great match for the Dagradi on a 10M and seems to emphasize the right balance between the warm low end, thick mids and a warm yet crispy high end.

My conclusion so far is that the Dagradi has a distinct sound of its' own. A beautiful sound for sure. I have compared it with some others of my favorite hr mouthpieces and I can say is the Dagradi is already a serious candidate to become my main mouthpiece. And it just gets better and better the more I play it.
When I get the chance I'll try to record and post some clips.

Great work, Ben.
 
#42 ·
Now I have been able to play test the Dagradi model from Benjamin Allen for more then a week I think is about time to share my first experiences with you. By the way Ben is a real nice person and a stand up guy who is a pleasure to deal with.

After unpacking the first thing that stands out is that the finishing work looks fantastic and immaculate. It is made of real nice quality hard rubber.

The beak profile feels comfortable. Not too large or too flat.
The ligatures I tried are a standard 2-screw Selmer like and a Bonade inverted.
Both work very well and both do affect the tone just enough to archieve an audible difference.
After the first notes I played on it I already noticed the very warm tone and how
comfortable and free blowing it is for me. It plays effortless from a crisp low Bb to high F ( as old fashioned as I am I am not much into altissimo's so that is for others to review). Also I feel there is still a nice resistance which I like for shaping the tone and subtoning. I do push a lot of air sometimes and the it can take it effortlessy without any tonal sacrifice. The tuning is top notch.

The tone, wow! the tone is very warm, fat and has a rich thick core. Very clear and articulate too. I love it. Not as spread like a Link type piece but more focussed. In fact it is not a Link like tone either.
I compared it to a CE Winds The Sig which is is very nice too and has a distinct EB Link tone. The Dagradi is a little more gently however very present and projects well.
It sounds really beautiful on my 10M and I instantly felt this is a great match. It plays very easy and
reponds very natural to light nuances in the airflow (how is that for a description).
Ben recommended the ML chamber of the Dagradi for a large bore Conn above the 10E model.
I have not tried the 10E but I believe he is right. The 10M likes it a lot too.

At first I had the impression it was not the loudest mouthpiece compared to other hard rubbers I have.
But that is not what I look for anyway in this case. However since I have been able to play it for week and got more familiar to it I noticed it now outplays almost any other piece I compared it with. And without sacrificing tone. Some loud playing mouthpieces sacrifice in tone and get brittle or nasty when pushed. The Dagradi does not and keeps it cool (or better: warm). The tone never seems to get brittle or harsh. On the other hand it can growl if you want that.

It has a very distinct quality in the sound that other pieces I have lack. I can not put my finger on it yet.
But I think it must be the beautiful rich core. It is great fun to play it softly too.
I can imagine it would also be great for classical. Although that is not what I play. For jazz it is fantastic.

I can also conclude that my tone is totally different from Tony Dagradi's tone. I sound more dark.
In fact I also sound dark on a paint peeler like a Dukoff or Berg. So no surprise here. Now I only wish I could only play half as good as Tony.

After testing a number of different reed brands and types I have lying around varying from Vandoren, Rico, Alexanders, Hemke, Marca, Gonzales, Lavoz, Rigotti and some ugly plastics and even some more ugly Chinese brands (yes I know, I'm sorry) I came to the conclusion it does not like all reeds equally though.
I eventually landed on the reed I actually started out on with, a RJS 2H. I tried to step up to 3S and 3M but I do prefer the 2H. The RJS are a great match for the Dagradi on a 10M and seems to emphasize the right balance between the warm low end, thick mids and a warm yet crispy high end.

My conclusion so far is that the Dagradi has a distinct sound of its' own. A beautiful sound for sure. I have compared it with some others of my favorite hr mouthpieces and I can say is the Dagradi is already a serious candidate to become my main mouthpiece. And it just gets better and better the more I play it.
When I get the chance I'll try to record and post some clips.

Great work, Ben.
Richard,
I know you exchanged emails with Ben, but I wanted to as personally as possible thank you for purchasing the mouthpiece, your substantive feedback, and your extraordinary review. Ben mentioned English is your second language, which makes your review even more extraordinary. So thank you very much! Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions, concerns, or comments. Thank you again.
JA
 
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