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Andy Sheppard Autograph Series Tenor Mouthpieces, my review

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#1 ·
My Andy Sheppard Autograph Series Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review.
I will start this review by saying when I heard about the plans of a Andy Sheppard Se...ries mouthpiece from the man himself in Newcastle I could not wait to try one. It took well over a year later and they are now in full production.
I have long been a true Sheppard hard core fan. For me he is still my favourite modern saxophonist out there. He is a rare bird out there as he does his own thing and when you hear a couple of them lush tones you know its him. Theres too many great players out there that all sound the same. Sheppard for sure has his own vibe, style and amazing sound. In Newcastle when I jammed with him I also tested the Sheppard Autograph Tenor, Newcastle model which I later bought. He said his Otto Link he was playing was a 10 tip !!! he had done bits of reface work tweaking it to his likes. He played with no mic that day and WOW it was crazy rich and lush indeed.
I was sent to try out the two AS mouthpieces which come in a size 7* and the 10 tip. Both are made by the legend Morgan Fry here in the UK and as ever his finish work is superb, of the best in the world. They come in bare brass, no plating just like the Autograph tenors. He has used some special brass mix here. The bite plate is very nice, a brown tortoise shell kind of plate. They have an AS logo on them, nice touch.
They come in a very cool black box, velvet pouch and a signed card from Andy himself.
Sound,,,
Enough of me rambling, lol whats my thoughts on them !
7*, Well to be fair I need over a 115, 8* tenor tip on any tenor. So a 7* always feels odd and hard work as I do blow a lot of air into my horns but this 7* still performed very well and easy on a wide choice of reeds. You hear that Link vibe for sure but way more power. Theres great focus here. Very precise indeed.
My real review here is on the 10 tip as its in my tip size ballpark. WOW its a monster piece. Anyone thinking of the 10 size and fearing of it please forget about that. Its such an easy player. Morgan and Andy have got this perfect !!! I have owned and played many great Guardalas over many years and love them for there pure tone and huge power. Andy himself played a Studio DG for a good while, his soprano mp is still a DG. My dream and I think his was to have a mp with that amazing hard to beat great Otto Link richness but it being so easy to blow which most Links aren't and to have massive power for ANY setting, style and that modern sound. Plus to have fantastic intonation, ease of use, very reedly and of course versatile .Well after my testing, gigging etc I think, I know they have found all these factors in the 10 tip AS mouthpiece for sure. For me it can purr and roar to 11 no problem. Very full, rich tones with just the right amount of edge when pushed. Never harsh, just a perfect mix of bottom, middle and clear full soaring top tones. Altissimo is scary easy, again big and full. I tested them with Rico Jazz Select 2 medium and 2 hard plus Lupifaro Classic 2 reeds and Legere Sig, 2 1/2 and Legere classic reeds. All worked very well indeed. The sound I got as in that Sheppard vibe for sure, very full, huge focus in sound. Clear and so much scope to bend, shape my own sound. I am now of course using the 10 now myself and I know were going to get on very well. Check them out, there great. Peter Scaddan of Lupifaro Saxophones UK stock them. Give him a message or call to try them yourself.
David Keighley.
 
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#5 ·
INFO on the brass,

The raw brass finish is made from Silicon Brass (C69300 or Eco Brass), made for drinking water applications. It is many times more resistant to corrosion and dezincification as compared to standard brass.
 
#7 ·
Forgot to say I was also testing two other mps at the same time, a 10MFan Boss 9 and a Robusto 8* both metal. I had high hopes on the Boss but I was not liking it big time. Strange sound. Can see though why many like it but just not for me. I was very tempted on the Robusto though. Now that's a sweet mp but once the 10 tip Sheppard piece came I knew I had to have it. A lot more focused and a lot more power.
 
#9 ·
No they play really close. Both have that Link vibe but with so much power and so much focus. Dare I say a Link on steroids, this claim has been made many times but that's what it feels like. I thought maybe a 8* would be in the mix but again the 10 blows really easy so why have a 8*.
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the review Davey. It sounds as though it is quite similar to my favourite tenor mouthpiece, which is Morgan Fry's Rhodium original. And as Andy Sheppard is a hero of mine I am quite tempted, even though I know it is the player and not the gear that makes the sound.

But a few things are holding me back:
  • The price (quite a lot more than for the standard MF metal)
  • The (lack of) plating on the metal
  • The big gap in the tip opening sizes offered
  • I don't yet understand how the internal design differs from Morgan Fry's other Link-based pieces

Rhys
 
#12 ·
1, Yea a canny cost but its worth it I feel. End of the day its a signature hand made piece so costs will be a tad more
2, You could always get Bopityfunk to get one plated.
3, for me playing my normal 8* to 9 mps feels no different on this 10
4, Andy tweaked his own Link a lot. Morgan and he then of course worked on a new piece. Its different.

As for the original Fry Rhodium I had a 8* myself, it had no power. The AS mp is for me like a Link cross Guardala Link vibe, rich, thick yet Guardala ease, power and punch if needed. No way like the original Fry mp. I believe a great mp is one you forget about when its in your mouth and it lets you be more free, i'm feeling this on this mp.
 
#22 ·
Dave is entitled to not like my Boss Mpc .

The bummer is that he ended up buying a lower baffle metal piece in a 10 tip opening, and he tried my higher baffle Boss in a smaller tip opening.
As I say on my website, if you are using less baffle on a piece now, when you go to my Boss, you should go up a size.
So in reality--he should have tried my Boss in at least a 10. I bet he would have enjoyed the 10*. It would be a whole different finding for him at that tip opening if he is comfortable on the 10 in the style baffle that Andy's piece is. I assume the Boss that he tried was an 8*. Big difference.
I can tell you from my own personal experience, I could play my Boss in and 8* and then a 10* and the 10* just fills the entire room for me because I prefer bigger tip openings. The 8* will feel too constrained for me because I prefer those bigger tips.


There are many mouthpieces out there for everyone to enjoy, so everyone should go on their own journey and find what works best for them. It's very important to get the right tip opening for yourself based on the design of the mouthpiece.
The Boss could not be any more successful than it has been and I have players all over the world loving it.
I encourage him if he ever has the opportunity, to try the Mpc in the proper tip opening for himself.

Enjoy your new mouthpiece Dave, and I hope it brings you much happiness. That's the goal.

Happy holidays to you all.
All the best, Mark
 
#23 ·
Dave is entitled to not like my Boss Mpc .

The bummer is that he ended up buying a lower baffle metal piece in a 10 tip opening, and he tried my higher baffle Boss in a smaller tip opening.
As I say on my website, if you are using less baffle on a piece now, when you go to my Boss, you should go up a size.
That's a great reason to have a trial policy, isn't it?
 
#24 ·
Actually the reality is, the stores overseas should carry the sizes that most people will buy.

The high baffle pieces are most popular between 8* and 10*. I wish they would carry more of those so that the people there could try them at all the different sizes. Most of them order the 8* size from me and I always tell them to get some of the bigger ones too. They are probably afraid if they order the bigger sizes that they may not sell easily. In lesser baffle pieces that is probably so --but not in the high baffle. Hopefully now if they see Andy's pieces selling in a 10 tip, they won't be afraid to try some of the bigger tips.
 
#26 ·
Actually the reality is, the stores overseas should carry the sizes that most people will buy.

The high baffle pieces are most popular between 8* and 10*. I wish they would carry more of those so that the people there could try them at all the different sizes. Most of them order the 8* size from me and I always tell them to get some of the bigger ones too.
Davey commented that he didn't care for the sound - so it wasn't just about the tip opening.

Good luck with the new line, Mark. I imagine it is going to get crazy for you to try to supply 12 different models of mouthpieces (3 each in HR/Metal for alto/tenor). :shock:
 
#34 ·
I'd love for you to try it in a 10 or 10* if the chance ever arises. You may be surprised...
Either way, enjoy your new piece. Morgan is a great guy and makes beautiful pieces.

Happy holidays, Mark
Will deffo try the larger Boss for sure Mark. Must say they do look very coolio as mps, the silver Robusto sounded and looked stunning. Happy holidays to you dude.
 
#38 ·
Thanks for the review Dave! And the fine feedback everyone. I can answer a few questions posted ITT --
Just 2 sizes are because 10 is Andy's size, and 7* is by far the most popular tenor mouthpiece size. There may be more later, we'll see how it goes. But if you're on like an 8*, try the 10. You'll be surprised how easily it plays. I test all these on RJS 3M reeds so I know they'll work on a more appropriate reed strength (I'm normally a 3M on a 6* kind of player).

The chamber design compared to my Original one -- the AS is deeper and rounder and has a longer baffle. Sure, they're all in the Florida Link-Hollywood Dukoff neighborhood in that they're all medium-large chambered pieces with medium amount of baffle, but within that range there is still enormous scope for different voices. Andy's is definitely a more focused, brighter piece.

The raw brass -- I'm not concerned about corrosion with this alloy at all. Nothing lasts forever (even plated pieces wear out eventually) but I'll guarantee it for 10 years -- free refacing if it does wear in that period.

OK I'm around if anybody has anything else they're curious about.
 
#47 ·
When I hear Andy play there is many times a very "wet" sound if that makes sense, mostly when he plays soft. I once had a metal mouthpiece where this was hard to avoid, I had a hard time getting a dry sound. Is this a thing which comes with this mouthpiece allso ? And how hard or easy is it to control on soft , low notes seeing it has such a big tip (the 10) ?
 
#48 ·
1st things forget the 10 tip, it blows very easy, even. Its a mp that does it all I find. Loud, hard, soft, rock to ballad. It lets you shape things a lot, very easy low don and altissimo just pops out.
 
#55 ·
As for the Sheppard mp I am truly at home on it. For a while I thought theres no point trying them as it wwas a Link type piece and would feel stuffy, dead as I like rather free open pieces but I always seeked the link cross Guardala mp dream. Had some great mps that came close but this Morgan Fry piece hits the nail blob on. Huge power, free enough but still something to blow against. That great Linky core but a very easy blower that's versatile and great all over the range. Well done Morgan and Andy.
 
#61 ·
I have just got the Andy Sheppard mouthpiece on trial in both the 7* and 10 tip openings. I normally play lower baffle pieces in about a 7* tip and my current favourite is my Metal Morgan Fry Rhodium.

My early impressions are good - the 7* definitely has a strong family resemblance to my Morgan Fry metal and that's a great thing for me.

But the 10 is the surprise, as I wouldn't expect to be able to play something this open at all. It has a BIG sound and is very playable (on softer reeds, currently a 2), although a little hard to control from bottom C downwards. I have played some of Davey's old mouthpieces before and they have been too open and too hard work for me, but this is different.

Hoping to play them more extensively over the next couple of days.

Rhys

PS Still looking forward to hearing a sound clip of Davey playing his AS piece.
 
#62 ·
I have just got the Andy Sheppard mouthpiece on trial in both the 7* and 10 tip openings. I normally play lower baffle pieces in about a 7* tip and my current favourite is my Metal Morgan Fry Rhodium.

My early impressions are good - the 7* definitely has a strong family resemblance to my Morgan Fry metal and that's a great thing for me.

But the 10 is the surprise, as I wouldn't expect to be able to play something this open at all. It has a BIG sound and is very playable (on softer reeds, currently a 2), although a little hard to control from bottom C downwards. I have played some of Davey's old mouthpieces before and they have been too open and too hard work for me, but this is different.

Hoping to play them more extensively over the next couple of days.

Rhys
Look forward to hear how you get on with them. As for me I need a new mic still. Try and get one this week. Still no woodshedding here, only ay gigs. Really need to find the time and more so the will really to want to play.
 
#64 ·
I completed my trial of both sizes of the Andy Sheppard / Morgan Fry tenor mouthpiece, very kindly provided by Pete Scaddan of http://www.lupifarosaxophones.co.uk/ . I had them for nearly a week and played both pieces with a range of reeds and compared them against my favourite Morgan Fry Rhodium metal tenor piece.

It was very useful to be able to play them over an extended period - you get a much clearer impression of the characteristics and potential of a mouthpiece than you can get playing for a few minutes in a shop.

In the end I decided that the AS piece had a bit more edge and power and had a bigger sound compared with the MF Rhodium, but at the expense of a fraction of control low down. That was true of the AS in both the 7* and the 10 tip openings. It is a really excellent mouthpiece with a sound I like a lot and plenty of flexibility too.

Strongly recommended to try out in both sizes if you get the opportunity - do contact Pete Scaddan if you are in the UK.

Rhys
 
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