I played a Dukoff till it was really old and I sold it. It was an amazing mpc. Later I played a metal Berg Larsen Duckbill but I had entonation issues with my Yanagisawa 991 and I sold it.
Later I owned a Law Buzzer with I liked very much but I dropped it accidentally to the floor and it was kapputt.
Now I play a Durga3 - 7* which I really really like but in the lower octave I hear a "ssssss" noise, like to much high freqs.
I tried a Gaia but I didn´t like it at all. It was not only less bright than the Durga, but it was really different.
Which mpc should I try?
7* is a pretty small opening for a piece with as much baffle as the Durga. Maybe you could find a Durga in a larger facing. Most player find .115 to be the beginning of the sweet spot for these type of pieces.
+100! Unless you want a thin, shrill tone, if using a med to high baffle mpc, I've found .115 to be the minimum tip opening (I prefer .120).
Funkysaxo, I couldn't tell from your OP if you are restricting your search to metal mpcs. There are also many HR mpcs that fit what you're looking for, so I wouldn't restrict my search only to metal. Here are a few recommendations that I've found to be excellent (some metal, some HR), with at least 8* - 9* tip (115-125):
10MFan Black Widow or Boss
RPC high baffle (Ron Coelho)
PPT (Pete Thomas)
There are many more options, but those are ones I've played and really like.
Since you mention the Gaia as an option, you may consider a hr V16 T9. I just moved to that, & with Java 3 reeds it is powerful & bright-ish. Excellent mpc, & reasonably priced.
I would consider Mojo and highly recommend his services. His quality work and experience, speak for themselves (as do the mouthpieces he touches). If you wanted to go with another mouthpiece I would highly recommend 10mfan BOSS Tenor Mouthpiece. That will do anything you want it to in terms of the music that you would be using it on
I second the 10MFAN BOSS metal mouthpiece recommendation. I played a Durga 9 (metal) for a while but after getting the BOSS, I hardly play the Durga anymore. Nothing wrong with the Durga but for what I do (funk, pop, soul, R'n'B etc), the BOSS kills it....but can also be played soft and mellow, too.
BTW, I'm not surprised that you didn't like the Gaia given what you're looking for. It's a very different direction from the Durga in terms of the sound you're after.
Oh. (I´ve sold my Law some years ago, thanks Mojo)
I will try the Boss. By the way, I am trying a 10mfan Robust and I was badly surprised for the looking of the mpc. It sounds awesome, but the look is not very nice. It is like not very well polished, like dirty, the gold it is dull in some spots. I´ve tried to clean it but it is still like this. Also it has 2 marks on the side rails, and this is my main issue. It is new. I bought it in PMS-music.de. Here some pics.
Some plating processes do not hold up very well. In no way do they effect the mouthpiece or the sound that you get out of them. Plating simply is not as good as it used to be years ago. When I purchased my Boss, not even a month later and the plating started to wear a little on the tip and slightly on the table. The mouthpiece still kills though. No one can tell once a reed is attached to the table however
The plating on my Boss had some issues as well. I know that 10mfan went through some problems with these guys that make the metals with the plating. I personally will not get on any sort of order list that involves these jokers. I DO NOT include 10mfan in that. I have no issue with him. It wasn't his fault. I waited way too long to get my piece.
I love my HR Robusto and metal Boss. They are my main pieces. I thought the metal Robusto missed the mark, and I did not care for it. If you like the sound of the metal Robusto, the Boss with be too bright for you. Maybe the Black Widow. The Gaia is not in the same category as these other pieces mentioned. Its like a Link. It doesn't have the power for what the OP is looking for.
JL is right the bigger the baffle the more open the piece should be to compensate for the baffle size, that's why all my tenor mouthpieces are 130 openings.
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