Sax on the Web Forum banner

How happy are you with your tenor mpc?

8K views 42 replies 40 participants last post by  EsbSpecial 
#1 ·
I've bounced from mpc to mpc over the last decade. I did stick with a few for a couple of years each but have finally found a perfect combination that has worked and is really checking all the boxes on what I want from a tenor mpc. The one I'm playing was able to get me through a soft to loud jazz social hour set and then move on to a 2hr R&B set all on the same gig. The flexibility and ease of playing from soft to crazy loud has solidified that this is my perfect mpc. Who else has found "the one"?
 
#2 ·
My 10MFAN Robusto hard rubber for me is the ultimate hard rubber mouthpiece and does everything I could possibly want. I designed it to be the perfect mouthpiece for my personal needs, and have used it for the last five years exclusively.

This is a forever mouthpiece for me as there is no reason to ever change. It is just perfect for my needs.
How happy am I? 100% happy.

I hope everyone find the mpc that makes them completely happy too.
 
#3 ·
I was into Lamberson J's for 12 years or so, then got into a Phil-Tone Intrepid 7*, and haven't been happier. Phil rocks!
 
#4 ·
I've been on a 10mfan Robusto for the past 5 years or so. I was one of the first (the first?) to get the actual production pieces and I've never needed to look at other options. I ended up buying all the rubber models because they have such a comfortable mouth-feel and blow perfectly for me; the Black Widow is another monster, monster mouthpiece. Different vibe than the Robusto and more punchy and powerful.

I picked up a "The Boss" metal mouthpiece for the really, really loud stuff and it is absolutely smoking! I NEVER thought I would like a high-baffled piece like this, but it just blows so freakin' great and it is still big and rich and has warmth but with all the balls and brightness you could ask for.

I've been fortunate and blessed enough to play pretty much every vintage piece out there, all the modern boutique stuff, and have sampled from every well-known refacer out there. For me, my search ended when I played the 10mfan line of pieces. Everyone is different, but there's no reason for me to ever bother with other pieces again. Everything I've played next to my Robusto/Merlot/Boss/Widow then has been, at best, "meh" in comparison.

- Saxaholic
 
#7 ·
I've been playing a Phil-Tone Mosaic since January and am very happy with it.

I'm fortunate that the gear I own far exceeds my own limits. Just wish I had more time to practice.
 
#10 ·
OP, did you say which one was "the" one for you?

And, nope, I do not have the skills to make one mpc work as well with the electric guitar in the garage band (jaguar or metalite), the combos (personaline), the big bands (same), and the concert band (ron caravan).

It is a lot of work to get a big range of tone qualities and volume out of a single piece, and easier to switch. I tell myself that I am picking appropriate tools when I might be just crutching my limitations.
 
#35 ·
I'm happy to say that I have basically stopped looking at mpc sale ads. The main reason is that I have the ones that play best for me in all the situations I play in. The secondary reason is that I don't really have the cash and also am tired of having a drawer full that nobody wants to buy. I haven't needed to invest in that illusion anymore since I added a Black Widow 8 and Vintage Personaline HR to the gold Barone Mainstream, Metalite M7 and SS Berg offset 100 I already had. Yeah I enjoyed trying new pieces over the years but what's the point when you have a few that really work for you and are a joy to play? I mean that if I can't get a great sound out of all of those then maybe it's me and not the pieces, right? Three high baffle ones and two large chamber roll overs are an arsenal that any player should be content with and as it turns out I really enjoy them all a good deal. I also don't have the time left in life to keep trying different ones when what I need to do is improve my playing with these that I have. What I do do is try different reed setups on all of the them until I get exactly what I like/need on any day when I play a gig. Therefore I am not partial to any brand or type of reed but play what works best at the moment for the venue and music.



Well I basically use the same m.o. I don't think it is a crutch however just being realistic about the vagaries of different situations, days, moods, weather, headspace in line with the old adage that Sh¿t Happens. In my experience that is when you least want or need it to happen too. So I go onstage with a mpc on my horn and another in my pocket ready to go so I can switch them out at any moment. Just one example is that of having had reeds go dead or wonky on me one hour into a gig. I DO NOT like to change out reeds mid-song or mid-set and see no reason to when it is so much easier to just change the piece in a N.Y. second. This especially since I am very comfortable on all of them. I no longer own or play the ones I'm not comfortable on.

It's inevitable that however happy you are with what you've got, there's always something new or different to tempt us with the thought that it could be even better. Same with cars, saxes, women...?
Well, I been there recently with saxes, but cars are out of my league. And it has been about a generation and a half since any thoughts of trying out different women were anything more than a forlorn fantasy. More power to you if you're able to. Wink wink nudge nudge know what I mean know what I mean, Guvner?

Happy enough that I know I never need another.
Yep I would only do it if I could get it free cause I just don't need it.

It's kind of a liberating realization too.
 
#12 ·
I've been quite happy with my Ted Klum Focustone for several years now (around 4 or 5, I don't remember exactly). I've sold basically everything else that I owned, except for a very special Freddie Gregory Mark II that I still keep.
 
#15 ·
I have done much of the same over the last 5 years or so. For years I was playing a LT Guardala MB II because I was doing nothing but Blues and R&B work. Five years ago I moved to a new area and wanted to get back into jazz work, so I went on a quest dramatically re-define my sound. I ran through all kinds of pieces; Vandoren V16 T8 Ebonite and Jumbo Java, I spent time at Jody Espina's factory in Savannah, GA (my hometown) trying pieces. I played through almost the entire collection of Theo's pieces. I have had numerous Phil-Tone pieces and a 10MFAN Robusto HR. I have also had the opportunity to play some older Links, Dukoffs, even a great Lakey piece.

I have been lucky to have played some stupidly good and fun pieces. Although I think this much changing around in such a short time probably slowed my progress of tone development, it did help me better understand what I really was looking for, and eventually I realized that putting the time in the shed brought me back to the comfort of my V16 T8 and my Phil-Tone Eclipse 7*. I get the tonal quality I want out of both pieces and the pieces are comfortable, which in my opinion is under-rated sometimes. Of course everyone's physiology is different, so you have to find what is comfortable for you, both the piece and a reed that suits you and your tonal concept.

I guess my points are; first, never think because a piece cost more that it is better for you. Second, matching mouthpiece and reed is as important as the practice put into your craft. Also, it is early morning and not enough coffee yet, so if I am just rambling please move on...lol.
 
#16 ·
I have an Early Babbitt Link 6 works for anything. Rigotti reeds are the answer for projection and edge.
On the gigs where I have to keep it down a lot I used an old Soloist C* that was opened to around an E by Bob Carpenter. Metal Links when you’re playing soft sometimes get that sound that some call “bacon sizzling”.
 
#19 ·
I've tried a bunch of different pieces over the past 10 years. I recently acquired a Phil Tone Mosaic that checks the boxes for me, and I'm selling all but two other pieces as I've decided to stick with this piece.

I will say though, that it is extremely difficult to find ONE piece that does EVERYTHING. The only thing the Mosaic can't do is blow down walls with volume, however, it's loud enough for what I need and does everything else I'm looking for.
 
#22 ·
I have played the same Meyer #8 on tenor since 1978 (39 years). It came in the case with my first tenor sax. This may be the longest of anyone who's posted on this subject so far. Anyone played the same mouthpiece for longer?

In the interest of full disclosure, when (rarely these days) I play a loud rock and roll job, I play a D7 Dukoff that I bought in 1980 (37 years).

That's it. I have a box of other tenor MPs but they never could get me away from those two. I suppose I might find one of the modern boutique MPs that played better, but since I am not dissatisfied with what I currently have, I have no incentive to try those other MPs.

For that matter, on alto I still play the same Conn 6M since 1978, with a Meyer #7 I bought in about 1990 (27 years); and on baritone the same Conn 12M since 1984; from 1984 to about 2006 (22 years) with the Vandoren S that came with it, and from 2006 till now and beyond with a Meyer #8 (11 years). I guess I like Meyer mouthpieces?
 
#23 ·
I'm really satisfied with my Eric Falcon Warburton LA. It's just an all around great mouthpiece. I've got some others that I'll occasionally play but the LA pretty much blows them all away.
 
#39 ·
+1

I was on a vintage Berg metal for about 30 years, and had some nerve damage done to my lower lip in a car wreck. Not enough to screw me up, but it altered my emboucher enough that I started to rethink my sound concept as I wasn't able to get my old one back fully using my old setup.

I was lucky enough to get one of Eric's Warburton LAs (one he actually plated and faced). I was up and down the map, and this one just works for where my head is now. Super-flexible but with it's own unmistakable character. I can't say enough about how this piece has re-energized my playing.

...Waves at Downeast from SoME.
 
#25 ·
I've got a drawer full of pieces that do it all....from my Ben Allen to my Barone Jazz to my Philtone to my Master Link....just a matter of which one I feel like playing....
 
#26 ·
It took me about 35 yrs, but Sakshama's "Shorty" (Dukoff Stubby copy) is the end for me. Played on an old NY Link ToneMaster for about 20 yrs. prior to that, but Sakshama's Shorty is simply superior in every category. Good to see the wide variation of mouthpieces that everyone plays on. Proves that it's a very individual thing and that there are some current great mouthpiece makers here in saxophone land!
 
#27 ·
Proves that it's a very individual thing and that there are some current great mouthpiece makers here in saxophone land!
Yes. Although many players prefer vintage specimens, I personally feel that this is the golden age of saxophone mouthpieces. Players have never had so many different choices at so many price points.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top