[fabyoda]

I generally use 7* (0.105) mouthpieces on tenor, and sometimes .110, depending on the facing curve.

I have been using a Drake Son of Slant 8M (0.110) for almost 3 years, it's a great piece, free blowing and versatile, a bit on the darker/warmer side, which is what I was looking for with it. But it plays so easy that I have to use harder reeds than on my other mouthpieces, and if I don't, I get a much brighter (and a bit less solid) tone than I intend to. Besides, it just seems to fall exactly in between two reed strengths, for instance Alexander DC 2.5 are too weak and the 3 are too hard.
That's the reason why I haven't played it that much for the past months, but I recently gave it a new try and I'm very pleased with how it sounds, but I really feel like the tip is too closed for me, especially in the higher register.
So I'm on the fence of ordering a new one in 9 tip opening (0.115), which is the next available tip over the 8. However, it seems weird to me to go as high as .115, as I'm not used to those tip openings. I really don't know what to expect when I get the mouthpiece.

Has anyone had such an experience with Drake mouthpieces? If you're coming from the 7*/8 range, did you go for the 9, and how did it feel?

Have a nice day.

 

[whaler]

It seems at the price you pay him for a resin mouthpiece he’d adjust it for you.

 

[raghav]

It's his long facings. They blow very free. You can go up in opening - I recall seeing something along these lines on his website a while back. With that said, you should be able to contact him to see if he would be willing to adjust your current piece.

 

[mijderf]

A new Drake mouthpiece is not cheap. Concerning the option of having your current piece adjusted, I have seen many posters suggest to not mess with your main piece for risk of having it change character permanently. If you are between reed strengths, you might want to learn how to shave reed strength down. Your post suggests that you only need to modify about a 1/4 strength increment. I would recommend giving this a try before going to another option. There are a number of reed adjusting tutorials on the web.

Oh and by the way I agree that most people pay attention to tip opening, but ignore the perhaps more important facing length.

 

[ZootTheSim]

My Drake NY Jazz tenor #7 measures .100 on the nose.

 

[fabyoda]

Thanks guys for your insights. And yes, facing length (and curve type) is at least as important as tip opening!

I bought this SoS second hand, so I don't think Aaron will adjust it for free - and besides, I live in Europe so that's not very practical to send the mouthpiece overseas both ways... I don't completely close this door, but I'll try to consider other options first. Anyway I agree that having it refaced by someone else, even a good refacer, is a kind of lottery, and if I don't like the result, I will have a hard time trying to sell it. I'm not confident in modding this mouthpiece because it's great as it is and the problem is my adaptation to it.
So you kind of suggest me that there are two options, going up in tip opening, or learning how to shave reeds properly. Well, up to now, I've more or less gone that route, in that in any reed packet, I select the ones which play stiffer. But even that way, I always feel the upper register is weaker... I can experiment the reed shaving stuff anyway, and see it solves my issues. It's the safest solution.
But if I'm still struggling, I'll go up in tip opening and put my current piece for sale.

That being said... I still would like to hear from people which had the same kind of experience .

 

[fabyoda]

My Drake NY Jazz tenor #7 measures .100 on the nose.

It should be .105! That might be my problem.

 

[rek]

I had a similar problem with a mpc from a different maker. Great low end, weak upper register, almost too free blowing. I went to a larger opening and the problem persisted because the facing was still too long. I ended up buying a Phil-tone and he tweaked it to get it just right for me. Now both lower and upper registers sound great, the resistance is just right, and it plays great with a variety of reeds and strengths. I sold the original mouthpiece.

 

[Tryptykon]

I have two Aaron Drake metal 'pieces.. both bought used . A Stubbie 8 and a NYMJT 7 .

The Stubbie 8 has a facing that feels even in resistance up and down the horn, but the NYMJT 7 feels smaller than it's
stated size and requires much harder reeds for me to be able to control it. It must have the long facing issue that someone
already described . I don't know if Aaron would adjust it or not . I contacted him a couple of years ago but never got
a response . Maybe my email went into his spam filter and got stuck there .

 

[ZootTheSim]

It should be .105! That might be my problem.

Mine's a 7, not 7*, so .100 is what you'd expect.

 

[fabyoda]

In general, yes, but on Drake's site, the 7 is listed as .105.

 

[ZootTheSim]

Hmm, so it is. Mine was second-hand, so I wasn't expecting a .105 anyway.

 

[hakukani]

Maybe try Rigotti Gold reeds on your drake. They come in more gradations than other reeds.

 

[Mezzzz]

I’ve had the same experience that you have expressed on all of my hard rubber Drakes (Soprano, Alto, Tenor) with the exception of my new “Sanborn” metal Drake mouthpiece. The Sanborn is perfecto! Looking back before selling the hard rubber Drakes I probably could of spent more time with many more traditional reed sizes than I did because I really liked them. Since then I have experimented successfully with Legere reeds with other brand mouthpieces. If I were you I would not modify or sell your mouthpiece yet. I would try the Legere reeds and just might be the ticket for your particular reed size dilemma. I find with Legere Signature’s that a 2.25 is like a 2.5 and a 2.5 is like a 2.75 and a 3 is like a 3.25. So maybe these variations compared to traditional reeds......they just might work. I know others who own your exact Tenor mouthpiece uses D’addario reeds exclusively. They also use D’addario on Drake Soprano and Alto successfully. Good luck!

 

[tenoor]

A bit late reply but I like to respond anyway.
Yesterday I purchased a Aaron Drake SoS. I was looking for a new mouthpiece. I have been playing on a metal OttoLink New Vintage Tone Master 7* for maybe 5 years. I play in bigband and combo and have the same setup for both (reed Vandoren ZZ 2,5). With solos I had to work harder and harder to get a full sound and the proper volume on the OL. That made me look for something new. Well I tried many pieces in the shop yesterday, including JodyJazz, Theo Wanne, Yani and Drake. The last one gave what i was looking for. The tipopening was a 9 with a medium chamber. I has a full warm sound in the lower register and a nice ring in the upper. It plays quite even over the full range though. I tried a few different reeds and it seems to be reed friendly.

Maybe I was ready for a larger tip but anyhow it plays great and I will test it this week at the BB rehearsal.

 

[B Flat]

I personally feel that Aaron Drakes Mouthpieces are amongst the best faced pieces currently on the market.
Adding resistance is easy with reed strength or type.
They remind me of the older Frank Morgan Mouthpieces.
I have a couple of his tenor pieces and a Baritone Rollover.
His tenor pieces do blow more freely than perhaps a Link of a similar tip opening, but I just put that down to a more even facing and flatter table.
The Rollover Baritone feels more in line with its stated tip opening.
I’ve had some of his older metal pieces in the past also.
A NYMJ (I thinks that’s what it was) in a 7 tip that blew similarly free, and a Johnny Griffin tribute piece in a 6* that had a lot more resistance.

 

[Sigmund451]

I prefer to make pieces that have a little good resistance. I find it helps to shape the sound and not like a piece is trying to run away with you.

Also the best pieces are made in France

 

[whaler]

I just bought two Drake mouthpieces on here cheap. A NY Jazz 7 and the Eddie Daniels 6*.
I played the ED on an outdoor gig last night but today I was playing the N.Y. jazz and like it more. The ED has the link Slant size and lower profile but the NY Jazz Is smaller and takes an alto ligature.
He does make really good stuff. We’ll see how the resin holds up if I keep them. More than likely I’ll be back to playing my link when/if I start gigging again steadily.

 

[mmichel]

I agree with those who find that the Drakes play "smaller" than their actual tip openings.

I play a Drake New Era on soprano, it's a great piece and very powerful, but when I first got it I thought I'd been sent the wrong size. However, I measured the tip opening and it was exactly 0.070", as I ordered it.

I currently play a Rigotti 3.5M on it (compared to Rigotti 2.5S/3.0L on other mouthpieces with similar tip openings) and it's still more free-blowing than any other soprano mouthpiece that I've ever played.

It took me a while to get the upper range of the horn under control on this mouthpiece, but it plays very well.