[Tryptykon]

You guys sound like children in here .

I'm reading thru this thread.. trying to do somebody a favor.. and you can't stay on one topic ?

Too many things to do at once isn't there ?

How dare you post like this ? What kind of posts do you call these !?!?!

Who's thread do you think you're posting on ?

I've been on some of the best threads in the world too with some of the best posters evar .

All these [email protected] miscues .. jeez .

 

[10mfan]

Lmfao!

 

[Dr G]

I've been on some of the best threads in the world too with some of the best posters evar.

Thanks for that, Trypt'.

Now I've got to clean the coffee off my monitor and keyboard...

 

[retrogrouch]

Thanks for saying that Phil, lately the cognoscenti in my town (Melbourne, Australia) have been getting very excited about neck screw mass and material! It's ridiculous.

I manage to sound crap on each of my four mouthpieces.

 

[goldenskyhook]

The only thing that gear shopping ever did for me was to empower me to sound more LIKE me with a bit less effort, or shorter break-in period. I was privileged to open once for the late, great, Jr. Walker. He was the very soul of kindness and grace and praised my playing lavishly. I asked him what kind of reed he played on. His answer? "We both know that it's not the reed that matters - it's the LIP you put ON the reed that makes the difference, right?" Changed my life. Once I graduated from the original "blank" that came with my Conn, I settled very soon on Bergs, and haven't changed much in almost 50 years. I set things up to allow me to "compete" with electric guitars and rock/blues drum kits, and I chose a mouthpiece that would allow me to play with a 1 1/2 Rico Plasticover reed. Invariably, people compliment me on my tone, which busts another myth about the "harder the better" in reeds. Tom Scott once did an interview for the now-defunct "Windplayer" magazine. They asked him about gear, and he said "I used to always want the next big thing. I'd buy it, play with it for a while, but after a couple of weeks, I just wound up sounding like me!"

Your point is VERY well taken!

 

[slisbin]

First off, thanks Phil for your well thought out post.

I'm definitely a hobby player but I play pretty much every day for the last 15 years or so. I started on a beat up old Buescher Alto and moved to tenor and numerous purchases until I realized that I didn't need a fancy horn. I needed a horn and setup that sounded "right" to ME and was easy to play. I sold my "fancy" horns and mouthpieces and settled in with my somewhat beat up 'Crat 156 and a Phil-Tone eclipse. I love playing and am happy to no longer be thinking that I'll play better by spending a lot of money.

 

[goldenskyhook]

Now that Phil quit making mouthpiece has he suddenly against the industry. He claims that having a horn that plays in tune and works well is a bad thing. What is spot on about that. Sure there are some truths in the post and a fair amount of bloviated BS.

This is a classic case of cherry-picking a few lines to enable you to damn with faint praise. I thought he had a number of great things to say. I didn't agree with all of them, though I didn't go out of my way to target them to sneer at.

 

[JL]

.. settled in with my somewhat beat up 'Crat 156 and a Phil-Tone eclipse. I love playing and am happy to no longer be thinking that I'll play better by spending a lot of money.

Unless by "beat up" you mean it needs an overhaul, you have one of the top-line horns ever made and likewise, a super top-notch mpc. You have a very high quality set up there! Well worth "settling in" with.

 

[Rupert]

Thanks Phil your timing is perfect. I'm in the middle of exploring mouthpieces and trying to balance trying a range of flavors without being too crazy about it

My Two Cents worth! I've played various instruments for over 50 years. I've also raced sports cars and played competitive tennis as well. What I discovered early on in each of those endeavors it's very easy to go down the hole of worrying about your equipment! If you're always trying to follow the latest trend on equipment you never learn to perform at your best!

We all, for lack of a better term are performers. I focus on doing my very best with what equipment I have in hand first! Only when I'm truly comfortable that my performance is the best it can be with what equipment I have do I look for alternative equipment!

Do your very best with what you have first! Your performance will work out so much better and it'll also save you a ton of money!!

Rupert

 

[slisbin]

I guess I should have said that my horn was not pretty...

 

[bartone]

Phil - EVERYONE knows the real quest is for the perfect case.

 

[saxcop]

Looks great to me. I've had twenty Mark VI's and my horns look just as good. But you've been critical for me for a while now, why I'm not exactly sure. You said in one post that you're in the business and you have fifty horns but you never give your name, never try to sell on here and nobody knows who you are. What's the deal?

I'm just a hobby seller Phil. More or a hoarder of saxophones, but I've sold many horns here. So must be my kind of apathy or depression or brain fog that I don't get my name out there like you. I never said that your engraving was flawed. I just think its rather plain and consistent with chinese saxophones. When every other Taiwan horn I've seen has much more detailed engraving, it make me wonder why a particular company would be doing inferior engraving, in such a competitive market as the Taiwan market. It doesn't add up.

 

[Phil Barone]

I'm just a hobby seller Phil. More or a hoarder of saxophones, but I've sold many horns here. So must be my kind of apathy or depression or brain fog that I don't get my name out there like you. I never said that your engraving was flawed. I just think its rather plain and consistent with chinese saxophones. When every other Taiwan horn I've seen has much more detailed engraving, it make me wonder why a particular company would be doing inferior engraving, in such a competitive market as the Taiwan market. It doesn't add up.

You're full of baloney.

 

[germanwatches]

That guy is full of a lot more than just baloney.

 

[Reet McVouty]

While I agree with much of Phil's post I also think some of it was embellished to a degree. I don't think some of the claims he made concerning some of the great players (some of who he knew personally) were entirety accurate. I have read interviews of some of the greats and their equipment meant quite a lot to them. For instance, Sonny Rollins in (The Jazz Musician, 15 Years of Interviews, The Best of Musician Magazine) On page 227 he says " Every horn gives you a different sound, really, and every mouthpiece gives you a different sound, and the reeds give you a different sound, in my case they give me a new perspective." "I'm the type of guy that likes to change every few years or so - it's like getting a new lease on life."

Personally, I've been playing the same mouthpiece on soprano for thirty years. I've just gone back to a vintage mouthpiece on tenor that I've owned for at least 20 years and I've just ordered a new alto mouthpiece. So, one never knows what at any given time will work best. As we get older and our physical abilities start to deteriorate we need to adapt and make changes. I can tell you as a weekend hacker on the golf course I've had to make adjustments to my equipment to get more out of my game. Why should it be any different with the saxophone?

Now, I will say that I do not expect the new mouthpiece I ordered to change my sound to a large degree as it's specs are pretty much the same as the one I use now. The reason for the change is strictly for ergonomic reasons, and at this point playing for 50 years my sound isn't going to change much.

The one thing that's always been a pet peeve of mine are those people clamoring to know what set up their favorite player used, as if they could acquire that set up they could achieve the same sound. Not gonna happen. Equipment can only take you so far. Everyone has their own physical make up as well as what they hear in their head and that goes a long way in producing one's sound. That doesn't mean one can't sound like their sax idol, but they will probably be using a totally different set up.

 

[StanVI]

I'm just a hobby seller Phil. More or a hoarder of saxophones, but I've sold many horns here. So must be my kind of apathy or depression or brain fog that I don't get my name out there like you. I never said that your engraving was flawed. I just think its rather plain and consistent with chinese saxophones. When every other Taiwan horn I've seen has much more detailed engraving, it make me wonder why a particular company would be doing inferior engraving, in such a competitive market as the Taiwan market. It doesn't add up.

So....less engraving is plain....and inferior....I guess if you buy a horn to look at it, that's a valid issue...if you buy a horn to play it, not so much....

 

[SuperAction80]

Phil's horns are plain? I always thought that they had some more of the elaborate details, particularly in pearl choice and key cuts. I have seen some Taiwanese horns, from now defunct dealers, with incredibly detailed engraving, but that doesn't mean that Phil's horns are lacking. Overall, I personally feel like he has some of the best modern horns out there from the examples I've gotten my hands on. The engravings seem on par with other big name Taiwanese horns at the same price point.

 

[saxcop]

So....less engraving is plain....and inferior....I guess if you buy a horn to look at it, that's a valid issue...if you buy a horn to play it, not so much....

I never said his horn was inferior. Plenty of people like them.

 

[StanVI]

I never said his horn was inferior. Plenty of people like them.

that's right, you said the engraving was inferior....a critical point if you're going to look at it...

 

[geoff oakes]

A round of applause please for Phil Barone.