Brian Powell is an artist...

Brian and Erik of www.mouthpieceguys.com

are the BEST!

I have had 100+ mouthpieces refaced by these guys, and they are the best out there in my opinion...very fast turn over time, impecable work, very reasonably priced, and 2 true gentlemen.

I get in loads of mouthpieces, and when they dont play right--- I spend the money and have them made as perfect as they can play by these guys.

I couldnt speak any higher about both these artisans....they are just fantastic.

Many of you have got mouthpieces from me that they worked on, so maybe you can add to this posting and share your experiences of their work with others here who want to know who they can trust their refacing work to.

Mark
10mfan

Brian Powell

I sent Brian Powell some Zagar Vintage Bell Bronze pieces that played very nicely but lacked power and some edge. I had been unsure of what to do with them as they in spite of the noted shortcomings had qualities that made them worth keeping and apparently poor resale value compared to the $350 they cost me a piece in the first place. So off to Brian they went after we had discussed the them over the phone. Brian didn't make any lofty promises until he looked at the pieces. When he did, he said that they weren't bad to begin with but he did think he could make them better to accomodate my requests (opening to add a tad of baffle among other adjustments he devised). He did exactly that, I mean 100%, in a timely manner. On top of that he is a most courteous and friendly guy and does not charge until the work is being done. Finally, his prices are more than reasonable. Brian turned some so, so playing pieces into great ones for a fraction of the initial cost. Some of the best money I have spent on saxophone gear, which (unfortunatly) says a lot.

I just accidentally took a 2 hour lunch courtesy of my Powell-ized Dukoff. So the setup is a Couf Superba 1 and Alexander DC3.5 reeds. I started 5 new reeds and soaked my 5 current reeds. I started with my old reeds since they were already broken in. The mouthpiece blew effortlessly and with a huge, huge, HUGE sound. A little bright, but I attributed that to the reeds being a month+ old at this point. At that point, it was responding exactly as I'd hoped, blew more effortlessly than my Link, and with a bigger sound.

THEN I started in on the new reeds. Holy s**t. An even bigger sound, from low Bb up to 3xD. The sound is my own, but the tone is just huge and lush but with a bit more edge if I really pushed it. I put the Link back on and it made me realize that I know have two insanely good mouthpieces, but that, at least for the first two hours, the Dukoff has clearly bumped my Link to a backup position.

Brian did EXACTLY as I hoped. I had said that I wanted the core sound to remain the same, just wanted a wider tip opening. He didn't try to turn it into what his concept of a Link or Dukoff should be - he just turned this thing into a monster piece. The work is pristine, it is exactly as I'd hoped, and I've never been happier.

I've got a gig tonight and tomorrow, and am doing horn parts for 2 discs this weekend at a studio in town, and am excited to have the Dukoff to do so.

Two hours flew by and before I knew it, it was 1:45. Unfortunately now, I'm back at work, listening to Dexter play 'Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry'.

THANK YOU BRIAN!