[Nefertiti]

Have you ever wondered what effect drilling a hole through your mouthpiece baffle would have? No, me neither, but Ron Coelho of RPC mouthpieces did. He called it the RPC AirBeam Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece. I believe there are only a few of these that Ron made before he passed away so they are very rare! Check it out!

RPC Gold Series 110B Ultem AirBeam Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

RPC Gold Series 110B Ultem AirBeam Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

www.neffmusic.com

 

[Nefertiti]

Let me know what you think and if you hear the differences in the sound clips.......

 

[dirty]

Very interesting! I love seeing Ron's work. Every example is unique, though some more out there than others, obviously. It's cool to see the process in front of us like this.

It sounds good, but you always sound good, Steve!

 

[ving]

The air beam open clip sounds, well more airy! Seems to open up the midrange of the sound, which makes sense I think if it feels like there’s a little more resistance to push against with it open. Maybe it would achieve the goal of maintaining a full spectrum sound /feel of a rollover with the power of the baffle? I love that Ron was thinking outside the box, he was quite the individual! (Rip Ron!)

 

[JL]

Nice review Steve. I was actually surprised at how easily I could hear the difference between the open and closed duct. I listened to the versions with the Rigotti Gold reed. And it sounded exactly as you described. The open duct was more 'robust', throaty, with a bigger sound than the closed (taped) one.

I much preferred the open (not taped) version, so drilling that hole was a plus!

Not too surprising that there was a difference, given the tiniest change to a baffle can make a significant difference, but it is very interesting how that hole in the baffle can change the tone the way it does.

 

[Rackety Sax]

So just to continue thinking outside the box... how about a dial on top of the mouthpiece that operated a vent on the front of the wormhole to adjust how open or closed it was?

 

[lostcircuits]

I believe there are only two of those in existence, the one that was on eBay and the one that Steve reviewed. I mean, there are a few more but they are not exactly playable, with or without tape. It is a very fine line and drilling the hole is an extremely delicate operation.

 

[dirty]

What if you tape the back of the hole instead of the front? Curious to know if it's a matter of air passing through the tunnel or if air is generally flowing over the top of the tunnel and the hole is affecting the sound because of the change to the surface of the baffle.

Super interesting stuff!

 

[lostcircuits]

What if you tape the back of the hole instead of the front? Curious to know if it's a matter of air passing through the tunnel or if air is generally flowing over the top of the tunnel and the hole is affecting the sound because of the change to the surface of the baffle.

Super interesting stuff!

LOL, now that you ask about it, I can tell you, it's ugly. When you get more overtones than core sound, you really want to take your hands off the horn and cover your ears 🙉

 

[dirty]

LOL, now that you ask about it, I can tell you, it's ugly. When you get more overtones than core sound, you really want to take your hands off the horn and cover your ears 🙉

I appreciate your commitment to the cause.

 

[BrianMitchellBrody]

My wish is that I had bought Ron's mouthpiece while he was with us. Every single video or audio I hear his work is mind blowing.

 

[ZootTheSim]

And one of these Airbeams can now be yours for a (gulp) price:

RARE— RPC ULTEM Ron’s “Secret Invention”-“Airbeam” Tenor saxophone Mouthpiece | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for RARE— RPC ULTEM Ron’s “Secret Invention”-“Airbeam” Tenor saxophone Mouthpiece at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[JL]

And one of these Airbeams can now be yours for a (gulp) price:

RARE— RPC ULTEM Ron’s “Secret Invention”-“Airbeam” Tenor saxophone Mouthpiece | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for RARE— RPC ULTEM Ron’s “Secret Invention”-“Airbeam” Tenor saxophone Mouthpiece at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Holy $%#@! This seller has got to be kidding...
I wonder what I could get for my two 120B RPCs?! I really can't bring myself to sell them since they are now irreplaceable. Still, I can't imagine anyone paying nearly $4k for any mpc.

 

[dirty]

Holy $%#@! This seller has got to be kidding...
I wonder what I could get for my two 120B RPCs?! I really can't bring myself to sell them since they are now irreplaceable. Still, I can't imagine anyone paying nearly $4k for any mpc.

Every RPC is a unique piece, custom made for the person who orered it. Pretty sure that means every single one is the rarest of its kind, right?

I have a 115B and a 120B tenor mouthpieces that I am wiling to let go for $8k each. $20k for the matching set.

 

[dirty]

Willing to consider trades for 5-digit Mark VI's. No relaqs.

 

[JL]

Every RPC is a unique piece, custom made for the person who orered it. Pretty sure that means every single one is the rarest of its kind, right?

Yes, good point! I think you're on to something. I think I'll have to put mine into a safe deposit box until I can decide what price to ask for them.

 

[MojoBari]

Holy $%#@! This seller has got to be kidding...
I wonder what I could get for my two 120B RPCs?! I really can't bring myself to sell them since they are now irreplaceable. Still, I can't imagine anyone paying nearly $4k for any mpc.

I guess the perceived market is someone with deep pockets and not long to live.

 

[Grumps]

Is it really for the sound, or perhaps to catch any bits of your last meal you might be blowing into your horn?

 

[ZootTheSim]

I believe it's shaped to precisely fit the curve of the beak of an ortolan.