[-TH]

I have this new Otto Link STM NY 5* tenor mouthpiece lying in my case. I bought it about six months ago. It's has that typical Link sound: dark, tubby and it doesn't have enough projection for my tastes. My father gave me a slightly used Vandoren V16 2,5 reed and I slapped it on the Link. WOOAAH! BOOM.. BANG!! Man, it really brought the Link alive!! And my horn seems to resonate like mad! The sound was brightish, non-tubby, robust, FAT and really loud! I had few V16 2,5's lying in my case and I tried those too. No luck.. dark, tubby sound with not enough projection.

I'm afraid that when this absolutely fantastic reed dies what I'm going to do. Buy a box of V16 2.5's and hope for the best or start shaving them if they feel stuffy?? Or buy a box of V16 2's? I think that this reed might be a bit softer that the other 2.5's that I had in my case..

Suggestions!?!?

Thanks,
-TH

 

[rleitch]

Buy a box and give them to your dad--then steal them from him when he's not loooking!

Rory

ps. yet another example of the notorious link reed-sensitivity?

 

[dstack79]

I play on a totally different mpc and different reed, but I experience this fairly regularly. The mpc you have is good, just need to hunt for the right reeds for it. I've never played on Links too much, but many ppl complain abt their reed pickiness. To me, all mpc's need a great reed to really sing.

BTW, I dont think you need to drop reed strength either. You'll eventually find another V16 2.5 that'll work for you. I have this LaVoz MH reed from January that I can't part with. It felt totally comfortable right out of the box. Just beautiful response. Since then, I've hunted thrgh about a dozen other LaVoz MH's and even Rico Royal 3's...and they all felt like tree bark.

Reeds are the greatest mystery to me..

 

[Nobby Keys]

That why we go through these mpc obsessions. We get a bunch of reeds and they just don't work. Get another box, and yeh! this mpx/sax is just great.

Over a period of time you will be able to tell I'm sure.

 

[gelliot2]

Sounds like a classic case of you just finding a good balanced reed in a bunch of otherwise poor ones.

All you need to do is learn how to perfect those poor reeds so they all play that well.

This is what works for me: http://www.ridenourclarinetproducts.com/articles/ATG1.html

 

[dstack79]

Sounds like a classic case of you just finding a good balanced reed in a bunch of otherwise poor ones.

All you need to do is learn how to perfect reeds so they all play that well.
This is what works for me: http://www.ridenourclarinetproducts.com/articles/ATG1.html

I dont posess mad reed adjusting skillz, but I think many reeds wont play well no matter what you do w/ them. For the sake of my own sanity, I only bother adjusting reeds that feel vibrant and complex sounding, but too hard. If it doesnt play after trying it over a few days, it gets pitched.

I'm jealous of ppl who can adjust all their reeds to the point where they're "singing". :hmph:

 

[RandyJ]

dstack,
You should read up on articles teaching you about reed conditioning and adjustments for sound quality. It's just another part of becoming a well rounded saxophonist, not just someone who plays a horn. In over 30 years I've only come across perhaps a dozen or so reeds that just could not be brought up to par.

 

[dstack79]

dstack,
You should read up on articles teaching you about reed conditioning and adjustments for sound quality. It's just another part of becoming a well rounded saxophonist, not just someone who plays a horn. In over 30 years I've only come across perhaps a dozen or so reeds that just could not be brought up to par.

I bought all the reed tools, own the books, read the articles etc. I condition and break in all my reeds. Never got too good at doing adjustments other than lightening good reeds that felt too hard. I could often make them better but not performance worthy.

Maybe I'll try Fibracell again...haven't tried those on my SR Pro or Barone yet.

 

[gelliot2]

I'm jealous of ppl who can adjust all their reeds to the point where they're "singing". :hmph:

You'd hate me

 

[jazzbluescat]

I have this new Otto Link STM NY 5* tenor mouthpiece lying in my case. I bought it about six months ago. It's has that typical Link sound: dark, tubby and it doesn't have enough projection for my tastes. My father gave me a slightly used Vandoren V16 2,5 reed and I slapped it on the Link. WOOAAH! BOOM.. BANG!! Man, it really brought the Link alive!! And my horn seems to resonate like mad! The sound was brightish, non-tubby, robust, FAT and really loud! I had few V16 2,5's lying in my case and I tried those too. No luck.. dark, tubby sound with not enough projection.

I'm afraid that when this absolutely fantastic reed dies what I'm going to do. Buy a box of V16 2.5's and hope for the best or start shaving them if they feel stuffy?? Or buy a box of V16 2's? I think that this reed might be a bit softer that the other 2.5's that I had in my case..

Suggestions!?!?

Thanks,
-TH

I'm willing to gamble that that good reed is a bit stronger than the others[sometimes a soft reed can give the illusion of being stronger than it is], try a #3. FWIW, I found that #2 Hemke on my 7* NY Link work better than any of the Vandoren brand reeds, e.g. Java, ZZ, etc.