[littlewailer]

I've been thinking......thats not a good sign.....

In the last year of playing the only thing in my setup that has changed is reeds (rather frequently). I am now playing an Olds Parisian Ambassador Tenor with a Dukoff L8 and Hemke 3 reeds.

I really like the tone of the hemke's and I really really like the playability of the setup. Good news, I'm getting a very clear tone (with stuffiness on some notes due to tendancies of the horn, i have worked out alternate fingerings and put in the time to fix it but que sera) but it doesnt seem as bright as I want. I really like the sound of Maceo and Candy, Dave Weck, Junior Walker an king curtis. They all have a very distinct and bright sound but you can hear resistance in there sound and its what makes it so cool.

I hear rico jazz selects give a good amount of projection with an ok amount of resistance. Any thoughts.

Again I can handle the key pushing and the support. Theres just this bright buzz of resistance that i'm looking for.

Exersizes?

 

[Leon]

I'm wondering if the L Dukhoff is large chamber, and if you want more brightness, you might want a smaller chambered piece.

 

[bjornblomberg]

Hmm. You are right about Maceo, he has one of the coolest sounds on sax ever... according to his web site he uses a Brillard Eboline mouthpiece. I have no idea if these are good for tenor, though?

 

[jazzbluescat]

If I want to peel paint I use my D6 Dukoff. I think the L is a large chamber; nothing like a NY Link, but still large.

I've got in the back of my head that King Curtis used a Berg Larsen, so did Winton Felder.

 

[littlewailer]

If I want to peel paint I use my D6 Dukoff. I think the L is a large chamber; nothing like a NY Link, but still large.

I've got in the back of my head that King Curtis used a Berg Larsen, so did Winton Felder.

Yeah, i used a 115/2 sms Berg but it had an even larger chamber than the dukoff. And yeah King curtis used one. Dont know about Winton.

I know that the D chamber Dukoffs are pretty much the standard. Unfortunatly I'm strapped for cash and cant really spend money on an axe or a mp (flying to liverpool on thursday to play at the infamous cavern club )

Are there any exersizes to brighten tone? When I growl in the upper register I get about as close to that sound as I can get. But the heavy hitters like Maceo and dare I say Sax Gordon have this edge from top to bottom.

 

[JL]

The best reeds to get this type of sound, imo, are Vandoren V16. You might give those a try. The horn & especially the mpc have a lot to do with it, and so do you, the player. Most people seem to be striving for a darker sound. I'm not sure where I fit in the spectrum, but I like a full sound, whether bright or dark.

Regarding "freeblowing," I find freeblowing setups to be a fit livelier and brighter than more resistant ones. The only problem with freeblowing setup is it may be a bit harder to control and sometimes it's nice to have a bit of resistance to push against. So, no there's nothing really wrong with a freeblowing horn/mpc. It's a matter of preference.

 

[littlewailer]

The best reeds to get this type of sound, imo, are Vandoren V16. You might give those a try. The horn & especially the mpc have a lot to do with it, and so do you, the player. Most people seem to be striving for a darker sound. I'm not sure where I fit in the spectrum, but I like a full sound, whether bright or dark.

yeah I tried V16's before but i found them a tad screechy. I've been told to go back a number of times. Maybe the nesxt box-o-reeds I get will be V16's.

Shedding.....

 

[Martinman]

You could try some ponzel reeds too.

 

[dirty]

Well, if you want bright, go for Plasticovers. Just make sure you don't go onstage with a new one. They have a pretty extreme break-in. They feel completely different after 30 minutes of playing than they do when you take them out of the box. Not everyone agrees how extreme this change is, but a lot of people have noticed. If you're replacing Hemke 3's, go for Plasticover 3.5's.

You might want to try a slightly softer reed for a brighter sound.

 

[littlewailer]

Well, if you want bright, go for Plasticovers. Just make sure you don't go onstage with a new one. They have a pretty extreme break-in. They feel completely different after 30 minutes of playing than they do when you take them out of the box. Not everyone agrees how extreme this change is, but a lot of people have noticed. If you're replacing Hemke 3's, go for Plasticover 3.5's.

You might want to try a slightly softer reed for a brighter sound.

This is kinda funny, I played on plasticovers for a while. I was later convinced by a friend and mentor that "plasticovers are the Crack cocaine of Sax reeds"
Once you get on them you cant go back. He had this problem when they started to discontinue them. I had played on them for a couple of months and when I tried a cane reed (vandoren zz) I just didn't sound the same.

I've since weened myself off of them.

 

[MojoBari]

Buzz/edge can come from several sources. Reed buzz most often comes from a softer reed. A more open tip is needed with the softer reed or it will close off on you at high volumes. Reed brands/cuts are factors as mentioned above. If Plasticover works for you, use it. Bari brand plastic reeds are also bright.

A thin tip rail can be edgy. A flat section in the facing curve can add edge.

Growling as you have mentioned is a great way to turn on/off edge.

Overblowing so that you are on the verge of cracking overtones is edgy. I suppose this level is easier to attain on a mouthpiece that is not so free-blowing. But the trade-off may not be good. You probably will not have the ability to play low notes softly.

 

[kwg333]

I've been thinking......thats not a good sign.....

I really like the sound of Maceo and Candy, Dave Weck, Junior Walker an king curtis. They all have a very distinct and bright sound but you can hear resistance in there sound and its what makes it so cool.

I hear rico jazz selects give a good amount of projection with an ok amount of resistance. Any thoughts.

A free blowing setup is fine. However something I've noticed over the years - a softer free blowing reed can sound great at home, when practising. But at a gig, that reed is replaced pretty soon with a reed that has more resistance.

The easy, brighter blow is tempting (instant gratification) but in the end I think it's down to 'no pain, no gain - not real pain, of course, just a bit of initial hard work.

I avoid chucking reeds away - most seem to work with a bit of persistence

And yes, the Rico Jazz Selects are are good and, in my opinion, offer more resistance than the Rico Royales.