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Ishimori Woodstone Classic for Metal Tenor

6K views 46 replies 14 participants last post by  J-Moen 
#1 ·
Just received this little guy in the mail from Ishimori Woodstone. Had to contact and preorder as its not fully available on the website. This is the #7 size for metal Links and most other pieces, and its made of copper.

I've had quite a few Ishimori ligs, including the standard, Kodama II, and now the classic. This is the first one that looked this good though, check it out:
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And here you can see it perfectly fittin on my ASC Borrum! For size reference, I found it a little big on the sides for the Phil Tone Mosaic, and a little small for the Theo Wanne Lakshmi. Can check more mouthpieces later if anyone wants to know more specifics.

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Not able to play sax yet, so I'll let you know how that goes later today or tomorrow! Fit is just ever so slightly snug, i think it will be a great match!

And yes, this is the same ligature Chris Potter endorsed in the (most likely forced) video here:


And it should be publicly available on their website soon, but you can still contact them to special order:
 
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#4 ·
It's the perfect combination! Silver and Copper is one of my favorite aesthetics. Oh and the Silverstein patches are my absolute favorite. I'll be using them exclusively, especially on this delightful Borrum (and maybe a second one soon :p)

Now you just have to gold plate the mouthpiece.
That would look good, but nearly as good ;)
 
#7 ·
Thanks! It is a great combination of designs. I also really dig the screw topper pearl. Tasteful :)

Do you notice any difference with the new lig ? I'm not sure what you were using before. I like the convenience of a single screw.
I haven't yet had the chance to play. Practice time is in about an hour for me. As to what I've played, recently it's been a Silverstein Hexa lig, before that Vandoren Optimum and Rovner platinum. Also have a metal standard Ishimori two screw for metal links. I'll be sure to let you know if I find this to have any difference in response!
 
#9 · (Edited)
Finally got done playing. It's a keeper! I found it to be a better fit for the ASC Borrum than my other ligs. Holds the reed with less temperment. The Silverstein Hexa was giving me a bit of chirping if I didn't find the sweet spot for it. With the classic lig, I am able to move up and down the reed comfortably and it plays stably throughout with no fussiness. Response of the horn seemed more unlocked than even the Silverstein (which is why I liked the silverstein, even if it was fussy it was extremely responsive to low Bb). The classic is certainly my new favorite metal tenor lig!

That’s beautiful, and it looks great on the silver piece 🤩
I couldn't agree more! Reminds me of the special edition Borgani tenor (Rose Gold and Silver).

And just an FYI for any interested parties, I did some testing of various mouthpieces with the reed:
Fits:
Theo Wanne Lakshmi - my original estimation was off, it fits snug just like my ASC Borrum
Otto Link Tone Master - Fits snug same as the others
Phil Tone Mosaic - Fits, slightly loose around the sides, but it holds great
Dukoff Hollywood - Fits, same as the phil tone though - slightly loose
Selmer Metal Jazz - Fits, even more loosely, but still fits and holds a reed fine
Eastern Music Fat Boy - Not recommended - it fits, but due to the 'fin' on the back, there's 3 points of contact. Accidental overtightening would probably put some weird kinks/bends in the lig. This is unlike the Otto link ridge which is flat, the ridge is pointed.
 
#11 ·
I don't have one on hand, and haven't had one for a couple years. My tone master sadly doesn't have a stock lig.

I will say, there is no "ridge" in the ligature. But it still fits great by bracing on the ridge and sides of my Tone Master. I imagine it's very similar to the vintage link ligs, with a better look and the reed plate is a bit smaller and lighter.

Let me know if that helps!
 
#13 ·
I saw Chris' video last year. I also saw him playing on it (tenor and soprano) live in NYC last Thanksgiving.
I contacted Ishimori. I was ready to pre-order one, till they told me the price :eek:. I does look beautiful, I must agree.
 
#22 ·
Outside of buying directly from Woodstone Ishimori, you can now buy them from jlwoodwinds:

I ordered direct from Ishimori as well - Classic - Saxophone - ISHIMORI Wind Instruments
 
#26 ·
I admit that I would like to try one of these on my TK but the price is definitely significant and I already use an Ishimori on it. It’s one of the soprano Selmer HR ones though so.
 
#27 · (Edited)
I'm glad I stumbled on this thread and found out about this lig. I got in touch with them the other day and I'm just waiting on Kento to send me the order slip for my bare brass lig.

I have a few Link inspired pieces kicking around, so it is awesome that a company is finally making a Link style lig that will work on my Link style pieces without the ridge.

It's a bit pricey, but still much cheaper than vintage Link ligs and should be much higher quality than the modern ones.
 
#29 ·
Tbh, I was considering getting one for my old HR Slant, but there is nothing wrong with my FL Pure Brass lig or the dozen assorted backups I have. This is easily the most I've paid for a ligature, but I have been hoping for years for someone to do their take on the Link ligs without the ridge. My old 404 broke a while ago and I was just going to get that metal band lig that Rovner make before stumbling on this thread.
 
#34 ·
Right, this extension may keep it from wobbling, but you still need a good seal between the shank and the cork as a baseline. I sanded my extension just slightly more open than the shank so the seal is really on the shank and the cork doesn't get over compressed by the extension.
 
#36 ·
Mine (raw brass) arrived the other day. Right on schedule. Kento and the team are fantastic.

Really impressed. I've used a 404 Selmer on my old Links for years but this will probably become the mainstay.

Thought I would post some photos of it side by side with a modern Link lig. My photos aren't the standard of J-Moen's and others in the thread, haha.

I got this a couple of years ago as a backup to the 404 when they were scarce (I think Selmer started a new production of them recently) and honestly it's a pile of junk. Gathering dust in the lig drawer. You can see from the photos how thick the plate is. The Ishimori looks kind of flimsy by comparison but it's pretty robust once it's on the mouthpiece. The plate goes on straight every time and creates a really good seal. The plate on the Link lig always goes on crooked and no matter how much I tighten it, the thing never seems to sit snugly.

Oh, and the pearl on the Ishimori screw is just kind of awesome ;)





 
#37 ·
Just an update, and I totally spaced grabbing pictures. But the copper Classic lig is indeed raw copper, and tarnishes quick like a penny!

I noticed it looking dull and faded today. So I cleaned it up, then used some lemon juice and salt mixture to clean up the tarnish which worked wonderfully. Its back to the nice metallic pink color of the copper. After thorough drying, I applied some mineral oil to help preserve and prevent tarnishing! I'll update with pictures next time this happens :D
 
#38 ·
Alright, well my anti tarnishing didn't even last to the end of the month! Here's what it looked like:
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So first I clean it with water and a light brush. Then apply a mixture of lemon juice and baking soda I mixed together. Rub that in with a Q-tip and let set for 30 seconds. Then some polishing with a clean microfiber cloth. Afterwards, It looked like this:
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And this time, I applied some microcrystalline wax instead of mineral oil. Hoping that holds up longer! Here's the final result:
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