I recently purchased two mouthpieces... one Selmer Larry Teal (.055" closed tip with a long facing) and a Vandoren Optimum AL3 (.060" closed tip with a medium long facing-as advertised). Both the Teal and Optimum have round throats.. the diameter of the Teal appears slightly smaller. To-date I have tried Vandoren 2 & 2.5 reeds and La Voz medium and medium soft reeds. For the most part, the reeds all sound rather stuffy... a few of the La Voz medium soft and a couple of the Vandoren 2's blow without much resistance, but in general, they all play rather hard. This seems odd to me given that these pieces should take even stiffer reeds given the tip and facing dimensions.
I realize that these pieces are best suited for classical play and have a rather dark sound to them, but I was surprised by how stiff the reeds seem and how stuffy the sound is... I play a Selmer Mark VI Alto and historically have played a Soloist C* and an S90 - 190 with medium La Voz reeds. Any thoughts on the new mouthpiece reed combinations would be appreciated. Thanks.
I realize that these pieces are best suited for classical play and have a rather dark sound to them, but I was surprised by how stiff the reeds seem and how stuffy the sound is... I play a Selmer Mark VI Alto and historically have played a Soloist C* and an S90 - 190 with medium La Voz reeds. Any thoughts on the new mouthpiece reed combinations would be appreciated. Thanks.