I was just in NYC last weekend to visit, and I stopped by Roberto's shop on 46th street to buy some Alexander D.C.s....
lo and behold, what do I see staring at me through the glass display case? But a silver plated beauty called the Lebayle LR II. I of course had no choice but to try one.
A few things about this piece. I was talking Roberto, and he mentioned a few things that got my attention. First, this thing is made from a special vintage brass...but not just any brass, but I some really old church bell from France that Lebayle melted down and made mouthpieces out of! Kind of sacrilegious....but this brings the term "bell metal" to a whole new level! As the material is limited, this mouthpiece run is also limited edition.
Second, this thing isn't silver plated. It's white gold. I'm not sure what the carat rating is, but I'm sure it's high quality. Maybe with a little platinum in there? Whatever it is, it's pretty!
The ligature it comes with is some strange new thin metal ring with leather around it. Not sure how it would have sounded, since it didn't fit over the mouthpiece with my reed on it. I tried a silver FL ligature.
Anyway, I didn't have my horn with me, but they had a 60's 10M (underslung octave key) (I play a 30M...and this thing, though it didn't FEEL even close to the same mechanically, it had a very close sound) so I decided to try it. I played the 8* model with Alexander DC 3 1/2. WOW. This thing blew me away.
It's got a dark sound, but a little edge on top. I hate comparing it to a link, because it's not like a link. Lebayles have their own sound that I would categorize as being somewhere between a link and a dukoff. It's hard to explain...you gotta try them to know what I mean. But anyway, big, bold, dark, resonant sound. It outplays the regular LR in spades. I love this mouthpiece. I wanted it then. Of course, I knew I couldn't afford it....yet.
See, Lebayle's regular LR model costs $350 or so. I was afraid to ask what this thing cost, considering what I mentioned above. Well...true to my fears, it was $580. Of course, if I had that kind of money right then....I would have bought it no question.
A disclaimer....this is not a chops in a box magic solution. This mouthpiece has very little baffle....and so I would not suggest it for anyone playing baffled links or baffled anything. It has the power of a Dukoff and the Smoothness of a link, but it is closer to a link in terms of working for the sound. A low baffle round chamber mouthpiece will require you to have to put some air into the horn, regardless of the maker. That's what makes that design so effective...
This was much easier to play than a link though, and really had a nice ring and resonance to it. Is it expensive? I suppose, but I see people spending almost as much, if not more on vintage and custom stuff all the time. If it's worth it to you, then it's not expensive. Currently, I'm getting the cash together to try and get one for myself, so obviously I think it's worth it for me.
I also tried the HR version....more on that in a second. But I thought I'd chime in this thread with another of my famously long posts just to verify these things not only exist, but are FANTASTIC mouthpieces.