[daryans]

title says it all. Is there any noticeable differences between the two? Thanks!

 

[B Flat]

The Link Tone Edge was a Darker playing piece than the JJ HR for me.
Neither of them were impressive.

 

[Dave Dolson]

The better question is what are the differences among the players who play them? The answer to THAT question is . . . it depends on too many factors to apply them to any one player. Everyone is different - you can take any two mouthpieces and receive as many different answers as the number of those who reply. DAVE

 

[jgreiner]

I'll echo what Dave just said above. Also, I think it makes a pretty big difference if you're referring to sop, alto or tenor. I only have personal experience with those two 'pieces on alto and for me, the JJ was the slightly brighter of the two. Again though, if you're talking about comparing a modern Link Tone Edge or something from 30-50 yrs ago would also potentially make a huge difference. Honestly, try them both for yourself and you judge!

 

[whaler]

It’s hard to beat a good Tone Edge. I have a nice Early Babbitt 6 that I’ve played for a long time.
It can get as bright as almost anything I’ve had but still keep a roundness to it.

 

[StefGrani]

It’s funny that I happen to have both of these mouthpieces for my alto and soprano, which are all no. 6 and both horns are SML’s! Can there be any better comparison??

And the answer to the question is: There is no answer. I totally agree with Dave Dolson about most being player related. However, I would add to that the reed issue. Often people post these comparisons (also on YouTube) using the same reed. First, I thought it was OK, but recently I have less confidence it that kind of comparison. The mp’s play differently with brands or types of reeds. So one brand and strength of feed can be good on this mp and another on something else.

The lesson here would be: Before you run to buy a new mp, try as many reeds that you can on your mp. You might find out some quite new properties. I experienced this just lately when I bought a Rico Metalite (M7) for my bari. I was really impressed about its playability. However, I didn’t like the sound very much. I was playing 3.0 Vandoren Java (red box). Then I switched to 2.5 Rico (orange box) and the sound became very nice. Full and warm with strength.

Mouthpiece comparisons are not trivial at all. It’s like controlling an equation with too many variables. The best thing I can advise is patience and that is coming from someone with a serious mp syndrome constantly looking for something new.