[UncleClark]

For the past year I have been using a rubber Otto Link "tone edge" #6 on my Keilwerth student tenor (ST-90). I have been happy with the nice fat round tones.

Recently I "upgraded" to a SX90 Tenor. Using the same mouthpiece the first thing I noticed is my tone is darker on the SX90. Too dark I think.

There was a 'jazz' mouthpiece that came with the horn but its way over the top buzzy.

Could someone make some recommendations - I like the rubber mouthpieces - something a notch or two more buzz than my currentl OL?

Thanks.

 

[Kiyoshi]

Mouthpiece for Keilwerth

Here's my two cents... I have several friends who currently play Keilwerths. Each person has his own favorite piece. You just need to get out there and try a bunch of different ones.

Mouthpieces are like underwear. Just because I'm a big fan of silk boxers and Joe Blow likes his tighty-whities and ol' Jack loves the speedo briefs means nothing. We all have different biological make-ups. My package may need more room to breathe than Jack or Joe- my point is this- every human being has a different oral cavity, a tongue specific to them, an aperture in their windpipe like no one else... you get my point.

That being said- try as many as you can. Try metal and hard rubber. Try wood if you can. Try 'em all. I met Peter Ponzol at IAJE a few years back and he was doing a clinic on mouthpieces. I just met Jody Espina in San Antonio. Both of these cats are selling their own line of mouthpieces and both of these cats told me to just find a mouthpiece that feels free and natural and practice your *** off until you can do what you need to. They are brilliant and I whole-heartedly believe that philosophy. You'll know when you first stick a new piece on if it's for you or not. Forget about how it looks, or how expensive it is, or who made it- just like your drawers, man... put 'em on, if they feel good.... right on. You're set.

All that being said- give the Jody Jazz pieces a shot. I'm completely sold on his stuff. If they don't work for you, try something else. I think it's a great place to start.

 

[johnnyc]

A few ideas...

- Rast J, $190 from Sax Alley. Excellent quality. Modest baffle balanced w/a deep chamber to retain dark quality - but kicks a bit when pushed. Tried it; liked it but still a bit darker than I prefer on the JK. Might work for you. Tim @ Sax Alley has a trial policy.

- Morgan Jazz L. Used a 6L for a while but on a different horn. Superb facing. Easy blowing. Brighter than expected for a large chambered 'piece, but not overly bright. Excalibur EL may be brighter than you'd prefer, but an option to consider.

- Lamberson J. Haven't tried one, but would like to. Great feedback on these posted here that you can search through. Brighter than expected for an inherently dark piece w/no baffle.

- Barone Vintage HR. Haven't tried his HR, but I use his metal Jazz and it sounds amazing on a SX90. You can call Phil directly to discuss your needs.

- Jarycustom customized stock Tone Edge. David Jary can add a customized baffle to your Tone Edge according to your needs. I've used his customized metal STM and it works great with the SX90. Other good refacers on this forum can do this as well.

Just my $.02

Good luck

 

[Martin Williams]

In my expirience, JKs seem very mpc friendly, try your favorite pieces and go from there

 

[Simon Weiner]

Don't forget to check the Vandoren Javas and Jumbo Javas in hard rubber. Maybe even the V-16 also.

 

[EZ]

Vandoren HR V16. The Javas are great on my SX90, too.

 

[heath]

Save yourself some money and put a little dental wax baffle in your rubber link and see what that does for you. Play around with the shape some.

Try a yanagisawa hard rubber as well.

I use a NY metal link refaced by mojo it's a .105 tip and it sounds great on my SX90. I've also found yanagisawa metal 9*'s to sound pretty darn good to.

 

[Jazzed]

NY Link or Barone Vintage HR sound great on my SX90.

 

[mountainman]

For the past year I have been using a rubber Otto Link "tone edge" #6 on my Keilwerth student tenor (ST-90). I have been happy with the nice fat round tones.

Recently I "upgraded" to a SX90 Tenor. Using the same mouthpiece the first thing I noticed is my tone is darker on the SX90. Too dark I think.

There was a 'jazz' mouthpiece that came with the horn but its way over the top buzzy.

Could someone make some recommendations - I like the rubber mouthpieces - something a notch or two more buzz than my currentl OL?

Thanks.

Had exactly the same issue when I bought the Shadow. Switched from the HR link to the STM link and finally settled on the Link NY which is just a tad darker then the STM.

 

[Thomas]

I've tried several JK SX90 over the years, and not really a fan of them. The piece I thought played and sounded best on them was a Lawton. Thick, rich and powerful tone. Listen to some Don Braden as an example.

 

[heath]

I've tried several JK SX90 over the years, and not really a fan of them. The piece I thought played and sounded best on them was a Lawton. Thick, rich and powerful tone. Listen to some Don Braden as an example.

You can't just try a SX90(R), you have to spend a few weeks with the instrument if you're coming from the Selmer, Yani, Yamaha end of things. These are big horns that require a bit more muscle. Once you've sort of built up to them they have a tone that's hard to describe, big and fat, very close to American vintage with better egos. This coming from a man that has spent most all his time with Selmers upper end horns.

 

[Thomas]

You can't just try a SX90(R), you have to spend a few weeks with the instrument if you're coming from the Selmer, Yani, Yamaha end of things. These are big horns that require a bit more muscle. Once you've sort of built up to them they have a tone that's hard to describe, big and fat, very close to American vintage with better egos. This coming from a man that has spent most all his time with Selmers upper end horns.

By "tried" I guess specificity is necessary-I've "OWNED" several and can even at my advanced age still blow a hole through the bottom of one, they require more a sense of how to blow than more muscle. This coming from a man who has spent decades playing Selmer upper end horns.

The point being as I said....the Lawton is a good mpc choice/option to try. Coming from a lifelong Link player.

 

[markpoirier]

- Morgan Jazz L. Used a 6L for a while but on a different horn. Superb facing. Easy blowing. Brighter than expected for a large chambered 'piece, but not overly bright. Excalibur EL may be brighter than you'd prefer, but an option to consider.

The Morgans are an outstanding value and a good match for Keilwerth. I've played an SX90 for about 2 years and tried several pieces--Vandoren V16 mostly, but recently a metal NY Link--now I'm thinking about a Morgan Jazz L.

I have an Excalibur 7E, and it's easily the most responsive piece I've played. Unfortunately, I have to pull it back pretty far on the cork for it to play in tune. The SX90 has a large bore, so it wants a large, round-chambered mpc. An Excalibur EL would be better than the E. Likewise a Jazz L would be better than a Jazz M.

As Johnny said, the Excalibur is bright (which is the other reason why I'm thinking about the Jazz L). But the SX90 has a natural dark tendency, so you might find a bright piece suits what you're trying to do.

 

[UncleClark]

The Morgans are an outstanding value and a good match for Keilwerth. I've played an SX90 for about 2 years and tried several pieces--Vandoren V16 mostly, but recently a metal NY Link--now I'm thinking about a Morgan Jazz L.
..............

Regarding the metal NY Link were you able to get that piece onto the SX90 cork a reasonable amount to play in tune? Thanks in advance.

 

[Rick Adams]

Yep, no problem with intonation with a metal link and an SX90R

 

[markpoirier]

Yes, the NY Link is in tune pretty far in on the cork. The tone is excellent.

 

[gary]

Well, I don't know what won't work on a Keilwerth. Of course I haven't tried them all on one, but I have played a Ponzol M1 and M2, Charlie's BBQ, JJ HR*, Kessler HR, Berg, Link STM, Barone NY, Link HR, Keilwerth (Schreiber), JJ ESP, Selmer C** and they all worked fine.

 

[ZenBen]

Vandoren V16 should do it.

 

[UncleClark]

Well I ended up getting the Otto Link NY #6. I like the tone but its very 'chirpy'. THis is my first metal mouthpiece so maybe I need to get used to it. It seems easier to blow than my hard rubber ones but that chirp has got to go.

Anybody got any idea on the chirping? I'm using Rico Royal 2.5s - I might pick up some 3's to see if that makes any difference.

 

[EZ]

Give yourself some time with the STM - going to a metal profile can require a slightly different embouchure. The same concept applies - just that different muscles are going to be used or the muscles are going to be used slightly differently than they are used to.

A stiffer reed may help the chirping some. The 2.5 reed is to the soft/medium side for that tip opening, but not too soft by any means.

It is not unheard of for Links to be improved with a reface (particularly the NY models), but you can find more details on that elsewhere on the forum.

A nice Link is awesome on an SX90, by the way.