[59Martin]

As the title suggest, I'm looking for someone who could make a (preferably removeable) shank extension for a Jody Jazz Runyon Quantum Delrin. I love this piece and play it on my YBS but when I hang it on The Martin Baritone, it's sharp.

I've seen a few threads where people have MacGyvered shank extensions and if I had calipers and access to the right tubing, and didn't have four kids and long list of home projects that take precedence, I'd be tempted to try it myself but life being what it is right now, I'd love to find someone who can do this.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[1saxman]

What number Quantum are you playing? Its usually fairly easy to find a Brilhart Level Air in good condition especially in numbers below 7 which would probably equal about a 10 on a Runyon. The reason I say this is you probably should use a different mouthpiece on the Martin. I don't know how you could put a removable shank extension on a Delrin Quantum, and the other alternative is to have an extension put on the Martin neck. I recommended the Level Air because they have been played on many Martin baritones with great success since the 1950s. Plus, the Quantum is nearly identical to the Level Air inside and outside so the feel would be similar.
I'm playing a Level Air on baritone now after having used one in the past on a Martin. My bari now is a modern low A - I mention that because you could probably use the Level Air on both - may have to change or adjust the neck corks.
Another thing to consider is if the mouthpiece is sharp mainly in the upper register, you are probably biting and you need to teach yourself to relax the jaw. Martins are well known to have this tendency but its not that hard to defeat.

 

[59Martin]

What number Quantum are you playing? ...

I really appreciate the suggestion of the LevelAir, I've been curious about these and am glad to know that they've been matched successfully with Martins. I'm currently playing a 13. The sharpness is even throughout the martin so I don't think it's an embouchure issue. I can make the adjustments necessary to keep it even across the horn, it just stays consistently about 30 cents sharp when it's almost dangling off the end.

 

[1saxman]

Hopefully the neck was never shortened. In my experience over the last four years since getting the new bari (Chinese) which plays flat, the Level Air plays noticeably flatter than the Quantum Delrin. I bought several of them and ended up selling them, but I remember they all had to be pulled out more than the Level Air, which goes all the way on to the end of the cork (or farther in cold temps). A Runyon 13 is about .120 according to the charts so you're not going to find a Level Air that big. 9* is generally the biggest they made, about .110. I'm not so sure about the charts on a Quantum. The ones I had did not seem to be that open.
So the Level Air would probably work for you if you could play the smaller tip of a 9* but they are hard to find. I was playing a vintage Berg Larsen hard rubber .130/1 at one point on the Martin and it tuned pretty well so that's another possibility but maybe a .120 would suit you better.

 

[1saxman]

Interestingly, there's a 9* on ebay right now that looks good. And no, its not mine and I don't know the seller. Just sayin' for anyone so inclined. Its one of the later ones like mine, and mine's the best 9* I've had. I think I've had three of them over the years.

BTW, when I say 'later ones', I am not speaking of the redesigned Level Air sold by Selmer in the late '80s. I am talking about the original type sold by Selmer after they bought out Brilhart sometime around 1963. It looks just like the original ones made by Brilhart.

 

[KeithL]

I'd call the guys at Music Medic and see if they have anymore of these modified Martin necks coming in; https://musicmedic.com/products/saxophone-necks/the-wilmington-martin-improved-bari-neck.html

 

[John Laughter]

You may or may not be dealing with the same tuning issue that I had with the Jody Jazz "Super Jet" tenor m/p on my Mauriat tenor. Once I put it on the cork in the normal position it was very sharp.

Jody also said he had 10 other players contact him about the same issue. He said to add yellow plumbers tape to the end of the cork and bring the m/p back. I added the tape to aprrox 1/2 inch of the cork to play in tune but eventually it would sag a little. They subsequently sent an extension for the m/p that goes onto the cork. It is worthless.

I don't play that m/p any more although it has a real good sound.

Hopefully they will retool that model one day and add more metal to the shank since it does have possibilities.

 

[1saxman]

Here's an old pic of my martin with the Level Air. You can see that its right far on the cork, and that's the way I played it. One more thing, it is well known that the level Air produces the biggest low notes possible on a Martin - I mean earth-shaking, speaker-busting.

 

[ralph lh]

Not sure how Martin's compare with Conn's but I had a conn 12M with intonation issues and once I got an RPC, the issues went away. I had [have] a long shank that Ron made [so sad to hear of his death] given our discussions about the horn and what I was looking for. Might be worth considering an RPC??

 

[IBeOmega]

You may or may not be dealing with the same tuning issue that I had with the Jody Jazz "Super Jet" tenor m/p on my Mauriat tenor. Once I put it on the cork in the normal position it was very sharp.

Jody also said he had 10 other players contact him about the same issue. He said to add yellow plumbers tape to the end of the cork and bring the m/p back. I added the tape to aprrox 1/2 inch of the cork to play in tune but eventually it would sag a little. They subsequently sent an extension for the m/p that goes onto the cork. It is worthless.

I don't play that m/p any more although it has a real good sound.

Hopefully they will retool that model one day and add more metal to the shank since it does have possibilities.

Wow, that's not something I would expect of a boutique mouthpiece manufacturer. I've seen some things from Wanne that seriously give me pause too, what the heck.

I found that a Quantum also played quite sharp on my Buescher, although I didn't like it enough to consider having it modified. I love my high-baffle alto and tenor pieces, but on soprano and bari I'm not a fan as it turns out.
Is there some reason you can't just get the shank extended permanently? The length of the cork is totally arbitrary anyway, and as long as it isn't bottoming out on the neck metal itself I see no issue with the mouthpiece overhanging the end of the cork when you play the Yamaha.

 

[Benny]

As the title suggest, I'm looking for someone who could make a (preferably removeable) shank extension for a Jody Jazz Runyon Quantum Delrin. I love this piece and play it on my YBS but when I hang it on The Martin Baritone, it's sharp.

I've seen a few threads where people have MacGyvered shank extensions and if I had calipers and access to the right tubing, and didn't have four kids and long list of home projects that take precedence, I'd be tempted to try it myself but life being what it is right now, I'd love to find someone who can do this.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Shouldn't be hard for anyone with a lathe and some delrin tubing.
I had some made recently, they're fantastic.

 

[59Martin]

Here's an old pic of my martin with the Level Air. You can see that its right far on the cork, and that's the way I played it. One more thing, it is well known that the level Air produces the biggest low notes possible on a Martin - I mean earth-shaking, speaker-busting.

Thanks for the tip, I love your setup! I'll keep an eye out for a LevelAir. I'm not sure I'd need anything as big as the .120 on the quantum, I can adapt quickly to different openings when I find something I like.

This being said, I'm not big into switching up mouthpieces, I've been playing the Quantum for five years now and the same tenor piece for over 20 years...

 

[59Martin]

Is there some reason you can't just get the shank extended permanently? The length of the cork is totally arbitrary anyway, and as long as it isn't bottoming out on the neck metal itself I see no issue with the mouthpiece overhanging the end of the cork when you play the Yamaha.

That's a good point actually.I was thinking I'd like to be able to play the same mpc on both horns but after spending a bit of time with the Martin-Quantum combo, it plays in tune just fine when it's hanging about a half inch into the cork which makes it super wobbly so a short, permanent extension wouldn't be a huge deal and ould still fit on the Yamaha.

 

[59Martin]

Shouldn't be hard for anyone with a lathe and some delrin tubing.
I had some made recently, they're fantastic.
View attachment 252206

Those are super cool. If you don't mind sharing your process, I'd be very interested.

 

[59Martin]

Not sure how Martin's compare with Conn's but I had a conn 12M with intonation issues and once I got an RPC, the issues went away. I had [have] a long shank that Ron made [so sad to hear of his death] given our discussions about the horn and what I was looking for. Might be worth considering an RPC??

Yes I've heard great things about Ron's pieces and reading about him here has been a heartwarming foray into the appreciation we all have for great craftsmanship. Unfortunately they are not easy to find...

 

[Benny]

Those are super cool. If you don't mind sharing your process, I'd be very interested.

I didn't make them myself.......

 

[avan]

your tech should can do it it for you. Recently I made an extension with a couple of brass tube my tech have (he have a full box of different sizing). So you need one the size of your shank and one longer that fit over the shank. Mine was soldered, but can be epoxied together.

 

[super20dan]

I send my bari necks to will grizzel . he has done many neck extencions for me. I prefer to extend the neck rather than the mouthpiece shank. this way you can use the mouthpiece on other horns. almost all the vintage baris play sharp with modern mouthpeices . the quantum already has a very long shank.

 

[BH9]

I've bought a couple of extensions from this guy, and they work well. Looks like he might not be making them now, but he might have one. You could call to find out for sure. Doctor sax Woodwinds.

http://doctorsaxwoodwinds.com/shop/local-only/accessories/mouthpiece-extensions/

 

[turf3]

OP, if you're still watching this, just contact your repair person. If they can't do it, start looking under "Machine Shops". You don't want an automotive machine shop, you want a general machine shop. Take the thing in to them and tell them what you want.

If this is a plastic MP, then I would turn a piece of plastic stock (the exact material doesn't matter) with the same ID and OD as the shank of the existing piece, then I'd turn a thin wall piece of metal, slip it over, and secure the pieces together with epoxy. In fact that's what I did many years ago on a Vandoren piece. With metal, depending on what metal it is, you could also have the option of soldering the extension on.