[Atratr]

Hello,
I am looking for a HR mouthpiece and after a while I have the chance to get one of those. I normally play 7* or 8 tip openings so my question is in case of once going up to an 8* tip what mouthpiece would you choose?
Those who play them, what´s your experience on them?
Thanks.

 

[Saxophone Strange]

Having owned and played both pieces, what are you looking at by going up to that tip opening size?

I am asking a similar question concerning sound concept recently but mine would be related to other things like using soft reeds and baffles; although the tips I am looking at are more extreme.

 

[Atratr]

Having owned and played both pieces, what are you looking at by going up to that tip opening size?
I am asking a similar question concerning sound concept recently but mine would be related to other things like using soft reeds and baffles; although the tips I am looking at are more extreme.

Those mouthpieces are being offered to me in the second hand market as trades. Not easy to buy new in my location, having to deal with customs and so. My first thought is to hold back but I don´t mind going down in reed strength if I can work with the mouthpiece. Also some reviews say that the facing is so good and freeblowing that you can(or may) go up in tip opening( I read that about the Marantz for example). Of course the owners of the pieces tell me that they are easy in those tips.
I´m also on a project HR mouthpiece with higher bafle and bigger tip(having tried the thing in a 7*). Hopefully will get it in a few weeks. But that´s a different story.

 

[hakukani]

I've been playing on a slant legacy 8* for about a year. It's quite free blowing, and is much easier than the 7* STM that I own. If you play an 8, that extra .005 inches at the tip shouldn't make that much difference.

 

[Atratr]

I've been playing on a slant legacy 8* for about a year. It's quite free blowing, and is much easier than the 7* STM that I own. If you play an 8, that extra .005 inches at the tip shouldn't make that much difference.

Well, I´ve been between 7* and 8 without issues except for a very dark metal mouthpiece that I tried. I guess its freeblowing quality could compesate things a bit. What pieces had you came from until you reached the Marantz?

 

[hakukani]

I was playing a 10mfan Robusto. Before that I was on a link STM, and an RPC .115B high baffle for rock.

 

[Benjamin Allen]

Is the Slant Legacy Matt’s metal mouthpiece? That piece is great if it is.

 

[Saxophone Strange]

Is the Slant Legacy Matt’s metal mouthpiece? That piece is great if it is.

It is the HR piece he does. It is a good piece.

@Atratr They are both fine pieces and well made. Matt's facings generally are really easy to play. I play an 8 and went up in reed strength as well and it was still easy. As for the Gerber, mine is smaller tipped than the 8* but it sort of is a why are you going for it. I'm sure either way they would be excellent pieces. Per recent conversation with @Benjamin Allen about a different piece, I would likely verify the vintage of the Gerber first. The Marantz will be the same regardless and is a very nice piece. They will take more air in the larger tip though. Depending though, I really don't think you could go wrong. The Marantz 8 I play feels almost as buttery as the Gerber 7 that my son plays. That being said, the 8 was too much for his air stream so... just expect some difference depending on you.

 

[HeavyWeather77]

For what it's worth, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a mouthpiece sight-unseen from Matt Marantz (as long as you know what type/design and tip opening you usually prefer). I own four mouthpieces he's faced and they're all top-tier.

Gerber is a legend and I'm sure his work is excellent too. It's a toss-up. I've only tried Matt's pieces, of the two, and recommend them without hesitation. Any piece he's finished will certainly work properly. As to whether or not it's right for you, only you can say!

 

[Benjamin Allen]

I’d go with the piece from Matt unless the piece from Gerber is definitely older. If it’s an older Gerber piece, then try both and pick the one you prefer. You can’t go wrong in that category if you like the piece.

 

[Sofiane]

I played a 8* Marantz for years, great mouthpiece. I had this model in all the tip opening 6*, 7, 7*, 8 and 8*. I remember it was an old batch of the Slant Legacy. But the 8* was the best among them.

I played Gerber mouthpieces too for a long time, those were my first real mouthpieces...
Vintage Slant : 6*, 7, two 7* (one of them was a prototype custom made more in the EB direction before he would produce it as the Vibra-Master) and a 10* too.
Vibra-Master, I had a 7 and an 8
Octa-Supreme a 7 and a 9*

I think they are both really good manufacturers with their own concept.

But to compare the Slant Legacy to a Vintage Slant, the facings from Marrantz are more free blowing At the same tip opening, does not mean that it is better but just different feel.

 

[Atratr]

I’d go with the piece from Matt unless the piece from Gerber is definitely older. If it’s an older Gerber piece, then try both and pick the one you prefer. You can’t go wrong in that category if you like the piece.

What´s the thing with older Gerber mouthpieces? It´s been some kind of change in the way?

Thank you all for the informed opinions, it really makes things easier. At this point I´m more inclined toward the Marantz for the freeblowing quality, specially considering the tip opening. And also is harder to find in EU, while Gerbers have more presence and are easier to find.

 

[Saxophone Strange]

Apparently Johannes is not hand finishing all the new pieces now. So the older ones would stand to be better. Matt always faces his pieces. They are very free blowing though.

 

[whaler]

I’ve played a 6 Link for years and a few months ago I found a 7** Kessler Custom that plays really well for me. The only reason I feel I could move up and still feel comfortable is that the chamber of the Kessler is slightly smaller.
‘It’s all about the same feeling of resistance for me. It can’t be to easy to play or my articulation and roundness don’t feel the same.

 

[DomPy]

FWIW, I've been playing on a Marantz Double Ring Legacy for the last 18 months or so in an 8* and I absolutely adore it. Plays like the kind of Link I wouldn't be able to afford! Not planning on changing things up anytime soon, in fact I'll probably get another as a backup at some point.

 

[Atratr]

After your responses and a lot of thinking I taled to Matt and ordered directly from him an 8 tip opening Slant.
I´m even considering a metal one for the future, but for now I stick to HR pieces and maybe I´ll keep a Sakshama I have for sale right now.
Thank you all!

I played a 8* Marantz for years, great mouthpiece. I had this model in all the tip opening 6*, 7, 7*, 8 and 8*. I remember it was an old batch of the Slant Legacy. But the 8* was the best among them.
I played Gerber mouthpieces too for a long time, those were my first real mouthpieces...
Vintage Slant : 6*, 7, two 7* (one of them was a prototype custom made more in the EB direction before he would produce it as the Vibra-Master) and a 10* too.
Vibra-Master, I had a 7 and an 8
Octa-Supreme a 7 and a 9*

Wow! That´s crazy, that you could try all those models and even in different tip openings. Also has to be hard to decide between all of them.

 

[Sofiane]

Ha it was threw the years...
But the first I had was the 8* so it would always play this one against the others as a reference, it was just the beat. I regret this piece 😪
I also tried his Florida and Double Ring but I didn't like them at all. Too resistant in my opinion.

 

[Atratr]

Ha it was threw the years...
But the first I had was the 8* so it would always play this one against the others as a reference, it was just the beat. I regret this piece 😪
I also tried his Florida and Double Ring but I didn't like them at all. Too resistant in my opinion.

Ok haha!
Strange that the metals are so resistant, when the HR is so freeblowing in everybody´s experience, including his own words.

 

[PCorneliusJazz]

Matt is meticulous about every detail in his mouthpiece work and his facings are impeccable. Philosophically he doesn’t like a lot of resistance in his pieces. But yeah, as long as the piece has been taken care of, you can trust the quality.

 

[dextor]

It's good to see Matt's name out here. Impeccable work. Extremely knowledgeable. His Slant (latest batch) is strong and smooth and eliminated my search in the Slant genre. Next is his Ring.