Morgan 6C

Yay here too. I was accidentally browsing his inventory yesterday and noticed the 6C so I ordered one right away. Your posts made me curious about it though.

And a 4C on alto

And a 4C on alto...

I am very curious about these. How would they compare to a Morgan L? I like dark with a touch of edge.

The 6C has a larger, rounder, chamber and less baffle than a comparable 6L. For me, the 6C has a darker, rounder, and fatter sound than a 6L. It also has less edge. The 6C has a classical design; yet, it has a remarkably big sound. I've found that it easily projects through a big band....with my sax section buddies using various kinds of jazz mouthpieces. For me, the 6C is mysterious. I have yet to figure out how it gets as big of a sound as it does. I've asked Ralph Morgan about it but he only chuckles. ha ha ha

If I could make a comparison, a 6C is to the saxophone what a Kaspar mouthpiece is to the clarinet: dark, warm, ringing, and remarkable projection. Both project with a dark, fat, sound rather than with a bright edgy sound.

Roger

Roger Aldridge said:

For me, the 6C is mysterious. I have yet to figure out how it gets as big of a sound as it does. I've asked Ralph Morgan about it but he only chuckles. ha ha ha

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The air is fast and unrestrained through efficient baffle venting and a slim beak profile.

EZ said:

The air is fast and unrestrained through efficient baffle venting and a slim beak profile.

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Jeez...way to kill the mysticism, Ed...

Seriously though, Morgans are definitely magic. I'm still getting used to my 8EL. I tried Java 3's, which yield excellent response with no resistance. Problem is, I like some resistance. Tried V16 3's, got the resistance, but it seemed like the mouthpiece died. It still played great, but the tone got way darker, and it lost that alive feel it had with the Javas...

I guess the "secret" is out, Roger. This is my favorite design - I wish I knew when I first starting playing my Jon Van Wie/Morgan .090 but I think it's on the order of 7 or 8 years ago. It's amazing to consider all the other mouthpieces that have come and gone in that time - and that I now have 3 Morgan 3Cs that have been refaced (one my JVW, two by Ed Zentera) and one custom ordered to that same size. Oh yeah, and another pair of Morgan/Zentera 3Cs in .090 and .100 that I had made for a friend of mine. Yeah, it works...

Don't confuse it with any other Morgan series (L, EL, etc.), this has a complex sound that fills space. No trash.

Ed,

In so few words you laid it out. Thank you so much!

I had a feeling that some of it had to do with the facing curve used on the C and how it allowed more of the reed to vibrate. Just speculation. After much trial & error I found that I get the best results with a thick cut reed with more "wood" in the heart. The combination of a thick cut reed and the 6C gives me a wonderfully strong tonal core. It can handle everything that I can throw at it.

Roger

Dr G said:

I now have 3 Morgan 3Cs that have been refaced (one my JVW, two by Ed Zentera) and one custom ordered to that same size.

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That's right, George, keep rubbing it in...so how does the custom 6C play, as compared with the re-faced 3Cs?

Martinman said:

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Hehe.. I should have said "casually", perhaps. I am looking forward to trying it though. Big, dark... sounds like Darth Vader...

Wow, everyone with a JK SX90 should try the 6C, if they like the 10m sound. The chamber looks about the same as the L, but there is less baffle and the facing seems to be a tad longer, but I did not actually measure it. It just lets you blow through the horn like there is nothing between the reed and bell. At the same time it is very rich and resonant. For me on the JK it is nicer than the 7L.

D'oh! I just manage to get my hands on a Morgan 8L (thanks kindly to a quick mouthpiece swap with docformat) and then you all come out and give me GAS again by talking about a Morgan with a bigger chamber and less baffle

Rick, you need a 6C. Oh, yes.

Dr G said:

Rick, you need a 6C. Oh, yes.

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Don't tempt me... I'm due a "present" but do I really need another mouthpiece? Will it really make me a better saxophonist?

...

...

...of course it will!

Yes and yes - if you work with it. It has a much broader palette than the 8L - again, IF you work to learn everything it can deliver.

Thanks Dr G, interestingly it was the slight lack of tonal complexity that was the only thing I wasn't really pleased with about the 8L. Why only .090 though? Is this a "classical" thing? Opening it to .100 - good idea or bad idea?

I've been trying (on and off) to find a darker mouthpiece than my STM, which is about as bright as a Link 8 can be without adding a baffle. I would be interested in the Morgan C mouthpieces, but they only go up to .90, and I prefer .105-.115 tips, .110 being ideal, it seems (this is without significant baffle). Are the L chambers significantly darker than STMs? I got a job this summer, and at the incredible San Francisco minimum wage of $9.25 (seriously, it's great!), it only costs 20 hours! Time for GAS!

Hah! I told you so.

Hmmm, should I tell you that Ed Zentera opened one of the 3Cs to .100"? It works too.

I believe it was Roger that shared some time ago that Ralph wasn't willing to open that design beyond .090".

Whether it is good or bad is up to you. You may gain something and lose something in the balance. I've found the .090" to be plenty capable - with Alexander DC 3 reeds and a Francois Louis lig, I can get sufficiently soft in dynamics with excellent control and still get plenty loud when necessary. Going more open may yield a little more volume (although I doubt it'll fill space any better than my setup) at the cost of some control. This, on my Ref 36 with Randy Jones setup and mods (octave pips reamed and bow soldered to the body).

Heck, give Ralph a call. Now that the 6C has evolved to a "standard" item, maybe he'll do a .100" on special order.

Roger, have you any insight to share on this?