[sthsquid]

I'm going to be trying a couple new mouthpieces for my tenor (1939 Martin Handcraft Standard) and I was wondering if anybody has played on these Mouthpiece Cafe's and if so, what was/is your experience? I play straight ahead jazz, looking for a piece that would suit me and the horn. Want projection but also something on the darker side, medium focus.

 

[limpan2]

I like their pieces a lot and play them on all my horns. I have two Primos for my tenor, one 7* and one 8. I had a Slant Supreme earlier and that was also a really great piece.

The Primo is based of an Early Babbitt and is a bit brighter than the Slant Supreme and gives you more edge when pushed (still warm). Both pieces are great and warm and very even over the whole range.

I like the Primo and liked it more than the Drake Bergonzi EB which is very similar. After reading your description it sounds like the Slant Supreme is more in your ballpark, or the Espresso (I hanen't tried that one).

 

[limpan2]

BTW Here is a clip of me playing one of my Primos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws9aaEhCnnQ

 

[sthsquid]

Love your sound Limpan2 - actually that's very close to what I'm aiming for! I have the opportunity to pick up a Cafe Blend II for relatively cheap but not sure if it would be too bright?... They have some nice videos on their site but unfortunately not all tell you which mouthpiece they are using which kind of defeats the point.

How would you compare the Slant Supreme to the Primo since you have used both?

 

[mijderf]

Want projection but also something on the darker side, medium focus.

I play a Mouthpiece Cafe House Blend I on my 10M, and IMO it really matches the description above that you wrote. I also previously owned a MPC Bergonzi Slant, but the sounds of the two were pretty close for me, so I chose to trade the slant and keep the HB. It was a close call, and I would have been happy either way.

 

[Saxx64]

This is my first post here.

I own a mouthpiece cafe espresso and a mouthpiece cafe slant supreme. I think all the slant supremes now have the Bergonzi signature on them. To me they are very close in terms of darkness. The espresso was a little more focused yet very full without a lot of high-end punch in the sound yet the high notes remained dark and reedy. The slant felt more spread, although still very dark, with a bit more of what I perceive as a traditional jazz tenor sound.

I don’t use either of them at the moment, but I haven’t gotten rid of them for a reason.

I wouldn’t hesitate to trust the quality and craftsmenshup of these mouthpieces, and I hope to try more of their offerings in the future.