[abadcliche]

I had a very, very vintage Berg bari mouthpiece that I got rid of recently, and I just got a Keilwerth SX90 low Bb bari, and now I am wishing I had that piece back. It played so easily, and yet had a deep dark rich tone... sigh. Anybody have any mouthpiece recommendations? I like a medium to medium close tip opening, and I am fine with rubber or metal, as long as the sound is there.

More info that *may* help: I play a Morgan 3C on alto, and a vintage Woodwind Co. New York on soprano. Not totally settled on tenor, but right now I have a vintage Selmer metal Table C* I am digging. I like a rich sound that fills up the room, the kind you can feel in your chest and feet, without too much brightness. I mostly play classical.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[super20dan]

try a runyon custom

 

[abadcliche]

Those look sort of like the old Comet pieces. Will it need a refacing out of the box (e.g. should I buy it slightly closer than I like)? I know its snotty, but for a $99 bari mouthpiece, I just thought I should check.

 

[daigle65]

I play on a wood Lebayle that I like a lot, althought it's not a classical mpc (roll over baffle, bullet hole chamber that is similar to a Berg's) it is warm/dark sounding.
I don't own a bari so I don't play very often, yet I find it easy to center in the 2nd octave.
It is relatively inexpensive compared to other bari mpcs, i paid $240 for it.
It also comes in HR.

 

[dirty]

I've heard Runyons are pretty consistent. Never played one, though, so I couldn't tell you for sure what it plays like.

I just played some classical trios (flute trios, actaully) today with my teacher and another student on alto and me on bari. I played my beloved Rico Metalite M9 (if you search these forums for "Metalite," I bet half of the results are my posts) on a leaky Yamaha 52 bari that the school owns. I played it with a mellow subtone and never felt too bright, too loud or as though I didn't have enough control.

I know you said you wanted a close-tipped, dark mouthpiece, but I've gotten more versatility out of this Metalite than on any other mouthpiece. Also, you said you liked Bergs. A good Berg is the only bari mouthpiece I've ever played that has made me seriously consider moving away from my Metalite. The Metalite eventually won because it affords me a massive tonal and dynamic range, from the softest, warmest ppp, to the loudest, edgiest fff. If you can find one, they like hard reeds and aren't for everyone, but they are for me. If you need a versatile mouthpiece, check them out, just don't play it with your eyes.

For a more conservative answer, I played a Selmer S-80 C* once and loved it. If I played classical bari exclusively, I would probably get one. Warm, dark, mellow, smooth and perfectly controlled. A little boring for jazz, though, in my hands, at least.

 

[MojoBari]

Any high baffle medium-open mouthpiece can be played in a mellow dark blending way on bari if you do not push it. The higher harmonics are not present in the sound at lower volumes. This is true of all saxes, but it just seems to work better on bari. I use a refaced metal Quantum for everything. Just choose a harder/softer reed for the playing situation.

 

[Scott Ramminger]

Try and SR Tech Pro

The SR Tech Pro is a very nice bari piece. I played mine against by my friend's Berg. Very similar, though I liked the SR Tech better.

A bit of bark, but not too much.

I play mine on and SX-90 low Bb bari. It sounds great.

The only bari I have tried it on that it didn't work that great on was a Martin.
But the only thing that horn liked was large chamber pieces with very little baffle.

Scott

 

[The Rumbler]

I'll repeat Scott's recommendation. The SR Pro is the best all-rounder that I've played.

 

[abadcliche]

Excellent advice, thanks guys. I'll report back if I find a silver bullet.

 

[super20dan]

facings are very good on most runyons -they run a little on the small side so if you like a #5 normaly try a 7 in runyon sizes

 

[Pete Thomas]

You'll probably love an RPC, if you don't mind the wait. It has all the advantages of a Berg and none of the drawbacks.

 

[rleitch]

You'll probably love an RPC, if you don't mind the wait. It has all the advantages of a Berg and none of the drawbacks.

What are the drawbacks?

 

[Pete Thomas]

Not quite as versatile. But that's a very subjective opinion. I also remember vintage Bergs I've had as being a bit tricky for intonation, but then I'm now using completely different horns so this may not be quite a fair comment.