[Seasax]

hi ,

i have found a load of low cost metal mouthpieces, sop, alto and tenor, that i might be able to get, possibly modify if necessary and sell on here on the forum,
tell me if these pics look any good and how much you would pay for one:

 

[bruce bailey]

If the facings are OK, I would say about $25-40.

 

[gelliot2]

Are they gold plated on brass?

How would you modify them?

Would you replate them after modification?

 

[J.Max]

Aren't those Zhenghao pieces? They usually sell for around $30 on eBay.

 

[Mr. Sax]

Aren't those Zhenghao pieces? They usually sell for around $30 on eBay.

Looks like it.

 

[Seasax]

oh, the guy i was talking to said they were gold plated, but nothing about zhenghoa mouthpieces, i think i can predict the answer but might aswell ask,
are they any good?

 

[Chicken 'Lil]

oh, the guy i was talking to said they were gold plated, but nothing about zhenghoa mouthpieces, i think i can predict the answer but might aswell ask,
are they any good?

You get what you pay for. In a word, no.

 

[Enviroguy]

Some of these Chinese made pieces are ok. I have a couple of metal Selmer clones that are really good. The problems with most of them are the facing and finishes. The silver turns green quickly and the gold either flakes off or is really just lacquer over brass.

But I see no reason that someone with good refacing abilities could not make a good piece out of some of these. I worked on a little cheap soprano piece myself and was able to get a very dark sound. But my refacing skills are just about non-existent, so I couldn't really make the piece respond as well as I would have liked.

The problem with all of this is the market. A basic reface job starts at a round $100. But a refaced Chinese piece probably wouldn't bring $50 on resale. So having a Chinese piece refaced could be a very negative investment. Personnally, I don't see much of a way to make money doing this.