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Otto Link SP

19K views 74 replies 22 participants last post by  magical pig 
#1 · (Edited)
In another thread the Otto Link SP HR was brought up as a piece that has more baffle material than the current HR Links. Anyone got experience with these? Has anything else been changed as far as the chamber, throat, bore? Could these be the closest thing to a slant without the slant price?

These are supposedly SP's.

Photo was removed
 
#3 ·
Yes those look like the baffles that you have done for me on my metal links. Actually these are the only SP photos I could find that were big enough and all of these were refaced by brian powell. Still though if there's more material to work with I would think a slight increase in baffle might improve response over the straight or scooped out baffle in current production.
 
#7 ·
Nefertiti said:
Because they were refaced by Brian you can't assume that they looked like that before. I think Brian took down the beak on these also. I know he does great work so these probably play great.
I totally agree. Wouldn't it be a dream if Otto Link actually put out pieces that looked like this from the factory. I found a SP on ebay but the photo is too small and grainy to make anything out.
 
#9 ·
I have worked on many of these Babbitt creations. When we got our first ones almost two years ago from Tenor Madness and Bob Ackerman, they were designated with a hand-scribed "PT" on them. Since then, they have been designated as the "V" and now as the "SP". My understanding is that this is how they come from Babbitt.
Even more important than the baffle shape or size is the shape and size of the floor of the chamber. These have the higher floor in them like good old slants. I have been told that they are using vintage cores in recreating these, I am going to check with Babbitt to make sure I've got my facts and understanding correct. Modern regular HR Links (for quite some time) have had the bottom of the chamber scooped out, leaving them sounding tubby or dead. On the above pieces, I have modified the beaks, very much like an EB beak. Same beak angle as a slant, but not quite as steep a drop-off from the body as a slant.
I find these pieces respond better with a bit more baffle added naturally, so I advise purchasers to buy them a size or two smaller than they want to end up with, then still face them down a bit, and reopen them to maximize the baffle. Yes, the curve and finish work is still Babbitt as they come, meaning there's room for improvement. It's just a shame they won't produce quantities of them with really good rubber, we know they have the capabilities as displayed with the special Meyer Limiteds of a couple years ago.
Hope this answers some questions.
Brian
 
#10 ·
heath said:
Actually these are SP's that were sent off to Brian Powell. The price is a whopping $275 from this vendor.

Anyone could buy a SP for $95 including s/h and send it off for a $70 reface and save $100.
From where?
 
#11 ·
J.Max said:
From where?
http://www.saxalley.com/mouthpieces.html

please correct where i make mistakes because i'm sure i will make some.
those are not like slants in my rather uneducated opinion.
they are more like early babbit.
they are nothing even remotely resembling first early slants.So that idea is out the window.
they also are lacking the "squeeze" and the tighter chamber of the later 2 versions of the florida slant. They also appear to have (even after brian has worked on them) that weird concave "hole" after the baffle that has baffled us all about modern tone edges for so long. (what the heck is that about ?)
I think that after USA was added to the slants they did start to get a little bit more of a curved step baffle like you guys were saying.(yuck)

Could these be the closest thing to a slant without the slant price?
IMHO a lamberson or a vintage dukoff rubber will sound alot closer to a slant that these do.
 
#12 ·
I'll tell you what sounds like a slant. My kessler OL7 that had the chamber increased, baffle left in place and the bore increased in diameter. Compared side by side and it's very close.

Personally I'm not getting one of these SP's becaues like Garyjones mentioned it's not that far off from the current stock link. They need to go back and start making exact replicas of the Florida slant. I don't see why they don't do it. A bundle of cash could be flowing in.
 
#13 ·
Also posted this on another relevant thread, but, wouldn't it be great if someone convinced Babbitt to resume production on the original slant-sig cavity molds and would also meticulously blueprint and hand-finish each mouthpiece, creating an accurate reproduction of the original? Oh wait, someone has:
http://saxquest.com/productDetails.asp?productcode=TenneySlantTenor
;)
 
#17 ·
drakesaxprof said:
Also posted this on another relevant thread, but, wouldn't it be great if someone convinced Babbitt to resume production on the original slant-sig cavity molds and would also meticulously blueprint and hand-finish each mouthpiece, creating an accurate reproduction of the original? Oh wait, someone has:
http://saxquest.com/productDetails.asp?productcode=TenneySlantTenor
;)
Just comment on this, uh, comment...I agree that Babbitt should produce a "Special Edition" Link like they did with the Meyers a few years ago, but my question is why did they change the design in the first place? It's not like it's any more difficult to mold, and Selmer has made mouthpieces with the same design for nearly 70 years (The Classic metals), so it can be done.

On the other hand, if they did make a REAL special edition slant-sig piece, everyone would complain that it's not as good as the real thing anyway, so maybe there's no point.
 
#18 ·
J.Max said:
On the other hand, if they did make a REAL special edition slant-sig piece, everyone would complain that it's not as good as the real thing anyway, so maybe there's no point.
Not sure what the history is of the motivation behind the design changes, but to re-emphasize, the Tenney Slant is the REAL slant-sig design. It's made from the very same chamber molds as the original, and it's hand-finished by Doc Tenney to the original specifications. It's as faithful a reproduction of the original as is likely possible.
 
#19 ·
Sebastian said:
look inside the piece. If you hold it up looking inside from the shank, facing side down you will see "v" stamped inside. All the other ones have numbers, 1, 2, or 3.
These markings are neither consistent nor reliable for "identifying" any specific chamber cavity. Some have no markings at all - which is a "type of marking" for statistical process control purposes in manufacturing.
 
#21 ·
Sebastian said:
interesting stuff, thanks for clearing this up. Does this mean that different mouthpieces with the "v" marking inside will have significant variation. I'm fairly ignorant when it comes to production etc so it would be good to understand why this is done at all. Thanks for the info as usual.
It doesn't absolutely mean "will have" but certainly means "may- and probably in all likelihood - have" variations of some significance given the latitude or "tolerance" acceptable in mass-produced mpcs made with the technology used in production of these Link Tone Edge models, just like the other ones you've mentioned. That's the reason for my "hand selection" by inspection and hand-finishing to obtain the optimal product even on the mpcs made in limited quantities on special pre-production order for specific clients such as myself. "Routine orders" made by "distributors" in response to dealer inquiries are an entirely different matter. Try Googling W. Edwards Deming or Statistical Process Control. It may help explain the concept and application for manufacturing. .
 
#23 ·
Sp

I will request that the moderator please remove this pic. It was lifted from my website.

Doc and I have discussed this issue privately and we are on good terms.

I stand behind my description of the pieces I have for sale.

Feel free to contact Mr. Powell or myself directly if you have questions about these particular pieces.
 
#26 ·
Reviving this old thread ..... well, er.... what might a layman look for to distinguish these "SP" or "V" marked pieces from a standard current-production Tone Edge?

Material? Size of bore? Is the baffle still made the same way, with that concave dimple right behind it?

Do the SP variants play with noticeably less stuffiness or tubby-ness) than a standard Tone Edge?
 
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