[mrpeebee]

Hi all,

I made in the last 10 years a lot of 'home' recordings with backing tracks to compare my (extensive) tenor mouthpiece collections. All of them are quick and dirty made recordings, without much preparation. I decided to put some of the old recordings I like (or don't find too bad!) on YouTube, which gives better options to visually show which mouthpiece is played at which moment in the sound-clip compared to other sound-clip sharing sites.

Most clips are about tenor mouthpiece comparisons, but I also made some comparing different tenor saxophones (and even reeds or recording devices). Not sure yet what I will share, it's an ongoing process and new clips will be added regularly from now on. In most compare clips my main set-up for the last 10 years (a 1950's Otto Link Florida no USA 10*) plays a role: I used that one as a base to compare my other equipment with. Most sound-clips are posted without further processing (reverb / compression).

When I made those compare clips I almost always played full speed and rough and bluesy (in a Texas Tenor style way). Playing this way reveals the differences between certain set-ups better than when playing softly with a low air-speed. I mostly used a simple Blues to blow over, so you will hear a lot of 'Tenor Madness' clips! Most clips have a small solo part per mouthpiece or sax (one or a few choruses), followed by trading choruses in shorter intervals (like 4 x 4 bars). All is mostly played in the old 1940's/50's tenor battle style, which is the style I love! The mouthpiece comparisons are done with 2 to 5 mouthpieces, all presented and shown (in text-form!) in the slide show during playing the clip.

Here is the link to the YouTube playlist with all 'PeeBee compare clips' uploads:

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Here is the first compare clip I did just publish, comparing 5 tenor mouthpieces (vintage and modern) of different brands:

Otto Link Florida no USA 10* vs Otto Link Master Link 9 vs Phil Tone Mosaic 9 vs 10mfan HR Merlot 9 vs Ponzol Super 120

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Song: Tenor Madness
Type: Mouthpiece comparison
Tenor sax: 1953 Selmer Super Balanced Action
Mouthpiece 1: 1950's Otto Link STM Florida no USA 10* (far left)
Mouthpiece 2: 1930's Otto Link Master Link 9 (refaced) (far right)
Mouthpiece 3: Modern Phil Tone Mosaic 9 (mid left)
Mouthpiece 4: Modern HR 10mfan Merlot 9 (mid right)
Mouthpiece 5: Modern metal Ponzol Super 120 (mid)
Reeds: Rico Plasticover 2 (1) / La Voz medium (others)

Feel free to react or comment!

 

[mrpeebee]

And here is the second compare clip, comparing 2 tenor mouthpieces (modern and vintage):

Theo Wanne metal Durga 12* vs Otto Link Florida no USA 10*

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Song: Tenor Madness
Type: Mouthpiece comparison
Tenor sax: 1953 Selmer Super Balanced Action
Mouthpiece 1: Modern Theo Wanne metal Durga 12* (right)
Mouthpiece 2: 1950's Otto Link STM Florida no USA 10* (left)
Reed: Rico Plasticover 2

 

[mrpeebee]

Third and last compare clip for this weekend, comparing two tenor saxophones in a fast swing number. First solo by the Aristocrat at 0:24, second solo by the SBA at 2:14, 4x4 at 4:00.

Conn Transitional vs Selmer Super Balanced Action (SBA)

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Song: It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
Type: Saxophone comparison
Tenor sax 1: 1932 Conn Transitional (right)
Tenor sax 2: 1953 Selmer Super Balanced Action (left)
Mouthpiece: Modern metal Ponzol Super 120
Reed: La Voz medium

 

[mrpeebee]

Here is a comparison between my Florida no USA 10* and five of my vintage Early Babbitt mouthpieces. Two solo choruses on each mouthpiece in the listed sequence (starting on 0:22). Opening and closing theme are played on two EB's.

Otto Link Florida no USA 10* vs five Otto Link Early Babbitt's (8, 8*, 10, 10* and 12)

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Song: Just Friends
Type: Mouthpiece comparison
Tenor sax: 1953 Selmer Super Balanced Action
Mouthpiece 1: 1970's Otto Link STM Early Babbitt 8 (refaced) (mid)
Mouthpiece 2: 1970's Otto Link STM Early Babbitt 8* (far left)
Mouthpiece 3: 1970's Otto Link STM Early Babbitt 10 (far right)
Mouthpiece 4: 1970's Otto Link STM Early Babbitt 10* (mid left)
Mouthpiece 5: 1970's Otto Link STM Early Babbitt 12 (mid right)
Mouthpiece 6: 1950's Otto Link STM Florida no USA 10* (mid)
Reed: La Voz medium

 

[mrpeebee]

Again a 'Tenor Madness' clip comparing 2 tenor mouthpieces played with the same reed (which did speak a bit less good on the Link):

10mfan HR Robusto 11* vs Otto Link Florida no USA 10*

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Song: Tenor Madness
Type: Mouthpiece comparison
Tenor sax: 1953 Selmer Super Balanced Action
Mouthpiece 1: Modern 10mfan HR Robusto 11* (right)
Mouthpiece 2: 1950's Otto Link STM Florida no USA 10* (left)
Reed: La Voz medium

 

[mrpeebee]

Here another compare clip between two tenor saxophones in a fast blues composed by Clifford Brown (Sandu):

Buescher Aristocrat vs Selmer Super Balanced Action (SBA)

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Song: Sandu
Type: Saxophone comparison
Tenor sax 1: 1945 Buecher Aristocrat (right)
Tenor sax 2: 1953 Selmer Super Balanced Action (left)
Mouthpiece: Modern metal Ponzol Super 120
Reed: La Voz medium

 

[lostcircuits]

Here another compare clip between two tenor saxophones in a fast blues composed by Clifford Brown (Sandu):

Buescher Aristocrat vs Selmer Super Balanced Action (SBA)

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Song: Sandu
Type: Saxophone comparison
Tenor sax 1: 1945 Buecher Aristocrat (right)
Tenor sax 2: 1953 Selmer Super Balanced Action (left)
Mouthpiece: Modern metal Ponzol Super 120
Reed: La Voz medium

I have to say I like the Buescher sound better than that Selmer. Great playing on both of them, though!

 

[mrpeebee]

I have to say I like the Buescher sound better than that Selmer. Great playing on both of them, though!

Thanks for checking out lostcircuits.

I also like the old 1945 Buescher. It's a bit more grainy / gritty compared to the Selmer, but also less flexible in shaping the sound (for me that is). I also had some intonation issues blending with the Big Band when I took it to the band rehearsal. I had it for 2 weeks on trial, but it went back to the owner. Some time later I tried a late (1965) Buescher 400 (I was looking for a backup tenor in that time) and I actually liked that horn very much. Fuller and more flexible sound compared to the Aristocrate and the application also felt about the same as my SBA, but in the end I didn't buy it (they asked too much money for that horn). So still happy with my SBA (if I can play it, hardly did play last year since that Corona stuff started)!

 

[lostcircuits]

I have a '24 TT and a '51 Aristocrat and the TT is the absolute monster in terms of sound but like you said, they have some limitations. None of my other horns can get anywhere near them when it comes to blues. I never played an SBA, it's on my bucket list but it is also a matter of how "connected" you are to any given horn, not to mention any minor differences that come from wear or maintenance. So my statement should have correctly been: I like that particular Buescher better than that particular SBA on the day that you recorded the track

 

[mrpeebee]

Another mouthpiece compare clip between my vintage Link and modern Durga, this time in 'Alone Together':

Otto Link Florida no USA 10* vs Theo Wanne metal Durga 12*

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Song: Alone Together
Type: Mouthpiece comparison
Tenor sax: 1953 Selmer Super Balanced Action
Mouthpiece 1: 1950's Otto Link STM Florida no USA 10* (left)
Mouthpiece 2: Modern Theo Wanne metal Durga 12* (right)
Reed: Rico Plasticover 2