[fadedsignal]

I have been rather curious about playing one of these, and wanted to see if anyone had any experience and/or thoughts to share on them before I pull the trigger and play one.

Right now I am playing a Florida Link 7 and am happy with my tonal characteristics. I am more curious than anything. As we all know very well, the mouthpiece hunt is a continuous one.

Thanks!

 

[CountSpatula]

You got a great link and your still looking? Unless your link is missing something don't switch...never played a Morgan Excalibur so I can't help you out there.

 

[fadedsignal]

You got a great link and your still looking? Unless your link is missing something don't switch...never played a Morgan Excalibur so I can't help you out there.

I am not really thinking about switching - it is more for curiosity's sake. I think we all sometimes get curious as to how other pieces play.

 

[bfoster64]

If you like the Link, and you're interested in a Morgan, you should try a Morgan 8EL. They are great pieces that hold their resale value. I've tried a lot of nice mpcs and I'm still loving mine.

 

[fadedsignal]

If you like the Link, and you're interested in a Morgan, you should try a Morgan 8EL. They are great pieces that hold their resale value. I've tried a lot of nice mpcs and I'm still loving mine.

I was just looking at that one on JunkDude.com as I read this. I am considering it for sure. Curiosity can be expensive I suppose, but considering the fact that I am going through serious withdrawls right now because my VI is in for an overhaul, the cost is justified for the love of playing.

 

[bfoster64]

Based on my experience, the 8EL works great with 3 and 3.5 reeds. It has a tip about 100. If you use a softer reed you might want the 9EL, which measures 110. I've owned them both and they're both great pieces. Most people commenting on Morgan tenor pieces on SOTW have favored the large-chambered pieces. On alto, the medium chambers seem more popular. Both Morgans and RPCs get a lot of good press around here, and for good reason. The finishing work, response, and tone on all four of the Morgans I have owned has been outstanding.

 

[ving]

I really like the 9E I have--in fact I have two. I used to play RPC rollover pieces, and I still like the RPC baffled models but for a rollover piece I stumbled on the Morgans and really like them. I'm not as crazy about large chamber pieces on tenor--I seem to favor more focus. The Excalibur for tenor was the closest I have found to the playability of the RPC but with more core and depth--to me anyhow. I have thought of trying the EL, but the E is pretty much what I need. Using Jazz Select 3M on this one, and I find with the .110 tiip it offers a lot more than I could get out of the RPC rollover with slightly larger tip and softer reeds...

 

[hornimprovement]

I've been playing a 9EL on tenor for years. It wil most likely be brighter than the Link. In my shop I have sold mostly large chambers(EL) on tenor, while the small chamber(E)models were more popular on altos.

 

[docformat]

8EL is the best piece I have played. They are brighter but are also amazingly flexible - if you muck around with reeds you'll get the sound you want (probably).

 

[Reedsplinter]

I really like the 9E I have--in fact I have two. I used to play RPC rollover pieces, and I still like the RPC baffled models but for a rollover piece I stumbled on the Morgans and really like them. I'm not as crazy about large chamber pieces on tenor--I seem to favor more focus. The Excalibur for tenor was the closest I have found to the playability of the RPC but with more core and depth--to me anyhow. I have thought of trying the EL, but the E is pretty much what I need. Using Jazz Select 3M on this one, and I find with the .110 tiip it offers a lot more than I could get out of the RPC rollover with slightly larger tip and softer reeds...

This matches my experience, except I go the other way. I largely stopped using my Excalibur 8 after I got my RPC, but I still like the Excalibur a lot. Here we go into slippery semantic territory, but: of all the mouthpiece I have played, the Morgan is (to me) the most tonally neutral, while still delivering a lot of projection. By that I mean that it seems to me to be right smack in the middle of the bright/dark spectrum. Very different from a Link, though not better necessarily, depending on what you're after. It took me awhile to get used to the fact that it delivers projection with minimal resistance. The guy I bought it from -- a knowledgeable horn tech/mouthpiece refacer -- touted that characteristic of the piece above everything else, and he was right, though it took me a good many hours of playing to understand exactly what he meant, and even now I fear I'm not explaining it very well.

 

[bfoster64]

One of the reasons Morgans project so well, even without a wedge baffle, is that Morgan puts a little pinch between the baffle and the chamber. He says this gives an extra "pop" to the sound. I think he's right. There's a certain defined roundness that you don't hear in other pieces. It's different than a tight core sound. My 8EL produces a big, round, and solid sound to my ears with the right reed. I would agree that the sound is between bright and dark. It is a nice flexible sound. The Excaliburs have a thin body so they really vibrate and respond quickly. You can make them buzz a little when you blow hard. It's pretty cool, and adds nice texture when you're with an amplified band.

 

[fadedsignal]

I must say that in reading the responses to this, my curiosity has more than doubled. I have read extensive information in regards to Ralph Morgan and the techniques and attention to detail that he employs, and I really think that I enjoy playing one of his pieces. I am meandering between trying an 8EL and 9EL. I will probably play both and see which I like.

Thanks everyone for the excellent reviews and information.

I like this place. I am glad I joined.

 

[Reedsplinter]

One of the reasons Morgans project so well, even without a wedge baffle, is that Morgan puts a little pinch between the baffle and the chamber. He says this gives an extra "pop" to the sound. I think he's right. There's a certain defined roundness that you don't hear in other pieces. It's different than a tight core sound. My 8EL produces a big, round, and solid sound to my ears with the right reed. I would agree that the sound is between bright and dark. It is a nice flexible sound. The Excaliburs have a thin body so they really vibrate and respond quickly. You can make them buzz a little when you blow hard. It's pretty cool, and adds nice texture when you're with an amplified band.

This seems exactly right to me. The RPC has similar characteristics in many ways, though it's less neutral, projects even more, and has more on-demand buzz (though it makes a darker palette available too). Thus I prefer it for most occasions (it's an enormously flexible piece, and has what is for me unprecedented dark/bright range). But the Morgan is a very strong mouthpiece, and I'll definitely keep it around always.

Maybe you can find your way to a dealer who'll let you try these out. That's what I did back in 1994 or so; the Excalibur I bought was used, actually, so I got a terrific deal on it. That dealer was pushing the Morgans in his store pretty hard, and of course nothing is to everyone's tase; mine was a return. Try them if you can.

 

[SaxJazz12]

It seems like a lot of people refer to the "E" as bright--but for whatever reason, it hasn't played that way for me! I find that it has a very "pure" sound...really works for the whole Mark Turner thing.

 

[ving]

Me too, the second of the two 9E's I have owned now is quite dark as well--I may order another one to compare.

 

[saxmanjack]

Strange, I was seriously underwhelmed by the 9E I tried, and I like medium-chambered pieces. Nice pure tone, but no projection...

 

[Thomas]

My take on Morgan mouthpieces. Well made and responsive but very generic tone, little character, reminds me of the Yanagisawa pieces. If you play an STM you're not going to like this.

 

[ving]

I don't know, for me the 9E is a really lively mouthpiece still on the darker end of the spectrum. Someone else said that to me, that they considered it to have no "character", but by that I think they meant "edge". Mine has a lot of projection, more than other HR trad. pieces I have had in the past--like Ponzol, Barone, etc. Not as loud as a baffled piece, but thats not why I play it...
I guess thats the beauty of every player hearing different things in the sound....

 

[Thomas]

.
I guess thats the beauty of every player hearing different things in the sound....

Absolutely..

 

[Peterogping]

6 more or less professional tenor players have been at my home trying the large collection of mouthpieces I have accumulated. They also tried my Morgan 8 EL.
All 6 concluded that it was the best of them all, full tone, easy to play. (The other pieces they tried included RPCs high baffle and roll-over, a Florida Link STM, a New York USA Meyer, Vandoren V16, Saxscape Uptown, Brilhart Hard Rubber and a couple of handmade Guardalas. So the other pieces were not the worst).
I should add that all of them were playing MK VI. For me, listening, the Morgan took away the stuffy character of the MK VI sound.
Just my two "øre". (We don't have cents in Denmark.)