Uh... I'm a bit puzzled by now.
1) You think that a reface is too expensive, so you're planning to reface 3 metal mouthpieces.
2) You don't know what to expect from a reface, so -again- you are thinking about refacing all your metal mouthpieces, regardless if needed or not.
3) You feel very connected to the sound you get from your Lebayle (that needs a reface) so you opened another thread to look for a substitute.
4) You're not willing to take the risk to reface your Lebayle because you fear that it would not has the same sound. So you prefer to change the mouthpiece althogether, in order to be really sure to change your tone.
5) On a side note: buying a new mouthpiece would be much more expensive than refacing your Lebayle (that, at this point, I'm inclined to consider useless in the state it is)
Do yourself a favour and send it to a good refacer in your area (I don't know where you are from).
Alright, I am not sure where this sarcasm(hostility?) comes from.. I will try to explain myself because to a certain yes I'm bit confused about these stuff and I don't have enough experience that's why I do post in these forums to get help from other experienced members. However, I do think that most of your comments are coming from a judgmental base, I mean I did say some things that could translate into your statements, but one you don't know the whole story and two even if you do you literally took the extreme of anything I said in order to make a clear contrast.
So I'm sorry if I got you puzzled, here is my explanation (also, english is my third language so alot of things are lost in translation or at least misunderstood):
1) You think that a reface is too expensive, so you're planning to reface 3 metal mouthpieces.
I do think that reface is expensive, I did not say "too" expensive and there is a difference. I also mentioned that I need to pay around 45$ to send the mouthpiece and I don't know what to expect so that's why I prefer not doing it for my current setup (lebayle LRII) It is a metal mpc so it's goin to cost me around 220$ and I am not sure of the outcome so I prefer not to do it, let's say a local reface was around 80$, I might have send this piece for a slight touch-up or a check-up at least. However, lately I've been into metal mouthpieces, I have three others that I really feel they have the potential to be great (they lack in one way or another but overall they are very good mpcs) I have a berg 110/2 and otto stm 7* and a third unknown brand so what I said was "at some point" (aka not at the current moment) I might send my 3 metal mpcs for a reface, cz in that case maybe I'll get a better price having three metal mpcs refaced at the same time and they will share shipping charges which is a major cost for me around 50-60$ back and forth. And when I said at some point, I implicitly implied that when the factors I mentioned (cost, expectation, tone) that preventing me from refacing my lebayle, will eventually get a bit clearer so then I might for it, especially that most of the members here recommended. So I do know it is a "necessary" step but right now it feels too loose.
2) You don't know what to expect from a reface, so -again- you are thinking about refacing all your metal mouthpieces, regardless if needed or not.
Answer 1 could somehow answer your puzzlement regarding point 2 but I'll add on it. Right now my main piece is Lebayle LRII, I love the tone -> the performance is merely acceptable -> I don't have related experience in refacing -> I have no idea what to expect -> I prefer not risking it for now.
I have other metal MPCs which I think they have really good potential of becoming my main piece -> I will at some point send them of a reface
They are not my main piece so I could afford more risk on them and I will get to know more the results of a reface and in that case maybe I'll resend my lebayle after acquiring a bit of exp.
3) You feel very connected to the sound you get from your Lebayle (that needs a reface) so you opened another thread to look for a substitute.
I am not sure why you are so critical/sarcastic about my statements, you could translate any phrase/statement you read into a conflicted opinion if you want to.
Anw the explanation again for your puzzlement for number 3 is: *drum roll*
I feel connected to the Lebayle -> It has some performance issues -> I am considering all my options -> might send it for a reface or look for some other mpcs that have similar tonal qualities and maybe better performance.
and please note when I post any question about any subject it doesn't mean that I am going for it for sure. So for now I have posted regarding reeds, reface, and substitution for the lebayle. It does not mean that after I receive some posts I am going to change my reeds, send the lebayle for a reface, and buy another substitute for the lebayle. It is a forum after all where people share their experiences which will help other inexperienced members..
4) You're not willing to take the risk to reface your Lebayle because you fear that it would not has the same sound. So you prefer to change the mouthpiece althogether, in order to be really sure to change your tone.
Again, with all due respect, your comment is too critical/sarcastic/judgmental but I will try my best to solve your "real" puzzlement: (the answer is already in my previous answers but I will summarize it):
I love the SOUND of the lebayle -> I don't want to risk that for a performance adjustment by a reface, maybe my point is not valid but I don't know yet if a performance adjustment could alter the tone -> I am asking for opinions regarding MPCs that has similar tonal qualities (it DOES NOT mean that I am going to abandon my lebayle and go straight for another mpc) but maybe in the MPCs market there are some mpcs which has very similar/better design to the lebayle with better performance and are selling frequently here or on ebay for an affordable price, I could try those.
Right now, I have a mpc that is giving me a good sound to my ears, I don't want to risk that especially that I tried too many mpcs to get here. If I buy, a suggested similar mpcs, it might work or not but anw I am not losing anything special (maybe the cost but I can sell it back) because at the moment I don't have it and usually when I buy a new mpc I don't throw all my current ones, I keep them in case the new one did not work.
5) On a side note: buying a new mouthpiece would be much more expensive than refacing your Lebayle (that, at this point, I'm inclined to consider useless in the state it is)
Again, general/critical comment. No buying a new mouthpiece would not be much more expensive than refacing my Lebayle (unless by new you mean brand new, I defined new as in new to me).
A Lebayle reface will cost me ~150 + 50-60$ = ~200$. I bought all my mpcs for less than that, and some have a brand new price over 450$. I am sure that good hand refaced brand new mpcs (kulm, phil, sakshama...) are more expensive than refacing the lebayle. But please take into consideration (which was mentioned in my original post) I only buy used mpcs at affordable prices because I can't try them before and there is a high chance that I won't be using them and I like to try different brands, different thicknesses. So in many cases refacing my lebayle will be more expensive than buying a new mpc (which might or might not work but at the same time a reface is the same)
Your statement is a very good example how anyone can take any statement and fill the gaps as he wishes. For example:
"buying a new mouthpiece would be much more expensive than refacing your Lebayle" -> Ok a yamaha 4c is 30$ and a reface is 200$ including s/h, how is that possible so it could translate to no that is wrong you don't know anything related to mpcs or refacing.
however, I do get the point that you probably meant getting a custom or a hand refaced mouthpiece that should compare or be better than my lebayle LRII and considering that the stock price for a lebayle is ~500$ so I should expect paying around that number (400-600$) for a decent mpc which is more than getting a reface hence the latter is the better option.
Do yourself a favour and send it to a good refacer in your area (I don't know where you are from)
Thanks for your suggestion! I am a Lebanese living in Dubai, there are not a single refacer in the whole middle east.
As a final note; when anyone posts anything about anything, he cannot (due to practicality and time limitation and in some cases languages) state every single thought he is having at the moment and past thoughts which have led to his own inquiry. So you will expect to find some gaps, maybe a little bit of contrast and conflicting ideas here and there, but the whole idea should go through. Now if my two posts are really puzzling then I am really sorry about that (for me they're not, but I guess I can't judge my own posts, they will always seem logical in my head whatever they were) so only other forum members could judge upon that, but again if I said too many conflicting stuff I'm sorry. If you generally speaking got the main point/question behind my posts and intentionally filled up the gap in order to create this puzzlement to your own self (in the rare case that you are really puzzled by my posts) then with all due respect, you have issues.
