[giant steps]

I recently bought a vintage short shank tenor Soloist E and would like to have it refaced to about a G and add a bit of "balls" to the overall sound. Can anyone recommend a good technician for Selmer Soloist refacing?

Thanks.

 

[griff136]

You could try Ed pillinger in the UK - http://www.pillingermouthpieces.co.uk/index.html

He makes his own pieces and refaces mouthpieces for clarinet and sax.

 

[Twombles62]

My piece is done by Mark Spencer, and it kicks some serious ***. There's alot of pros here who play his pieces, quite a few play his soloists too, at least on alto.

He's in northern Australia so that it'd be pretty close to you in Japan.

 

[Bob M]

Erik Greiffenhagen does a great job on Soloists. He opened a tenor C* to .095" and added a small "shelf" to the baffle (using the existing material, versus adding material) and it gives the piece b*lls, while retaining the Soloist character. He did a similar one for me on Alto

 

[whaler]

I recently bought a vintage short shank tenor Soloist E and would like to have it refaced to about a G and add a bit of "balls" to the overall sound. Can anyone recommend a good technician for Selmer Soloist refacing?

Thanks.

Leave the E alone and buy C* to reface. The "E" tip openings are rare and you will lose a lot of resale value if you have it opened. You can find Soloists already opened up on ebay at decent prices.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280464276056&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160400310112&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

[Sigmund451]

Whaler has a point. E facings are big bucks. The price will only go down after reface regardless of who does the work, especially since you want the tone modified. I tend to do as he suggests and take more common openings and modernize them in these situations.

 

[Grumps]

Why permanently alter a valuable and highly desired commodity, that will never be made again, turning it into something it isn't with only the hope it may work for you. I'd say find a different mouthpiece better suited to your needs.

 

[MyMartinTenor]

I agree with the others -- don't mess with your E. You can easily get a C* up to a G, and no one minds another refaced tenor C*

 

[Horned Toad]

Two good recommendations here: leave it alone as E is valuable, or reface it larger. I can see value in both sides. The value in the enlarging the E rather than getting a C* and enlarging it is due to the fact that since the E is already larger, bringing it to a G can be done without having TOO MUCH baffle material. if you start with a C and take it to G you will have an excess of material in the baffle area. The piece will be overly bright and shrill if that baffle material is not removed. Unfortunately, removing that much baffle material will result in a very different shape/configuration of the baffle/tip and chamber areas and relationships. The mouthpiece will play very very differently than original. If you start with an E and enlarge it to a G, there will be a moderate baffle which will increase the bright and projection, but can be moderated such that the original character of the piece is not so heavily altered. if you have to remove all that rubber at the baffle, it will be very far from original character. However, good points on both sides.

 

[giant steps]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll leave it as it is for now. I came across this piece for about $150 at a music store in Tokyo ... VERY rare in this town where a similar piece could go for up to $800. I guess I should hang on to it in its original condition but I would love to make it into my ultimate piece. It blows well as it it but I've been used to 7* rubber Link-style pieces so it seems a little too soft. Back to the woodshed...

 

[J.Max]

I recently bought a vintage short shank tenor Soloist E and would like to have it refaced to about a G and add a bit of "balls" to the overall sound. Can anyone recommend a good technician for Selmer Soloist refacing?

Thanks.

Ted Klum might be able to do it, but I don't know if he does custom work. I just had one of his custom long-shanks and it was awesome, except for the beak, which was too arched for me (A Selmer problem, not his.).

 

[Pete Thomas]

I'll add another vote for Ed Pillinger.

I've got him to turn a couple of soloists into real killer mouthpieces. Either totally custom or recreate known facings, e.g. vintage Meyers and Links. Also Bill Wrathall, but may be hard to get hold of. And Phil Barone is has done some good work but you may need to wait a while by all accounts. The only other refacers I know of are dead.

 

[CSharp]

Definitely Erik Greiffenhagen. www.MouthpieceGuys.com He loves these pieces!

 

[Sigmund451]

Ive opened C* pieces a long way and the tonality can be maintained. It is a lot of work and takes a lot of time but it is possible. On the other hand I have no interest in cutting into anyone's 800 dollar mouthpiece. Im confident but the risk isnt worth it on the customer side or the craftsman in my humble opinion.