Selmer Concept?

milandro said:

not yet, but they are not likely to develop something for a market that small any time soon.

If you like the idea, why don't you get in touch with SYOS and see if the can produce you ( they do 3D mouthpieces) which will take the curve and design to the size you need?

They are expert acoustitians and may be interested, their production method allows for a small time production.

https://www.syos.co/en/contact

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That's an interesting idea. I wouldn't know how to describe the sound well enough to produce a scaled-up version for bari, but it may be worth expoloring.

KeithL said:

What's the difference between the Concept and other Selmer pieces like the Super Session, Spirit, and Soloist? The outside shapes are different but internally they all seem very similar to me- just curious?

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I only have experience with the scroll shank Larry Teal and Soloist/Soloist Style pieces. The Soloist/Style models have a horseshoe-shaped chamber, the LTs are round. I actually find the LT and the Concept to be somewhat similar, but the Concept seems to have a thinner, flatter beak, a smaller tip, and longer facing. Sound-wise I find the Concept just a little fuller and more complex, but only trying one of each, the differences could be attributed to the inherent inconsistencies from piece to piece.

I've wanted to try the Spirit (Meyer-ish) and the SD20 (original round chamber Soloist, discontinued?), but haven't had the chance yet. Still haven't tried a Super Session yet, either.

rzzzzz said:

probably just me, but on soprano i find the Concept to trend more oboe than flute on the low end. like the Selmer Classic Metal.

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The Metal Classic is one of my main jazz pieces, which could be why I like the Concept so much. I get a touch more oboe out of the Selmer pieces on my Antigua soprano compared to my Rascher, which I find more "flutey"; but the Concept is not too oboe-y, overall a very pleasing sound.

For bari I find the Rascher and Caravan pieces to be very cello-like. I'm wondering if a Concept would give it more of a bassoon-type sound.

LostConn said:

a Concept mouthpiece for baritone sax probably would have a street price of close to $400. Would you be prepared to pay that?

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Apparently ordering from European vendors is a little cheaper, but I've gotten all my Concepts on the used market at a nice discount. I'm very patient. :bluewink:

So today blowing my bari I got curious. The tenor Concept is longer than any of my other tenor pieces, so I thought, "why not?" It went snuggly onto the cork about 3/4", and actually played! Intonation wasn't quite as good as it is on tenor, but it was certainly passable. The tone was a little muffled, but I probably just needed to try a different reed. Basically what I'm saying, based on my extensive ~6.5 minutes of playtime , is that with some minor modifications (and a slightly longer shank), a bari Concept seems like a real possibility!