[heath]

For those that have played one of these what's the sound like. Does it have a round chamber. Straight side walls. What's the throat look like...round/square?

I was wondering if getting one for cheap and opening up the tip would be worth my time and money.

Thanks.

 

[milandro]

I have had two, one C* for tenor and a D for Alto.
The Chamber is round and the throat is D shaped like in the Soloist....in fact, it is my opinion that a Metal Jazz is nothing else than a Metal Soloist (and like this one older models are short shank and newer are long shank, there have been complaints in the use of older types on modern saxophones and otherwise).
It has a nice projective sound and, compared to most metal pieces is very wide and substantial. Definitely a lead instrument mouthpiece. I didn't have very good results with the tenor C*(maybe a larger opening would have improved something but the piece, as it is built, is very resistive).
If you like the Selmer Soloist pieces, this is your piece, very expensive new they can be very cheap second hand, shop around, there are many out there unloved and unsold.

 

[baritone]

I used to have a modern Selmer Jazz D metal tenor. It's quite a bright and edgy piece for me. I used a 2.5 reed that time and I thinks thats too soft for the mpc.
Used it on a 10M and a Yamaha custom tenor, I think a darker horn goes much better with it, ie the YTS-875

it is similar to a Dukoff power chamber, but with thicker sound. I just don't like those Dukoffs....

 

[stevesklar]

I had an alto E and still have a tenor piece E now reworked as an F

As Milandro has said they have a U chamber - straight sidewalls.

The baffle from the tip down to the throat is raised as compared to the Classic metal, which basically reshapes the throat from the O to a U. This gives it a brighter tone and more projection. A Good lead piece as M as stated.

On the alto I found it too bright for my ears (though I tend to be on the dark side in my likings)

On the tenor is it quite nice for lead playing.

Mine isn't resistant at all, though it is a much larger tip opening than Ms

I actually prefer my large tip Classic or Link mpc or Couf 8*J

I have pics if you want, just email me.

 

[stevesklar]

I should also mention that the selmer lig really made it edgy (all the selmer metals). I use a Rovner on my Selmer metal pieces and it really tames them and gives them a good response.

On my alto with the metal lig it didn't just peel paint, it vaporized it. With the rovner it was still to bright for my liking though good for someone that likes bright. The tenor pieces are much better. OF course, my view of bright is different .. probably on on the lower scale of bright on most ppl charts.

 

[milandro]

Yep, same experience, very bright the Alto, less so the Tenor (I did play the tenor with a ultimate ligature from Francois Louis and it was very good but the sound was not the balladeer sound I was after, although it was way better than other even HR pieces! I've tried the tenor on Weltklang, King Cleveland and Dolnet. The alto was as bright as a berg larsen or a dukoff on my Martin and it was a bad combination. Played considerably better (but not my sound) on a Super Action 80 II alto. You could pierce neat holes in the walls of the practice room with its sound!

 

[heath]

Thanks guys for the info. I recently had a soprano classic metal piece opened up by Brian Powell and it's the best soprano piece I've ever played period. It has the most effortless bottom to top range and it has a tone so sweet it brings a tear to my eye.

I do like Selmer Soloist HR and have had 5 of them. Brian Powell did a C* opened up to .105 and it's another one of those pieces that has "it".

I'm at a toss up what to do. I've got a line a old Selmer metal with the fluted body and it's not too expensive. I just didn't know about the piece. I don't even know for sure if it's a jazz(he says it's a jazz) or classical piece. He told me it's a short shank and it has the scrolled shank with the fluted sides, but I've haven't seen if it's a horse shoe chamber or if it has an "O" chamber/throat.

I saw a video of Pharoah Sanders with a tenor Selmer metal piece that looked like the older model I'm describing above with the fluted sides. It kind of caught my attention.

I figure I'd buy it and have it opened up to .105 my favorite tip size.

 

[milandro]

if it is a Jazz it says Jazz with slant characters on the table, it shouldn't be too short a shank, if it is, it is a very old one, some people complained about them, some others love them on very vintage horns and some use them on C-melodies too. If it has scrolled shank it is probably a classic.