[-TH]

Well, I uploaded some sound clips of four different tenor mouthpieces that I have. They're all very different and they all have their pros and cons.. Mouthpieces tested were:

- HR Otto Link 5*
- Otto Link NY STM 5*
- Metal RIA 4*
- HR Yanagisawa 7

(!!not in that order!!)

All mpcs were used with a Rico Royal #3 reed.
I'm sorry that the sound clips are just some "noodling", no real playing. I was just playing different licks and bluesy things. So no actual songs were played. And all of the samples contain different licks and stuff.. so it's not so easy to compare them.

Tell me what do you think!

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=750438

-TH

 

[gary]

First off, nice playing, man. Are you a professonal?

Regarding the mpcs, I don't really know what is a characteristic sound for many mpcs since even within their make, model numbers can vary so here are a few general comments.
#4 seemed to be the most different of the four. The sound seemed a bit more covered and woody.
#3 had a nice overall evenness to it in the various registers.
#2 was similar to #3 except it seemed a little more compact.
#1 again similar to #3 but with a slight nasal quality buried in there someplace.
It'll be interesting for me to match up my impressions with which was which. Thanks for taking thetime to record those clips.

 

[-TH]

Thanks Gary! I'm not a pro. By daytime I work at an office (business management) and by night I play jazz ;-) Originally a classical clarinet player and a self-taught sax player.

I'm a bit dissappointed on the record quality. I didn't have a mic stand and the mic was placed on a chair and I had to literally play on my knees First recorded to an MD and then transferred to my computer..

The #4 clip wasn't played straight to the mic and that's why the sound is more "woody" than it actually was originally.

Nice to hear different comments about those mpcs. Waiting for more..

-TH

 

[dstack79]

First off, nice playing, man. Are you a professonal?

Regarding the mpcs, I don't really know what is a characteristic sound for many mpcs since even within their make, model numbers can vary so here are a few general comments.
#4 seemed to be the most different of the four. The sound seemed a bit more covered and woody.
#3 had a nice overall evenness to it in the various registers.
#2 was similar to #3 except it seemed a little more compact.
#1 again similar to #3 but with a slight nasal quality buried in there someplace.
It'll be interesting for me to match up my impressions with which was which. Thanks for taking thetime to record those clips.

My feedback is the exact same except I actually preferred #1. I wldn't say it was nasal, but definitely more clear than the others. Sounded "tighter", which I like on tenor.

Nice playing as always.

 

[dstack79]

The #4 clip wasn't played straight to the mic and that's why the sound is more "woody" than it actually was originally.

You should re-record #4 w/ same mic placement as other mpc's. More accurate comparison.

 

[dstack79]

I'll take a stab:

#1: Otto Link NY STM 5*
#2 Metal RIA 4*
#3: HR Yanagisawa 7
#4 HR Otto Link 5*

 

[Nefertiti]

I preferred #3 a lot over the others. I thought it sounded fatter to me. #4 sounded nasally to me. #1 was nice it isn't as big as #3 but has a focused sound to it. #2 was fatter than #1 but it also had a nasal quality to it. I think I would go with #3 or #1 Steve

 

[-TH]

So, no more guesses? :x

*bump*

Well, I'll tell you the "results":

1) Metal RIA 4*
2) Otto Link Tone Edge 5*
3) Yanagisawa HR 7
4) Otto Link SuperToneMaster NY 5*

Interesting comments guys! I thought you would all prefer the Links, but that was not the case.

The metal RIA is quite focused, not as fat sounding as the Links, but very powerful mouthpiece. It's also _VERY_ easy to play. That's my choice when I have to play in electric bands. What it lacks in richness and complexity, it shines on power and ease of playing.

The rest, including 2 Links and the Yanagisawa, are very good basic jazz mouthpieces. The Yanagisawa is a bit more responsive and loud than the Links, but it has that "nasal" quality to the sound. HR Link is just great to play, verrrry smooth sounding piece (my favorite of the bunch). The metal Link is the one that I love and hate (depending which day it is) Sometimes it works like a charm and sometimes not.. quite picky with reeds.

Soundwise I prefer Links. The STM has bit more power but it's not the most reliable mouthpiece. I love the Tone Edge Link. It doesn't have the smokiness of the metal Link, but it sure sounds beautiful (dark and smooth).

Thanks for you time everybody!

-TH

 

[Step Hen]

I preferred 1 too, but I'd have to be honest and say I didn't hear much difference (that's my tin ear, not a comment on the test!). I do like "clear".