[Coolie]

Last week I bought a Strathon 105 for my Yanagisawa 901. I must say that I am still trying to get used to this mpc as it is very slim for a hard rubber piece and the resistance seems to be quite high.
But its general intonation and response in the low register seem to be very convincing.
My questions:
Can anyone recommend a reed that is particularly suited for the Strathon?
How do you clean/dry the piece?

Looking forward to your tips

Uli

 

[EZ]

.105" is a very large tip opening for alto. I recommend a strength 2 reed or a soft/medium soft Fibracell. A silk pull-through is the best way to dry these out. Pull it through a few times with the baffle in the most forward and most rearward position. If possible, leave the mouthpiece out to air dry. By removing the screw on top, you can take the mouthpiece apart, though I don't recommend doing that very often - only if there is a lot of build-up inside the chamber.

Another thing to watch - sometimes the shank bore on these mouthpieces is very large and the mouthpiece fits loose on the neck cork. If it does not have a tight fit, that can cause playability issues. It's important for all mouthpieces to have the tip of the neck cork seal firmly against the shank bore of the mouthpiece.

Good Luck!

 

[maddenma]

Yeah, +1 on don't take it apart very often. Maybe once every 5 years or so, if you're not particularly good about cleaning it out with a swab regularly.

A .105 is freakin' HUGE for an alto! Start soft on something.... Might have to change your name to Uli "Lockjaw" if you're playing something harder than a 2.

Also, be aware, the Strathon's don't have the same taper to the shank that you might expect, so they tend to not swap well with other pieces (either make them loose, or the Strathon doesn't fit with a too large cork -- depending on where you need to tune the other piece).

I use the Rico Jazz Selects on alto and bari Strathons, but Vandoren blue box on my tenor piece.

Regarding the resistance, if it's leaking badly, it will push back at you (feels very resistant). To check this, hyold your hand over the table and completely close it off. Suck on the shank end. If it makes a hissing noise, it's leaking too much (they all leak a little).

To fix the leak, take it completely apart (pm me if you need/want instructions). Pull out the baffle with the rod and get a wax candle. Drip the wax on the adjusting rod end to end so you have a little buildup on it. Reassemble. You'll find it plays quite a bit better.

 

[Coolie]

Thank you for your comments/advice! I don't think that leaking is an issue yet because it is brand new. The "plop-test" works well at the moment. The tip opening seems to be similar to my Berg Larsen 105/2 SMS metal piece. So softer reeds seem to be the best choice. I will try that because so far I have played Brancher reeds # 3.

Uli

 

[maddenma]

BTW and FWIW, I use a chamois neck pull through to clean/dry mine. Slide the baffle all the way forward and pull the swab through a couple of times. Slide it all the way back and repeat. Pulling the swab through 3-4 times usually does it.