[hallkat]

Was there or is there any alto players using a TE or STM

 

[mrpeebee]

I know two alto players using an STM:

Benjamin Herman uses an 8* (probably a Florida):

Illinois Jacquet used a 7 or 7* modern STM (solo starts at 2:17):

I play a modern STM 9* on alto, if I play alto (only once per five years, if I don't forget about it!):
https://www.soundclick.com/music/songInfo.cfm?songID=12416247

 

[Guto]

I like the STM on alto too. Very powerful and easy blowing. Mine is a 7*.

 

[timboniface]

Me too - I've recently been using a Florida STM 7* on both a 6M and a Cigar Cutter. Absolutely stunning to play. Loads of expressive range and once I got used to it the intonation is pretty good. Have done a couple of youtube recordings with it in the last fortnight - people seemed to like the sound. They're posted on the 'youtube videos' section.

 

[turf3]

Nope, not a single one. All those Otto Link alto mouthpieces sold, they go the same place as the socks in your dryer - they get turned into wire hangers.

 

[Aquarian]

I have a modern STM 6* that I used exclusively for years. It's interesting that most people seem to go for even more open tips, I consider the 6* fairly open but I guess not. I haven't played a Tone Edge but I'm curious how they play.

I actually put away my Link for the last couple months as I got a Select Jazz D6M and have been playing that. Yesterday I was just not happy with it, both sound and playing experience, and brought out my STM again. It's not as punchy, and the easier to voice low register has the trade off of a harder to voice high register, but I like it, and it's more enjoyable to play (more freeblowing) than the Select Jazz, and is beautiful in a different way. Maybe because I played it so long, it's my comfortable standard. I like the Select Jazz but I may go back to the Link as my main piece.

I'm a bit surprised that the alto/tenor thing is so strictly divided between Meyer and Link. Tradition is really strong, I guess, but seeing as I got a Link because of Coltrane I can't really say anything against it. At least now you have a lot of new, different designs, but it seems to me a bit of a shame you have 50 variations on a Meyer for alto, 50 variations on a Link for tenor, and mostly they don't bother to bring any over the other way. You can get a Link for alto or a Meyer for tenor but even JJ Babbitt doesn't make the special ones for the other. If you want a good alto Link style with higher quality, you search for the grail or get a custom reface.

I like the STM, it's a certain sound and is too overlooked on alto.

 

[Hornlip]

I have mostly played a Meyer on alto, and recently mostly an old Tonalin I had opened up, but I’ve got a couple of recent production used STM alto pieces I bought simply out of curiosity because nobody much seems to play them. I like them both a lot. I don’t know why they aren’t more popular. Maybe habit as much as anything. I was handed a Meyer when I started, and stuck with it for years because it worked and I liked it. If somebody had handed me a STM I might have done the same thing with it.

They are different from a Meyer. Players can get really chauvinistic about their gear, so if they try something too far afield of their preferred style of mouthpiece they have an allergic reaction.

 

[Benjamin Allen]

Some guy named Branford Marsalis was playing on an alto STM the last time I saw him on jazz alto. But it's been a little bit of time.

 

[whaler]

I have an a Early Babbitt Link 6 but I rarely play alto so I stick with the Meyer 5. I do like the sound of a Link mouthpiece on alto.
I’ve always wanted to find a Selmer England mouthpiece like Bird played but no luck. I do have the tenor version which plays really well.
I bought it thinking I might someone to trade me for an alto piece.
I put it on here for sale since I don’t play it.

 

[reeddoubler]

Great English saxophonist Pete King plays a STM on alto. It’s a 6 that he has a small piece of tape under the but of his reed to pivot the reed a bit to close the tip of the piece.

 

[mrpeebee]

Julian Pressley plays a older HR Otto Link on alto.

 

[reeddoubler]

Bud Shank played on a Tone Edge for the last several years of his life ( after playing Brilharts for most of his career). He played the Link on his Big Band CD “Taking the Long Way Home”(which I was on).

 

[Aquarian]

Since we're having this thread, I'd like to ask what people think of the tone edge and how modern versions are vs vintage. Not that I need any more mouthpieces!

 

[Hornlip]

Tbh over the years I haven’t run into many more people playing tone edges on alto than I have STMs. I don’t even know how much they differ from a Meyer.

 

[Benjamin Allen]

Since we're having this thread, I'd like to ask what people think of the tone edge and how modern versions are vs vintage. Not that I need any more mouthpieces!

This is an incredibly complicated question. Theo Wanne has an excellent website, his mouthpiece museum, which describes mouthpieces in great detail. I would start there. https://theowanne.com/knowledge/mouthpiece-museum/
Best,
Ben

 

[Aquarian]

Tbh over the years I haven't run into many more people playing tone edges on alto than I have STMs. I don't even know how much they differ from a Meyer.

I don't have an actual Meyer but I have a D'Addario Select Jazz and an STM. They are VERY different but man, you might not think so from looking. Both have rollover baffles, scooped sidewalls, nearly the same tip opening (D6M at .078 and 6* at .080), and both are tight as bicycle shorts on the cork. The Select Jazz is way brighter and louder, but takes more air and is harder to play, as well as being harder to get clear bell tones (notes under bottom C). The STM is picky in that any spit will mess up the tone, and the high notes take a bit more voicing to play consistently.

I actually bought it thinking I would get something similar but "better". How naive I was just 3 months ago.

 

[Hornlip]

Well, I was referring to the Tone Edge specifically; I've a couple STM alto pieces, so I know how they differ from Meyers.

I don't have an actual Meyer but I have a D'Addario Select Jazz and an STM. They are VERY different but man, you might not think so from looking. Both have rollover baffles, scooped sidewalls, nearly the same tip opening (D6M at .078 and 6* at .080), and both are tight as bicycle shorts on the cork. The Select Jazz is way brighter and louder, but takes more air and is harder to play, as well as being harder to get clear bell tones (notes under bottom C). The STM is picky in that any spit will mess up the tone, and the high notes take a bit more voicing to play consistently.

I actually bought it thinking I would get something similar but "better". How naive I was just 3 months ago.

 

[lydian]

Well, I was referring to the Tone Edge specifically; I've a couple STM alto pieces, so I know how they differ from Meyers.

I recently compared an alto Tone Edge to my Meyer, both modern. I was hoping for a little more volume and brightness from the TE, but they played and sounded identical.

 

[Aquarian]

In the interest of answering my own questions, I looked on youtube:

 

[reeddoubler]

Jerome Richardson was playing a Tone Edge on Alto the last few years of his life as well.