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I can't believe he has some mouthpeices that don't come with cap. It's terrible image.
I've read this a couple of times and for the life of me can't even figure out how this would happen. The only thing I could figure is that instead of loosening the screws maybe you were tightening the screws more and that act was somehow pushing the metal of the ligature outward and expanding it? I have no idea.........I just bought a Durga 4 metal 8* and had saved up for a year to get it so was super excited for it to arrive not having "clicked with any of my other mouthpieces yet.
It was bit of an adjustment to an 8 from the David Zagar Cool School I'd been playing on but I definitely prefer a smaller mouthpiece after finding the Jody Jazz HR always seeming "flat" and just too big in my mouth. (I have residual effects of Bell's Palsy that affected the use of some of my facial muscles) so I thought I'd see if it worked better moving the ligature forward one notch. Took out the trusty included hex screwdriver and loosened the screws and that's when it all went badly!
the ligature just would not fit back on the mouthpiece at all!! I unscrewed the screws all the way, and tried several times to re-attach the ligature to another position without success. I ended up going back to the middle position it had come in, screwed the screws in but it appears to have somehow stretched the width of the ligature so now it just falls right off!
I am beyond belief disappointed, especially as it cost me way more than I could really justify but I'd heard they were the bees knees. Now, after just one day, I have a ligature that doesn't work and a long dreamed of mouthpiece I can't even play because none of my other ligatures fit on it.
I am beyond disappointed. I've written to them to let them know what happened. I'm going to make a YouTube video to show what happened as I'm sure mine can't be an isolated case. At the price these mouthpieces are, I expect that the included ligature works the way it's supposed to. If they are not meant to be adjusted, then maybe don't include a screwdriver and instructions inside the box telling you the ligature can be moved up or down to change the tone from "more spread" to "more focussed"?
I seriously just cried when it all fell apart in my hands.
Note to self: Don't believe the hype!
I'm glad you got this sorted out Lisa, and even better that you love the mpc.Update:
...at least I can finally play this thing now!
And I have to say, after playing on it all day, and frustrations with fiddly ligature screws aside, I think I have found my soul mate mouthpiece at last! It totally ROCKS!!!
Note to self: Sometimes hype is legit 😂
If you are looking for a trouble free upgrade to Theo's lig I just tried my Vandoren Optimum V16 lig on my Gaia 3 Metal Tenor and it fits great and plays better.Update:
The guys at Theo Wanne got back to me straight away with assurances that they'd sort it out and replace it if need be (kudos to them for great customer service)
Was telling a friend about how frustrated I was by it and he says "Show me" so I did and he fiddled around with it and somehow managed to re-attach it making me feel like a total idiot! I have no idea what he did that I hadn't done as the lig had ended up stretched a lot wider from my attempts to re-insert the tiny hex screws than it had when I first took it off, and are now screwed almost all the way into the holes to hold it in place, but at least I can finally play this thing now!
And I have to say, after playing on it all day, and frustrations with fiddly ligature screws aside, I think I have found my soul mate mouthpiece at last! It totally ROCKS!!!
Note to self: Sometimes hype is legit ?
The current metal TW mouthpieces can take any ligature that fits all you have to do is unscrew the Liberty ligature and remove it. I use Rovner light 3ML on my tenor and baritone Durgas, big improvement in the response!For me, radial screws are mostly a pain, and a geometrical nonsense. Furthermore, TW’s stuff makes it an additional pain to cover your reed during breaks. On their HR pieces, you can use other ligs and caps, dunno about their current metal pieces. The older metal models I played (Brahma and Datta) could also take any lig & cap.
As many may be aware, the pressure plates on TW ligatures are all the same size-they sell a pressure plate kit that has plates of different finish and thickness, they say it can be used on any Enlightened or Liberty ligature for soprano, alto, tenor, or baritone sax. But I would think that as the reed gets larger, the plate should be a bit wider ,side to side at least, to support that reed. I think it's silly to assume that a plate that supports a soprano reed, for example, can adequately support a tenor or baritone saxophone reed. Just my two cents worth.....Hi All
I currently use a Theo Wanne Gai 2 Metal mouthpiece but yesterday decided to get out the Hard Rubber equivalent which I haven't used in a while.
Personally I prefer to use the metal version pure and simply because it has a built in ligature which is useable and feels more comfortable in my mouth whilst the HR version has that dreadful metal ring ligature that never keeps the reed in place when you try and tighten it so its always a real hassle putting a reed on and keeping it in the right place.
The HR seems to create a better sound when playing some songs whilst the metal one seems to be able to generate more power and has a punchier aspect to it but that just may be because I havent used the HR one in a while but the biggest difference imo is that the HR seems to handle saliva build up inside the chamber better than the metal one with the latter always generating that saliva moving around the mouthpiece swirling noise.
Anyway this is not a post about HR v Metal but an enquiry as to what people think about the ligature approach by Theo Wanne?
I cant understand why they have a built in one for the metal and a very unpractical more or less unuseable one for the HR mouthpiece.
In fact I use a Rovner on the HR as it seems to hold a reed much better and tbh am thinking of doing the same for the metal one too as even that built in one isnt ideal.
Just be interested to hear everyone elses thoughts on this aspect of ligatures for Theo Wanne mouthpieces and whether anyone else has done similar or tried to substitute the original ones with alternatives
Although I am no expert on sax or on mouthpieces and/or ligatures I cant help but feel that the ligature approach on Theo Wanne mouthpieces are more for show and a gimmick rather than some kind of superior design for ligatures. and superior and/or optimal performance
They DEFINITELY need to be redesigned!In my opinion both the hard rubber and metal moupiece ligatures that Theo Wanne supplies are awful, I avoid using any of them myself.
"......Blue Loctite as recommended........ "
Where and who suggested/recommended this?
When i removed mine, well more so it fell off. the arms of the lig are wider than the mouthpiece now so how can i replace it back onto the mouthpiece?? I have all the screws and Blue Locktite. But the arms of the lig are wider and i cant bend the arms back in?I've removed mine and changed the position many times, I doubt it will bend much if at all. The biggest concern I had was losing the hex screws. I did buy some blue locktite as recommended to keep them secure while playing. They come with a bit on them but I fiddled with my lig quite a bit so they needed more to secure them. I wouldn't worry about the lig bending.
Mars - I'm sorry to hear you are having difficulties with your ligature. Please shoot me a PM here or an email at matt@theowanne.com and we'll do our best to assist and get things squared away for youWhen i removed mine, well more so it fell off. the arms of the lig are wider than the mouthpiece now so how can i replace it back onto the mouthpiece?? I have all the screws and Blue Locktite. But the arms of the lig are wider and i cant bend the arms back in?