[Gene]

After spending money on 3mpcs a custom conn eagle and morgan both at .065 and a bari at .072 I found the bari plays best in tune but not the sound I like.I prefer the sound of the conn eagle but to many tunning issues although other people seem to like it.What would I have to do to get the fatter rich sound of the conn eagle.Most of the tunning problem start at C3 when useing the othe mpc's even a Caravan I really love that dark sound but the Bari seems to sing really well up high.Any suggestions for a better mpc

 

[maddenma]

Which Morgan? I use the Vintage (in a 6), which sings quite well through the horn and I don't have intonation issues with it.

 

[Dave Dolson]

My Conn Eagle has horrible intonation (for me) on any soprano (I have six right now). On my TT straight and modern Yanagisawas, I use Morgan Vintage 6 (.065) and 7 (.070), and a Selmer Super Session J (.069). I can use the same reed on the Morgan 7 and the SSJ but need a slightly harder reed on the Morgan 6. All give good intonation. The Morgans are bit warmer than the SSJ.

You may need to work more on the reeds you are using - they can make a HUGE difference in tone. DAVE

 

[Little Sax]

Selmer SS-J works and so does my Barone Vintage 7.

 

[bruce bailey]

Dave and others will disagree with me but I have found the cheap Yamaha 4C (under $20) to work well on these. The Super Session is great if you like more open tips and has a lot of good edge. I find the 4C to have a round full sound that matches my vintage sopranos very well. I also use them in other tips like the 5C, etc.

 

[SAXISMYAXE]

Threads merged. SOTW rules do not permit multiple posting of identical topics in varying sub forums.

 

[robert brunsdon]

Hi, I use a Selmer S80 E on mine with no issues. Robert

 

[Grumps]

A very open Selmer Super Session gave me the best intonation results with my curved TT soprano as opposed to the vintage type mouthpieces I used to play with it.

 

[Dave Dolson]

Bruce: Funny . . . I really don't disagree, recognizing that each one of us plays a certain mouthpiece differently. For some, that 4C may be the ideal set-up - one just has to try them all and make a personal decision.

But what these responses tell me (and I knew all along) is that most sopranos will play with most mouthpieces given the skill of the player. The old saw about vintage saxophones (especially sopranos) requiring vintage mouthpieces just isn't true. If a soprano mouthpiece will play well for me on my Yanagisawas (add your own modern brand here), it will play on my '28 Buescher. DAVE

 

[hakukani]

A very open Selmer Super Session gave me the best intonation results with my curved TT soprano as opposed to the vintage type mouthpieces I used to play with it.

I thought it sounded great with my Barone one it.

 

[Gene]

Mine is a straight TT with serial 159521.I think I need to get the neck recorked so I can position the mpc better.I notice that the higher the baffle and squeezed throat the better the pitch in the palm keys but its not as rich and full as with the large chanbers which play flat.My Morgan is a 3C refaced to .065.

 

[Grumps]

I thought it sounded great with my Barone on it.

Well, every dog has it's day... :bluewink:

 

[maddenma]

Mine is a straight TT with serial 159521.I think I need to get the neck recorked so I can position the mpc better.I notice that the higher the baffle and squeezed throat the better the pitch in the palm keys but its not as rich and full as with the large chanbers which play flat.My Morgan is a 3C refaced to .065.

That's interesting. You'd expect a small chambered piece to play sharp on an 80 year old horn. You wouldn't expect to hear about a large chamber piece being flat on the same instrument.

Just out of curiousity, have you tried any of the original Buescher pieces on it? If you're finding yourself flat with those in the palm keys, may I suggest a stiffer reed?

 

[bruce bailey]

I agree that it is mostly the player. I have never found any mouthpieces not working on vintage vs. modern. Also I have found that the C sopranos work just fine with a Bb mouthpiece. I had Theo send me some real C mouthpieces and they were just as out of tune as the Bb ones. My Martin C has the original and it is just a little bit more in tune up high but not enough to put up with the duck sound.

 

[Little Sax]

I agree that it is mostly the player. I have never found any mouthpieces not working on vintage vs. modern. Also I have found that the C sopranos work just fine with a Bb mouthpiece. I had Theo send me some real C mouthpieces and they were just as out of tune as the Bb ones. My Martin C has the original and it is just a little bit more in tune up high but not enough to put up with the duck sound.

On my Conn CSop, I've definitely found that CSop mpcs tamed the scale better than some modern ones (whether they were original or refaced), but Selmer Metal Classics did a good job too. ...but I don't usually play very small chamber (or high baffle) mpcs on Bb sop, so maybe the differences aren't too much.

It is possible too that I adjust my throat and oral cavity more with the CSop on older mpcs due to the difference in beak profile. It may just affect how I play from a mental point of view.

 

[Joe Giardullo]

I notice that the higher the baffle and squeezed throat the better the pitch in the palm keys but its not as rich and full as with the large chanbers which play flat.

Many players have this exact experience. There is a middle ground which allows the top end to speak in tune and the bottom end to have depth and richness.

 

[Jazzaferri]

I wonder how one of Joe's Buescher 868 based mpces would work on a TT

 

[Grumps]

True Tone sopranos really aren't finicky in regards to mouthpiece choice; as you can see from the various responses. Sopranos on the whole are just more difficult to play in tune.

 

[Jazzaferri]

As sop is all I play I understand oh yes I Do

 

[betelsax]

Hi, I use a Selmer S80 E on mine with no issues. Robert

My choice, too, on a 1926 TT, after lots of experimentation. But that's only me and Robert (and maybe a few more soprano sax players who never heard of SOTW).
Given the nature of the quest, after narrowing down the choices over years, live with your favorite two or three mouthpieces for a few weeks each so you know their quirks and their sweet spots. Then play one against the other until one stands above the rest in terms of how it sounds and how it feels and how readily it sings for you.
In short, no one can recommend the mouthpiece that will fit you and your sax best because no one is you and no one has your sax.