I'm looking for a good all around piece. Something that I could use in big band and at a blues jam. I usually am playing thru a mic at the jams so it doesn't need to be a high baffle piece. I was thinking the pieces I listed would be good choices to try. Also, I'm playing a Yani T880 tenor.
V16,SR Tech Pro,Yani metal,Link NY
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just my 2 cents.
i have tried the RS tech pro:
the baffle is a long and farly high rollover that made the mouthpiece play really weird. I cut the baffle down some and it was ok. The response and ease of play quality of the facing and general quality is great.
NY Link : thems some totally unplayable mouthpieces in terms of just nasty quality OTB. once you get one all fixed up so it will play the sound is still nasty. you can add a baffle to it and make it better but i have never heard one even done by the best mouthpiece makers that is more that just something to get you to where you can get a better mouthpiece.
i have tried the RS tech pro:
the baffle is a long and farly high rollover that made the mouthpiece play really weird. I cut the baffle down some and it was ok. The response and ease of play quality of the facing and general quality is great.
NY Link : thems some totally unplayable mouthpieces in terms of just nasty quality OTB. once you get one all fixed up so it will play the sound is still nasty. you can add a baffle to it and make it better but i have never heard one even done by the best mouthpiece makers that is more that just something to get you to where you can get a better mouthpiece.
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2,141 Posts
As a long time link player...I don't think that they all need to be fixed up. I've played mine on everything from honking R&B stuff to jazz cocktail music...and the mouthpiece could handle anything I was capable of, which isn't much. THe reason that they worked is because I spent so much time practicing on them and working them. Practice, practice, practice...a Link could be your best friend...
The NY link is more about the person on the other end than the mouthpiece.
I have several NY's refaced and they are killer pieces. .105 and a .120 with a medium facing both done by mojo. I get along with NY's better than the STM.
As of lately I've been playing on customized Yani metal. I found a really old one that had the throat completely hollowed out to make it round and not square(presumably at the factory), the baffle was untouched and the side walls left straight. Killer mouthpiece, but Yani doesn't make them this way anymore. I bought several modern metal Yani pieces used and duplicated the throat on the old Yani and they now play just as well. I've been blowing on 9's and 7's. I wish Yani would go back to making them with the scooped out throat.....mine looked like it had more hand work than the todays modern pieces.
I have several NY's refaced and they are killer pieces. .105 and a .120 with a medium facing both done by mojo. I get along with NY's better than the STM.
As of lately I've been playing on customized Yani metal. I found a really old one that had the throat completely hollowed out to make it round and not square(presumably at the factory), the baffle was untouched and the side walls left straight. Killer mouthpiece, but Yani doesn't make them this way anymore. I bought several modern metal Yani pieces used and duplicated the throat on the old Yani and they now play just as well. I've been blowing on 9's and 7's. I wish Yani would go back to making them with the scooped out throat.....mine looked like it had more hand work than the todays modern pieces.
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5,528 Posts
Yes, you can't beat the Otto Link. I used the NY for a long time and then fell in love with a Florida STM because of the solid center in the tone.
The versatility of the Link is amazing. Last Sunday I played a straight classical dirge Sunday morning in a dark "pipe organ" style and then a jazzed up rag-style piece on Sunday night. Both with the same Link mouthpiece.
The versatility of the Link is amazing. Last Sunday I played a straight classical dirge Sunday morning in a dark "pipe organ" style and then a jazzed up rag-style piece on Sunday night. Both with the same Link mouthpiece.
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88 Posts
Have you considered a Morgan Jazz large chamber? I finally bought one about a month ago and was pleasantly surprised. I didn't know a hard rubber piece could sound and play like this. Very powerful, very responsive and in tune. It can "shatter glass" .....well maybe not if pushed but is extremely controllable. On the Junkdude website you can get these for about $180 and the description of the large chamber pieces is it that it is suited for big band settings.
I would also say just get a Link (similar) and learn to play it. They don't offer the "frills" of some more expensive mouthpieces, but they're just so flexible that they're hard to beat.
That said, I've tried the Yani metal mouthpiece for tenor and it was...nice. Too nice for my tastes. I was playing a modern Berg at the time (110/2, SS), and my reaction was that the Yani responded a lot like the Berg, but with less "grit" in the sound, probably because its brightness comes from a rollover baffle and a small chamber. It didn't feel like it had the depth or cojones that I think a tenor should have. Of course, a modification like Heath described seems like it would make for a great mouthpiece. I bet they work great on alto in their stock condition, though.
That said, I've tried the Yani metal mouthpiece for tenor and it was...nice. Too nice for my tastes. I was playing a modern Berg at the time (110/2, SS), and my reaction was that the Yani responded a lot like the Berg, but with less "grit" in the sound, probably because its brightness comes from a rollover baffle and a small chamber. It didn't feel like it had the depth or cojones that I think a tenor should have. Of course, a modification like Heath described seems like it would make for a great mouthpiece. I bet they work great on alto in their stock condition, though.
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4,547 Posts
I have found the Yanis great on soprano (esp. the older ones) and baritone, but have also found the tenors to play well but be missing something (I'm a Link guy, too, despite the fortune I've spent trying to find something better)
Spoke to a friend of mine today and he suggested a Morgan 8EL. So I called JunkDude and they had just recieved a shipment of Morgans but she had to check to be sure there would be one left over as she had a long waiting list for these pieces. As luck would have it she called back that 2 were left over so I have one coming. Should be here by Friday.
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