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I've been looking forward to trying the V16 for bari for quite some time now. I have been using the tenor V16 T8 for about a year, and I've found it to be one of the best pieces I have tried, especially considering the price. I have never been entirely happy with my bari setup, and I thought I would give their V16 a shot once it became available. Currently, Vando offers a B5, B7, and B9, and for the past few days I have been playing the B7 and B9.
A lot of people, myself included, consider the tenor V16 to be Vandoren's take on the Otto Link Tone Edge, given the rollover baffle, high beak profile, large chamber and rounded walls. The bari piece goes in a different direction. The beak profile is smaller--some people consider the tenor beak uncomfortably high--and the body itself is slightly smaller than the tenor piece. You can compare where the same ligature sits on each mouthpiece:
![Musical instrument accessory Product Musical instrument Woodwind instrument accessory String instrument accessory]()
The same ligature sits lower on the bari
A quick mention about ligatures: These were supplied with a metal tenor Optimum, which was a perfect fit, naturally. You can't knock the design and function of these ligs, they are superb, but I tend to keep things simple. I use a tenor Yamaha ligature (the one in the picture) on my tenor, and I found it worked well on the bari pieces as well.
The slight rollover at the tip is similar to the tenor V16, but the bari piece has flat walls and a flat baffle, going into a bullet chamber. That's what makes me consider these to be a take on a Berg Larsen, though the Vando does not have the characteristic half moon flat towards the tip:
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Berg 105/1, V16 B7, Berg 110/2
To put the Vando in terms of a Berg Larsen, you could say the baffle is a 3. I didn't have a 3 on hand to compare it to, but it is noticeably lower than a 2, giving the V16 a medium sized chamber.
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The Berg 2 baffle is slightly higher
![Finger Hand Material property Lens Electronic device]()
Medium chamber of the V16
According to Vandoren's product sheet, the tip on the B7 measures .108, and the B9 measures .122, a considerable jump between adjacent sizes. Vandoren has the habit of selecting different facing lengths for different openings: the B7 is listed as a medium-long facing, and the B9 as a long facing. These two differences lead to differently playing pieces.
I found the B7 to be an exceptionally responsive piece, especially in the low end. It gives a punchy, compact sound that doesn't wimp out or get shrill as you move up the horn. The dynamic control it affords is great, honestly probably better than anything I've tried, though there is a limit to how loud you can push it until the tone spreads. I think this piece would be ideally suited to sectional playing, where blending with other saxes is important.
The B9 has a tone which is less punchy. I would call it a large, wooden sound with a crackle on the edges--it's really great. I tend to put a lot of air through my horn, and I felt the B9 could take everything I could give it. I could not find an upper limit on how much I could blow and maintain a good sound. The softs were there too, just not quite as accessible as with the B7. At low volume, the tone of the B9 feels locked in, whereas the B7 gives you a little flexibility in tone color.
These two pieces really have more in common than they do differences, and they are both incredible players. They have a definite Berg-like quality to their sound, but their response and solid feeling are far ahead of that of my Bergs. If I had to pick, I would probably go with the B9. There is a lot of instant gratification with the B7, but given the way I play, I feel the B9 would be a piece worth working to get to know. That said, if I had tried either of these pieces on their own with thoughts of buying one, I would have readily choose either one. When these finally become available, let's hope Vandoren keeps the prices of these in the same league as their other ebonite V16s.
A lot of people, myself included, consider the tenor V16 to be Vandoren's take on the Otto Link Tone Edge, given the rollover baffle, high beak profile, large chamber and rounded walls. The bari piece goes in a different direction. The beak profile is smaller--some people consider the tenor beak uncomfortably high--and the body itself is slightly smaller than the tenor piece. You can compare where the same ligature sits on each mouthpiece:
The same ligature sits lower on the bari
A quick mention about ligatures: These were supplied with a metal tenor Optimum, which was a perfect fit, naturally. You can't knock the design and function of these ligs, they are superb, but I tend to keep things simple. I use a tenor Yamaha ligature (the one in the picture) on my tenor, and I found it worked well on the bari pieces as well.
The slight rollover at the tip is similar to the tenor V16, but the bari piece has flat walls and a flat baffle, going into a bullet chamber. That's what makes me consider these to be a take on a Berg Larsen, though the Vando does not have the characteristic half moon flat towards the tip:
Berg 105/1, V16 B7, Berg 110/2
To put the Vando in terms of a Berg Larsen, you could say the baffle is a 3. I didn't have a 3 on hand to compare it to, but it is noticeably lower than a 2, giving the V16 a medium sized chamber.
The Berg 2 baffle is slightly higher
Medium chamber of the V16
According to Vandoren's product sheet, the tip on the B7 measures .108, and the B9 measures .122, a considerable jump between adjacent sizes. Vandoren has the habit of selecting different facing lengths for different openings: the B7 is listed as a medium-long facing, and the B9 as a long facing. These two differences lead to differently playing pieces.
I found the B7 to be an exceptionally responsive piece, especially in the low end. It gives a punchy, compact sound that doesn't wimp out or get shrill as you move up the horn. The dynamic control it affords is great, honestly probably better than anything I've tried, though there is a limit to how loud you can push it until the tone spreads. I think this piece would be ideally suited to sectional playing, where blending with other saxes is important.
The B9 has a tone which is less punchy. I would call it a large, wooden sound with a crackle on the edges--it's really great. I tend to put a lot of air through my horn, and I felt the B9 could take everything I could give it. I could not find an upper limit on how much I could blow and maintain a good sound. The softs were there too, just not quite as accessible as with the B7. At low volume, the tone of the B9 feels locked in, whereas the B7 gives you a little flexibility in tone color.
These two pieces really have more in common than they do differences, and they are both incredible players. They have a definite Berg-like quality to their sound, but their response and solid feeling are far ahead of that of my Bergs. If I had to pick, I would probably go with the B9. There is a lot of instant gratification with the B7, but given the way I play, I feel the B9 would be a piece worth working to get to know. That said, if I had tried either of these pieces on their own with thoughts of buying one, I would have readily choose either one. When these finally become available, let's hope Vandoren keeps the prices of these in the same league as their other ebonite V16s.
