[Pawel Kaminski]

Hi, a few months ago I bought a Vandoren V16 T7S metal mouthpiece, which I liked quite a lot however after a while I found it a little to bright and thin sounding. It also had an annoying buzz which drives me crazy. After experimentig with some cheap plastic mouthpieces I decided to lower the baffle and open the chamber a bit. I did a few refacing sessions with it and got some positive results. It sound a bit darker and fuller now and accepts more air which I like.

The only thing I can't get rid of is the buzz in the sound. I'm wondering if opening the chamber a little more could solve this problem. I used only sandpaper and a set of files so the process goes really slow and the chamber is still pretty small (smaller than the bore).

I don't want to mess with the baffle anymore as it's a sensitive area and I don't want to go to far.

So is it possible to get rid of the buzz in the sound by opening the chamber?

 

[B Flat]

I’d consider experimenting with different reed cuts/brands as they can have a dramatic affect on buzziness

 

[Pawel Kaminski]

I already did but found that when I move to the harder or more classical oriented reed the response suffers a lot and I don't like it. So far I had the most sucess with the Vandoren ZZ 3 reeds but when it gets softer the buzz starts to come.

 

[Phil Barone]

Hi, a few months ago I bought a Vandoren V16 T7S metal mouthpiece, which I liked quite a lot however after a while I found it a little to bright and thin sounding. It also had an annoying buzz which drives me crazy. After experimentig with some cheap plastic mouthpieces I decided to lower the baffle and open the chamber a bit. I did a few refacing sessions with it and got some positive results. It sound a bit darker and fuller now and accepts more air which I like.

The only thing I can't get rid of is the buzz in the sound. I'm wondering if opening the chamber a little more could solve this problem. I used only sandpaper and a set of files so the process goes really slow and the chamber is still pretty small (smaller than the bore).

I don't want to mess with the baffle anymore as it's a sensitive area and I don't want to go to far.

So is it possible to get rid of the buzz in the sound by opening the chamber?

It's possible that the buzz will diminish but it could get worse too. It really sounds like the baffle has to come down. Start toward the tip rail and work your way down. Phil Barone

 

[lostcircuits]

Instead of messing around with the equipment have you tried adjusting the angle at which you blow into the mouthpiece? Try to raise your horn to allow blowing into the MPC at a perfect axial orientation and see if the buzz goes away

 

[Pawel Kaminski]

Hi, a few months ago I bought a Vandoren V16 T7S metal mouthpiece, which I liked quite a lot however after a while I found it a little to bright and thin sounding. It also had an annoying buzz which drives me crazy. After experimentig with some cheap plastic mouthpieces I decided to lower the baffle and open the chamber a bit. I did a few refacing sessions with it and got some positive results. It sound a bit darker and fuller now and accepts more air which I like.

The only thing I can't get rid of is the buzz in the sound. I'm wondering if opening the chamber a little more could solve this problem. I used only sandpaper and a set of files so the process goes really slow and the chamber is still pretty small (smaller than the bore).

I don't want to mess with the baffle anymore as it's a sensitive area and I don't want to go to far.

So is it possible to get rid of the buzz in the sound by opening the chamber?

It's possible that the buzz will diminish but it could get worse too. It really sounds like the baffle has to come down. Start toward the tip rail and work your way down. Phil Barone

Thanks so much for taking time to respond Phil. It's great to get advice from such a master craftsman as you are.

 

[Pawel Kaminski]

Instead of messing around with the equipment have you tried adjusting the angle at which you blow into the mouthpiece? Try to raise your horn to allow blowing into the MPC at a perfect axial orientation and see if the buzz goes away

I don't thing thats the case as I play on many different pieces on soprano, alto and tenor and the problem occurs only with that particular mouthpiece. And hey working on the mouthpiece gives me a ton of fun 🙂

 

[B Flat]

If the baffle were too high I’d expect it to squeak rather than create a buzz.
Is it also chirping?

 

[Pawel Kaminski]

If the baffle were too high I'd expect it to squeak rather than create a buzz.
Is it also chirping?

No it plays great, there is just too much buzziness especially on c2.

 

[lostcircuits]

I don't thing thats the case as I play on many different pieces on soprano, alto and tenor and the problem occurs only with that particular mouthpiece. And hey working on the mouthpiece gives me a ton of fun 🙂

I get it, it was just the most obvious thing to check first

 

[Phil Barone]

If the baffle were too high I'd expect it to squeak rather than create a buzz.
Is it also chirping?

Not necessarily but you can do a squeak test by trilling high F to C# using the fork fingering. Phil

 

[Lambros]

If you tried a third or half strength reed higher and the buzzing is gone, that might be something to consider. Select Jazz strengths are a third in strength apart and the older Rico labeled reeds are pretty consistent. Chirping/squeaking I think is understood to be a harder reed that is playable but not easy to control/play fully in every register, where buzzing is the reed reacting to the facing curve/rails and tip with a lighter reed that is over oscillating. No reason to do major alterations to your mouthpiece if a change of reeds can change things for the better.

Hi, a few months ago I bought a Vandoren V16 T7S metal mouthpiece, which I liked quite a lot however after a while I found it a little to bright and thin sounding. It also had an annoying buzz which drives me crazy. After experimentig with some cheap plastic mouthpieces I decided to lower the baffle and open the chamber a bit. I did a few refacing sessions with it and got some positive results. It sound a bit darker and fuller now and accepts more air which I like.

The only thing I can't get rid of is the buzz in the sound. I'm wondering if opening the chamber a little more could solve this problem. I used only sandpaper and a set of files so the process goes really slow and the chamber is still pretty small (smaller than the bore).

I don't want to mess with the baffle anymore as it's a sensitive area and I don't want to go to far.

So is it possible to get rid of the buzz in the sound by opening the chamber?

 

[B Flat]

So another possibility is that your using reeds that were previously used on another piece.
Don’t know if that’s the case but it can play havoc with all sorts of things when using the same reed on several pieces.

 

[pontius]

embrace the buzz

 

[Pawel Kaminski]

Update.
After experimenting a bit more with the mouthpiece I decided to send it to Phil Engleman.
He did a great job as I expected.
The buzz is gone, I can put a lot of air through the piece and it has more depth and warmth to the sound.

Here is how it sounds:

Let me know if you like it.

Have a nice weekend!!!

 

[meven ASC]

Update.
After experimenting a bit more with the mouthpiece I decided to send it to Phil Engleman.
He did a great job as I expected.
The buzz is gone, I can put a lot of air through the piece and it has more depth and warmth to the sound.

Here is how it sounds:

Let me know if you like it.

Have a nice weekend!!!

Sounds good. What did Phil ended up doing on your piece?

 

[sinkdraiN]

Wow, sounds great... I'm tempted to send Phil a v16

 

[Pawel Kaminski]

Thanks 🙂
Phil said that he flattened the table, refaced it, cleaned up the tip rail and lowered and shortened the baffle.
It plays much better than before.