[1saxman]

If you can handle a true .125 more power to you. I like my 'King Curtis' which is .116 for the exact same reasons you mentioned. Yes, it was bright and brash when I first got it but after starting to use it regularly it began to 'come in' for me. These can be great mouthpieces if you get a good one. The only difference in a 'King Curtis' and 'Super King Curtis' is the SKC is bigger. It should have the throat ring filed down flush at the bottom and forming an oval. The later ones also have a more squared-off window. BTW, not many were marked 'SKC'. Dave had to stop using the name 'King Curtis' because whoever owns it wanted royalties. After that they were simply 'King' and Super King'. So when he decided to add the 'Super King Curtis' to the line-up he had only made a few when he had to change the name. I bet the one you have is a killer! If I were buying it, I think I would keep it regardless - its got to be worth a lot and it will increase in value.

 

[1saxman]

Yeah, that's it on the throat, although looks like he got that one a little lopsided. Most likely will make no difference. I have to say, that is the only 'SKC' I have seen.
There is no reason in this case to even mention the WWBW 'laser-trimmed' 'Super King' as it only introduces uncertainty where there really is none.
Again, the KC and SKC both have the same baffle and throat - only the tip opening is different.

 

[1saxman]

Yes, the 'Laser-Trimmed' versions did not have the DG throat ring modification. This is easy to do if you can handle simple tools without ruining the mouthpiece. There is no 'mystery' about 'King' versus 'King Curtis' - 'King' appeared on the Laser-Trimmed' and also the later hand-finished ones for the reason I mentioned. I don't know about DG's serial numbers - I have a 'King Curtis' with a 5-digit number and it has the 'squared-off' window. I have no idea when it was made.

There is also a whole range of mouthpieces made before the 'Laser-Trimmed' ones and sold only by WWBW. This is an odd batch and I apparently am the only one who knows about them. What happened was, DG and WWBW agreed that they would sell his mouthpieces Unfortunately, DG did not finish the ones he sent to WWBW as well as he did the ones he sold from his shop. They played, but just didn't have that special 'something'. It was a long time before I realized the difference. So, you can't just refer to the 'WWBW mouthpieces' unless you qualify them as 'Laser-Trimmed' or 'hand-finished'. Also, DG started using CNC very early-on to make his blanks for hand-finishing. The earliest brochure I saw from him was around '89 and he always started with bronze bar stock and machined out the blanks rather than casting them as everybody else did. When he went to CNC for making the blanks it helped him to increase production but somebody still had to finish them by hand. He hoped that the 'Laser-Trimmed' process would eliminate hand finishing but it really didn't. These mouthpieces were good and extremely consistent but simply lacked the 'artist's edge' that the good handmade ones had. To this day there is no substitute for the hand of a master on a mouthpiece.

 

[1saxman]

The gold 'King Curtis' mouthpiece you linked is not original. If it had been originally gold-plated, the marking would have been 'KCG' (King Curtis, Gold). Moreover, the facing is most likely also not original and overall it looks pretty bad. Probably a $100 mouthpiece, most useful as a blank for rebuilding. It does have the correct 'window' end shape for an early KC, being rounded. He later went with a more square end.