Well I'm not playing large tips. After several attempts I have settled back into my .100 comfort zone.

Is that L8 that you are selling the one that was your main piece for a while? If it is, are you sure you want to sell it already? Seems like you've only just switched from it. To each his own, I know. But I wouldn't be comfortable selling my former main piece so soon after a switch. I really hope you don't end up regretting it.

Cheers.

 

Well I'm not playing large tips. After several attempts I have settled back into my .100 comfort zone.

Is that L8 that you are selling the one that was your main piece for a while? If it is, are you sure you want to sell it already? Seems like you've only just switched from it. To each his own, I know. But I wouldn't be comfortable selling my former main piece so soon after a switch. I really hope you don't end up regretting it.

Yep, dat be the one: http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?t=121713

Thanks for your concern. I know I've probably shared the same advice in the past.

The Caino 'piece is soooo close to the L8 but has a lil' something different going on that I like. This 'piece clicks with my Borg' in a fantastic way. The L8 is great - this is just mo' betta. Further, Juan is willing to work with me to dial in a 'piece and Fred is not so accessible anymore.

I'm spoiled. Give me an infraction.

 

I play on 8's. I do not think that it is a large opening. If anything, I'd call it one of the smaller of the larger size mp's. I am interested in checking out the Ivan Meyer.

 

What is the largest tip that is being manufactured?

B

 

What is the largest tip that is being manufactured?

I've played a .160" from Ron Coelho (aka RPC). I recall that Phil Barone refaced a Link for Ernie Watts to either .160" or .165".

The 'pieces in the Ivan Meyer (Brasil) Pass 'Round - TENOR are .110", .125", and .135".

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?t=117827

 

Don't know if these tip openings are large, but I use .060 on Bb clarinet, .080 on sop, .097 on alto, .117 on tenor, .138 on bari. Thanks for the compliments, Dr. G. As we've been joking, I might add the sudden change of favor (from the Lamberson to the V16) on my resumee :mrgreen:

 

I'm using a .130 Berg on tenor, but it sure doesn't FEEL that big. I'd be surprised if it was much over .120. With a soft enough reeds it sounds great.

 

Lebayle Jazz 8, don't know if that's big actually. Never measured it and can't find some conversion table. I guess it's somewhere around .110, it definitely feels that way.

I used to play 115 on Berg Larsen, but the Lebayle is definitely an improvement controlwise. And still payable for me...

 

RPC 120B. The thing is, I've tried some other pieces with smaller tips - and found that they all seem to require softer reeds to really get them to speak - so what's the point? They way I see it - if you have to use softer reeds anyway, might as well use the biggest tip you can handle.

 

I'm playing a BP refaced link STM NY .120 on tenor and a Phil-tone refaced meyer .090 on alto, with 2 1/2 vandoren java reds.

I played C* and Meyer 5 on alto and an MC gregory 4A 18 on tenor during my formative years.

I like the big tips.

 

Let's see.... NY Meyer 8 on alto... Berg .120 on tenor... Runyon smooth bore 8 on soprano.... none seem really big.... smaller openings feel like a C*..... I'd be interested in the tenor passaround, what would I need to do?

 

C'mon fellas , everyone knows that the size of a mans tip opening is inversely proportional to his .......you can fill in the blanks .

 

0.06 on Bb soprano clarinet is pretty open... a Vandoren B45 is a fairly open commonly used mouthpiece and it's like 0.047. Considering that the instrument is a high voice, that's a big difference.

Personally I like small tip openings, but if big tips work for you, great!

 

I've always played open MPCs. I recently posted some clarinet playing clips on the youtube section of the forum. I play legit on the same MPC using different reeds...

When I play on medium MPCs I get all sort of intonation issues that I can't control, and to make things worse I feel like I have no tonal palette whatsoever, so from time to time, when I switch to a med MPC, I don't last more than a couple of minutes playing it.

One funny thing is that I like old fashion closed MPCs as well, I have a couple of Vandoren's M clarinet series MPCs and I find them killer regarding tone and intonation. I have to use a #4.5 reed on those, and still feels like a med soft, but I like the tone. What I don't like is the resistence on those closed pieces... I feel like my eyes are going to pop out of my head.

One suposition I have is that the lungs obstructive disease that a reed player (and or smoker) develops over time causes some guys (me amongst them) to move to more open pieces. You put more air thru the horn that way, giving yourself a break with the emphysema thing wich complicates the diaphragm control when using closed tips or resistive setups, more generally speaking.

 

Years ago I played a 130/0 Berg Larsen on tenor. More recently I've "toned it down" to pieces around .120" on tenor and baritone. Be advised I use soft reeds (#2 or 2 1/2). I'm approaching 50 years s a professional player in a very loud environment. Most great players I know use a smaller tip opening.

 

On Tenor I prefer a .115 to .120 opening (i.e. Link 8* to 9), with #3 Vandoren V16 & Java reeds, and med La Voz .

 

I play .100 on soprano and alto, .120 on tenor, and .140 on bari. They really dont feel big to me, they actually feel like they shut on me every now and then. I guess its just a reed thing, Vandoren trad 2.5/3 on soprano, 3/3.5 on alto, Plasticover 4/Vandoren trad 3.5 on tenor, and Plasticover 4/Vandoren 3.5/4 on bari.

 

I play .100 on soprano...

¡Ay, caramba! That's about what I usually play on tenor!

 

Picking up an RPC for tenor that measured .134" in trade some years ago really opened my world, so to speak. Though very different from the get go, it was something I easily adjusted to and now can't even imagine playing anything below a .125" on tenor.

 

I really enjoy playing my Metalite M11 on tenor. The box says that's a .125 tip.

 

I took a shot in the dark recently and got a Lawton 10b, that translates to .130 thou and was pleasently suprised how easy it is to control, easy subtones, altisimo, fast passages, i couldent amagine going back to anything smaller on tenor now. Did try a Mayer 8 on the alto though and found it was like blowing down the channel tunnel !

 

A few players using big tip openings are using their embouchure to close the tip off to get a smaller tip opening. I think this goes on some with all tip openings but goes on more with really open MPs in order to get the note to speak. This is not neccessarily a bad thing, just be aware of it if you are getting fatigued, have intonation problems, or your sound is not very big. The same thing can happen with players using really hard reeds.

Years ago I decided to go more average with tip openings and play a lot looser. I ended up with a fuller sound that I could maintain easier during longer gigs.

 

...just be aware of it if you are getting fatigued, have intonation problems, or your sound is not very big.

Well, if this were the case, I think folks would recognize it pretty quick and move down in size. More open pieces allow me to put a lot more air into the horn, and quite frankly, that might also come down to the size of the player.

 

I guess that I am NOT a Big Tip guy...When I made the jump to Morgans on Tenor, I started with a 7 (.095). Then I went to an 8 (.100) and then a 9 (.110).

Then eventually, I did the same thing in reverse, and went back to the 7, and have stayed there for awhile now. I think that the 7 tip suits my chops best.

I can get plenty of good clear sound out if it for the types of playing that I currently do.

 

I think there is an optimal size for each of us on a given mouthpiece design. I also found that increasing the tip size allowed me to put more air through the horn, resulting in easier playing. I'm talking about a small change with the same model - 7 to a 7* - and I was surprised at how much more I liked the 7*. But I have no doubt that at some point, increasing the tip would result in a less playable piece for me.

 

Yes I think your right.
I play on a Flo-link STM 7* ...Its perfect for me . A little time ago a student of mine got a Pillinger Stan Sultzmann copy in Ed's Bronzite. It has 7* stamped on it. Student gave up after about 6months and i had this M.P.s off of him, esp after he told me it was a Sultzmann. It is a very nice piece, but it feel's like an 8 to me...Its just that bit too much for me.

 

I mostly alternate between a #9 STM (.120) and a smaller Berg (.108) with a "0" chamber. I've also got a few other pieces in the .105 to .110 range. I really don't notice a big difference in embouchure or effort. I used to use a softer reed on the Link but now I use the same Studio Cut 3 Legeres on all of them. Every once in a great while I'll blow on my old Yamaha 4C though and there I do notice a difference ... I have to be really careful not to shut off the sound entirely.

 

I use a Link STM 8*, and it's more open than the Drake Contemporary 8 (.110") by about the thickness of a reed tip. In use, I really can't tell the difference because the two have very similar facing curves in addition to the very similar tip openings. I think a move in the other direction -- say, to .120" -- while retaining a similarly proportioned curve would feel only slightly different. At some point it might necessitate an adjustment in reed strength. At .120" I might have to drop back to a #2 rather than #2.5 Fibracell, or that might come at .125". I can't say without trying.

I will say that consistently playing a tenor piece in the .110-.115" range has made me averse to playing middle of the road alto pieces. Tip openings that seemed adequate before, feel tiny now. My comfort zone on alto now seems to be about .085-.090". On bari I usually use a Link STM 7*, and it too feels just a shade small, though not enough to be a problem. The Brilhart Level-aire 5 just seems hopelessly tight, and I have never really been that fond of it because it's all edge. It's what a Berg /0 WANTS to be, and can be when you get a good one.

 

I've played open pieces most of my adult life, typically playing from .115 to .135. Lately, I've gravitating towards .115 with a larger chamber, though I just purchased a Ivan Meyer .125. I think you really can't talk about the tip opening without taking into consideration the baffle and chamber as well as the facing and the reed strength/cut; it's a matched set.
I guess it's just what you're used to. I've played too long on open tips to switch back at this point, (tho' I've tried). I've even gone back to my #9 HR Link on soprano...

 

anything below .95 feels to small for me, I can not seem to get my tone on those, Anything bigger then .105 is uncomfortable as well, too tiresome and not all that great intonationwise, and my tone actually gets softer and stuffier on these big ones.
Of course design has something to do with it as well, I can play a bit more easy on berg design .110 then on a Link 8.
Optimum for me is around 105 with a piece wich has a medium chamber or a bit of baffle, a little closer (like .100) for Links ( tone edge/STM)

The piece I'm playing now is a refaced soloist opened to a .104.
I can play very controlled and soft with it as well as pretty loud.
It's a focussed sound , blends very well in a section and is an interesting complex solo sound. Not incredibly loud maybe, but loud enough, when I need to get louder still I'll use a mike. Playing loud and only loud gets old very fast anyway so i don't care about the limititations this piece might have on pure loudness.

 

I turned 15 years old 4 weeks ago and I my favorite was .110 with me looking for a little bit more. Maybe a .114 but the size doesn't define you as a player. With bigger openings you compensate with softer reeds or you can duke it up and try to build up more strength. To me, I love big openings but when it gets enourmous intonation gets a little tricky. With hard reeds you are cutting vibration vs big openings which keep the resistance and have the same vibration

 

I have several times tried to downsize, with the aim of stepping up a reed strength or two to compensate, but it never felt good.

I alternate between a Lamberson acetal L8, a Lawton 9*B and a 130/1. The relative ease with which these play seems to be correlated with length of the lay. I would nt expect to be able to get away with these tip openings on Link for example.