My Mark VI Search

I've recently been looking for an upgrade for my tenor, which I've put up for sale here. My horn plays brighter than the sound I'm going for, so the search was initiated. The first phase of the search was to determine what kind of tenor I was going to end up on, so I played a number of different makes and models. I played a couple Conn 10Ms, a couple Kings, some modern horns such as the Rampone, Viking, Yamaha's Custum Z and EX, Buffet, and Yanigasawa, some less common vintage horns like the Dolnet, Kohlert, and SML, and various of Selmer's models like the Super, Balanced Action, Super Balanced Action, Mark VI, Mark VII, the Reference horns, and the Series III. Every horn on the list here has it's merits but ultimately a couple of the Mark VIs I played had the most draw for me.

Since starting my search for a Mark VI I have now played 17 Mark VIs including my own in just the past few weeks. The reason why I'm blogging is that out of all of those Mark VIs only a few have really been fantastic. It was actually a little off putting to play so many horns and have so many play just OK. After a while I began noticing some definite patterns, and I wanted to share them because they can be helpful to others searching for a VI. Following is a laundry list in no particular order of some of the patterns I've found. Some of these I had heard hearsay of, but hadn't played enough horns to prove true or false for myself. Others were complete surprises to me.

• Mark VI's tend to play darker in earlier vintages and brighter in late vintages. I found that I enjoy the various timbres of the VI throughout it's years of manufacture, however I find the late Mark VI's (maybe starting around the 200xxx) sound to be too bright or thin for me to enjoy. There are definite exceptions to these trends (see the third bullet point), but I did find this to generally be true.
• VI's tend be more free blowing or have less resistance/back pressure in earlier vintages and have more resistance/back pressure in later vintages. Again, there are exceptions to this this trend (see next bullet point).
• Structural damage to the neck like pull downs or patches can lower the resistance or back pressure of a horn, and they can also affect the timbre of a horn. Horns with neck repairs are less predictable in terms of both timbre and resistance.
• A well regulated and well set up horn makes a big difference. Some of the horns I tried out I was unable to make a great evaluation of because the key heights were set up badly or the pads were leaking badly. I knew I couldn't afford the price tag of a horn and an overhaul though. A well cared for horn will give a much clearer indication of it's full potential than a horn that hasn't been kept up. 
• Relacquered saxes generally play thinner than their original lacquer counterparts. The relacquered horns tend to have diminished tone color in some aspect or other (not always predictable). That absence can often be heard and usually felt in the vibrational feed back of the air column while playing.
• Lacquer does seem to have some effect on the horn's tone, most likely the small added weight on the neck. You can experiment with this by yourself just by adding a small bit of electrical tape to the part of the neck just past the cork. You'll hear a noticeable difference.
• Structural damage (ex. out of round body tubes, body tubes that aren't completely straight) can result in a less responsive horn. By less responsive I mean the sound can be muddied. For example the beginning of each note isn't as clear or distinct as it could be.

All of this being said, the two best VIs I've played both prove and disprove my observations. The best horn I've played was a 110xxx with nearly all of it's original lacquer with no structural damage. The other fantastic horn I played was a 106xxx which belongs to Dave Wilson, which had only some of it's original lacquer, and had some repairs. The 110xxx was for sale, but unfortunately was out of my price range. You can find it here on USA Horn's website.

Moral of the story? You very well might have to try a number of saxophones before you find what really suits you. Though there are exceptions, you'll have a good shot at the best of the best with something that hasn't suffered major repairs or a relacquer. Good luck!

Reeds and Being Prepared

Every once in while I am reminded of how simply some saxophone problems can be solved, and I had one of those moments just in the past month. I've been struggling with reeds ever since the seasons changed despite my meticulous care, and I couldn't seem to find a solution, even when my storage was perfect. Needless to say, reeds have been on my mind.

While playing a couple of gigs as part of a sax competition in Detroit, I got to talking with Adam Rongo about reeds, who is a really great saxophonist and was a fellow finalist at the competition. He told me that he switched down a half strength in the summer, or something along those lines. Intrigued, because one of my main problems all summer had been my reeds playing too hard, I bought a box of reeds a third strength lower (RJS comes in third strengths). Result? Comfortable playing reeds.

With that realization made I now pack a couple if not three strengths of reeds so I'm prepared for what comes, and good thing too! Last week I was in Kansas City, and for whatever reason there I needed to play on a third strength up from my normal strength (two third strengths up from what I've been playing on in PA)  to really be comfortable.

Lesson learned. We don't need to be stuck on one strength of reed. We need to be comfortable, and we should definitely be prepared.

Theo's Enlightened Ligature and Pressure Plates

Right to left: "vintified", titanium,
stainless steel, and silver.

Not too long ago I posted on Theo Wanne's Enlightened Ligature, and it has been in the back of my mind ever since. In a recent equipment quandary I tried the ligature again, and in the same playtest I discovered the four optional pressure plates which Theo Wanne produces and can be used with any of his ligatures. I've been experimenting with the pressure plates for a while now and I thought I'd share my results. Before you dive in here, you may want to review my original review of the ligature as I'll be focusing on the pressure plates this time.

The enlightened ligature comes with two pressure plates, a gold plated pressure plate and a heavier copper one. The additional four that you can buy separately are solid silver, stainless steel, "vintified", and titanium. I did two recorded playtests. The first playtest was recorded in a very live room (lots of reverb) and included the gold plated plate, the stainless steel plate, and the titanium plate. The second by contrast was recorded in a dryer room and included the stainless steel plate, the "vintified" plate, and the titanium plate. I recorded these to draw my own personal conclusions and thus the originally overlooked omission of the "vintified" plate in the first playtest and the gold plated plate in the second. The sounds of the solid silver and copper pressure plates didn't interest me from the get go, though I did experiment with the silver plate at length, and that is the main reason for their omission. This post is not meant to be an in depth review but more of a general survey and illustration by sound clips of how the pressure plates affect the sound.

All clips are recorded on a Mark VI tenor with a Florida era Super Tone Master Otto Link. Each playtest is confined to a single reed and consistent microphone placement.

For comparison purposes here are recordings of my vintage link ligature from both playtests.

Gold Plated Pressure Plate

The gold plate seems to have a thick and somewhat dark projecting sound. A little too heavy for my personal preference.



Stainless Steel Plate

The stainless steel has a bit brighter sound but still very thick and projecting.



"Vintified" Plate

The "vintified" pressure plate, which is brass, has a very warm sound that is very responsive and light on it's feet. The feeling of playing with this plate is somewhat more free blowing than the others which is an interesting twist. I recorded with this plate live on a gig this week, and I've included my solo from Along Came Betty in addition to the playtest.



Titanium Plate

This one has a somewhat bright sound but isn't as thick or heavy as the stainless steel plate. To each their own.



Conclusions: By my estimation the pressure plates really do change the sound and in significant ways. Good thing too as I've arrived closer to my ideal sound than ever before due to the options presented by the various plates. In full disclosure, after weeks of experimentation I'm now playing on the Enlightened ligature with the stainless steel plate as a regular part of my setup, and it has beaten out my beloved vintage Link ligature.

Rico's Reed Storage Case with Humidity Control

As promised today I'm reviewing Rico's reed storage case and its Vitalizer pack (which is by far the more exciting part). The reed case seems like it would be ideal. It fits multiple reed types, is air tight, and has a place to easily insert a Vitalizer pack which stabilizes the humidity at an ideal level. However, I will be returning the case, because in practice it fails to deliver on its advertised promise, the promise to prevent warping.

On day two of using the case I pulled out the reed I had just played the day before and the tip was warped. It wasn't warped significantly, like a reed that you leave out of the case overnight, however the tip was noticeably warped with minor ripples along its full length. It took a few minutes of wetting, straightening, and playing to get the reed back to its ideal state, or as near to ideal as possible after being warped.

What caused the warping? I believe there is one major design flaw here. The floor surface that the reed sits against is lined with long vertical minutely lowered slots which allow the reed to breath and air out underneath as well as above. I have used multiple reed cases with this design, and in my experience it always allows the tip of the reed to warp. Even when the humidity is well regulated the results are apparently the same. The ideal solution would be a flat hard, yet breathable surface, which would provide an unyielding surface to prevent warping that would still allowed the reeds to release moisture from underneath. That day has not arrived yet, at least not with Rico's storage case.

The Answer to Humidity Control

The day of fantastic humidity control has arrived though. I have converted my old reed storage case so that it is now simply an air tight bottle containing my reeds in the same plastic holders they come with and a Vitalizer humidity control pack. I have been using the 73% and it has been very stable. My old method used a sponge to stabilize humidity and a drop or two of mouthwash in the sponge to fight mold from growing in case the humidity level rose too high. It worked well mostly, never allowing mold, and keeping the reeds humid and preventing warping, but it was difficult during weather changes to gauge the humidity in the bottle. The result was that occasionally when the weather changed the humidity level would be much too high which can affect the reeds performance adversely (through a type of warping, I believe). Also, occasionally a weather change would result in the humidity level being too low which resulted in warping as well. I'm liking the no variations 73% humidity level of the Vitalizer pack. So far, so good.

Conclusion: Rico's reed case fails to deliver on its promise of preventing warping, however the Vitalizer humidity control pack does do a fantastic job of stabilizing humidity, and I recommend using it in a context other than Rico's case.

Update on Neckstrap and Ligature Position

Lig to the back?

Yesterday I was experimenting trying to see if I could improve my saxophone playing experience, and I had two successes in a row. In way they were just reviews of my past experiments, but they made all the difference.

So here is where I started or what I've been doing normally. My neck strap has been in a position where the mouthpiece enters my mouth pretty much straight on - no angle up or down really. This is a pretty middle of the road neck strap position, not too high or low. My ligature, on the other hand, has been towards the very back of the mouthpiece.

Or to the front?!

Here is a clip with this neck strap and ligature position:

LigBackNeckstrapMiddle.mp3

Alright, not too bad, however the lack of lows has been bothering me recently. My first discovery was that by moving the ligature forward towards the middle of the mouthpiece I introduced some lows into the sound (possibly removed a couple of the highs), and I also decreased the air resistance of the horn.

Here is a clip with the new ligature position:

LigMiddleNeckstrapMiddle.mp3

I believe the slightly warmer sound is apparent on the recording, and you'll just have to trust me that this ligature position also feels easier to play.

Finally, I also experimented with my neck strap position. I pulled it a little higher than I normally would causing the mouthpiece to enter my mouth at a slight angle. It takes a moment to adjust to the new feeling and possibly lift your head. This higher neck strap position provides new highs to the sound without sacrificing lows, the most enjoyably vibrant of the three in my opinion. 

Here is a clip with the neck strap raised and same ligature position:

LigMiddleNeckstrapHigh.mp3

Reeds & Humidity, Embouchure, & Get a free copy of my Upcoming Recording: Children at Play

Today, I've got a number of things on my mind, so I'm just going to write about them all. First and foremost, my group Unconventional Riot just went to the studio last week and made our first recording which will come your way very soon as a mini-album or EP titled Children at Play. I've started a blog-site for the group at riot.benbrittonjazz.com where you can see a video of the band playing live last week and find out some more about the group and the imminent release. In preparing release I'm collecting ideas about how to promote the EP, and for the 3 best ideas I'll be giving away free digital copies of the entire EP. Post your ideas in the comments of the contest post at riot.benbrittonjazz.com.

Reeds & Humidity

I have recently had a little run in with my reeds. Your going to need a little context though. Over the winter time I found a great way to store my reeds. I have an air tight bottle into which I put a few pieces of mouthwash laden sponge. The mouthwash in the sponges fights off mold for a good week or two and keeps the reeds humid. This was working great until the higher humidity levels hit here in PA in the the last little while.

We all deal with humidity and reeds, so here are my 2 cents on the subject. When reeds are in a low humidity environment they shrink, just like the wooden doors in your house. They can get too soft and thin sounding when the humidity goes below the reed's ideal level. In a high humidity environment they expand, and like the doors in your house that can become difficult to open and shut, the reeds can become too hard and edgy sounding as they expand too much.

Like I was saying earlier, as the humidity hit, my reed keeping system met its match. The humidity inside the air tight container was now too high and my reeds began playing a little too hard and edgy. I solved the problem by cutting some holes into the top of my old bullion container with a pairing knife. It's definitely not neat looking, but it works great. When the humidity drops again I'll cover the holes up with masking tape or something along those lines.

Embouchure (The Frown)

Last, but not least, I recently had a realization that I'd like to share with you. I've always been under the impression that a relaxed (somewhat loose feeling) frown is the embouchure that best allows the reed to vibrate. I was WRONG and here is how. A relaxed frown apparently doesn't get enough of your bottom lip out of the way of the reed. You need a more pronounced frown to completely free up reed and hence the sound. Its somewhat tricky to find just the right frowning feeling, but once you find it you'll need a healthy amount of it. My new embouchure uses more of my frowning muscles and has a cleaner and less fuzzy sound.  Here are the clips of when I first started experimenting with this. You can hear that I wasn't completely comfortable with the pronounced frown yet, but the cleaner sound is very apparent.

Ben plays with a relaxed frown - loose frown.mp3
Ben plays with a pronounced frown - pronounced frown.mp3

Mouthpiece Refacers Keith Bradbury & Matt Voss

Today, I have a double bill for you.  The first is mouthpiece refacer Keith Bradbury known online as Mojo and located in Vineland, NJ.  The second is Matt Voss a refacer working in NYC.

Mojo Refaced Hard Rubber Link

Mojo

After some time being unhappy with my mouthpiece, a Florida era metal Otto Link, I took the plunge and decided to have it worked on.  At the recommendation of Ken Barry from Saxscape I decided to take it to Keith Bradbury who is just an hour or so from Philly and a veteran well respected refacer.

My two concerns I had with the mouthpiece were its resistance and flexibility, which are two things Mojo really has figured out.  On arrival he charted my mouthpiece's facing onto a graph on his computer and analyzed it.  His first step in changing the mouthpiece was to simply clean up the mouthpiece's facing slightly and see if that was a step in the right direction.  Five minutes later I was playtesting the mouthpiece and it had clearly improved.

Following clean up we slowly changed the mouthpiece to be somewhat more free blowing. I playtested it at each step and confirmed it was going correctly which it was.  This process was very interesting as Mojo has some mathematics worked out that he follows (as many mouthpiece architects do), and he would show me the next step graphed out on the computer.  The work went quickly and was finished in just over 2 hours.  All said and done my mouthpiece now plays better than it ever has.

I've recorded the mouthpiece and you can hear it with a similar reed before and after the work.

Before: Ben Plays Motif Based Improv.mp3
After: Ben Plays Giant Steps.mp3

Voss Refaced Metal Link

Matt Voss

I've known about NYC native Matt Voss for a few months, and I've been curious in trying out his work for a while.  The opportunity came recently and I was able to play a modern Otto Link NY Super Tone Master that Matt had completely reworked.

Matt believes that a refacer should be able to take a modern stock mouthpiece and really shape it into whatever is needed, and he has proven that ability with the mouthpiece I played.  What started out as a mouthpiece known for its warm deep tone was given some fairly different tonal qualities.  The mouthpiece has retained much of its depth while taking on some brightness and power.  It feels very even throughout the lower and upper registers of the horn though it is somewhat more resistant in the altissimo register.  Overall, the work is beautiful and well crafted, and the mouthpiece feels consistent and focused.

Here is a clip of Matt's piece: Ben Plays Voss' Link.mp3

Philadelphia Mouthpiece Refacer Steve Cutcher

I recently met Mr. Steve Cutcher (sjcmdc@juno.com), an excellent saxophonist and, to the luck of saxophonists in Philadelphia and abroad, an excellent mouthpiece refacer as well.  I had the opportunity to check out his work which is a very large collection of mouthpieces he has refaced over the years.  One of his philosophies is that you should be able to take a relatively cheap mouthpiece and turn it into a great player, and he has nailed this one on the head.

The two highlights of his collection were two modern hard rubber Otto Links he had completely transformed.  I was skeptical as I put the first rubber Link on my horn, but I was pleasantly surprised as I found the mouthpiece played evenly throughout all the registers of the horn.  The normal increased and somewhat overbearing resistance in the upper register that is usually present in modern rubber Links was completely absent.  Babbitt hadn't even accomplished this completely when I recently tried their "vintage" model rubber link. Following are some specifics on each piece.

Rubber Link #1

This Link has an alive and vibrant sound with a nice balanced combination of highs and lows.  It is a powerful piece that has enough resistance so that you can push it to its extreme with no fear of the sound breaking up.  The mouthpiece isn't as malleable or flexible as some, but the sound is beautiful and big.  The response of the mouthpiece is quick enough to feel comfortable, though not as responsive as #2, which I'll talk about shortly.

Here is a clip of the mouthpiece: Ben Plays Refaced 1.mp3

Rubber Link #2

This one has a warmer sound than #1, showing Steve's range of ability.  While it doesn't feel as powerful as #1, it does feel more flexible and more responsive.  The increase flexibility and responsiveness make it feel extremely easy to get around the horn.  I still felt like I could push the mouthpiece to its limit comfortably despite its warmer tone quality and less resistant feel, which is a real compliment to the mouthpiece and the refacer.

Here is a clip of something more subtle: Ben Plays Refaced 2.mp3

Conclusion: Steve Cutcher's two refaced modern rubber Links show his skill as a mouthpiece refacer.  They feel and sound great.  Any saxophonists looking to get in contact with Steve can reach him at sjcmdc@juno.com

Getting To Know Your Mouthpiece: Ligature Position

Ben's Old & Slightly Worn Mouthpiece

There are many ways to approach achieving your ideal sound. Some people worry only about equipment, while others believe if they do enough tone exercises on their Yamaha 4C mouthpiece they'll eventually sound like Michael Brecker. I believe that both the right equipment and tone exercises are necessary, but today I'd like to suggest a less significant, more subtle, yet still important aspect of the saxophonist's search for their sound.

Ligature placement on the mouthpiece might not significantly affect what is heard in front of the horn, but it can significantly affect the sound from behind the horn as well as the feeling of playing the horn. There are several main experiments I'd like to suggest.

Ligature toward the front

Ligature toward the back

First, is how far back or forward the ligature is placed.  You might like it at one extreme or the other or possibly someplace in between. I'd suggest experimenting with the extremes (pictured on my mouthpiece above) first so that you have a better chance at detecting any contrasts.  Of course, try the middle too and figure out what works for you.

Ligature off-center

Second, try rotating the ligature to the left so that the force of the ligature isn't focused directly on the center of the reed but rather focused on the left side of the reed.  Also, try it on the right side of the reed.  If there is some inconsistency with the rails or table of the mouthpiece this experiment could potentially reveal that.  Doing this myself I found that my mouthpiece feels easier to play and more expressive with the ligature off center.

Though these two variations are simple enough you might find yourself going back and forth for at a couple of hours trying different combinations.  I'd suggest having a couple of different ligatures and reeds to confirm your findings.  Also, make sure to try the different placements out in different rooms with varying levels of of natural reverberation.  The more consistent your conclusions on ligature placement are when changing up the room, reed, and ligature, the more confident you can be that you've figured out the best placement.

Like I mentioned before, when trying different ligature placements myself I can hear significant differences in the sound and the feeling of playing the saxophone, however they don't carry so significantly to listeners in front of the saxophone.  Following are some recording I did with the different ligature placements. For the record this reed is a little more buzzy than my normal fare.

Ligature on the Right.mp3
The above is an mp3 clip with my ligature toward the back and rotated so its putting pressure on the right side of the reed.  This is my preferred ligature placement.  On my particular mouthpiece this is what feels and sounds the best from the my (the player's) perspective.

Ligature in the Middle.mp3
This is an mp3 clip with the ligature centered.  It sounds a little brighter, but it's also a little distorted, feels slightly more difficult to play, and is less expressive.

Ligature Forward.mp3
Finally, here is an mp3 clip of my ligature towards the front of the mouthpiece, which for me doesn't sound as full from behind the horn.