tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32894276066870694342024-03-25T07:59:12.254-07:00Stuff SaxStuff about saxophones. This gives me a place to post saxophone information based on things that I mess around with, experiment with, modify, break, fix, ruin, etc. WARNING: May contain some non-sax information. But it will contain information on saxophone repair, saxophone refinishing, saxophone mouthpiece refacing, saxophone accessories, saxophone reviews, saxophone, saxophone, saxophone. Take that, search engines. gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-79207742909849090212024-02-05T15:32:00.000-08:002024-02-05T17:30:37.114-08:00The Anti-Roll Bag<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiYdqzzB3n9YP3uUokXaxT3gcQvK3dIKU28I9xPan2Y02hRqYx0A4xKXz_EDt4DgVZH8uvsxmlvZAdtaSoYjHl8RcAJVeLvjB9LF5CUQg2Dq3bCNVmF6Ay-couOZ4uLipKHnJxwbm98FR4Er65ijCHR37NsGOqmHqP8FsnFOgqD_1tVYhJxrQ13QPISk/s2752/density.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1768" data-original-width="2752" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiYdqzzB3n9YP3uUokXaxT3gcQvK3dIKU28I9xPan2Y02hRqYx0A4xKXz_EDt4DgVZH8uvsxmlvZAdtaSoYjHl8RcAJVeLvjB9LF5CUQg2Dq3bCNVmF6Ay-couOZ4uLipKHnJxwbm98FR4Er65ijCHR37NsGOqmHqP8FsnFOgqD_1tVYhJxrQ13QPISk/w640-h412/density.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Anti-Roll Tanks for boats have been around for over a century. They basically consist of a tank that runs athwart ship filled with water. When the vessel heels to port, a surface wave (or the entire volume of water) runs to port. Various methods control the water's arrival until just after the boat has begun to rock back to starboard. The water's additional weight transfer, and the water's momentum in hitting the port side of the tank, effectively neutralizes some of the righting force, i.e., it takes some of the "snap" out of the recovery and reduces the ability of the boat to begin synchronous "increasing" rolling (as when encountering the wake of another vessel).</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There has been a considerable amount of research on "fine tuning" the tanks for a certain roll period, vessel hull design, etc. <span style="background-color: white;">Over the years, changes to the anti-roll tank’s placement, shape, internal baffles, etc. have been tried to increase the effectiveness. There are also tanks which are not “free surface” and have constrictions, pressurized air, water pumps, etc. to increase effectiveness. Of course, the more complex the system, usually called “active” systems, the more likely the system can fail. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My idea was to experiment with a strong bias towards the KISS principle. I’m not looking for a system that would need to respond effectively to 30-degree rolls or stabilization in 10-foot seas. I’m just looking to calm my boat’s “excessive stability,” caused in part by its large beam to length ratio (10.5’ x 29’ at the waterline). It has a deeper than average single keel (46”) but even still the boat is “snappy.”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">My flying bridge is about 8.5 feet across (and 10.5 feet above the waterline). I bought 3 yards of vinyl coated polyester (54” wide) and heat welded it into a bag, adding a fill port. That produced an anti-roll bag (ARB) that was about 24” across and 9’ long for about $100. I wanted the extra length because I figured that in a big </span><span class="highlight" style="background-color: white;">roll</span><span style="background-color: white;">, a lot of water would go into the end of the ARB and I didn’t want to constrict that motion. As you can see from the video below, it may still constrict some of the water despite the extra room at the end.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Wave speed is affected by several variables. One of the variables is the pressure above the liquid surface. By not having a “free surface” and using the tension of the bag, I think the wave is slowed a little. We are talking about a fraction of a second. My boat’s </span><span class="highlight" style="background-color: white;">roll</span><span style="background-color: white;"> period is about 3.4 seconds. That makes port side up to port side down 1.7 seconds. If I can slow the side-to-side water transfer down to 1.8 seconds, mission accomplished. Filling the ARB semi-tight (about 20 gallons) with no air in it seemed to do the trick. That is 166 lbs. (less than I weigh). While I don't normally run back and forth on the flying bridge, I'm sure the structure can handle the weight shift.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;">Here is a short video of the bag in action on my flying bridge. This was taken while crossing the Straight of Juan de Fuca. We were experiencing occasional 10-degree rolls </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">(one 11 degree) </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">in a beam sea from swells coming in from the Pacific. I was measuring using an inclinometer app on my phone. The 10 degree rolls were always the result of building synchronous rolls, never just a 10 degree roll out of the blue. You probably know the feeling. It starts with 3 degrees one way, 6 the other, and you can then tell the next will be even bigger.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">I then filled the ARB</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"> using my potable water. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">You can see that when I roll to starboard, the port side of the bag is almost empty. When rolling to port, the water would arrive just as the port started to lift (and the same on the other side). We no longer built synchronous rolls to 10 degrees. 6 was the max, the building was less frequent, and the rolls subsided faster. A noticeably better ride. With no air inside the bag, the water moving back and forth could not be heard from the lower helm.</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='586' height='492' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxCQX2OI5sCRqiy6Tdq26LuaeYEG4MKfzuQc3mH8tW31lg4PuzRpZlAVcY8bIkATbrqvbI8KYaxgtF19pQsSQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />I should have put the camera on a tripod or steadied it better. That would have given a better understanding of the relationship between the boat's rocking motion and the arrival of the "wave." But the horizon can be seen just over the coaming on the left. The boat tips to port, and just as it begins to lift, the bulk of the water arrives and shuts down the snap back to starboard. Not completely, as can be seen, but enough to make quite a difference for the safety and comfort of passengers.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I also tested the ARB in the marina. I rocked the boat myself by standing on the dock and using my weight on-and-off to get the boat rocking. Seven degrees was possible without attracting too much attention. Seven degrees was difficult when the bag was full, as the shifting water was fighting me. But what I was interested in was the "roll decay" caused by the ARB. For this, I switched to an accelerometer app. That would show the timing and decay of the rocking, rather than the roll angle.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Unfortunately, I didn't notice two things about the application. First, it matter somewhat as to whether the phone was level. For the first test, I had the phone at the helm. I then filled the tank and put the phone on the side deck, where it wasn't level. That moved the "zero point" off center. Second, I didn't notice that the application had an automatic set on the Y axis (the vertical scale). Note that the first test (ARB empty) shows .5 as the first metric and the second text (ARB full) shows 1 as the first metric. But basically, the max acceleration is .1 G. And again, what I was interested in was the rate of decay.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaF8blljZe5j0PARj4iygvbrDobZESeO5dKmx_EH1NFPHAAB9lqOMxC9Dm54agdN-etMC0_P6V7PfRKpU1VV2dwMxrHao3hlpOGu2O_0qgyqDA7lqfTUhZsmYLQg7eM-MXmsw_OMt8FaUuWdaT-bqQz7ORG2whJ5XYQVFVPvdOqFIAfCPdBN7-eJfTu6o/s1600/No%20Tank%20Fill.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaF8blljZe5j0PARj4iygvbrDobZESeO5dKmx_EH1NFPHAAB9lqOMxC9Dm54agdN-etMC0_P6V7PfRKpU1VV2dwMxrHao3hlpOGu2O_0qgyqDA7lqfTUhZsmYLQg7eM-MXmsw_OMt8FaUuWdaT-bqQz7ORG2whJ5XYQVFVPvdOqFIAfCPdBN7-eJfTu6o/w288-h640/No%20Tank%20Fill.png" width="288" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Here, it took me over 30 seconds to get the boat rocking to the point I wanted. You can see that the sine waves prior to about 32 seconds (X axis) have an asymmetric peak. That is a result of me jumping back and forth off the boat to get it too rock. Once I stopped, letting the rocking decay naturally, it took about 30 seconds for the G force to halve.<br /><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawJq4QORjzaFB4PvqxLris7o1qIJfK3WkfAJe3Rl7SJ4H4GShRrHq8lVsI1mYNPNImQ634-uBRifaHEDLGTPCmn-rFj_rv8Y7PvcYlJC-FuQ91EL3pofg8CdwzitW65uiRH7NcMcEGFL8xQNynp5TlifRs4tBHgcQsXv7AEwT10Z6vmVDAxcqIgAHH4U/s1600/Tank%20Filled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawJq4QORjzaFB4PvqxLris7o1qIJfK3WkfAJe3Rl7SJ4H4GShRrHq8lVsI1mYNPNImQ634-uBRifaHEDLGTPCmn-rFj_rv8Y7PvcYlJC-FuQ91EL3pofg8CdwzitW65uiRH7NcMcEGFL8xQNynp5TlifRs4tBHgcQsXv7AEwT10Z6vmVDAxcqIgAHH4U/w288-h640/Tank%20Filled.png" width="288" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Here with the ARB filled, it took me 150 seconds to get my boat rocking to approximately the same .1 G force and only 20 seconds for it to dwindle to almost nothing. As can be seen, ARB stabilization is just as effective at anchor.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">I’ve read quite a few studies on how to slow down the wave speed in a regular </span><span class="highlight" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">tank</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">. Baffles and complex plumbing seem to be common. One study had diagrams of 6 different shaped tanks with variable baffles. It seems to me that one of the problems is simply the liquid that is always used. Water. If one used maple syrup, the wave would naturally be slower (but there would be other issues, of course). </span><br /><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It might be possible to adjust the wave's motion by adding rock salt to regular seawater. It increases the density (as shown in the picture above from the Dead Sea), causing the newspaper reader to float abnormally high in the water. You can also see the effect of the increased viscosity in the picture. See the little wave just below the newspaper reader? It isn't "splashing" over like a normal white cap. It is "slopping" over. That is the increased viscosity that might slow a wave by the needed fraction of a second.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>In looking at what liquid could have the right "sluggish" viscosity, I came across what is called “thick water.” It is water to which food-grade calcium chloride is added, possibly to the extent of making it goopy to the point of way too viscous. But there might be a water to calcium chloride ratio that would slow the wave down without baffles, etc. As a plus, calcium chloride doesn’t increase the liquid volume, meaning that adding 2 pounds of calcium chloride to a gallon of water (8.34 pounds) results in the gallon of solution weighing 10.34 pounds. Thus, slowing the motion while increasing the liquid’s effective mass. We shall see.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br /><p></p></div></div>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-38507550352542820622024-01-25T11:20:00.000-08:002024-02-12T10:26:51.334-08:00DIY Muffler for Diesel Heater<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When I installed a diesel heater on my boat, I was concerned about the exhaust noise. I had tried the muffler that came with the heater, but it was a fail for two reasons. 1) It was spot welded around the edges and therefore was not possible to use aboard. It would leak exhaust fumes inside. 2) It barely worked. There are two versions of the little stainless muffler that comes with these diesel heaters, although they look identical on the outside. One is a straight-through design and the other has a little bend. They are a "glass pack" style of muffler with the exhaust pipe, having perforations, going though a canister filled with spun fiberglass. But they are tiny and barely take the edge off of the whining exhaust note.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I decided to build my own. The flexible stainless steel exhaust pipe that came with my heater was about 23mm. That slipped over standard copper 3/4" pipe in my scrap pile. I also had a few feet of 1.5" copper pipe. I bought a couple end caps for the 1.5" pipe and went about building my muffler. I drilled a bunch of little holes (1/8") in the center section of the 3/4" copper pipe. I then drilled holes in the ends of the 1.5" end caps to fit the O.D. of the 3/4" pipe. I soldered one end cap on the 1.5" pipe, slipped the 3/4" pipe through, filled the 1.5" pipe with spun fiberglass (from my attic insulation), put it all together and soldered it up (high-temp solder).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Here it is next to the stainless muffler that came with my diesel heater.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXvZuWyqnIJQ9YUmHfTelZi3VuRWcx741X11Mc5QliEbNGrCJBBnEayXNjuXFJxIxXm9kSNqqK6NVlq64jx5tudNUA1LqrWFAbUbGW41GPpPf8zMFzBrJzTxstyyEG5ifveTz-XkqFjIGDvHdKI4dOal6BqLB-P2hEHfkuucSnGuQ95s5nP9kaH8ffkg/s800/Diesel%20heater%20muffler.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXvZuWyqnIJQ9YUmHfTelZi3VuRWcx741X11Mc5QliEbNGrCJBBnEayXNjuXFJxIxXm9kSNqqK6NVlq64jx5tudNUA1LqrWFAbUbGW41GPpPf8zMFzBrJzTxstyyEG5ifveTz-XkqFjIGDvHdKI4dOal6BqLB-P2hEHfkuucSnGuQ95s5nP9kaH8ffkg/w640-h488/Diesel%20heater%20muffler.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">On the right is a 3/4" elbow and then a little length of the flexible stainless exhaust tubing that came with the heater. It is sealed with a hose clamp and high temp silicon. I also attached a little of the stainless exhaust tubing on the other end (which then attaches to the through-hull) to make alignment easy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Since my fabricated muffler is 4 times longer than the stainless muffler, I was expecting an improvement. But it was even better than expected. A neighbor in the marina asked how my diesel heater project was going and I told him that it was running as we were talking. But it can't be heard. I decided to make a video/sound recording. To actually hear it, I had to climb on the boat next to me and hold my phone down by the exhaust outlet. Even then, I had to turn up the microphone sensitivity. Unfortunately, every time I recorded, some gulls started screaming a few docks away. But it is possible to hear the heater if one were in a dinghy passing by a few feet away.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='496' height='424' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dza6tbPrSrxEraIAFyxynNMGEecGwp35GX_bkVy70ejsiFplkbVUeTW-bAymY-zNDKYNTu1CDblkofEAABzuw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Here is another recording that I made at a really quiet anchorage in northwest British Columbia. I stuck the phone out the window right above the diesel heater exhaust. Dang it, again the background noise covered up the sound of the heater exhaust.</span><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='524' height='367' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwKX6qHUJqRxsgjVEWH2QwhIzGaZgATVjM7e-bt5QOkrC5EbndpWumtlUVHfmmlPaIXNmYukn9f_-p56EoMfg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></div><div><br /><p><br /></p></div>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-65851255949283876982023-11-08T11:49:00.001-08:002023-11-08T11:49:16.094-08:00Saxophone Stuffy Second D Stuff<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I once started a list of all of the various remedies for a stuffy 2nd D (D2). Sometimes the complaint also included a warbling low D1 (or lower notes). The list of possible fixes got so long and complicated that it was of little value. Although some claim that their D2 is stuffy, others describe the same problem as D2 being unstable or weak. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">There is a general agreement that D2 is an unstable note and is an acoustical compromise. Since there are various solutions to eliminating a stuffy D2, many of which actually work, it appears that D2 can be unstable in various ways or for various reasons. That makes finding a <i>universal fix </i>impossible.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">One of the primary causes of instability is that the octave pip for D2 serves several other tone holes. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">What we are fighting isn't that the D2 tone hole is too low on the body tube (or the pip too high), it is that the octave pip placement is a compromise. The idea of creating </span><a href="http://michaelbrockman.com/FrankensaxPart1ND.pdf"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: large;">an octave pip for every key has been done</span></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">, but it has its limitations (hence the article's term <i>Frankinsax</i> for the "pipped out" horn). The body tube octave pip on every normal saxophone is too far from D2 and too close to G#2, all of which area the second pip is supposed to service. The pip being too far or too close effects the pitch. Too close makes the note flat and too far away makes it sharp. The size of the pip opening, the size of the tone hole, and the height of the pad can also alter pitch.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Before I get back to a sharp or stuffy D2 issue, I'm going to effectively "move the octave pip" for E2. First, blow low E1 and then use your octave key. Your low E might be a couple of cents sharper than E2. That's because the pip is also too high on the tube for E2. We know that by comparing </span><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">the pip location to where the pad for E3 is located. The E3 tone hole is actually the correct mathematical and acoustical placement for an E2 pip, but since we have only one pip serving several notes, a compromise is made. (One could argue that it isn't the number of octave pips that is the problem, it is the player's limited number of fingers.)</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">We can use the palm E3 key as though it were a correctly placed octave pip. Play E1 using your pinky and ring finger to push down F1 and E1. That leaves your index finger to operate the side E3 key as the new octave pip. Play E1 and press side E3 instead of the octave key. It should work perfectly for E2. Actually, it works too good because it over-vents because of the pad size. If you just barely crack the side E3, you will get a note that is in tune. If you open it completely, it goes a little sharp, or it goes sharper. So the size of the pip opening also affects pitch.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">We now see what happens when the octave pip is too high or too low on the body tube. Play E1 as before and crack open the F3 palm key. Instead of a nice E2, you now get a sharp E2, which is the result of the "octave pip" being too far away. Play E1 and crack open the palm Eb3 key. Now instead of E2 you will get something considerably flatter. That's the acoustical problem in sax design that is compensated by pip placement, pip opening size, tone hole placement, tone hole size, key heights , and who knows what else. But it is always a compromise. Also notice that each of these is just some form of "venting." More venting, less venting, venting higher or lower on the body tube.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">We can do similar experiments for an unstable D2. If D2 is unstable and you press the C# LH pinky key (a common remedy), that is adding additional venting lower on the horn. It is kind of a clunky solution for the player, but workable. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">In an attempt for a less clunky solution, some raise the low C pad as another way to increase venting lower on the horn without pressing additional keys. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">This works, but it doesn't really help if D2 is also sharp, in fact, it often makes the note louder </span><em style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">and sharper</em><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">. Less stuffy, but not really an improvement. One of the other low tube venting fixes is to put a<span style="color: blue;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.musicmedic.com/info/articles/num_24.html" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: blue;">"cresent"</span></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> in the C tone hole chimney to effectively make the body tube longer when sounding D2. Of course, this also lowers the pitch of low D1, and then compromises must be made with the pad heights to try to get D1 sharper while getting D2 to remain flatter. Sometimes this works.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">If D2 is stuffy and you press the D3 palm key, that is adding additional venting <i>higher</i> on the horn. This fingering is even clunkier, but often works better. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Some have drilled out the upper pip hole as a way to increase venting higher on the horn with just the standard fingering. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> I've seen some claims of success, but I tend to be skeptical of many of these improvements. For one thing, many who initially have a stuffy D2 issue report that it goes away after some hours (or days) of playing. Practice, practice, practice actually has an effect. That make it a little difficult to be certain that a drilled out pip or piece of something glued into a tone hole is actually the fix. It could be that getting familiar with the horn was the actual fix.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">A third solution, not often mentioned, is changing the mouthpiece. Because D2 is the least stable note, that is a spot where an acoustical mouthpiece miss-match will often show itself. Spread octaves can also result, but this is often worked around with practice. A mouthpiece that effectively magnifies the instability of D2 is a more time consuming work around. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">As noted above, sometimes stuffy D2 seems to go away on its own. Or, you can try a long list of "folk remedies." We all know practice, practice, practice. But there are others like blow warm air, or pretend that there is honey under your tongue, or push your chin forward, or flair your nostrils, or think of England, etc. (Do not try these all at once). </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I think that through adopting these various fixes players can reinforce a </span><a href="http://www2.psychology.uiowa.edu/faculty/wasserman/glossary/reflex.html" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: blue;">Pavlovian response</span></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> so that every time they get to D2 they radically change their embouchure and breath support. Don't worry about those people who swear by these fixes being offended by me calling them "folk cures." Those people aren't reading this, they are too busy practicing. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">There is nothing wrong with practicing. However, I think that there are more important things to practice than getting a stable D2 or eliminating a warbling D1 <i>if there is another way (i.e., a mechanical way) of eliminating the instability</i>. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">And I don't mean to imply that D1 and D2 will ever be exactly the same when doing an octave trill, just close enough that you don't have to think "embouchure and breath support" every time you play D2.</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Usually all we need is to get D2 and D1 closer together<em>. </em>Play D1 and slowly trill back and forth to D2 by using the octave key. You might have a 15 cent change in pitch and a big change in resistance and tonal quality on a problem horn. D1 tends to play in tune with the lower stack and is more in tune with the upper stack than is D2. That means that D2 is the <em>outlier</em> and you will need to remember to change your embouchure and breath support every time you hit that note <i>and back again</i> every time you play a subsequent note after D2. But if we can get D1 and D2 within 5 cents, then we can effectively ignore the difference, which is what we want. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I'm not going to move the pip. Moving it closer to the low D tone hole would make D2 flatter, but make G2 sharper. I'm not going to drill out the pip, although some claim that it can be a remedy for stuffiness.</span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> <span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I'm not going to move the tone hole. That leaves me with adjustments to tone hole size and key height.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;">We can flatten the pitch of D2 by adding a cresent to the "up stream" side of the tone hole used to produce D2 (the C tone hole) That effectively moves the tone hole further down the body tube. If the problem is that the tone hole is too far away from the body pip, a cresent overcomes the sharpness by overcompensating on the tube length. It will also make D1 slightly sharper, but maybe not enough to be objectionable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;">What if, instead of making the tube effectively longer, we made it effectively shorter? Well maybe not shorter, just sharper. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;">If we put the cresent on the furthest edge of the tone hole (i.e., on the down stream side), it reduces the size of the tone hole but it doesn't increase the effective distance between the pip and the tone hole, which we have sort of determined as too long for D2. So what does just reducing the size of the tone hole do for us? This is where things get wonky. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_hole" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: blue;">Reducing the size of a tone hole has the effect of lengthening the tube</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;">. Again, a smaller tone hole will also have the effect of making D1 slightly sharper, but again, maybe not enough to be objectionable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;">Here I am halfway through this blog and I'm still talking about octave pip positions and gluing stuff in tone holes. I haven't even gotten into adjusting key heights, another "fix" that might have an effect. As I said above, unless every player that has your model of saxophone has the same problem, we are probably "masking" a problem, not "fixing" a problem. What we need to examine is the "cause," not the fix. If other players don't have the issue with pip placement and tone hole size, then those are not really the cause even though monkeying with that stuff can improve things.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">What is weird about the two common, and to seemingly opposite, solutions </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">often working</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> (fingerings that increase low vent or increase high vent) is that neither one of them is likely the actual cause. They might mask the problem, making us think that lower (or higher) venting was the issue when it wasn't actually the problem. These fixes are the same as changing pip size and location, adding cresents, and adjusting a key pad heights.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Saxophones being what they are (a tube with an effective length adjusted by sealing consecutive openings), it is safe to say that the "seal" part of the adjustable length is going to almost always be the issue. If your brand of sax is common enough, and other players don't have the same issue, then you cannot blame the design of the sax. <i>Maybe you can blame your mouthpiece</i> if it is radically different from what other players are using. <i>Maybe it's your personal embouchure, oral cavity, lung capacity, etc.</i>, but now we are getting pretty far afield from what is likely causing your pitch problems. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">My experience has been that, sooner or later, I will come across the actual cause of a stuffy, weak D2 or a warbling D1 (and below). And the root cause has always been a leak. For some reason when told this a player's first response is "My horn doesn't leak!" Maybe it just got back from the shop and the tech told them that it doesn't leak. Maybe it has a couple new pads or all new pads. Maybe the player spent hours with a leak light. Fine. But far and away the number one cause of a weak or unstable D is a leak.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">If you are lying in bed and find that water is dripping on you, is there a leak? Your roofer says there isn't a leak and water is still dripping on you. Is there a leak? If the Google solution is to cover your roof with a blue tarp, have you fixed the problem? How about just covering your bed? Fixed?</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">If we accept that the cause is a leak, then here are some places to look (in no particular order). As I said way back at the start of this blog, when I started making a list it got very long and often included some of the "blue tarp" solutions that I have already mentioned. Here are places where a surprisingly tiny leak can wreak havoc on D2. Keep in mind that these leaks are affecting other notes, it's just that D2 being the least stable is affected the most.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I've found that the leaks that are most likely to affect D1 (warbling) are those near the "would be" correct position of an octave pip for that note. Leaks further down the sax tube can make for a weak response, but not unstable warbling. The most difficult to detect is a neck tenon leak. Because of the distance the air travels (actually vibrates) out from the neck tenon, the effective leak is further along the neck than you would think. In fact, the leak around the neck tenon might not be in a straight line, meaning that air could travel around the back of the tenon and out the top of the tenon on the opposite side. A leaking neck tenon may have the same effect as a leaking lower pip, even though the lower pip is several inches further down the horn. (Although further down the horn, it is the "air path distance" that matters, so a tenon leak has the acoustical effect of a pip about 2 inches below the joint).</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The lower pip is placed where it is most effective to break the harmonics and cause low notes to jump up an octave. A tiny leak there (or effectively there) can cause warbling from E1 on down. If the warbling starts low or is only low, then I would be suspicious that a leak is acting as a "false octave pip" or "ghost vent" in a corresponding upper key. For instance, if the side Bb2 key not sprung tight enough that can cause Bb1 to be unstable and warble (because it almost wants to jump an octave).</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Likewise, if D1 is unstable and shaky but the surrounding notes seem better, first check the upper D palm key, the natural place for the D2 octave vent. I fought with a warbling D1 on an old tenor. I just could not play softly without a soft pulsating vibrato (that wasn't me controlling the vibrato). A small chamber mouthpiece helped, but that's not what I wanted to play. It turned out the the palm D3 key had a very light spring on it. The pad didn't leak light, but apparently playing D1 caused enough vibration at that point such that the pad leaked just enough air to cause D1 to <i>almost </i>jump to D2. One would think that playing at volume would really make D3 leak, but that didn't seem to be the case. At volume, I was in control of the D1 pitch. At <i>ppp</i>, it always felt like D1 was in control of me. A new, stiffer spring changed that.</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Probably enough rantings about warbling D. Hopefully, it can give somebody a clue where to start the search.<br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-14372905932263854062021-01-08T17:33:00.017-08:002023-05-06T16:37:15.526-07:00The Gale Triple-Rail Mouthpiece<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">One of the oddest mouthpieces that I have come across is the Gale "<i>Triple-Rail</i>" mouthpiece. Lots of vintage mouthpieces have tried things to differentiate themselves from conventional mouthpieces. Odd shaped chambers, metal tables, anything to make the mouthpiece stand out. Of course, the manufacturer also has to make a claim as to why the design modification is superior, or what problem it solves, or how it improves the sound or tuning or <i><b>something</b></i>. As we have seen with musical accessories, the claim doesn't need to be true or even make sense. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Most of the inventive changes to saxophone mouthpieces over the years claim that the modification improves the sound when in fact it is often only the visual aspect of the mouthpiece that has changed. </span></span><span><span>The white</span></span><span> </span><span>Brilhart </span><span><i>T</i></span><i>onolin </i><span>mouthpiece is claimed to sound different than the original black </span><span>Brilhart</span><span> </span><i>Ebolin</i><span> mouthpiece. Nobody can agree on what the acoustical difference is, and nobody can tell in a blind testing, so there is not likely </span><i>any difference</i><span> caused by the color. Also, having been produced by the same mold makes a rational person doubt any acoustical difference. But as musicians, we don't have to be rational. I am sure that some would argue that they know what a red </span><span>Brilhart</span><span> </span><i>R</i><i>ubylin</i><span> mouthpiece would sound like. Maybe bloody good? A rosy tone?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Mouthpieces have occasionally taken on a novelty design. I believe that the Gale <i>Triple-Rail</i> is one of those. Try as I might, I could find no information on just what problem the "middle rail" was intended to solve. Or what improvement resulted from having a rail down the middle of the chamber. A radical design change should be a refinement that outweighs any negatives caused by the change. That doesn't seem to have happened with the <i>Triple-Rail</i>. There was no "up side" and lots of "down side."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">First, some background. In about 1948, Mr. Carl Satzinger formed a corporation with several of the principals from Rico Products, famous for their woodwind reeds. Mr. Satzinger was the son-in-law of a Rico employee who was involved with Rico's mouthpiece fabrication. Mr. Satzinger had some college training as an engineer and started a business with Roy Maier, Frank De Michelle, and Nathan Snyder, all principals at Rico. The venture was incorporated and Mr. Satzinger opened his own shop with a business address. The company was named "Gale Products" after Mr. Satzinger's daughter Gale.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Gale Products was short lived, lasting less than a year. Some of the first mouthpieces stamped Gale appear to have been made from blanks using Rico's existing line of mouthpieces (the <i>M.C. Gregory</i> model). But others were clearly from different blanks, maybe even designed by Mr. Satzinger. The Gale Products molds were sold to a local jeweler when Gale was dissolved after less than a year. The jeweler later sold them to Charles Bay, a well-known clarinet instructor and mouthpiece facer. Below is a picture of a selection of blanks made from the Gale Products molds. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_B8X8gdnsCwWUGUf1xTz7Vzf8dKInDQjU2XvxeimMPiUK4ejNixrI_vl0zBwtjQF7yyZj3z1zj2nflJfMYtCBbHPlXGpOQMXsUChTiLAZo5VV6bBaI6QXPIznkFKUMOIdipFv8s3rhU/s1600/Bay+collection5_files.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_B8X8gdnsCwWUGUf1xTz7Vzf8dKInDQjU2XvxeimMPiUK4ejNixrI_vl0zBwtjQF7yyZj3z1zj2nflJfMYtCBbHPlXGpOQMXsUChTiLAZo5VV6bBaI6QXPIznkFKUMOIdipFv8s3rhU/s16000/Bay+collection5_files.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Gale Products <i>Triple-Rail </i>mouthpiece that I'm writing about is a curious modification of one of the Gale molds. If you look at the above picture, it is shown on the lower right, the third one in (with an aluminum shank band). There is a rib or "rail" down the center of the chamber. There is another <i>Triple-Rail</i> on the upper right, second one in. That one apparently had the rib mostly broken off. There is no way of knowing what percentage of the <i>Triple-Rail</i> castings ended up defective, but it would certainly make production more costly than a regular chamber.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The following are pictures of my unfinished Gale <i>Triple-Rail</i> blank.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRIeCFUIvpb7UCyHjbR2byFh9L3xDUXyA4PHIkJsQXykt7Tw-vaHrnVb-T9o5jGIozwhc6FCMm3DgyEZ9-rtg0uCOnS8SBRLDG-MNmpc1jFnPrGMLstN31npiIGYWOWA2KB-jxldOjpg/s2048/100_1590.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRIeCFUIvpb7UCyHjbR2byFh9L3xDUXyA4PHIkJsQXykt7Tw-vaHrnVb-T9o5jGIozwhc6FCMm3DgyEZ9-rtg0uCOnS8SBRLDG-MNmpc1jFnPrGMLstN31npiIGYWOWA2KB-jxldOjpg/w480-h640/100_1590.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYixinUTweRAZIdSeOeEhKRtje_UIA3PuaFxqIatXroAMHWgw460TSTLT7aabBCrugO0RdS9tB7zmn4H9mM9HQF9ylwj1lrAf7e_gAznF_PJ0-c2ZbHZXDh6p0Q8I8U5djdFG-g_smm0/s2048/100_1597.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYixinUTweRAZIdSeOeEhKRtje_UIA3PuaFxqIatXroAMHWgw460TSTLT7aabBCrugO0RdS9tB7zmn4H9mM9HQF9ylwj1lrAf7e_gAznF_PJ0-c2ZbHZXDh6p0Q8I8U5djdFG-g_smm0/w640-h480/100_1597.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sPwe1dnQ4gdtYcAE5s1077odLct1GuB94aOa4ZF2v0sPKgqk2Hk1njtdMwF-zX_hJyCbGG7QqzHsdfOpiQYLhUqSzvjhlO2xJ-hYfoqtSeU4NtR257BvbeLD8SnxBhhIDLlAnaamUwc/s2048/100_1600.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sPwe1dnQ4gdtYcAE5s1077odLct1GuB94aOa4ZF2v0sPKgqk2Hk1njtdMwF-zX_hJyCbGG7QqzHsdfOpiQYLhUqSzvjhlO2xJ-hYfoqtSeU4NtR257BvbeLD8SnxBhhIDLlAnaamUwc/w640-h480/100_1600.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />There are a couple of things that stand out about this rough blank. First, the mold line on the beak doesn't seem to run down the center of the beak. When looking from the tip (above picture), you can see how asymmetrical the tip is. That is not going to be very easy to work with. It requires a lot of shaping, <i>something that the molding process was intended to reduce.</i> Even the third rail down the middle isn't symmetrical. This appears on many, but not all <i>Third-Rail</i> mouthpieces. There is simply no way to fix that when finishing the blank.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Another common flaw on these is that the middle rail tend to chip right where it meets the top of the window. The picture below is a close-up of the flaw on my blank. Right at the top of the rail a tiny piece is missing. Not that it matters, as we will see when this mouthpiece is finished. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeV40S-yjfSsdB7Vl1lynQ2iWoqLhMkquw8cZewQ0JFhcIU4x9hUnSJm2UayfVBOQgIj80TvZLLUvt0zl1td4jgAUHmirWW67w0YWH47sHzfPoZlwrhAugTIdHP59TDFiwCWDydHOEBs/s2048/100_1591.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeV40S-yjfSsdB7Vl1lynQ2iWoqLhMkquw8cZewQ0JFhcIU4x9hUnSJm2UayfVBOQgIj80TvZLLUvt0zl1td4jgAUHmirWW67w0YWH47sHzfPoZlwrhAugTIdHP59TDFiwCWDydHOEBs/w480-h640/100_1591.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The actual middle rib is often warped and can have minor casting flaws on it. In the picture below you can see a little blister on the "curtain" that forms the middle rail. It could be removed but I didn't bother. You can also see that the inside of the mouthpiece suffers from the brown oxidation found on most 75 year-old ebonite mouthpieces.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1ZDwXvPcidQfbrzJYyfmMJ-uoBVoc8dO0cA0mIQ_lcxhWbElU2jSN3KBltajpMr-LqCzL2rdJIYCes3GQC8gHCSeBuEeDX72HzM5kSQtB_0i4xMjSjAsKijlGhNWUYTqfZTym4ZjNSg/s2048/100_1595.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1ZDwXvPcidQfbrzJYyfmMJ-uoBVoc8dO0cA0mIQ_lcxhWbElU2jSN3KBltajpMr-LqCzL2rdJIYCes3GQC8gHCSeBuEeDX72HzM5kSQtB_0i4xMjSjAsKijlGhNWUYTqfZTym4ZjNSg/w640-h480/100_1595.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I wrote the original lay on the blank. It was fairly even side-to-side, but with a close tip opening at .050 inch for an alto mouthpiece. The lay is 20 mm (a Brand number of 40) which is long for that tip. This is probably a preliminary lay from which a larger and more precise lay can be fabricated. On the following picture, you can again see at the start of the third rail the little indentation from a tiny bit of material missing as was mentioned above.</span></p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuVYv0ctv0kmOnY2vo07MwKY8UHL9UqhlAC8kflwWjFeZgiZgLW1DnjwNeJqK2332g-QlmG6DVqzOPD3k0k8SzrsvEsfQ4hI9uANsZGYJHJR5SaUmFBEGQ8X5H6mHD45ipEqZLTJBXn4/s2048/100_1602.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuVYv0ctv0kmOnY2vo07MwKY8UHL9UqhlAC8kflwWjFeZgiZgLW1DnjwNeJqK2332g-QlmG6DVqzOPD3k0k8SzrsvEsfQ4hI9uANsZGYJHJR5SaUmFBEGQ8X5H6mHD45ipEqZLTJBXn4/w640-h480/100_1602.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I was curious if the three rails were all even. Normally, when using a ruler to measure the lay, you have only two rails. What if the middle rail was high? Or low? Turns out that it basically has to be low. But in first examining it I got a little moisture on the glass and pressed the rails against it to see how they lined up. The middle rail seemed a little high. Any side-to-side pressure difference when putting on a facing would cause the center rib to be higher. Uneven rails can be a problem, but the center rail would really accentuate even a tiny difference that would normally be unnoticeable.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCID9beVdpdhy1K5NKgeGeywJvcO_T8viCKdKViteefiBK4p2zqkf2GqGtutXqjjrAEdbu49Ns6SlM45MpfrlfeEDqc_vx5wCnJgcgTVjiqJFyIMxoPoi7hWRWI5cKvNpikHaJI55_Ii0/s2048/100_1604.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCID9beVdpdhy1K5NKgeGeywJvcO_T8viCKdKViteefiBK4p2zqkf2GqGtutXqjjrAEdbu49Ns6SlM45MpfrlfeEDqc_vx5wCnJgcgTVjiqJFyIMxoPoi7hWRWI5cKvNpikHaJI55_Ii0/w640-h480/100_1604.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I began by cleaning up the lopsided beak profile. That wasn't too difficult, but it is time consuming. Filing makes for fast work, but then one has to work through different grits of sandpaper (300 to 1200) and then bronze wool and finally polish. It probably took 40 minutes on what could have been a 5 minute project to clean up the flash line left by the mold. This flash line formed a surprising deep crevice that also had to be removed.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZICqWSG6U298taZB56TQOLEaAV98XyifyWBtQr3BDlDHfNtcb5XdDr0zbso_7LR2OhN1NtD0WW3cJc-PEoIWpmGmI9CHh-cEITIQQCzn1eWlFH2PU3MBo8jQ9fbY7gKg2HZuDLEPws4Q/s2048/100_1606.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZICqWSG6U298taZB56TQOLEaAV98XyifyWBtQr3BDlDHfNtcb5XdDr0zbso_7LR2OhN1NtD0WW3cJc-PEoIWpmGmI9CHh-cEITIQQCzn1eWlFH2PU3MBo8jQ9fbY7gKg2HZuDLEPws4Q/w640-h480/100_1606.JPG" width="640" /></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Next was flattening the table and beginning the cut for the lay. I should note that the tip opening I wrote on the table above was kind of an interpolation. Because there is rail right down the center of the tip opening, the usual methods of measuring were not possible. With the <i>Triple-Rail</i>, the tip opening can be a bit of a guess. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrh-seujUaWUByNQjwdmxMJxCtfpapLi9mPIuW7J28JeEDE8rSsUzuS7YPdffmMwLw3CCsHyR6jcJ-_uIj_Hp5rqIs5s6vm_ZFNrYwwKaLngLmAbNDIp-fr7foCD2M7vpBj-gtaiy3k0/s2048/100_1605.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrh-seujUaWUByNQjwdmxMJxCtfpapLi9mPIuW7J28JeEDE8rSsUzuS7YPdffmMwLw3CCsHyR6jcJ-_uIj_Hp5rqIs5s6vm_ZFNrYwwKaLngLmAbNDIp-fr7foCD2M7vpBj-gtaiy3k0/w640-h480/100_1605.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The <i>Triple-Rail</i> leaves a weird track on the paper.</div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I thought that the drop into the chamber at the tip looked like it might sound a little dull. Time to think about maybe working the insides towards the tip and get a little baffle. Unlike a normal mouthpiece, this meant working on both sides of a middle rail. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsxQfKASwD5XBeWAKI1s59o8KH63k922-cPx2DcMVyAPicBDdsNm4Bu9hyphenhyphenSHLoLAN54oH9rMYkoUCUuDMv-3f-M-LyF19ALVCbNMMtluUdlrXszwzZ4OG6Uc1QahxWhBm_aVtJJatWkI/s2048/100_1607.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsxQfKASwD5XBeWAKI1s59o8KH63k922-cPx2DcMVyAPicBDdsNm4Bu9hyphenhyphenSHLoLAN54oH9rMYkoUCUuDMv-3f-M-LyF19ALVCbNMMtluUdlrXszwzZ4OG6Uc1QahxWhBm_aVtJJatWkI/w640-h480/100_1607.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I rounded off the tip to fit the reed and that gave me an indication of how to shape the inner tip rail and baffle. Shaping was time consuming because of the middle rail. I have seen other <i>Third-Rail</i> pieces that still have file marks, probably because it is a pain to work only in and out with sand paper instead of side to side. Also notice above that the width of the outer railings are not even. It was odd that the widest "1/2 chamber" at the top of the picture also had the widest outside rail. More work cleaning that up. And the bottom inner rail has a wow in it. More work.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJm2G0NUg1CS6yD3x4jru4pBqgfLexy3yfnj1I0EXfeHjvyS2jZGJ4xJ_HWG9HySQiNTZZ6WPR6-NOmApR-Skcn5yogDrJXbZxzheqPPQyJHmSV3jCeOEXE6DkfRKbVBQqlt9qRfi_k10/s2048/100_1608.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJm2G0NUg1CS6yD3x4jru4pBqgfLexy3yfnj1I0EXfeHjvyS2jZGJ4xJ_HWG9HySQiNTZZ6WPR6-NOmApR-Skcn5yogDrJXbZxzheqPPQyJHmSV3jCeOEXE6DkfRKbVBQqlt9qRfi_k10/w640-h480/100_1608.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As I got closer to finished, it became obvious that the unevenness of the beak was revealing itself. More time spent of making the beak symmetrical. Plus, you can still see the offset mold line. More time.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAItBfssX7FnuPaHttTwY3aapLOenB_aEScrizdhSOhbZW00lLZmkcZp_Rcsu8O1BPT0RgKDDHPVXY6f51hTZzv8UUZdH6Tojp_87Q5knJM7y9w2zylfkT_9LyxQQ_CbDcpTwUGDxkIQ/s2048/100_1609.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAItBfssX7FnuPaHttTwY3aapLOenB_aEScrizdhSOhbZW00lLZmkcZp_Rcsu8O1BPT0RgKDDHPVXY6f51hTZzv8UUZdH6Tojp_87Q5knJM7y9w2zylfkT_9LyxQQ_CbDcpTwUGDxkIQ/w640-h480/100_1609.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Finally, a chance for a test blow. It was dull. No altisimo. In fact, it started to fade at about high D. It sounded like the lay was bumpy at the tip. I checked it again and everything looked okay. I knew that on most every picture of a <i>Triple-Rail</i> that I had seen the third rail did not actually go all the way to the tip. Some of them had the rail stopping well short of the tip. Maybe 2 mm away. So I fabricated a little tool with 1200 grit emery paper attached to a split reed. I wet-sanded down the rail right at the tip. Better. I sanded more. Even better. The further the rail was from the reed, the better the response. But after reducing the height of the rail I had to go back and make sure that the tip rail hadn't been nicked by the sandpaper. More time spent because of a rail down the middle.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9URBVP4ofh2wDfLt0BHiol-YFFreyeYc5kb8iTMM6YSvvyaZZiFX10WNQDB6FhdFZUYh3xJxjcKF49fiwecy7_IEzMuAvIpRT-C66W24ruZNTVIyF1JcWUZ2vdcS00lhZWUeKinxq9bE/s2048/100_1610.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9URBVP4ofh2wDfLt0BHiol-YFFreyeYc5kb8iTMM6YSvvyaZZiFX10WNQDB6FhdFZUYh3xJxjcKF49fiwecy7_IEzMuAvIpRT-C66W24ruZNTVIyF1JcWUZ2vdcS00lhZWUeKinxq9bE/w640-h480/100_1610.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Finally I had a responsive mouthpiece. Did it have any special color to the sound? No. It was just a nice vintage piece. This mouthpiece was not marked in any way and never had the three white dots put on it, but adding dots is really a simple (although time consuming) project that, like the third rail, adds nothing to the piece (for most players).<br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYnT8mH9_xDreUm2lYg-juWoGQ4d2i6zzSqNXbVw6FKEWJmATWWpEd8oAGpUNtwBrWH6j3pAOLBYgN69KpAMeS-O2C1HdDoZnXriIe43mjod-kKbpNvTq6dEBdPqGW7fnBI3D_biDJXk/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYnT8mH9_xDreUm2lYg-juWoGQ4d2i6zzSqNXbVw6FKEWJmATWWpEd8oAGpUNtwBrWH6j3pAOLBYgN69KpAMeS-O2C1HdDoZnXriIe43mjod-kKbpNvTq6dEBdPqGW7fnBI3D_biDJXk/w480-h640/image.png" width="480" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">From the estate of Charles Bay.</div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Here is the finished mouthpiece.<br /><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88q7CE2uXr797ERUWYIW3GhgopmQQlx9JNOAY3aCsb3mlHP-lXpYItSJXKT5MBXRFEtCqmm0xDn_12SX25_T6gNWYtI2sTY6PNT4Lx8sKibCeXPhc5kiqEGZ4dJSY6W5QeWK730KUXDM/s2048/102_0003.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88q7CE2uXr797ERUWYIW3GhgopmQQlx9JNOAY3aCsb3mlHP-lXpYItSJXKT5MBXRFEtCqmm0xDn_12SX25_T6gNWYtI2sTY6PNT4Lx8sKibCeXPhc5kiqEGZ4dJSY6W5QeWK730KUXDM/w640-h480/102_0003.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">No markings or white dots.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8CVRiebR7sMvwLG8UzJ0aZtZiPynOQW5JgxIvpMHB_LrlT7yUWhHfpvos4jqWvvVdVJFpz_eoZMYJHAh3ufmIKR3iOiQ_trvkvbFoKC9uRN0dlYmHFf4bZMhP04DfxpSlnQ3OhVb7Pw/s2048/102_0005.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8CVRiebR7sMvwLG8UzJ0aZtZiPynOQW5JgxIvpMHB_LrlT7yUWhHfpvos4jqWvvVdVJFpz_eoZMYJHAh3ufmIKR3iOiQ_trvkvbFoKC9uRN0dlYmHFf4bZMhP04DfxpSlnQ3OhVb7Pw/w640-h480/102_0005.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The interior had a lot of oxidation that I haven't yet cleaned up. Which raises another practical problem with the <i>Triple-Rail</i> (problem #22?). How do you swab out the mouthpiece to keep it from looking like this? This blank had never even been played! Is there a special Rico </span><i>Triple-Rail</i> mouthpiece swab? My guess is that Mr. Satzinger's experienced business partners would have nixed the idea of having Satzinger design a <i>Triple-Rail</i> mouthpiece swab.</div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhN-Zsy7YTOU1uSo3y-ZjTwUZnPqKe2qbgSek7MsOWnP7J8854DeN8xudvjCksanByitlWcymuOF3OIHJAUlLAO5qlfK-Gb2BiZR0CLkRRapdcBlEgc2hCy9b3hksiZ5-n0k-jJ3LHcg/s2048/102_0004.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhN-Zsy7YTOU1uSo3y-ZjTwUZnPqKe2qbgSek7MsOWnP7J8854DeN8xudvjCksanByitlWcymuOF3OIHJAUlLAO5qlfK-Gb2BiZR0CLkRRapdcBlEgc2hCy9b3hksiZ5-n0k-jJ3LHcg/w434-h342/102_0004.JPG" width="434" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMwWavdjkI-oHtHH7d-kdM_f-xoz6a3bO8vYZnPno6H1alcwhsgCjOTgCKsuL_vC4VXqhrf5E04NL3DgMvzX-E2tpNVTozg2h5We-fVTguXHsK32IgVYhbUqy79nxYTH1OjtZ7yPWCMs/s2048/102_0006.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMwWavdjkI-oHtHH7d-kdM_f-xoz6a3bO8vYZnPno6H1alcwhsgCjOTgCKsuL_vC4VXqhrf5E04NL3DgMvzX-E2tpNVTozg2h5We-fVTguXHsK32IgVYhbUqy79nxYTH1OjtZ7yPWCMs/w480-h640/102_0006.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /></div>So what's the deal with the Gale <i>Triple-Rail</i>? I've read that they have a cool Paul Desmond West Coast vibe. That's probably because one of Rico's other mouthpiece models at the time was the <i>M.C. Gregory</i>, which is what Mr. Desmond played. If you believe in the transmogrification of acoustical characteristics through corporate affiliation, then the business involvement of Roy Maier and Frank De Michelle of Rico Products spilled over into Gale Products, infusing both mouthpieces with identical characteristics despite different molds, finish quality, and one having a rib down the middle of the chamber.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I don't buy the assertion. It seems more like wishful thinking. The unrelated Gale mouthpieces were the brainchild of Carl Satzinger. It is true that the principals of Rico Products were on the Board of Directors of Gale Products, but I would guess <i>that is why Gale failed</i> <i>after one year.</i> Satzinger was an idea guy. The others involved in Gale Products were idea guys <i>but also successful businessmen</i>. If an automobile designer for Henry Ford came up with an idea for a vehicle with 8 wheels (four on top in case of a rollover), my guess is that the designer, like Mr. Satzinger, would lose his job. Not all innovation is an improvement.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The castings of the <i>Triple-Rail</i> appear to have often been less than perfect. It is time consuming to straighten things up to make them presentable. And even then the center rail was often crooked, warped, and blemished. In fact, calling it a "center" rail isn't generally accurate. Adding three white dots was more time consuming than simply stamping the piece. Putting on the lay was more complicated because of the center rail. Finishing two chambers more than doubled the work involved. And then after all the additional work, the piece performed best, and maybe performed at all, if the third rail was cut back so as not to interfere with the reed. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Now say you are the CFO of Rico Products, a young, flourishing, expanding business venture in 1948. You have several existing lines of mouthpieces (the M.C. Gregory, the Roy Maier, the Jimmy Simpson, etc.) that are successfully selling at a premium over your competitors (like Otto Link). You begin another mouthpiece enterprise (Gale Products, Inc.) and your new associate designs a truly unique mouthpiece that costs more to mold, has many quality control issues, and requires at least twice as much finish work plus some additional machining to apply three white dots. Then, the kicker is that the groovy <i>Triple-Rail </i>design feature doesn't do anything and, in fact, has to be partially removed in order for the mouthpiece to perform properly. I doubt that Satzinger was able to convince the experienced principals of Rico Products that a mouthpiece <i>looking </i>cool was better than <i>sounding</i> cool. And so Gale Products folded after a year. Other unrelated parties re-used the Gale name later, and maybe even the molds, but the <i>Triple-Rail</i> concept was never used again. I now know there are good reasons for that.<br /></span><p></p></div></div>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-63276054570311133212020-11-09T17:05:00.006-08:002021-02-07T09:59:03.547-08:00Grandma's lutefisk sauce<p> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This is really the only sauce that I've ever had on lutefisk. I don't have a refined recipe for sauce for two reasons. First, I was quite young when I watched Grandma. I had been dropped off at her house while my parents went about some other business where my presence wasn't needed (Holiday party, Christmas shopping, etc.) I remember that she found out that she didn't have enough butter so it was off to the grocery store just for butter. Butter is one of the main ingredients.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSECMq4-RKx3T_wgeLAfXDuAePs43s6JINoho46OhrBqAOSvEEbaD2T_E9ctUDBKp74E2QcG63s1uggkoSLHuEyenHi4AUXwmi1uu9HJdgmnJG1gcwf5z3sT4yJ09OJhDj-wNTkTC0sc/s2048/100_2496.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSECMq4-RKx3T_wgeLAfXDuAePs43s6JINoho46OhrBqAOSvEEbaD2T_E9ctUDBKp74E2QcG63s1uggkoSLHuEyenHi4AUXwmi1uu9HJdgmnJG1gcwf5z3sT4yJ09OJhDj-wNTkTC0sc/w400-h300/100_2496.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The other reason that I don't have a written recipe is that Grandma didn't usually use written recipes, and when she did, they were not for sharing. She once told me that when people asked her for her recipes, she usually left out one special ingredient. "Why would you give the competition your secrets?" She would only trade. Every holiday season she would trade her pecan divinity for the neighbor's pickled salmon. Neither would exchange their recipes. Now, unfortunately, both recipes are lost. I remember how sad it was seeing a big plate of divinity go out the back door, but that was all forgotten when she came back with a quart of pickled salmon.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Back to our lutefisk sauce. As with <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2020/11/making-lutefisk-for-holidays.html">the lutefisk recipe</a>, the amount of ingredients for the sauce depends on the amount of lutefisk. Generally, here is how it works. The sauce is a basic roux. Grandma would start with 2 sticks of butter and a pound of flour, but that was to prepare enough for lots of people stopping by over course of the evening. For our purposes, we will start with 1/2 cube of butter. Melt it in a pan turned on medium. When it starts to bubble, add 3 tablespoons of flour (Wondra flour is best). Cook that a bit to make a loose roux, but make sure that you cook it long enough (about 5 minutes) to remove the flour flavor from the flour. Don't be afraid to brown the flour a little bit, in fact, that is good. But when that happens, toss in two tablespoons of ground allspice and a 1/8 teaspoon of very finely ground white pepper. Stir it in and remove from the heat.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7xdfvkM3Etl-kTe2QsPzEdub0DFGYhQWlwVzq_UqkoLCD4-uK7QflfwpUN7PdK1GnMfO1x5h8ERRMXj7owfadszjZkLJ7Mbi78I_NGvP-94BGapsubAtiXmRjI3bf9J1F1lQMrRKPRWY/s2048/100_2497.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7xdfvkM3Etl-kTe2QsPzEdub0DFGYhQWlwVzq_UqkoLCD4-uK7QflfwpUN7PdK1GnMfO1x5h8ERRMXj7owfadszjZkLJ7Mbi78I_NGvP-94BGapsubAtiXmRjI3bf9J1F1lQMrRKPRWY/w640-h480/100_2497.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Grandma always said that the freshness of the spices is one of the cooking secrets that people ignore. Every year just before the holidays she would throw out the "old" spices and buy new ones (at least all of her "holiday" spices). For pepper, she liked white pepper for the lutefisk sauce. Now, back to our story.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">You have now made a roux with allspice as part of the thickening agent. Yes, that is <i>a lot</i> of allspice. This spice is generally used as just one of many (like in pumpkin pie or Swedish meatballs, where it is also mixed with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, etc.) But just plain allspice, and lots of it, really can carry its weight as a substitute for mixture of all those other spices. And there isn't any chance of too much cloves, nutmeg, etc. because there isn't any. Even the little zing from the white pepper is masked by the allspice.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Allspice is a "new world" spice, probably first encountered by Europeans when Columbus landed in the West Indies. It is one of the main spices for Jamaican jerk recipes. The other holiday spices mentioned above are mostly from Asia and were around Europe for centuries before allspice. What does that mean to us? Well, for centuries lutefisk was certainly <i>not</i> eaten with a sauce made from allspice. Combining allspice with lutefisk is relatively <i>nuevo cuisine</i>. Grandma's sauce would be considered a new-fangled recipe to a lutefisk historian or professor of lutefiskology.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Now back to the sticky mess in the pan. We have taken it off the heat and let it cool down a little. We have a choice now of adding whole milk, half and half, or cream. I personally think that cream makes the sauce too rich. Whole milk is enough for me. Add 3/4 cup of milk and stir it into the roux. Mix it up good. You don't have to get all the little lumps out. Put it back on low heat and keep stirring. When all the lumps are gone, you can turn the heat up. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjET2-lQuO-d6b5D2pOetQttAyc2aqbYzcB7tDPz9WdIVlLRVUy-EXx_IJ4EB-riS89iaecVaRdOC0N9PLBZtDtNv8T0ELByblTxmzWMXmSjAnqhq5MHd6mK74Oi9i7zdRbKE8pVxGf-fY/s2048/100_2498.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjET2-lQuO-d6b5D2pOetQttAyc2aqbYzcB7tDPz9WdIVlLRVUy-EXx_IJ4EB-riS89iaecVaRdOC0N9PLBZtDtNv8T0ELByblTxmzWMXmSjAnqhq5MHd6mK74Oi9i7zdRbKE8pVxGf-fY/w640-h480/100_2498.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The finished sauce. This stove is a dual wood/electric. You can see the electric coil glowing red hot under the pot of water on the right. That is to heat up the lutefisk. </div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><p>It will soon start to thicken. Keep the milk handy and if it gets too thick you can add a couple of tablespoons. Don't be afraid to make it quite thick. The boiled lutefisk tends to hold some water. If the sauce is too loose, the moisture from the lutefisk will water down the sauce and make it too runny. Better to have it quite thick, almost like a paste, in my opinion.</p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There isn't any reason to add salt as Grandma always used salted butter. There was a salt shaker on the table for those who thought more salt was an improvement. As the sauce sits around over the afternoon and evening (if a large batch is made), when uncles and cousins showed up a touch of milk and a re-heat was all that necessary. The lutefisk goes in the boiling water, the sauce is heated up, and in 10 minutes the guests were treated to the finest of Scandinavian cuisine.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyCpxVh4k8D0zmBTRWPS_xWgflIJvVEfJqRiR1WNzJgwmpTJJODT2Dj77JiCpvB6xHNLNPoI3xoQzO_keeGZM2ghfJSMLmf_IsUg-WCxNxUFWxY-oEzmGnaMrqaYO70BHObRU4X2zfXs/s2048/100_2499.JPG" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyCpxVh4k8D0zmBTRWPS_xWgflIJvVEfJqRiR1WNzJgwmpTJJODT2Dj77JiCpvB6xHNLNPoI3xoQzO_keeGZM2ghfJSMLmf_IsUg-WCxNxUFWxY-oEzmGnaMrqaYO70BHObRU4X2zfXs/w640-h480/100_2499.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: times;">For how to get your <span style="text-align: left;">tørrfisk</span> to this stage, you can read <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2020/11/making-lutefisk-for-holidays.html"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the blog on how to prepare lutefisk</span></a>.</span></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Yes, the color of the sauce is weird. Like lutefisk itself, it probably isn't for those who whine about not having ice cubes for their soda pop or having to eat whole wheat bread. On the plus side, those people can go watch TV in the other room while the adults enjoy their lutefisk in the company of the enlightened.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlZp-rpXs6x2T4TH_MiiWHznNcmiogJPUx8b4kuDHsF1PWmOhW7tPMZ77l51d695DneUdtoe5Md25s3Rgv1oMYYzzp058yTcTYfNaPyG3-rD8NqpXm0CaM6-WPx6zZTM-Y5_QZo2wMKQ/s2048/100_2500.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlZp-rpXs6x2T4TH_MiiWHznNcmiogJPUx8b4kuDHsF1PWmOhW7tPMZ77l51d695DneUdtoe5Md25s3Rgv1oMYYzzp058yTcTYfNaPyG3-rD8NqpXm0CaM6-WPx6zZTM-Y5_QZo2wMKQ/w640-h480/100_2500.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yes, there are bones in it. Another reason for some to whimper about lutefisk. But the bones are why lutefisk is the original "finger slikar got."</div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I've made myself hungry again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Feel free to leave additional recipes for lutefisk preparation or sauces.</span></p>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-10633907034570263322020-11-08T09:11:00.017-08:002023-11-08T11:36:02.942-08:00Making Lutefisk for the Holidays<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> Well now that the election is over, it is time to celebrate. The holidays are coming and there is one thing that saxophone players all agree on, it is that lutefisk is required for fete and frolic. Well, they may not all agree, but it is universal at my house. My Grandma Olsen was Swedish. She convinced all of her grandchildren that they were Swedish ("Eat this, you'll like it. It's Swedish like you.") I was probably in college when I finally figured out that I'm more English than Swedish. But by then it was too late. No way would I eat something made with kidneys. But a fish that was caught on the other side of the world, dried out three years ago, soaked in lye, boiled and then smothered with butter? Sign me up.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The town I grew up in had enough Scandinavians that it was possible to get tørrfisk, the whole dried cod that forms the basis of lutefisk. When the local fishmonger told my grandfather that he wasn't selling as much anymore and it would be the last year for tørrfisk, Grandpa bought all he could afford. Like many traditional foods (sauerkraut, turnips, potatoes), I think that they became traditional because they kept so long during the winter. In the 1300's when it was dark and snowing outside and you were down to your last candle, you would have been glad to have a turnip to gnaw on. Then, with the passage of time (usually decades), you would look back fondly on those glorious evenings with the family gnawing on turnips by candlelight. But it probably started out as a Y1K survivalist food.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Tørrfisk has to be one of the champions of preserved food. When dried, a huge cod fish takes on the size, shape, and weight of a baseball bat. When Grandpa cornered the market on dried cod, he put about 20 fish into the rafters of the unheated outbuilding where he kept his panel truck. The tørrfisk was up there for years, dwindling down by a piece every Thanksgiving and another at Christmas. Maybe there would be some dust and a few bird droppings on it, but nothing that would impair the processing, as we will see in a minute.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I have had lutefisk prepared by others. Some people complain that lutefisk is a foul, fishy, Jello-like material. It can be. But it is like other uncommon dishes. Take venison, for instance. Some complain that venison is tough and rancid with a gamey flavor. It can be if it wasn't handled and prepared properly. Same with lutefisk. It is easy to mess it up. That happened one year at Grandma's house and she was not happy. The "failure" came up for discussion every year thereafter.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So here goes with what I learned. Not exactly a recipe, as this isn't an exact science. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">First, the ingredients:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Tørrfisk<br />Lye</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Wasn't that simple? I know, most recipes include the <i>amount of ingredients.</i> Well, how big is your tørrfisk? Then I can tell you how much lye. No tørrfisk, no lye. Hah, hah, my favorite lutefisk joke! For the traditional DIY lye method, see the final footnote.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Another complaint I hear is "I'm not eating anything made with lye." Then don't read the label on your olives. Lots of foods are fully or partially processed with lye. I shouldn't list them because even more people will whine. But I will anyway. Bagels, pretzels, corn chips, ice cream, ramen noodles, mandarin oranges, Coca-cola, chocolate. That's right. Coke and chocolate. The two basic food groups of the anti-lutefisk forces.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Google 'tørrfisk' for a picture of what a dried cod looks like. Getting pictures is easy. Getting your hands on some good tørrfisk isn't so easy. Although you can actually <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Norwegian-Hard-Stockfish-Stake-Premium/dp/B07MB7HXFQ/ref=pd_vtp_325_1/141-6292883-9681302?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07MB7HXFQ&pd_rd_r=49f5b79c-b1a5-4150-b51c-a886c2996ce2&pd_rd_w=CLJbX&pd_rd_wg=uzvKJ&pf_rd_p=4f2ab3e8-468a-4a7c-9b91-89d6a9221c29&pf_rd_r=XRCYE5796CGMZB729YG2&psc=1&refRID=XRCYE5796CGMZB729YG2"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">buy it on Amazon</span></a>, the prices are a little crazy. Trying to buy it elsewhere online isn't so easy because <a href="http://www.stockfishexpress.com/categories/Whole-Stockfish/"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">many vendors sell only in large quantities</span></a> (50 lb. bundles like Grandpa bought). One of the easiest purchases is to buy it already cut into pieces. That saves you having to cut up the pieces like I do using my electric Skill saw. Be aware that when you buy the cut up pieces on Amazon, you will get tails (worthless) and gill plates (almost worthless). Here is what my cut up pieces look like.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusATpXzmzxzbeAHb0RAnvVqBH_5AT5weSlsP2wyYiY5AcNxPEFYDeYAN4kOa1AgH8-sxH92cCrAiD0OQSIiCxPwr3XJWW-mB72HX_Q27ELbdxhd6uzHpzD15qbXETWX-lYSnY2tbvkBY/s2048/100_2482.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusATpXzmzxzbeAHb0RAnvVqBH_5AT5weSlsP2wyYiY5AcNxPEFYDeYAN4kOa1AgH8-sxH92cCrAiD0OQSIiCxPwr3XJWW-mB72HX_Q27ELbdxhd6uzHpzD15qbXETWX-lYSnY2tbvkBY/w640-h480/100_2482.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">That doesn't look like very much fish, but now for the magic of lye. I should say that lye is available in several versions. Most of us are familiar with household lye, commonly used to clean out sewer drains. Not very appetizing. Also, I am told, not very safe. Household lye, like the Red Devil brand, may contain things like asbestos or traces of heavy metals, as it is not intended for consumption. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Devil-Sodium-Hydroxide-Chemical-Caustic/dp/B06Y18XDFH">Food grade lye is sold by its chemical name, sodium hydroxide or caustic soda.</a> Guess which one Grandpa used? And I lived. Now, where was I?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">First, soak your pieces in fresh water, changing the water every day. I put it on the back porch so that it stays sort of cool. By the third day, the pieces should have increased in size. This is also the time when the skin can be removed. Although not required, I find that it is worth the effort because the fish will reconstitute more evenly when placed in the lye solution. Best is to peel from the belly to the dorsal angling from front to back. From keelson to truck and stem to stern for you boater types. Using a pair of pliers, it is also possible to remove some of the fins and supporting bones.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Here is the first soak.</span></p><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4K5p2q6_-kK3XZS4OoX6hvfiLmn3hCggF0h_bK1mk8HHhza6Y7YZ4CPMDHyOygC5B0Q6IivRzF5coxvnLBI5w4CpyuNcWtRqrumBUGC5lUpgO87hsGiNIfvXlMrQvcA95NjBo-nlgzt4/s2048/100_2483.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4K5p2q6_-kK3XZS4OoX6hvfiLmn3hCggF0h_bK1mk8HHhza6Y7YZ4CPMDHyOygC5B0Q6IivRzF5coxvnLBI5w4CpyuNcWtRqrumBUGC5lUpgO87hsGiNIfvXlMrQvcA95NjBo-nlgzt4/w640-h480/100_2483.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After the three day fresh water soak, take the pieces and put them in a glass jar or glazed ceramic crock. If you put them in an aluminum pot, the pot won't be there in the morning. That is because we are going to soak the dried cod in a fairly powerful lye solution. How much lye? Well that depends on how much water you use. Put your water in a quart at a time and then, for the last quart, add about 1/4 teaspoon of lye* per total quarts to the final water. I use a container that holds the three pieces shown above, I add two quarts of water, and then a final quart that has three/fourth</span> teaspoon of lye dissolved in it. </div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Here is where the reputation of lutefisk being like Jello begins. Back when this delicacy was created, you could not purchase sodium hydroxide in a plastic bottle. You needed to create a solution of caustic soda. Traditionally, this was done by leaching it from ashes, specifically birch wood ashes. That process made a fairly weak lye solution. With lye pellets, a saturated solution has a PH of 13-14, enough to dissolve the skin on your hands, i.e., chemical burns. At lower concentrations, the solution feels slippery like soap. In fact, it can be one of the ingredients in soap due to the process of saponification (dissolving natural skin oils). We are looking for a milder solution even though it takes longer soaking. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Next, we do nothing. For about 3 days. Maybe 4, depending on the strength of your solution. Where you place your caustic solution will also affect how long it should soak. Grandma put hers in the unheated room at the back door of the house. The same place she put the crock of sauerkraut. Probably 50 degrees Fahrenheit and an olfactory experience when coming in the back door to visit Grandma (the front door was only used for "company," i.e., not family). I put mine in the cold cabinet on my back porch. The temperature there depends on the weather, but probably about 50 degrees average in October and then lower through the holidays. So it takes longer to make lutefisk for Christmas than it does for the November presidential election (which isn't always a celebration).</span></div></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraK-FGNvW3xqmYO_ShrR_rtALOLvuZtcq0qsVRZWbdzI846i5aCUJRxQlfAoLsmRovnmB0r8tBGP3GfTXFcxsAC2qqSSXASeFExMYlMWlWP-oNTvfWcSq-yu2XHHMIeUFKSUYkBhOyZs/s2048/100_2484.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraK-FGNvW3xqmYO_ShrR_rtALOLvuZtcq0qsVRZWbdzI846i5aCUJRxQlfAoLsmRovnmB0r8tBGP3GfTXFcxsAC2qqSSXASeFExMYlMWlWP-oNTvfWcSq-yu2XHHMIeUFKSUYkBhOyZs/w640-h480/100_2484.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">This picture is actually prior to adding the lye. You can see that the skin is still on the tørrfisk and it hasn't swollen yet.</span></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Placing it right next to the white wine is perfect. We aren't keeping it cool because of a concern that it can go bad. The caustic soda will kill any germs, bacteria, raccoons, etc. that might get into it. Keeping it cool allows for a slower and more uniform reconstitution of the tørrfisk. Warmer conditions and strong lye concentrations reconstitute the exterior and thinner areas of the fish too fast. If reconstituting the fish at warmer temperatures, we would likely "over-constitute" some parts, giving rise to the dreaded "Jello-like" reputation of lutefisk.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After three days (under my conditions) the partially hydrated cod has again approximately doubled in size and tripled in weight. Assuming we paid $25 per pound for the tørrfisk, we have now reduced that cost to $8 per pound. We are saving money and making lutefisk at the same time! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I then pour out the lye solution and replaced it with plain water. Do that every day for three to four days. If not soaked in fresh water sufficiently, the residual lye will be weak enough so that it won't hurt you, but it will leave a soapy taste. People sometimes claim that lutefisk has a soapy taste, another telltale sign that the lutefisk was not properly prepared. It takes time. The fish will continue to get larger even as the lye is soaked out.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Here is what the final soak looks like (notice that the skin has been removed). I had switched to plain water when the tørrfisk had doubled in size from being in the lye solution. The fish continues to expand although it is now going through the "rinse cycle" with fresh water. Even the spine gets larger and the lutefisk is filling the jar. Be careful using anything with a narrow neck! The pieces are probably 5 times the original size and 20 times the original weight. Now we have only paid $3 per pound for "fresh" lutefisk! Fresh lutefisk is another one of my favorite lutefisk jokes.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyWOPQ8-MzFr2OCUNSwfPAyv3LusqNGvhE0pDpzbuXbh25U7nm5DdZ9K8xlhaig17mgu6-XG85YWBLoPOa_Eo_bUOZ6uIQX6BOZ9lkU8e-X01M9yiJmQm1UVQRCuaTgcgOgC_D7dKwSs/s2048/100_2491.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyWOPQ8-MzFr2OCUNSwfPAyv3LusqNGvhE0pDpzbuXbh25U7nm5DdZ9K8xlhaig17mgu6-XG85YWBLoPOa_Eo_bUOZ6uIQX6BOZ9lkU8e-X01M9yiJmQm1UVQRCuaTgcgOgC_D7dKwSs/w640-h480/100_2491.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Even though we took all precautions to not make the Jello-like version of lutefisk, we will have some exterior and thin areas that may have been over soaked. The fix is quite simple if that troubles you. Douse the lutefisk with salt prior to final preparation. Lots of salt (rock salt works fine and it's cheap). The salt will pull a lot of moisture out of any Jello-like areas, but not penetrate to the center where the lutefisk has just the right consistency. </span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">You need to dry the piece off as best you can and then pour salt over it. The picture below shows that the salt has drawn out some of the moisture after less than a minute. After a couple of minutes, rinse it off (don't worry about it too much) and drop the piece into boiling water. The salt will dissipate into the boiling water and won't make the lutefisk too salty. If you leave lutefisk in the salt overnight, it can absorb enough salt to make it quite salty (you have sort of made lutefisk bacalhau and might need to soak in fresh water again.) </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Also, don't worry too much about boiling it for a long time so that it is "done." Lutefisk has already been "cooked" by the lye solution. Basically all you are doing is heating it up in a few minutes. That's why I like to start with room temperature lutefisk. Faster heating of the center avoids the lutefisk sitting too long in the hot water. Boiling for 20 minutes is the another way to ensure that most of it will have a soggy Jello consistency. Lutefisk may be the only Scandinavian food that isn't prepared by simmering it on the stove all afternoon and evening. It seems that everything else, from asparagus to zucchini, is traditionally boiled for a minimum of one hour.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwMUIX6CsnZ7M62WjykZPM7zo7RzaYwyNVDG6j38KEg6ZzDH77NJRmPJA-KIMjJ7f6iBZBufXGHUc2-wzdX1Du7WVJ4Xbn6KhbOKIUSKzKZgWt_pkWq7TJQP3ovMWoQ_Kwgbbzi9zH-4/s2048/100_2492.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwMUIX6CsnZ7M62WjykZPM7zo7RzaYwyNVDG6j38KEg6ZzDH77NJRmPJA-KIMjJ7f6iBZBufXGHUc2-wzdX1Du7WVJ4Xbn6KhbOKIUSKzKZgWt_pkWq7TJQP3ovMWoQ_Kwgbbzi9zH-4/w640-h480/100_2492.JPG" width="640" /></a>Covered in salt to pull out some of the moisture.</div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I have read of lutefisk being prepared by putting it in the oven. The one year that Grandma tried that was the year that the lutefisk had been over-soaked. One would think that the oven heat would dry things out and get rid of the Jello problem. Nope, it was a disaster. The quick "salt cure" method might work if the pieces were rinsed off, but the stove top boiling method seems best. Besides, there would usually be a turkey, ham, or lamb roast in the oven in preparation for the second course.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So what is this consistency that we are looking/cooking for? Properly prepared lutefisk is surprisingly like fresh fish. That must seem odd to those people who have only had the soapy Jello-like version. But good lutefisk flakes into pieces just like fresh cod. Well, almost. It does have a more rubbery consistency than fresh cod and a different flavor. But definitely not Jello-like. The test: If you need a knife, it was not soaked enough. If you need a spoon, it was soaked too much. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNwOG8MYd-Gvq8DivIrka_F3B6c5z6yBR-IgrP6hHBLUeBc78UjYAej-Lsqg1yp1Bt3YAbzcNGoRCDAMX5QLzJUlBbXjSCxXsSNrIADZYRdAj5NSmDTdgoeoPZVeB1ua3UqLzf9RNNSw/s2048/100_2493.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNwOG8MYd-Gvq8DivIrka_F3B6c5z6yBR-IgrP6hHBLUeBc78UjYAej-Lsqg1yp1Bt3YAbzcNGoRCDAMX5QLzJUlBbXjSCxXsSNrIADZYRdAj5NSmDTdgoeoPZVeB1ua3UqLzf9RNNSw/w640-h480/100_2493.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This blog has taken a little longer than I thought. And tonight I'm having lutefisk (which is what made me think about writing a blog). Time for dinner. I'll post another blog about the one sauce with which I am familiar. I have heard of a mustard sauce. Never had it. I've had just butter poured over hot lutefisk, which is what I do when I'm lazy. But Grandma's pepper allspice sauce is still my favorite. I'll try to remember to <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2020/11/grandmas-lutefisk-sauce.html"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">link to that blog when it is written</span></a>.</span></span></div><div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">* Food grade lye is usually pellets about the size of small peas. Therefore, a level teaspoon of them isn't the same as a teaspoon of finely powdered sodium hydroxide. Probably less. It's just another problem of trying to come up with an exact recipe. Time, temperature, and alkalinity all play into the final result.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnifdVd3frsoMIkzPUUicYVVvr4ZVdTwpSXtNuYWOGH8WIGNNpk0WWZzQJA3T_iSJ1iexcVa_Ul8_9Hbg34aR5yuYghEoDCr2GO8_71yFpj7zz1d_Tb8RgGwqiepmgZ_ALaS_ZTj6LA-w/s550/sodium-hydroxide-pellets.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnifdVd3frsoMIkzPUUicYVVvr4ZVdTwpSXtNuYWOGH8WIGNNpk0WWZzQJA3T_iSJ1iexcVa_Ul8_9Hbg34aR5yuYghEoDCr2GO8_71yFpj7zz1d_Tb8RgGwqiepmgZ_ALaS_ZTj6LA-w/s320/sodium-hydroxide-pellets.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>The really traditional method uses hardwood ashes to create lye. I use alder ashes. I burn nothing but alder for several weeks in the fireplace and keep the ashes. You want the grey powdery ashes, not the chunks of charcoal that are usually mixed in. What, you want a recipe?? Okay, here goes. Save enough ashes to fill a 5 gallon food grade bucket. Pour 2 quarts of water into it (to keep the ashes from sticking in the bottom of the bucket). Add ashes, water, ashes, water, etc. You should have added about 3 gallons of water and the ashes should have turned into a slurry. Wait 24 hours.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkAC3eT4AC8LZGFOjaVNeraAF8ZJzF4TBwn4Yx9QKqyXCy4EAmIw4C2zmLW6AJTFX4n_IBItxAg-W3LPJw0GpXAAXEDajbmCQVzWAsWp9YGqudRMWeoE081tCHHYrRF0KIBkS-zCQzwA/s2048/100_1677.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkAC3eT4AC8LZGFOjaVNeraAF8ZJzF4TBwn4Yx9QKqyXCy4EAmIw4C2zmLW6AJTFX4n_IBItxAg-W3LPJw0GpXAAXEDajbmCQVzWAsWp9YGqudRMWeoE081tCHHYrRF0KIBkS-zCQzwA/s320/100_1677.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Use a stainless steel sieve or spoon to remove the floating charcoal pieces. Pour off the liquid at the top of the bucket and let that settle. You should have half a gallon or more. It will look like </span><span style="font-family: times;">dirty</span><span style="font-family: times;"> </span><span style="font-family: times;">grey water. You can heat this up on the stove and let it cool (for some reason this seems to settle out the fines faster) or just let it sit for a few hours. Don't be too concerned as the fines left in the lye solution really don't cause any problems.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTq109NBkpAklymALCIPVjYg7JD8iHoQXnofqbbh1vX6n-0vWzGYvCH0dBKsdWU4Q_KGu8jxa8y6oYo0GbXJfGEZ3zIR9BpD8eurUKlZC8316S8WJgIai2cBcOfLdZ0J_GalLCDtNbqlE/s2048/100_1678.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTq109NBkpAklymALCIPVjYg7JD8iHoQXnofqbbh1vX6n-0vWzGYvCH0dBKsdWU4Q_KGu8jxa8y6oYo0GbXJfGEZ3zIR9BpD8eurUKlZC8316S8WJgIai2cBcOfLdZ0J_GalLCDtNbqlE/s320/100_1678.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>What you have made is a weak lye solution (wash your hands immediately if you get it on them). All that means is it will take another day or two longer to soak out the fish than when using a stronger lye solution. The very fine ashes will settle and you will be able to see the progress of the fish expanding. The weaker and slower solution tends to eliminate the Jello problem on the thinner parts of the tørrfisk. In fact, it is possible to partially reconstitute and use it to make a wonderful semi-lutefisk chowder.<br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTIy58USAi2Oibm7ggEphlo7vHxsxnxWW_DZVSqK1yaZGhy9LiPJSrYTA8lR4CBayeLX5ZOLyEvYsTqV6EK-TTt2BwBI__j8lidwf1ivx2JBzglnApzts-QhubYhbzajG1T1WmD22M2g/s2048/100_1679.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTIy58USAi2Oibm7ggEphlo7vHxsxnxWW_DZVSqK1yaZGhy9LiPJSrYTA8lR4CBayeLX5ZOLyEvYsTqV6EK-TTt2BwBI__j8lidwf1ivx2JBzglnApzts-QhubYhbzajG1T1WmD22M2g/s320/100_1679.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The lye water will look a little murky, but the final rinses gets rid of all that. Does it add a subtle smoky hint to a delicious lutefisk dinner? Try it and see.<br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p></div></div>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-5765770006252790122020-01-31T09:29:00.002-08:002021-02-07T10:02:59.524-08:00Making a No Name DIY Mouthpiece for $12.<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Okay, a 12 dollar mouthpiece might not mean a lot to some of you. This blog gets hits from all over the world, so I need to convert $12 into other currencies. I'm going to convert that in accordance with the countries that view this blog the most. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The primary readers are in the U.S., so that's done. My second most common blog visitor is from Russia (WHY?), so $12 converts to 769 rubles. Next is Portugal (again WHY?) at 11 euro. United Kingdom at 9.30 sterling. France and Germany are euro, so that's done. Canada at $16. Australia at $17.73. Ukraine would be 288 hryvnias (My auto-correct kept trying to change the word to "hernias." 288 hernias sounds like a lot of money). Japan is 1,314 yen . . . . all the way to Viet Nam at 278,502 dong. That makes $12 seem like a bargain.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So what do you get for $12 (that includes shipping) from China? It turns out that I get the same mouthpiece that I paid $30 for <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-fake-jody-jazz-hr-mouthpiece.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">when it was falsely labeled as a Jody Jazz mouthpiece in this prior blog</span></a>. I'm not really interested in making knock-off mouthpieces, so I'll gladly save $20 to make the same thing without the trademark infringement. That's what I'm going to do in this blog. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">These mouthpieces are all over the on Ebay right now. Some show that the come in a nice box for retail sales. Mine showed the nice box in the picture, but it actually came China Post in a plastic bag that was very securely packaged as shown below.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG36SzmkDv0rupy-O5pn-GhA0o293BCBcScRKZcQHOqsFcPJubrqAKR10zkElwngIRPekkyp0wsDILfZTolKzK-0WzGSydFK5khRkT9wnBEKlMyvAargXZw57PxyMaJ3NkfYfodgy5Cu4/s1600/100_1436.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG36SzmkDv0rupy-O5pn-GhA0o293BCBcScRKZcQHOqsFcPJubrqAKR10zkElwngIRPekkyp0wsDILfZTolKzK-0WzGSydFK5khRkT9wnBEKlMyvAargXZw57PxyMaJ3NkfYfodgy5Cu4/s320/100_1436.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDazP7xHobuJVLqfkQRDuKuG7K__e8kEn_R4extb4AAvIXuGzR0qkHJIXHGyonf9YZSovrQNxch9AvW5Zgscul0BzvXXkVTTOaM84wEn_QQmi1_CiGWBr-CbWU13GsBAndehLKdI848g/s1600/100_1437.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDazP7xHobuJVLqfkQRDuKuG7K__e8kEn_R4extb4AAvIXuGzR0qkHJIXHGyonf9YZSovrQNxch9AvW5Zgscul0BzvXXkVTTOaM84wEn_QQmi1_CiGWBr-CbWU13GsBAndehLKdI848g/s640/100_1437.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">It is the same as the Jody Jazz knock off. Well, it was finished a little differently. The tip opening was .075 instead of the tiny tip opening on the fake Jody Jazz. And the finish on the facing was much nicer in that it didn't have the coarse milling marks. In fact, the facing on the second piece has very thin rails which meet the tip perfectly. Not surprisingly, it plays well right out of the box. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXA9YoJhMVkK9BovJeVaoZxsKGINwP2_LQf4yJDjmedOGY_Vw51Rs7Zmtz8FP3VEUOKDQmVzHcUio5vN_9G6oRqtkkJ_5QEj3dyjNIKRsJ6JkQa37ll4nv71LuzmzF7bQXJQeIrQ_zet4/s1600/100_1439.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXA9YoJhMVkK9BovJeVaoZxsKGINwP2_LQf4yJDjmedOGY_Vw51Rs7Zmtz8FP3VEUOKDQmVzHcUio5vN_9G6oRqtkkJ_5QEj3dyjNIKRsJ6JkQa37ll4nv71LuzmzF7bQXJQeIrQ_zet4/s640/100_1439.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1H75y1H2uiwy1iMbHmTc-JvGylIK-EiBlfSJYVweoPtTtFtdztF7yxxGViCFH9ma8fhsfw4suexkR3xK0PjNxXoVrPYj8H5eFZct0_iZomylD_i5DGLklSZIm0QWtzYvXCfuufRVVIo/s1600/100_1440.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1H75y1H2uiwy1iMbHmTc-JvGylIK-EiBlfSJYVweoPtTtFtdztF7yxxGViCFH9ma8fhsfw4suexkR3xK0PjNxXoVrPYj8H5eFZct0_iZomylD_i5DGLklSZIm0QWtzYvXCfuufRVVIo/s640/100_1440.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Like the fake Jody Jazz, it is injection molded plastic and not, as advertised, Bakelite. It isn't ebonite. It is considerably lighter and, although I can't put my durometer on this mouthpiece, it seems like this formula of ABS plastic would be softer than ebonite. It also seemed softer when cutting a new facing with sandpaper. What that could mean is that it might not hold up as well as an ebonite piece. It would need more cautious handling and storage. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Or it could mean that you need to buy several. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Buying more isn't a problem. The "pea shooter" chamber on these is basically identical to a vintage Selmer </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Airflow</span></i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> or Rico </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Gregory</span></i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">, both of which sell for over $300. For the same price, you can buy 25 of these. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQRg-S3kQ-2ZErRbYW8HM6M2BvqCuGDqtYJczu0Yed_Gfam4ChTXYFlrWNkPSKZ8eZOodyVj8f1UUc2NOa8e4dvT7UNVdr6GNMazTTuIzvyYsTDjzG9CWU0UpD1eu3zj-AMTwOw528Wk/s1600/100_1438.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQRg-S3kQ-2ZErRbYW8HM6M2BvqCuGDqtYJczu0Yed_Gfam4ChTXYFlrWNkPSKZ8eZOodyVj8f1UUc2NOa8e4dvT7UNVdr6GNMazTTuIzvyYsTDjzG9CWU0UpD1eu3zj-AMTwOw528Wk/s640/100_1438.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">It is a shame that the facing is so nice on this one because I am going to change that. A tip opening of .075 inches (1.9 mm) is just a bit too small. The softest tenor reed that I have is a medium and I can't see buying a stiff reed just to try out this mouthpiece. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Something that you should buy for this mouthpiece is a tooth guard. I said that it looks to be made of a softer material than ebonite and I now know that is true. I've played the similar Jody Jazz knockoff for maybe 30 hours and I can see a slight indentation on the beak. I don't usually mark up the beak, but it seems this material is easily marked. Youngsters with sharp teeth could probably chew through one of these in a year. Best to buy a cheap selection of tooth guards.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I'm going to give you the curvature numbers that I will be using on this mouthpiece. If you want, you can pretend that the numbers were copied from a fantastic playing really expensive vintage mouthpiece played by a famous player. People like to hear that (and also say that to other players). Unfortunately, famous players change mouthpieces throughout their careers. And, just like other players, they drop pieces, wear them out, or change mouthpieces for no rational reason. Owning a mouthpiece played by a </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">"famous" player is like owning a bat used by Babe Ruth. Don't expect to start hitting home runs.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I will be posting the "Brand numbers" that I will be using when I find them. I keep a record of the lay that I like, which ends up making a tip opening of between .090 and .095 for those of you who designate mouthpieces by tip openings. My favorite lay could produce a tip opening of .09342 on this piece for all I care.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">But first, I just bought a boat and have been spending a lot of time messing around on it. Saxophone takes "second fiddle" to boats. I'll have to get back to you with the numbers.</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> </span>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-54135860334935071312019-12-29T16:37:00.006-08:002020-11-12T08:18:15.849-08:00Vintage Saxophone Mouthpiece Rescue #26<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I know, you haven't seen all of my prior mouthpiece rescues. It takes more time to write a blog about refacing a mouthpiece than it does to reface a mouthpiece. Rescuing old saxophone mouthpieces is what I enjoy doing, not writing blogs about them. I mainly write blogs to show how it is done, not to chronicle all the ones that I've done. Usually it is only the "lost cause" mouthpieces that show up in a blog. If it just needs a touch-up, that doesn't make for good reading, IMHO.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">What does a truly "lost cause" mouthpiece look like? How about this one.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uwG_bKFjhVAQGWERW6x-b3iar7c4yy4b7l5zPIJgAclDVyj9g-fS-Gz9CMHHGbQHKp75-QmYG5LpY-0CxvzQk5Z3NgBYIDmm5EXPU3Bt2G59N1wrpJyJsDcpOPZW2IGqPco3YHGaYKU/s1600/100_2266.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uwG_bKFjhVAQGWERW6x-b3iar7c4yy4b7l5zPIJgAclDVyj9g-fS-Gz9CMHHGbQHKp75-QmYG5LpY-0CxvzQk5Z3NgBYIDmm5EXPU3Bt2G59N1wrpJyJsDcpOPZW2IGqPco3YHGaYKU/s640/100_2266.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Yes, that is the horrible discoloration that vintage ebonite shows after years of neglect and exposure to sunlight (and who knows what else). And look at those teeth marks. The only animal I know of that can make those striated teeth marks is the Lamprey eel.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJIoOZ9a4BKBy6PY6UGJtp3WucrAN83Jg-gtF2joVePvK_-gAAZdw9kNnwdVfbyNECyzh431rdIpdJmLK22Y-HueqaWA4LSewWsvqzNI7FCR0qgxH5Kpn0YrTXqxlzZWpgeZ621ikAuM/s1600/Lamprey+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJIoOZ9a4BKBy6PY6UGJtp3WucrAN83Jg-gtF2joVePvK_-gAAZdw9kNnwdVfbyNECyzh431rdIpdJmLK22Y-HueqaWA4LSewWsvqzNI7FCR0qgxH5Kpn0YrTXqxlzZWpgeZ621ikAuM/s320/Lamprey+1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizcxvnvyaFDLhkqdiVqY_iET5WljN8G7vv3bAU4Co8emOqDzsIa8xsP7sv-5FqSLjDVNF5DrDQMNDaPg2BNy07lDL9JOteYFIdG_NKCrFeyuocR8KCUxVrWCeKysIxr8_X4-5gJy9YuFI/s1600/Lamprey+2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizcxvnvyaFDLhkqdiVqY_iET5WljN8G7vv3bAU4Co8emOqDzsIa8xsP7sv-5FqSLjDVNF5DrDQMNDaPg2BNy07lDL9JOteYFIdG_NKCrFeyuocR8KCUxVrWCeKysIxr8_X4-5gJy9YuFI/s320/Lamprey+2.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I don't know if an eel just got loose in the saxophone case or if it actually could play a tenor saxophone. Fortunately, that's not my problem. I only need to get rid of the teeth marks.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The larger problem is going to be getting rid of the discoloration on this vintage "Pitt American" mouthpiece. You might wonder why I would even want to try. What is a Pitt American, anyway? I did some research. "Pitt American" was a brand name used by a music store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pretty clever of Rudolf and Jacob Volkwein, the brothers that started Volkwein Brothers Music Store in 1905. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0Jzhnbo5DvvpZgoJ8bAWDtUWrPZ0mTzkXz4aaLGl7yFw0LbPh9G-_WS52OSqSgxV8ZkMwhFjl1sfFYSEl-aImeoqM7WUwe1m65W5PF6fOBGpWjrxUuryL2mMAZRCNsObrsKt_3Unfs0/s1771/download.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1771" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0Jzhnbo5DvvpZgoJ8bAWDtUWrPZ0mTzkXz4aaLGl7yFw0LbPh9G-_WS52OSqSgxV8ZkMwhFjl1sfFYSEl-aImeoqM7WUwe1m65W5PF6fOBGpWjrxUuryL2mMAZRCNsObrsKt_3Unfs0/w962-h640/download.png" width="962" /></a></div><br /></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The business is still operating (mostly wholesale), but no longer uses Pitt American as its in-house stencils for musical instruments and accessories. The Pitt brand name was used on both foreign and domestic instruments, most commonly metal clarinets (and some saxophones that were King stencils manufactured by H.N. White). The brothers did not "make" musical instruments or accessories. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Here is a vintage Pitt American tenor saxophone that is likely similar to the source of my mouthpiece.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwM35z15Nte_MQiYPM2oxCxqrjT5t5o65Ph_Or5ngp8hW41Sbz3-y0UbtHqxb13shYvcOd7jO7P3z_ArQukA-LvFejPjvFHOAH3uaCp7fWD0DvOZbbHSRmXSNZfVRmpwhYUyb3LxacTqo/s1600/Pitt+American+full.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwM35z15Nte_MQiYPM2oxCxqrjT5t5o65Ph_Or5ngp8hW41Sbz3-y0UbtHqxb13shYvcOd7jO7P3z_ArQukA-LvFejPjvFHOAH3uaCp7fWD0DvOZbbHSRmXSNZfVRmpwhYUyb3LxacTqo/s1600/Pitt+American+full.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQct37nhiShVppi77ghqNuc0K2rMscN2FYIPkBsucHUspVrtbYZUiOtB4EcL8ObVZrFfYhFCyuPT5xP7-e9HB479Pb-pv0nDB6-gj4WqL5nXc2v3mhLyjV0RGStaqvJTQPU3ijzKhCr0/s1600/Pitt+American+bell.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQct37nhiShVppi77ghqNuc0K2rMscN2FYIPkBsucHUspVrtbYZUiOtB4EcL8ObVZrFfYhFCyuPT5xP7-e9HB479Pb-pv0nDB6-gj4WqL5nXc2v3mhLyjV0RGStaqvJTQPU3ijzKhCr0/s1600/Pitt+American+bell.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">As is common with stencil horns, the engraving has a large "badge" area that can be left blank so that when Joe's Music Store (or Volkwein Bros.) asks for 10 saxophones engraved "<i>Joe's Special</i>" (or "<i>Pitt American</i>") the H.N. White Company could rapidly fill the order.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So are Pitt American saxophone mouthpieces made of that special recipe vintage ebonite? Yes. Do they have that late 30's to late 50's jazz vibe? Yes. Do they have a cult-like following of collector/players willing to pay over $800 without even play testing? No (not yet). Mine showed up free in a box of junk that I bought for other reasons, but I might have paid up to $15 for it had it sold on Ebay. Here's why. (Later I'll tell you why not.)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Wa3t3rzPNpyPihGgR6omi_S5B-OTwLRdCxYBhCKVIcFJ6OFf5OpCsh54I0OttwFLDpncKWxEmsXwSOqerIhH_WnqlR7tM9-IYKBHZdVCZ-zLOhD1mULmElxbAxpQaC8NkOshE-tifqs/s1600/100_2267.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Wa3t3rzPNpyPihGgR6omi_S5B-OTwLRdCxYBhCKVIcFJ6OFf5OpCsh54I0OttwFLDpncKWxEmsXwSOqerIhH_WnqlR7tM9-IYKBHZdVCZ-zLOhD1mULmElxbAxpQaC8NkOshE-tifqs/s640/100_2267.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Yes, those are cobwebs inside of the mouthpiece and the table is also discolored.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7k6lJp1LeROxgtjZ6mQPSYZ4GBLXQfCxbKzvAFTEjYEfvAWq-HvYM29ajlV72jVjVYqtKpR24ifxiOAmv7QK1J_ymgdRUl_xsiamOUXM_DODuKdNFsvm6-QF4jVlIqb8agH-IEAmEV0s/s1600/100_2271.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7k6lJp1LeROxgtjZ6mQPSYZ4GBLXQfCxbKzvAFTEjYEfvAWq-HvYM29ajlV72jVjVYqtKpR24ifxiOAmv7QK1J_ymgdRUl_xsiamOUXM_DODuKdNFsvm6-QF4jVlIqb8agH-IEAmEV0s/s640/100_2271.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The inside of the chamber is also all scratched up by using some kind of a cleaning brush with an exposed metal tip. Just the irresponsible behavior that you would expect from a Lamprey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">But the worst part is what I'm going to talk about for a bit. All of these problems will be cleaned up just by putting on a new facing and doing some chamber work to make this <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/12/making-your-own-otto-link-slant.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">play better than a vintage Otto Link Slant Signature</span></a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">What I want to point out is an effect of the discoloration that isn't often talked about. Most posts about a dull brown or greenish-brown discoloration are worried about how the mouthpiece looks. Some posts about vintage ebonite mouthpieces talk about the sulfur smell and how to eliminate it. But discoloration has a far worse effect on the mouthpiece than just the look and smell.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In order to discolor, usually accelerated by ultraviolet light,* but also by contact with other chemicals, ebonite releases some the sulfur on its surface (hence the smell). The reduced sulfur content of the material that is left behind (mainly natural rubber, linseed oil, and a colorant, usually lamp black), results in the brownish or greenish discoloration. But the surface integrity has actually changed. The surface becomes hygroscopic (it holds some water) and it will be unavoidably altered by removing the discolored material. In theory, it would be possible to stain the compromised ebonite to make it black again. There are commercial products and home remedies (like black shoe polish) that can do this. The surface is still compromised, but if cosmetics and odor is the only interest, it might not matter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Here is what I mean by altering the surface when removing discoloration. The side of my lost cause mouthpiece showed a marked delineation between the brown oxidized area and the apparently sound black ebonite. This is what that delineation looked like when the brown was removed. It is most obvious below the ligature line at the top left of the bright reflection. (Someday I will learn how to add arrows to my pictures).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCenv8R6313AKbnUsVgj5Deab-bg9IxXH7IOWOSjtguVV228a4OnaPHIjxobMthXChdq2ZZwSrmPUCUULngtf8Miokb6z2pXgVSqSXiMqg1PAls1xFAZz17NKmkKp_pnTcwC2VlKXOriw/s1600/100_2270.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCenv8R6313AKbnUsVgj5Deab-bg9IxXH7IOWOSjtguVV228a4OnaPHIjxobMthXChdq2ZZwSrmPUCUULngtf8Miokb6z2pXgVSqSXiMqg1PAls1xFAZz17NKmkKp_pnTcwC2VlKXOriw/w640-h480/100_2270.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The line between what was brown and black is partially obscured by the reflection. To the right of the reflection the brown to black surfaces are on the same level. But to the left is a now an obvious alteration of the height of the two surfaces. Removing the brown oxidation resulted in a "drop off" that is easy to feel. Imagine what will happen to the surface levels when I clean up the table and rails.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3I60aDtGy-h6ZSMUqcoRnbmTYQjAdsgEkcFnBH25aKID34VBIw5ppdX9Mp5eL-vbEYPN4g6krglND3fGQElB3Ex143oEzzF11SE-w5AHe4UUauUtprMpLtyRsDDDVB6gIG46KJ_b5Bes/s1600/100_2267.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3I60aDtGy-h6ZSMUqcoRnbmTYQjAdsgEkcFnBH25aKID34VBIw5ppdX9Mp5eL-vbEYPN4g6krglND3fGQElB3Ex143oEzzF11SE-w5AHe4UUauUtprMpLtyRsDDDVB6gIG46KJ_b5Bes/w640-h480/100_2267.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Cleaning the table and rails will result in similar bumps halfway down the rails. Removing the brown from the table will probably change the tip opening by a measurable amount.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I realize that this mouthpiece is an extreme example of a discolored mouthpiece. It sat someplace for years in order to turn this brown. On most discolored pieces, it is not the table that suffers the most from discoloration. It is usually a stencil print of the ligature that is most obvious. But that just made me wonder what is really going on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Could it be that an ebonite mouthpiece that is played regularly simply has the surface discoloration routinely removed from constant handling? Playing a mouthpiece regularly still exposes it to light and oxygen. Does the table and lay change over time but go unnoticed because what would be the softer brown surface naturally resulting from oxidation is consistently rubbed off by handling the piece? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I would think that this happens to every old ebonite mouthpiece. For absolute proof, I would need to travel back in time and take extremely accurate original curvature measurements from a 1930 ebonite mouthpiece (i.e., vintage measurements on the vintage mouthpiece). Then travel back to the present, using the same measuring apparatus, I would need to measure that same mouthpiece again today. Obviously, that is not going to happen. So, given the apparent effects of time on the mouthpiece shown above, and the fact that erosion occurs naturally on most every surface, I'll just extrapolate that a claimed "original facing" on an old ebonite mouthpiece <b>is not</b> the same facing that was on it originally. We might refer to the facing as "original," but it ain't.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">All of the above was just a diversion. Now I'm going to clean up this old mouthpiece and make it sing again. Washing out the cobwebs didn't seem to make any difference. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The tip opening on this piece is approximately .065. Besides being a small tip opening by today's standards, it has another common problem. The Lamprey that played it apparently didn't use a mouthpiece cap. The piece has been bumped right on the tip end. That causes a tiny deformation in the tip rail. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Under magnification, it is easy to see the problem on the right hand side. The reed can't seal properly which dulls the sound. Old mouthpieces of this vintage are often accused of being dull, but microscopic wear and tear can be most of the cause. A flat table and a new lay should change all that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdu1H7jvkW7JlcoYZYfTO6y4kOo4BdxrXOovVzDw38wpnewrLZH9dceAsI5V0vn5H2w0XcdEljtrlRG2nzzcRPGM-VJRVv5gHIaWqqajpiT2kN1UsFdj0mGui3u2NGZhw_bMpb3Ny8kKg/s1600/100_2295.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdu1H7jvkW7JlcoYZYfTO6y4kOo4BdxrXOovVzDw38wpnewrLZH9dceAsI5V0vn5H2w0XcdEljtrlRG2nzzcRPGM-VJRVv5gHIaWqqajpiT2kN1UsFdj0mGui3u2NGZhw_bMpb3Ny8kKg/s640/100_2295.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I wasn't at my work bench, so I didn't have my lighted desk magnifier. Still, it is fairly obvious that there is a problem. I then tried to "polish" the dent out by simply burnishing the lay on a glass table top. This process can sometimes clean up little imperfections, but not this one.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuwPFxDRXkNWQrA5XlFYqxkjhgY7JWA16Nr6gJtffzOgMSl1iHPY7GEy2gp3hpU_HDPJyztHQz9eAiKb7xNqpWdydtUMUR9NUwpM23dCc1ysYfff6Orfvfw0liKN7lQ49VGfV6jkf0iCk/s1600/100_2297.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuwPFxDRXkNWQrA5XlFYqxkjhgY7JWA16Nr6gJtffzOgMSl1iHPY7GEy2gp3hpU_HDPJyztHQz9eAiKb7xNqpWdydtUMUR9NUwpM23dCc1ysYfff6Orfvfw0liKN7lQ49VGfV6jkf0iCk/s640/100_2297.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">It simply made the imperfection more obvious. Some of the tip is now polished, but a surprising large area around the dent was not because the imperfection is a high point. That gives you some idea of what a flat reed would do when trying to seal the tip opening. I may have found the primary reason why this vintage mouthpiece sounds dull. So, do I spend $300 for a modern mouthpiece or do I fix this one? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Maybe I'll just take a swipe across some 1,000 grit sandpaper and get rid of the high spot.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolaENdgZXDxlvu0oLWArbXMDmCw6wRoCxgcl2-bvibjNYyidVhmzHhV6mQSV5VmWCyxQpTveBht2mzlAVRhyc0wVmRK9PjRjpPdB20uQTWakTKeZ8MpbWiOmyoEWGA2U9kXI2KFQp35o/s1600/100_2311.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolaENdgZXDxlvu0oLWArbXMDmCw6wRoCxgcl2-bvibjNYyidVhmzHhV6mQSV5VmWCyxQpTveBht2mzlAVRhyc0wVmRK9PjRjpPdB20uQTWakTKeZ8MpbWiOmyoEWGA2U9kXI2KFQp35o/s640/100_2311.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Above you can just barely see the remains of the deformed tip. I didn't do any measurements or anything. Just ran the facing down some fine sandpaper. The change in playing, for those of you who still use cane reeds, was like finding a really good reed. It seemed like a completely different mouthpiece. Still, I'm going to continue with modifying the facing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I should note that this is a very common blank from JJ Babbitt that was sold to lots of saxophone makers, music stores, wholesalers, and refinishing businesses. There is no way of telling how long Babbitt produced this model. Maybe as early as the 1930's and as late as the 1960's. They appear regularly on Ebay, sometimes with very exotic claims as to pedigree and material with correspondingly ridiculous valuations. Remember, it is just a chunk of hard rubber already formed into a tenor saxophone mouthpiece. Bid accordingly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Cleaning it up is going to be the easy part and will largely occur as I put on the new table and facing (the rest of the mouthpiece being merely cosmetic). The new facing numbers can be considered right from the start. I usually enjoy playing something around .090 to .095, so that's what I'll shoot for. I just read that a 7** tip opening (called a "seven double star") is the new groovy cool thing to claim, so I'll call whatever my tip opening ends up a <i>Seven Double Star</i>. It does sound kind of cool. And that alone will make it more valuable. "What are you playing?" "A </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Seven Double Star."</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> "Wow, I wish I had one!" Well, now you can.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Here are the lay numbers. These numbers are not some secret formula. It is a smooth curve that gets me to a tip opening of approximately .090 inch. I'm usually happy with that tip opening.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Feeler gauge<span> </span><span> </span><span> Brand number (.5mm)<br />.0015<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 46.0</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span><span>.005<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 40.5</span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span><span><span>.010<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 34.3<br />.016<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 30.0<br />.024<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 24.6<br />,035<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 19.0<br />.050<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 12.2</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>.063<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 9.0<br />.078<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 4.0</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>This facing is a little longer than most .090 tip openings, but I have found that's the way I like it. Also, the numbers near the tip might have been tweaked a little. When I play test I sometimes make little adjustments.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>What does the finished piece look like?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXO4MU4gy2VIn-YCW27hC2ssSaeq5yPTk7RFy0G7o_D-6mJ6rRdi1SvgrVtFGYCrYfY2c8GAQRDYcHU-Mn8OTIBuioHuBWgNsVKgdvktUn1s-YIUHIHAyV7XMxQQn2zCKYs1MjyDxmAIM/s2048/100_2376.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXO4MU4gy2VIn-YCW27hC2ssSaeq5yPTk7RFy0G7o_D-6mJ6rRdi1SvgrVtFGYCrYfY2c8GAQRDYcHU-Mn8OTIBuioHuBWgNsVKgdvktUn1s-YIUHIHAyV7XMxQQn2zCKYs1MjyDxmAIM/w640-h480/100_2376.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">It looks like a brand new mouthpiece. But it is still a Pitt American.<br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1E7x4W8BVUPEivmbdVfs_Ogrp48cnC23BLxjYuXhM5aV2qLzOfBjCPF3vuQ9INVMCbq0rdXSvFvpInX7TehdaW9jkLeZeCxVrZqsEofpyXK0FfqKA2DPleliQPujoLu_N1V-q8yR2f4/s2048/100_2377.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1E7x4W8BVUPEivmbdVfs_Ogrp48cnC23BLxjYuXhM5aV2qLzOfBjCPF3vuQ9INVMCbq0rdXSvFvpInX7TehdaW9jkLeZeCxVrZqsEofpyXK0FfqKA2DPleliQPujoLu_N1V-q8yR2f4/w640-h480/100_2377.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">It's just that opening it up gave me a little area to make a tiny (by modern standards) baffle. Now it has that feeling of making the saxophone vibrate without the harsh screeching of a high baffle mouthpiece.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZflyJwMJompFK9Ddq6UArN-ciQCnE9_8e6OAIVDPh7ueVQMnwkDYv8d5sQqylZPM5Y0MReZsjvydN3pPTc6GOW5StdGRdCM1noH8RAXZfz373SSJb-uXaJOJU2Yj3_AXomMXnJojZL7M/s2048/100_2380.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZflyJwMJompFK9Ddq6UArN-ciQCnE9_8e6OAIVDPh7ueVQMnwkDYv8d5sQqylZPM5Y0MReZsjvydN3pPTc6GOW5StdGRdCM1noH8RAXZfz373SSJb-uXaJOJU2Yj3_AXomMXnJojZL7M/w480-h640/100_2380.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Remember when I said that the mouthpiece was free, but I might not have paid $15 for it on Ebay? It was because of this picture. Half way down the left hand rail there is a scratch across the rail and down the side and curving towards the shank. But it isn't really a scratch. It was a crack. I mended it by putting super glue on the end of a needle and touching it to the crack from inside the chamber. The glue instantly wicks out through the crack and leaves a "blush" around the crack on the exterior. Don't touch it or it will make a mess. Let it dry for a day and then when polishing the mended crack will disappear.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Wa3t3rzPNpyPihGgR6omi_S5B-OTwLRdCxYBhCKVIcFJ6OFf5OpCsh54I0OttwFLDpncKWxEmsXwSOqerIhH_WnqlR7tM9-IYKBHZdVCZ-zLOhD1mULmElxbAxpQaC8NkOshE-tifqs/s1600/100_2267.JPG" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Wa3t3rzPNpyPihGgR6omi_S5B-OTwLRdCxYBhCKVIcFJ6OFf5OpCsh54I0OttwFLDpncKWxEmsXwSOqerIhH_WnqlR7tM9-IYKBHZdVCZ-zLOhD1mULmElxbAxpQaC8NkOshE-tifqs/s640/100_2267.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here it is under magnification. The new facing completely removed the line from the rail.</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwqqr_HcwaC8E92QRUTXzTSTgLbTJgkkzpBVV4g0cpdTO1gneBHRt4VbrEi4CZNan-0WdVyyxT4800ZqqU7BEVXbWtXb2wviFIR4j6WPHw52Jm23c37Uh0GzLMXNK9enbx5F4M9_YCHU/s2048/100_2381.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwqqr_HcwaC8E92QRUTXzTSTgLbTJgkkzpBVV4g0cpdTO1gneBHRt4VbrEi4CZNan-0WdVyyxT4800ZqqU7BEVXbWtXb2wviFIR4j6WPHw52Jm23c37Uh0GzLMXNK9enbx5F4M9_YCHU/w640-h480/100_2381.JPG" width="640" /></a></div></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">It is possible to contact me confidentially with information in the comment section below. Simply include your email. That way, if you choose, we can converse without your comment or email being made part of the blog comments.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">* </span><span>Ultraviolet light basically means all daylight. A regular mouthpiece cap stops exposure over most of the mouthpiece, but better is a mouthpiece bag of some sort. If you leave your mouthpiece out on a desk top, even if the sun never hits it directly, it will discolor </span><span>over time</span><span>, leaving a photo imprint of the ligature if that is left on the mouthpiece. Guess how I know that? Better to store it in a bag. Think of it as a necessary precaution, like drying out the inside after every use. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> What, </span><span>you don't dry out your mouthpiece after every use???</span></span></div>
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</div>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-57983437787463379732019-05-22T09:08:00.002-07:002021-12-29T11:23:49.336-08:00The Fake Jody Jazz HR* mouthpiece<br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I saw that fake Jody Jazz mouthpieces were appearing on Ebay. The text in the Buy-It-Now "auction" was constantly changing. They first appeared as Jody Jazz mouthpieces. Later descriptions said that the mouthpiece was a "JJ" brand, however the name on the mouthpiece was obviously Jody Jazz in the same gold font as the real thing. Some auctions said it was made of hard rubber, others said that it was bakelite. Bakelite (the real name is </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><b>polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride</b>) </span></span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin that is not universally considered "food safe." It might not be something that you would want to put in your mouth every day (or ever). Apparently, the people manufacturing this fake don't know or don't care about what woodwind mouthpieces are made of.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Mine was obviously made in China. In fact, mine was shipped directly from China (although the Ebay store was located in Indonesia). Authentic Jody Jazz mouthpieces are hand finished in the U.S. and, according to their advertisements, are individually played prior to sale by Jody Espina (or somebody at his facility in Savanna, GA). Mine, being shipped directly from China, obviously was going to miss out on this essential quality control. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">There were other telltale clues that mine would be a fake. The Jody Jazz HR* sells for about $200 in the U.S. The Ebay Buy-It-Now price was $26. I bought one and was immediately told that it was out of stock and my purchase price was refunded. I went back to the same site, where the price was now $28, and bought it again. Same thing happened. I went back and bought it at $30 and that transaction went through. It appeared that the seller had some kind of automated "sucker pricing" algorithm. That is exactly what one would expect from an Ebay scammer selling knockoff products. The mouthpiece showed up in two weeks with a cheap ligature and cap. Guess what? It was fake!</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Although most fake Jody Jazz mouthpieces had disappeared from Ebay by the time I wrote this blog, many other fakes of various brands have recently appeared. Many of them also claim to be made of Bakelite. If you search Ebay for Bakelite saxophone mouthpieces, you may find fake Vandoren, Meyer, etc. Here is a picture of the fake plastic Meyers (falsely claimed to be made of Bakelite, but who cares). Notice that they have faked the current model of Meyer mouthpieces. Don't they know the saxophone lore that the <span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2018/10/making-your-own-meyer-brothers-6m-alto.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">vintage Meyer Brothers</span></a></span> mouthpieces magically enhance a player's ability </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">and are therefore worth thousands of dollars?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogm-g66-L9oFv7wzPnIQJjcCxSlTwoh2tcUZt5sCg6oxfUapxW4zubdUEJkThsG3Pg_pJzCvnta7iVeCh-hAonwOaWq8TrAJAPDnPR_2xzt4R3dXn_YR8larXafHdcDFmbGh7SmLR4bc/s1600/fake+Meyer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogm-g66-L9oFv7wzPnIQJjcCxSlTwoh2tcUZt5sCg6oxfUapxW4zubdUEJkThsG3Pg_pJzCvnta7iVeCh-hAonwOaWq8TrAJAPDnPR_2xzt4R3dXn_YR8larXafHdcDFmbGh7SmLR4bc/s320/fake+Meyer.jpg" width="320" /></a>Late model fake altos.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1G93abttpt9U4EnTXRmiz3jTPwUVUFQsW636E2cXfFCqfjwudTRISii1oMriQwS92FWZ7Nh-KO93OpDyqf9YBSnoUgowopiEPEVYEaXM-wpNqaUvyWh1cVGY6WpBIVycT4Eqk3XwaYY/s1600/fake+table.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1G93abttpt9U4EnTXRmiz3jTPwUVUFQsW636E2cXfFCqfjwudTRISii1oMriQwS92FWZ7Nh-KO93OpDyqf9YBSnoUgowopiEPEVYEaXM-wpNqaUvyWh1cVGY6WpBIVycT4Eqk3XwaYY/s320/fake+table.jpg" width="320" /></a>$26 for a fake Meyer medium chamber. I have no idea what these are made of or what the chamber, lay, etc. looks like. You should not expect that it looks or plays anything like an actual Meyer.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Back to my fake Jody Jazz. Here is what a real Jody Jazz hard rubber HR* looks like. This is a 7 tip (.105 inch). The shank has a smooth "bugle" shape.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmoHv9I5RU23EP5kGfe7rK5cVDHOKmzg8B7Y8s_G7m7Kqk23pOdcBWnA8pfVPQS0UyTFzJvbs3DYiyKb7eZTn71dwbuF7qs2oVSIqOX8zk_77D7IUNWVXCReGAwN5pcqE51cOl2UHbG0/s1600/Name.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1408" data-original-width="542" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmoHv9I5RU23EP5kGfe7rK5cVDHOKmzg8B7Y8s_G7m7Kqk23pOdcBWnA8pfVPQS0UyTFzJvbs3DYiyKb7eZTn71dwbuF7qs2oVSIqOX8zk_77D7IUNWVXCReGAwN5pcqE51cOl2UHbG0/s320/Name.webp" width="123" /></a>Notice that the thickness of the font script is fairly uniform.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2GZ7OligrpgOZPFN5DwGIBgP0UL1CxN5SeVa_lUXa9RMtLSIflZbWPlmC_70NtLsKxGPAszXnf33kqPV-ncHijuGmL2YX8lSb8gpLIoCmQ2G1-qZLKTOm9uNGsouFHMOqUJ9GcjbHvM/s1600/tip.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2GZ7OligrpgOZPFN5DwGIBgP0UL1CxN5SeVa_lUXa9RMtLSIflZbWPlmC_70NtLsKxGPAszXnf33kqPV-ncHijuGmL2YX8lSb8gpLIoCmQ2G1-qZLKTOm9uNGsouFHMOqUJ9GcjbHvM/s320/tip.webp" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Jody Jazz refers to their HR* model as having a medium round chamber. Because the chamber is slightly larger than the shank bore, I would refer to it as a medium large chamber. Here is my "chamber designation" rule for this type of mouthpiece.* If I look in from the tip and see the mold line between chamber and shank, it's large, i.e., the chamber is larger than the shank bore. If I look in from the shank and see the mold line, it's a small chamber. If there is no mold line, i.e., the end of the chamber is the same as the shank bore, it's a medium chamber. That's my test. Probably too simplistic and it's not too important here. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrsF23UtFqS3hkBeU-9Lmg8Yj4kLwzVS9xN7mdYhLZ6J_F4sYnmRuC6RNZPQ5PpA7fy_I_Y2tDVOQsaPvMCuIX0DiGgwEYEUZDTlSrbBc4hPVFSubweNNkF-E_y8L1aWMXiuBJE-tdi0/s1600/z7k4ydifslurvjkwadgm.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrsF23UtFqS3hkBeU-9Lmg8Yj4kLwzVS9xN7mdYhLZ6J_F4sYnmRuC6RNZPQ5PpA7fy_I_Y2tDVOQsaPvMCuIX0DiGgwEYEUZDTlSrbBc4hPVFSubweNNkF-E_y8L1aWMXiuBJE-tdi0/s320/z7k4ydifslurvjkwadgm.webp" width="320" /></a>If I can't see the mold line from this direction, that means a large chamber. On these the mold line is very small viewed from the tip (previous picture), hence my calling them a medium large chamber.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Below is the fake Jody Jazz mouthpiece viewed from tip and shank. The view from the tip makes it look like it is a large chamber, but that "line" is just where the chamber drops into the larger shank bore. When viewed from the shank, it is obvious that this is a small chamber not anything like a real Jody Jazz. It is actually similar looking to an old Selmer.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TGdLvdUgUO-9OjJAMWxgvXfVRlMc6dpKpW8Xa5qqsMqUjU1ntHEbO16PRnJ6bk6hkvgs3pFtAb1_-lF-_o7jPujo0krltTytqZUwA4UZer4e0OZL4-Wwi7_OuTxeX4iXo977ISAecG8/s1600/100_1323.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TGdLvdUgUO-9OjJAMWxgvXfVRlMc6dpKpW8Xa5qqsMqUjU1ntHEbO16PRnJ6bk6hkvgs3pFtAb1_-lF-_o7jPujo0krltTytqZUwA4UZer4e0OZL4-Wwi7_OuTxeX4iXo977ISAecG8/s320/100_1323.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheP7TFYK8OVB6SRL03BKe3v7Iht_Vz8k3erVNcdecTqQTzf4im4GvQA8KcYruwaTqpuVFKl2_m-wf9eBhWnu0Rin1i8MdCiEjh0I8SSjORz1WgBRGEPAuf7A56Y7rfM69NA6kHwgvmxJ8/s1600/100_1324.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheP7TFYK8OVB6SRL03BKe3v7Iht_Vz8k3erVNcdecTqQTzf4im4GvQA8KcYruwaTqpuVFKl2_m-wf9eBhWnu0Rin1i8MdCiEjh0I8SSjORz1WgBRGEPAuf7A56Y7rfM69NA6kHwgvmxJ8/s320/100_1324.JPG" width="320" /></a>A "pea shooter" style chamber.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">We don't have to go into much detail about the differences between a real Jody Jazz HR* mouthpiece and my fake Ebay piece because they are <i>clearly</i> unrelated. First, it didn't even look like the picture used on Ebay (which might have been a picture of a real Jody Jazz mouthpiece). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKMxDmaCh_QExF2DhygxyS6yIQgOQQyN58UIXEVp1vwZQ75do9Ipf2b3PDGDlMqlD0HVxKB1oHLom-1ZlvvA63zky6Izc_gKgytIsv71pW8BHDvCXqKcFFa60a587pBNHH0BlGbMg61k/s1600/100_1319.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKMxDmaCh_QExF2DhygxyS6yIQgOQQyN58UIXEVp1vwZQ75do9Ipf2b3PDGDlMqlD0HVxKB1oHLom-1ZlvvA63zky6Izc_gKgytIsv71pW8BHDvCXqKcFFa60a587pBNHH0BlGbMg61k/s320/100_1319.JPG" width="320" /></a>The shank shape is wrong. The original mass seller has been removed from Ebay (12/2021), but people who bought the $26 plastic knock-offs with this shank shape are now listing theirs (for over $100). Another clue is that real Jodi Jazz mouthpieces came with a Jodi Jazz cap. If no original cap, beware.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The embossing on my mouthpiece was a complete ripoff of the Jody Jazz logo, but was apparently laser etched from directly above. This distorts the font a little. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNL_VDaH7faeYqEKLwbeMYz9cmXzr4aTr-O0aKb4MQQAToOQ6aHFs9wXWZO_eP80T3iM_pRKlYyU6w-r1wVsf3ajb4bS6NSBMlVxvTag_SKaOx4SuFHMrrw0Dyzj_rfIC-4EJHpso34Og/s1600/100_1320.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNL_VDaH7faeYqEKLwbeMYz9cmXzr4aTr-O0aKb4MQQAToOQ6aHFs9wXWZO_eP80T3iM_pRKlYyU6w-r1wVsf3ajb4bS6NSBMlVxvTag_SKaOx4SuFHMrrw0Dyzj_rfIC-4EJHpso34Og/s320/100_1320.JPG" width="320" /></a>The logo is distorted because it was printed from directly above. This makes the font lines thicker as it wraps around the mouthpiece, shown here as the start of the "J" is further from the center of the logo.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Second, it isn't Bakelite or hard rubber. It appears to be injection molded ABS (</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene</span></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">), the same plastic used for black plumbing pipe and Legos toys. Is it food safe? Some say yes, some say no. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated in 2015 that some ABS formulations are food safe. Is my fake Jody Jazz one of those formulas? I wouldn't bet on it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQObana_LtcYRv_Agq83zLhzJokVpNuEDtTgWTzt27pUtfxFejJmKfOHQ8PcRmVgC9VDpK76lG8wsMb_xOh_NfxWpHr05_HxxzlUUAxZEH-o_brewosB_xJt5NePzdfWDbqlKkbFYSZS4/s1600/100_1321.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQObana_LtcYRv_Agq83zLhzJokVpNuEDtTgWTzt27pUtfxFejJmKfOHQ8PcRmVgC9VDpK76lG8wsMb_xOh_NfxWpHr05_HxxzlUUAxZEH-o_brewosB_xJt5NePzdfWDbqlKkbFYSZS4/s320/100_1321.JPG" width="320" /></a>The rear edge of the barrel by the table shows the "flash line" common with injection molding. Not Bakelite, not hard rubber. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElhLePXuvOtFbdkPUpU3Cfk09fbLVPnMS_cyoZCOaU2N5tyYWXkeC3lIokdLhjaJEspmsBR_sBCEyecyjJxgTaw7TQFV7hSI0TO7G7X_96QThrXTI8PVgDeuADUkC01uSWuduJRzpFfA/s1600/20190426_111448.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElhLePXuvOtFbdkPUpU3Cfk09fbLVPnMS_cyoZCOaU2N5tyYWXkeC3lIokdLhjaJEspmsBR_sBCEyecyjJxgTaw7TQFV7hSI0TO7G7X_96QThrXTI8PVgDeuADUkC01uSWuduJRzpFfA/s640/20190426_111448.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's a better picture of the roughness of the finish and the flash line from the mold on the upper left. I had already taken a few swipes across some course sandpaper to open the tip (and made a note of "71," i.e., .071 inches on the table)</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Yes, I put it in my mouth and played it in the name of scientific discovery. I died later that day. Fortunately, I also own a <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2018/10/making-your-own-meyer-brothers-6m-alto.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Meyer Brothers mouthpiece that is the Holy Grail</span></a>. The Holy Grail enabled my corporal resurrection and the completion of this blog.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The fake Jody Jazz played, sort of. In the Ebay advertisement, I had my choice of tip openings. I chose a #7 tip (listed as .105 inches). What I got was about a .060 tip opening. I'm guessing that, no matter what tip opening you request, you would get a .060 tip opening. A lot of players would never measure and so many would never know. They find a mouthpiece that they like and simply assume that the tip opening is related to the embossed number. This fake didn't even have a number (no surprise).</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The tiny tip opening on my fake Jody Jazz is okay because the "finish" on the facing curve looked like it was put on with 100 grit sandpaper. There were obvious milling marks on the tip and rails and slightly less, but still visible, marks on the table. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8H7NPzsuKSj9HN7CsW8fyGdn6Mbisl99KaR2BOBz1AtvGojJaePo2TlJpy6Jj5JKkSwKsyeEmYX7jA5B_yJjuU8fu_RVTS0C2J7-tv_eghm69lcH0pqheJJO3VKiXnLat8DueA7p0dUg/s1600/20190426_111737.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8H7NPzsuKSj9HN7CsW8fyGdn6Mbisl99KaR2BOBz1AtvGojJaePo2TlJpy6Jj5JKkSwKsyeEmYX7jA5B_yJjuU8fu_RVTS0C2J7-tv_eghm69lcH0pqheJJO3VKiXnLat8DueA7p0dUg/s1600/20190426_111737.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The rails were tipped, the curvature was flat, etc. Just what I would expect from a fake $30 Ebay mouthpiece. Still, I was hoping that it would actually be hard rubber. It turns out that <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2018/10/making-your-own-meyer-brothers-6m-alto.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">you have to pay $40 to get a hard rubber mouthpiece</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The first thing I did was to flatten the table. As is common with many mouthpieces whether new, old, Chinese, French, whatever, there was a sunken spot right at the top of the window. I suspect that this is a result of the temperature increase resulting from machining the table flat. Fixing it gave me a chance to use a butt cut while flattening.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtiUe7iPMDHgy84aHg5sE41VStN_qnPNZlAKZIXbNaiX2-11gvoOJWNDF5ib-c3uGJAq4PC2P6rJajl6QzYmL7NqKkoodd_NgundyEV0E-MU3p0Sss1y-K0w1HNKQ-LSgsiM5aYN7lsI/s1600/100_1291.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtiUe7iPMDHgy84aHg5sE41VStN_qnPNZlAKZIXbNaiX2-11gvoOJWNDF5ib-c3uGJAq4PC2P6rJajl6QzYmL7NqKkoodd_NgundyEV0E-MU3p0Sss1y-K0w1HNKQ-LSgsiM5aYN7lsI/s320/100_1291.JPG" width="320" /></a>This is what I'm talking about. A swipe across fine sandpaper shows on the rails, almost to the top of the window, and at the butt end of the table, meaning that in between it is "hollow."</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I wiped the above mouthpiece table across 1000 grit sandpaper to show me whether the table was flat. It revealed a high spot before the end of the window and another at the heel of the table (both shown as a lighter "scuffed" finish). This indicates a sunken spot in the middle of the table where you can still see the original table. It could be that a reed is flexible enough to fill this area given enough ligature pressure, but it might also flex the reed in a way that effectively increases the tip opening and throws off the curvature. The picture above is an old Rico "Gregory" alto mouthpiece blank, but it is common to many mouthpieces. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Even with a butt cut to cant the table on my "Jody Jazz," that only opened the tip to about .072. Fortunately, the tip was thick enough to allow for a larger opening. And, given that the piece was a $30 fake, I didn't care too much how I altered it. The crooked rails took some time. Also, even though I thought that I was being careful, I kept getting the lay too long for my intended tip opening. I generally like long lays, but it was really easy to take a swipe and find that I had increased the "takeoff point" for the curvature by a millimeter too much. Frustrating.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I decided to concentrate on simply putting on a lay for a .095 inch tip opening and not worry about the length of the lay for the moment. This is not the accepted procedure. If you get the lay perfect from the .005 feeler gauge to the tip, and then go back and adjust the table so that the .0015 gauge measures perfect, you will find that you have altered every measurement. Your "perfect lay" will no longer be perfect. That is true in theory. But . . . .</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Traditionally, you measure the "start" of the curvature with a .0015" feeler gauge and a rigid piece of glass. But you don't play the mouthpiece with a inflexible piece of glass. You play with a flexible piece of cane (or resin infused carbon fiber if you are smart). Try this test. Measure with your .0015 feeler and mark the side of your mouthpiece with a pencil. Put a reed on, tighten the ligature, and slide the .0015 feeler in. Are you close to your mark. Further? Less? You will find that you don't end up in the same place. The reed, under pressure by the ligature, doesn't result in you actually starting at what you thought would be the .0015" starting point.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Even if you accidentally end up at the exact same point, you don't play with the mouthpiece and reed outside of your mouth (at least I've never seen a saxophone player that could do this). So, put a <i>tiny little bit</i> of pressure on the reed tip and see where that moves your curvature "starting point." Just the softest kiss of pressure. You will see that you are well past what is commonly considered the "take off" point. Your .005 measurement will be different. Your .010 measurement will be different. They will all be different when using a reed and a <i>tiny little bit</i> of pressure. The measurements that you so carefully adjusted using a rigid piece of glass are not really the measurements that you end up playing.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The measurements will all still be "fair," meaning that there are no lumps or anomalies in the curvature (assuming that you have done a good job). But I'm not convinced that the "starting point" is all that important because the reed has flexed past that point just from holding the mouthpiece in your lips. A crooked starting point might have some effect (although I've enjoyed playing some remarkably crooked tables and only learned the condition after measuring), but your actual reed "starting point" will be well short of your measured </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">rigid</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> glass starting point. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Anyway, I chose to simply give up on getting the take off point exactly right. It's a $30 mouthpiece. A good mouthpiece has to cost at least $200, right? Based on current mouthpiece prices, this one shouldn't play at all. Or, it should only be capable of making horrific inharmonious noise. At best, it should sound like a student mouthpiece (although I have listened to hundreds of grade school students who play and sound better than I ever will).</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">It turns out that it plays just fine, except that I thought that it sounded a bit abrasive. Abrasive is my terminology for the sound that the vast majority of saxophone players are striving for. Most seem to be looking for the Superman of mouthpieces while I'm happiest with Clark Kent. Although that sounds boring, keep in mind that Mr. Kent can turn into Superman <i>when necessary.</i> Superman, constantly walking around in blue tights with red trunks, red boots, and a flowing cape isn't my style. But I digress . . . .</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Opening the tip tends to leave one with sufficient material to add more baffle, sometimes considerably more baffle. That seems to work okay when putting a new opening on an old large chamber zero baffle piece. There is more to it than that, however, because my old Link Slant Signature appears to have very little baffle, yet it can speak with authority when required. But I have to admit, it can't scream like high baffle pieces. It yells with authority instead of screaming.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfApuK00LClcmw1XLqo4prdDRPRS8zHewsUXBGuM4BK9TpAaWvuJyhenu7ZFZbQE0SFbJWyrv-NaY-9vfo-btRgkXSfdK9WWQyAD_df_3zpfdzvKP8R8qWjFVNnY4Gsv0s5FthAzl5WCw/s1600/100_1322.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfApuK00LClcmw1XLqo4prdDRPRS8zHewsUXBGuM4BK9TpAaWvuJyhenu7ZFZbQE0SFbJWyrv-NaY-9vfo-btRgkXSfdK9WWQyAD_df_3zpfdzvKP8R8qWjFVNnY4Gsv0s5FthAzl5WCw/s640/100_1322.JPG" width="640" /></a>The fake Jody Jazz after refacing. I basically removed all of the extra baffle material at the tip. This requires the removal of material about 7 mm into the chamber to keep from exaggerating the baffle as a result of the new tip opening.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The fake Jody Jazz piece opened to .95 inches had the tendency to scream. Yes, it was louder, but I wasn't thrilled about the tone. So I got rid of the baffle that had been created from enlarging the tip opening. I removed it to the point where many players would say it didn't exist, like my old Slant. Then I took it out to a practice session. I admit I also took my Slant with me in case things didn't work out. I told the alto player about my $30 knockoff and he said it sounded fine. Afterwards, the guitar player said that I had played louder tonight (louder = good for guitar players). </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So the verdict is that, for fellow musicians, the difference between a +$800 vintage Link Slant Signature 6 and a $30 obviously fake Jody Jazz HR* is that the Jody Jazz knockoff is louder. True, I had to reface the fake to a 7 and I spent <i>way too much time</i> doing that (probably an hour and a half). On the other hand, it has now gone out of the house twice, and will again tonight. It is my</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> new love that probably won't last. I'm guessing that the old Slant need only wait in order to become my favorite once again. Strange how that works.</span></div>
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* I'm talking about older style pieces that have undercut rails and no exaggerated wedge baffle. Dukoff Power Chambers don't count because of the huge baffle. Brilhart Tonolins don't count because of the flat sidewalls. Those pieces are always going to be medium to small chambers regardless of how the chamber meets the shank bore.</div>
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<br />gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-19836484144069242342019-02-25T16:31:00.015-08:002022-12-27T14:20:29.701-08:00Some Additional History on the Beginnings of Rico Reeds<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqqkqYwRMqn-A_sJWfRXIfXr1RGGp5yHjXPTJ5NjbNRdgG4RyUudZRIOkHCtuLFd8HFjKsP7KSwlE0HAgCObyt4rNuH-rfdO0Aby8j0ZCWJ0hkKyzf6d-OGhEuIdM3y_YOoCgn9slZ7k/s1600/Rico+box.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="884" data-original-width="1081" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqqkqYwRMqn-A_sJWfRXIfXr1RGGp5yHjXPTJ5NjbNRdgG4RyUudZRIOkHCtuLFd8HFjKsP7KSwlE0HAgCObyt4rNuH-rfdO0Aby8j0ZCWJ0hkKyzf6d-OGhEuIdM3y_YOoCgn9slZ7k/s640/Rico+box.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">When researching Malcolm Gregory, and how he became mistakenly associated with Gale mouthpieces, I came across the fact that Roy Maier and Frank De Michele (of Rico Products) had briefly been involved in the startup of Gale Products, Inc. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">It turned out that Mr. Gregory had never been involved with Gale Products and lumping all Gale mouthpieces in with Gregory mouthpieces is based solely on one person's misunderstanding of the history. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Maier and De Michele were definitely involved as principles in Rico Products, Ltd., a woodwind reed manufacturing business. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I did a bit of research on Maier and De Michele and found some mistaken history surrounding them as well. That is to be expected. We are talking about musical accessories, after all. As musicians, we love to hear fantastic stories about musicians, their instruments, their mouthpieces, their ligatures, and even their reeds. I kept looking in to the history of Rico Products, Ltd and its various changes over the years. It turns out that there were a few twists and turns in that story as well. Once again, the existing documentary evidence about Rico Products was quite different than the commonly told story.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Some of you may have read an article about Rico history on the internet. When Rico Products sold to D'Addario & Co. Inc., a brief history was published and that has become the present day "<i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Rico Story</i>." Here it is in its entirety from the D'Addario website.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: "arial";">Born in Italy, Joseph Rico (1876-1957) attended seminary school near Naples, where he showed special talent for music. As a teenager, he and his brother, Libereto, ran away from seminary school one night, embarked on a ship, and fled to America where they heard there was a world of opportunity for eager minds. Joseph was a harpist, pianist, and guitarist, and his brother was a mandolinist and violinist. As a result of their hard work, both musicians became quite well known in Chicago and New York. Joseph Rico started composing and conducting, and went on to Paris where he became a sought-after composer. His Valses Lentes are still played today.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: "arial";">In 1926, Joseph's nephew, Frank De Michele, a clarinetist with Walt Disney studios, wrote to him complaining about how hard it was to find good reeds in Los Angeles. He wrote: "Uncle Joe, you are so well established in the musical scene in Paris,* I'm sure you could find all kinds of good reeds for me." Joseph easily found reeds to send him, however three weeks later, Frank wrote again: "My friends liked the reeds you sent so much; I have none left for myself. Could you please send me more?" After a series of similar letters, Joseph's reed supplier regrettably explained that he could no longer provide reeds due to a cane shortage. His nephew asked Joseph if he could at least send some cane so that he could try making his own reeds. Joseph had a vacation cottage in the Var region of southern France where he found excellent reed cane. In 1928, Joseph Rico sent the first shipment of 350 kilos of reed cane to America. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: "arial";">To honor his uncle, Frank asked if he could use his name to launch his first reed line named "Rico." Soon thereafter, Frank De Michele found four partners, including musician and engineer Roy J. Maier, to create the first Rico reed factory.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">When I started looking into the story, I needed to find out how Maier and De Michele began. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Frank De Michele was born on October 14, 1897 in Chicago. He died in Los Angeles on June 14, 1956. Historical research on him is made difficult by the fact that his last name was spelled a variety of ways, even on official documents. It appears that his preferred spelling was "De Michele." But on public records it might be de Michele, DeMichele, or Demichele. It helps if his full given name (Frank Vincent) was used, but often it is only Frank or even just the initial F. Every mention of his name had to be cross-checked against a timeline to make certain that it wasn't one of the other Frank De Micheles living in the U.S. at the time (there were several). In this blog I'm going to use "De Michele," as that is the spelling that he used in official documents. Or maybe just "Frank."</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Mr. De Michele was a bit more than just a studio woodwind musician as related in the <i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Rico Story</i>. By 1920, prior to leaving Chicago for L.A., he was already listed in various directories as a band leader. He had been married in November 16, 1917 to Monna Cloe Augstadt and, as a music composer, he had registered a copyrighted composition called <i>The Mamonna Waltz</i> (Mamonna being, I assume, some kind of tribute to his wife Monna). Although the score is listed in the Library of Congress, I have yet to locate a copy. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">He was also involved in the sales of woodwind reeds long before 1928, as the <i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Rico Story</i> would have us believe. He may have contacted his uncle Rico in 1926, but he had already started marketing his own brand name clarinet reeds (<i>ANDRÉ</i>). Here are a couple boxes of them.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFWV0TeG2sRQqhrE91C6Sk0bqp7woaxAIIFYR6KJ0TlBYmaBhCMw0y1OyjcuuIIGNAg1jFjE-AgZqj8kFOq1cAPr9yy26gBl4tKW5RMiroEBahAKqyh29dQHhN1TVG6gFyyWYkHCVkL4/s1600/Lot-of-Open-Box-Vintage-Andre-Clarinet-Reeds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFWV0TeG2sRQqhrE91C6Sk0bqp7woaxAIIFYR6KJ0TlBYmaBhCMw0y1OyjcuuIIGNAg1jFjE-AgZqj8kFOq1cAPr9yy26gBl4tKW5RMiroEBahAKqyh29dQHhN1TVG6gFyyWYkHCVkL4/s320/Lot-of-Open-Box-Vintage-Andre-Clarinet-Reeds.jpg" width="320" /></a>Click to enlarge.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_Xji1jFFZ0uE3_31iKWMAckbiN9wMnRzYjh_gcG5nAjReVTqKltg5zlIo7hPw9Gn0ZjO5ipQDZWWzdf2XVGdmJwd3zxDE36m-xPkKMpHzdcV8zZ1hW7tOrZ9XLVJVEZc7vqID0GeHoU/s1600/Lot-of-Open-Box-Vintage-Andre-Clarinet-Reeds-_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_Xji1jFFZ0uE3_31iKWMAckbiN9wMnRzYjh_gcG5nAjReVTqKltg5zlIo7hPw9Gn0ZjO5ipQDZWWzdf2XVGdmJwd3zxDE36m-xPkKMpHzdcV8zZ1hW7tOrZ9XLVJVEZc7vqID0GeHoU/w640-h480/Lot-of-Open-Box-Vintage-Andre-Clarinet-Reeds-_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Made in the U.S.A.</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">In a later trademark filing for <i>ANDRÉ</i> with the U.S. Patent Office, the logo included the Rico "Diamond," later used on other Rico products, including their <i>M.C. Gregory</i> brand of mouthpieces. Mr. De Michele verified in the trademark application that he began personally using the trade name </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><i>ANDRÉ</i> for his reeds in 1919. So it was years prior to him possibly working as a studio musician at Walt Disney Studios because he was still in Chicago. The claim that in 1926, "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: arial;">His nephew asked Joseph if he could at least send some cane so that he could try making his own reeds." </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">isn't correct because in a sworn statement to the U.S. Patent Office he had already been making </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">ANDRÉ </i><span style="font-size: x-large;">reeds for six years.</span></div><div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-yHJGe6WX28milzR018ugqDsEJ9gN5-Dk7h6crGyQ3rlHwgOAg0rJNOuFLLp-93MpmlasjkqjTYJYKymY2jFsidX_wc7uBedS9lk5y6YvCtxwjRGbUyHrnqmOocqY06JLHaPu0QCzj8/s1600/ANDR%25C3%2589+logo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="652" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-yHJGe6WX28milzR018ugqDsEJ9gN5-Dk7h6crGyQ3rlHwgOAg0rJNOuFLLp-93MpmlasjkqjTYJYKymY2jFsidX_wc7uBedS9lk5y6YvCtxwjRGbUyHrnqmOocqY06JLHaPu0QCzj8/w400-h394/ANDR%25C3%2589+logo.png" width="400" /></a>Notice once again that the brand name ends with an acute É. Very French looking for a made in the U.S.A. reed.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The claim in the <i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Rico Story</i> that</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: "arial";">To honor his uncle, Frank asked if he could use his name </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: "arial";">to launch his first reed line named "Rico."</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;">In 1926, Joseph's nephew, Frank De Michele, a clarinetist with Walt Disney studios, </span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;">wrote to him complaining about how hard it was to find good reeds in Los Angeles. </span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">is also very odd, given that Mr. De Michele later stated that he had been marketing the </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><i>ANDRÉ</i> brand of reeds since 1919.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Like many mid-west musicians, Mr. De Michele came to California, where in 1926 he was working as an owner/manager of a music store (Monterey Park Music Co.) in the historic Garvey building in Monterey Park, CA. (destroyed in an earthquake in 1937). </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Although the <i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Rico Story</i> implies that he was a musician at Walt Disney Studios in 1926, that doesn't appear to be the case based on city directories and Music Trades magazine. He may have, while managing the music store, moonlighted as a musician. He may also have made or marketed </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><i>ANDRÉ</i> brand </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">woodwind reeds at the music store. I'm just not certain that it would be possible to be the owner/manager of a music store in Monterey Park </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">at the same time as </i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">a studio musician at the old Disney Studios (then located in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles).</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Frank did have an Uncle Joe Rico, as stated in the <i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Rico Story</i>, however, Rico was Frank's mother's family name. We have already seen that Frank was a bit of a romantic and named his 1918 composition after his wife Monna (aka Norma). So it is also possible that he named his company Rico after his mother, Assunta (aka Susan) Rico. Clearly, Frank would not have had to ask his uncle if he could use the name Rico, as it was his mother's family name. But there would have been a good reason to say that the company was named after his uncle Joseph Rico. While understated in the <i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Rico Story</i>, Joseph Rico (1876-1957) was far more famous than Frank or anybody else at Rico Products. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_G_dHDJfOnQ-nFxPIa-kM50UDKkJKaBnxi4-1E5aCKTsbJz_DSVcsCVdbjrkUx0sf-9J9hM_Ic_QZ_ox0XTdN9E5BKq2gTwoM8uOv-vZ5vBlYnFXwlwJkBf-rF69ls39UndfVsWP6Yw/s1600/Joseph+Rico+harp+clarinet.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1296" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_G_dHDJfOnQ-nFxPIa-kM50UDKkJKaBnxi4-1E5aCKTsbJz_DSVcsCVdbjrkUx0sf-9J9hM_Ic_QZ_ox0XTdN9E5BKq2gTwoM8uOv-vZ5vBlYnFXwlwJkBf-rF69ls39UndfVsWP6Yw/s640/Joseph+Rico+harp+clarinet.JPG" width="640" /></a>Joseph Rico.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-2Ylk0h8Zj5pvBGntcsMwftu7GpVAK2nXiLG5WCqzQG9b0qZsFTIS82PS3DjFCNuB5rtPjBKWd28bfFz8AKmQfTW-f5o1HgrVXHUoMsm8C7e7EPVdfx-RVkwzR9hIv4iok7zkYtbARg/s1600/J+Rico+record.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-2Ylk0h8Zj5pvBGntcsMwftu7GpVAK2nXiLG5WCqzQG9b0qZsFTIS82PS3DjFCNuB5rtPjBKWd28bfFz8AKmQfTW-f5o1HgrVXHUoMsm8C7e7EPVdfx-RVkwzR9hIv4iok7zkYtbARg/s320/J+Rico+record.jpg" width="310" /></a>Uncle Joe had cut a few records prior to Frank asking him about woodwind reeds. This 1920's "seventy-eight" record, "I've Cried So Much,"** was one of his big hits in France. Naming the company after Joseph Rico would be similar to having a famous musician as a product endorser (although Uncle Joe played the harp).</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Rico Story</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> sort of implies that Frank began Rico Products by joining with Roy Maier and others. Actually, he first started a partnership prior to Rico Products with somebody of whom I had never heard, Mr. Lloyd Garrison Broadus. Mr. Broadus was also a musician from the Midwest who had moved to California. In the 1910 U.S. Federal census, Mr. Broadus (then 14 years old) was listed as having left school and was employed as a full time musician. Tracking down information on Mr. Broadus was difficult because his name (like De Michele) was also often misspelled in various documents. But here is an item with his name on it that shows that he was involved with Frank De Michele very early on.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjSrjqcJdOx09xG9DOdQqkz99z7u2D0DHSUz2K464QSNKJhnoF3s4vgyYjPosKfyMQnmElU9zPhedUj2pd9a9wqIMdgD_JrVpek6LhqxJbOL_VvjCsg3757UR2zs4__huFlWRP55sHg4/s1600/Swiss+reed+gauge+Rico.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1376" data-original-width="1600" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjSrjqcJdOx09xG9DOdQqkz99z7u2D0DHSUz2K464QSNKJhnoF3s4vgyYjPosKfyMQnmElU9zPhedUj2pd9a9wqIMdgD_JrVpek6LhqxJbOL_VvjCsg3757UR2zs4__huFlWRP55sHg4/s640/Swiss+reed+gauge+Rico.jpg" width="640" /></a>The "Swiss" reed gauge. Mr. Broadus was of recent Swiss dissent and, presumably, he developed the gauge and applied for a patent in 1931.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6ArJAt_gDIbkCOg-icTWHmFJiUQWy0QlRUFCLry7889QignbXLo8d_ZiT6IgHg6KZchbsPJSOUJSCtTXkRlcJm3_aEhcI_g2kE1F5uCvaQ0Ds4KyfG-o-AzVlzoLfpZQxK0rwL63Hu4/s1600/Swiss+backside.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1600" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6ArJAt_gDIbkCOg-icTWHmFJiUQWy0QlRUFCLry7889QignbXLo8d_ZiT6IgHg6KZchbsPJSOUJSCtTXkRlcJm3_aEhcI_g2kE1F5uCvaQ0Ds4KyfG-o-AzVlzoLfpZQxK0rwL63Hu4/s640/Swiss+backside.jpg" width="640" /></a>It is the back side of the meter that is interesting. The company is claimed to be "importers," but of what and from where? Was the meter made in Switzerland? Probably not. We have seen that the marketers of musical instruments and accessories often play fast and loose with <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/12/riffault-saxophone-mouthpieces-part-2.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Country Of Origin Labels (COOL designations)</span></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I found this item because early entries in the <i>Publisher's Guide to the Music Industries</i> listed the "<i>Swiss Reed Gauge</i>" (for decades) as an accessory available from Rico Products, Ltd. How could it be listed for years and years, first as a product of the "L.G.BROADUS DeMICHELE" company and later as a Rico product, yet I had never seen or heard of one? I needed to find out what a <i>Swiss Reed Gauge</i> was. I couldn't find another advertisement, a picture, or even a mention of it using Google searches. It took several months of online searching before I found an old Ebay listing where one had sold online. And then I found the patent issued to Mr. Broadus in 1933, which he had applied for in 1931.</span><br />
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<p style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbLb8PWmccD3UD18CcIbqHPzWm4s2iaKXrslG89DBNFF9zi3Ir2SujXJGz0TIGBzoPUa8HwjQOYyv97-E8EIC4uMI0oE9PBBvi1x8T_9mdyA0b2gXLbkMb0tqXiISqoLOls0ATtqIzEE/s1600/US1915289-drawings-page-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbLb8PWmccD3UD18CcIbqHPzWm4s2iaKXrslG89DBNFF9zi3Ir2SujXJGz0TIGBzoPUa8HwjQOYyv97-E8EIC4uMI0oE9PBBvi1x8T_9mdyA0b2gXLbkMb0tqXiISqoLOls0ATtqIzEE/s1600/US1915289-drawings-page-1.png" /></a></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mr. Broadus shows up as having many musical occupations during his life. As a musician, he lists his residence on one document as the town's theater. He later lists himself as a salesman for musical instruments and as a music teacher. At one point, he was a neighbor of Malcolm "M.C." Gregory (also a Rico employee) in Los Angeles. By the 1940's, he was a rancher in San Diego County. </span></p>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Victor J. Evans (the attorney on the application) was a <a href="http://www.streetsofwashington.com/2011/05/victor-evans-patent-attorney.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">well known Washington D.C. attorney who died early in 1931</span></a>. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Mr. Evens authored a common publication of the 1920's called </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">How to Obtain a Patent. </i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">That isn't likely his signature on the August, 1931 patent application, but rather a </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">pro forma</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> indication that the Evans law firm, then run by his surviving wife, was processing the patent. The </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Evans law firm had a national reputation for patent, real estate, Native American law, etc., and i</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">t is likely that they advertised nationally. It was a top shelf law firm. </span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">The application, the patent issue date, and just looking at the <i>Swiss Reed Gauge</i> gives us a timeline for Mr. Broadus and Mr. De Michelle starting what became Rico Products. Mr. Broadus applied for the patent August 17, 1931. The patent issued June 27, 1933. But the meter itself states "Patent Pending." That would indicate that it was manufactured between 1931 and 1933. The business was then the "L.G. Broadus De Michelle Co." which later became Rico Products, Inc. I haven't yet seen actual corporate filings for either, so it is possible that they were only business names at the time. (Falsely claiming corporate status isn't illegal unless used to defraud). <br /></span>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The patent shows that you screw down a clamp (#19 in Fig. 2 and 3) and the amount of pressure that it puts on a hinge point affects the reading. Notice that the reed is flexed <i>backwards</i> in a way that would never occur to a woodwind reed when playing.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I was familiar with </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">a subsequent <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Maccaferri" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Mario Maccaferri</span></a> reed tester, in fact, here is a picture of mine. The Maccaferri "<i>Reed-O-Meter</i>" would make a great gag gift. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxwv_CFgFmjcnfroU29znmgLsNd39KJBl4xRqEMDJTiQv-KPvZSTn2tQ13b5_6gSJSNM_WHrkH9x90Nc0V2ZVl9LBaj_TRzet630j7kFLvf7NIh5ZV4sMHZojdZ9WZkkZSedblqLiAc8/s1600/104_0021.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxwv_CFgFmjcnfroU29znmgLsNd39KJBl4xRqEMDJTiQv-KPvZSTn2tQ13b5_6gSJSNM_WHrkH9x90Nc0V2ZVl9LBaj_TRzet630j7kFLvf7NIh5ZV4sMHZojdZ9WZkkZSedblqLiAc8/s640/104_0021.JPG" width="640" /></a>The Maccaferri velvet bag is useful for carrying a tenor mouthpiece. The meter is stamped "patent pending." A patent did issue.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I can't imagine that the </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Swiss Reed Gauge </i></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">was any more useful than the Maccaferri <i>Reed-O-Meter</i> (patented in 1953 and distinguishing the L.G. Broadus patent for the</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> <i>Swiss Reed Gauge</i>). It is distinguished in part by the mind-numbing complexity outlined in the Maccaferri patent application. Here is the diagram from the application.</span></div><div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDL3TAgLpQ2NGvaXris7fvIVhj5nD1_XqdJ3BFQl-K-fa1Qqn2qJgsqUoVrIyLlZCKksTIc0Pl1aXyZ_I7gPkVSbU4-PmNFN3DKWSSHxPe-wiH_6CVBrp46e8vFhi3aJD7CUkrC-tZnm0/s1600/Reed+meter.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDL3TAgLpQ2NGvaXris7fvIVhj5nD1_XqdJ3BFQl-K-fa1Qqn2qJgsqUoVrIyLlZCKksTIc0Pl1aXyZ_I7gPkVSbU4-PmNFN3DKWSSHxPe-wiH_6CVBrp46e8vFhi3aJD7CUkrC-tZnm0/s1600/Reed+meter.png" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Competition from Maccaferri may be why the <i>Swiss Reed Gauge</i> remained in Rico's accessory line for decades. Although the <i>Swiss Reed Gauge</i> was clearly made in the early 19</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">30's prior to the beginning of Rico Products, it remained listed as a Rico accessory into the mid-1960's. The same was true of Rico's <i>Master by Gregory</i> brand of mouthpieces made in the mid-1950's. They remained listed as a Rico accessory into the mid-1970's in some publications, long after Rico had replaced it with its new <i>Reloplex </i>mouthpiece. In fairness, the Maccaferri <i>Reed-O-Meter</i> didn't appear any more successful than Rico's meter, also having a dated appearance that made it look like the item had a single production run in the 1950's. Apparently, if you're going to make a saxophone accessory, make a lot of them and sell them over the decades.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So we now know that prior to Rico Products, </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Frank De Michele had a business in addition to just </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><i>ANDRÉ</i> reeds. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I haven't yet located the Broadus/De Michelle company through the California Secretary of State, but Lloyd Broadus was definitely already around at the start of Rico Products, Ltd. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">In fact, on April 19, 1938, it was Mr. Broadus and Mr. De Michele who applied for the well known Rico trademark (RICO printed over a treble clef and staff lines.) </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Prior to the treble clef and staff lines, Rico simply used an embellished "Rico" as the trademark. Here are the earliest Rico brand reeds featured in a 1937 catalog.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMS6ysosjNQYaZE3jW0uX_Yo4t8qOlgh5Vk8ZxfSDdbceYJbmPooLwxWNJi4rSvMxnxnIvH3mrMuRY2UvfQTd0SoPfGT7GT_smAGtacANQGK7SxhYNcrd0o5OdfeAAw2XEUL_W4hx72go/s1600/1937+Selmer+Rico+reeds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1476" data-original-width="952" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMS6ysosjNQYaZE3jW0uX_Yo4t8qOlgh5Vk8ZxfSDdbceYJbmPooLwxWNJi4rSvMxnxnIvH3mrMuRY2UvfQTd0SoPfGT7GT_smAGtacANQGK7SxhYNcrd0o5OdfeAAw2XEUL_W4hx72go/s1600/1937+Selmer+Rico+reeds.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Notice that Rico also had the <i>Perm-Nent</i> line of reeds, a plastic "chemical covering" cane reed that was the precursor to the Rico <i>Plasticover</i> that is still in production today. The <i>Perm-Nent</i> was coated all over and had a gold sticker on it. It</span><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> was fancier <i>and more expensive</i> than Rico's standard reeds. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Starting in the 1920's and continuing through the 1950's, De Michelle used a diamond logo on reeds and mouthpieces (most notably on various <i>M.C. Gregory</i> "Diamond" mouthpieces). Below is a picture of a later offering featuring the "newer" 1938 Rico trademark.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqqkqYwRMqn-A_sJWfRXIfXr1RGGp5yHjXPTJ5NjbNRdgG4RyUudZRIOkHCtuLFd8HFjKsP7KSwlE0HAgCObyt4rNuH-rfdO0Aby8j0ZCWJ0hkKyzf6d-OGhEuIdM3y_YOoCgn9slZ7k/s1600/Rico+box.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="884" data-original-width="1081" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqqkqYwRMqn-A_sJWfRXIfXr1RGGp5yHjXPTJ5NjbNRdgG4RyUudZRIOkHCtuLFd8HFjKsP7KSwlE0HAgCObyt4rNuH-rfdO0Aby8j0ZCWJ0hkKyzf6d-OGhEuIdM3y_YOoCgn9slZ7k/s640/Rico+box.jpg" width="640" /></a>Early Rico reeds showing the "new treble clef trademark. Rico also used this trademark on some of the first mouthpieces that they produced (their early <i>M.C. Gregory</i> brand).</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The 1938 trademark application states that Frank De Michele was President of Rico Products, Ltd., a California corporation (which I also have yet to obtain the corporate filings). The application states that Broadus and De Michele had used the Rico trademark since 1936 and, <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-gregory-mouthpiece-saga-part-iv.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">as we have seen in another blog</span></a></span>, Rico used the trademark on its <i>M.C. Gregory</i> brand of mouthpieces in the 1937-38 Selmer catalog along with a Rico logo that had fooled some into <span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-mc-gregory-saga-parts-l-ll-and-lll.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">mistakenly claiming that Rico was a French compan</span></a>y </span><span style="color: blue;">(logo shown below).</span> </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDW6M2ZEUHbJSm0c4vYFvyByK3r7UY24EdkMMv3U3CsE60P644_5vo9Sgkw5qhfXYHV1SFfyCfhRv2uzUGPfKF-Yq1ynyP6CSGvuBzm4EfQKSTQ6fhiVJLzYEjLjwEexJK0db9kpOGnE/s1600/1937+Selmer+catalog+w+Rico+over+Gregory.jpg" /></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The Rico logo used in the early Selmer catalogs says "Marque Deposse France." Marque means trademark or brand. Déposse means filed, registered or submitted. France means the French Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle. It implies that "Rico" is a registered trademark in France (and therefore possibly a French company). While that was never true, there was no penalty for making the misrepresentation in the United States. And, as we have seen, some people believed the misrepresentation and one person <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-gregory-mouthpiece-saga-part-iv.html" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">made up an entire M.C. Gregory Saga based on Rico being a French company</a> that distributed mouthpieces fabricated by a Mr. M.C. Gregory with the help of his daughter, Gale, and his attorney, Cesar Tschudin.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The <i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Rico Story</i> says Mr. De Michele first started marketing Rico brand reeds in 1928, yet the U.S. trademark application by Mr. De Michele and Mr. Broadus states that they only began using the Rico trade name in 1936. Prior to that, it appears that </span><i>ANDRÉ</i><span> was the trademarked name for their early reeds. Assuming that Mr. De Michelle did obtain French cane in 1928 from Joseph Rico, it wasn't until 1936 that he decided to market reeds using the Rico brand name.</span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The late 1930's were good years for Frank De Michele. Rico Products had both the new Gregory brand mouthpieces and the new Rico brand reeds in the Selmer catalogs. Plus, De Michele <i>was by then</i> getting work as a studio musician. I discovered that from the only musical credit that I could find for him. Frank is given credit for playing the clarinet in the <span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2jpq4x" style="color: blue;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">1939 smash hit <i>Pinocchio</i> for Walt Disney Studios</span></a>**</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span>(in a Disney S</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">tudio listing, not in the actual screen credits). So he was eventually a studio musician for Disney, although more than a decade after claimed in the </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Rico Story</i>. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Rico Story</i> </i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">says that De Michele started making Rico reeds in 1928 and "</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">soon thereafter</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">" found four partners, one of them being Roy J. Maier, to start a Rico reed factory. Sort of. Lloyd Broadus was clearly already a business partner long before Rico was founded. But Roy Maier didn't come on board quickly. He joined Rico in 1939, according to an award given to Mr. Maier in 1990. That would be several years after Rico reeds went on the market. It was also after Rico launched its new mouthpiece, the <i>M.C. Gregory</i>. The fourth and fifth partners seem to have been silent partners. I think that I know who both of them were. </span><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Howard Lockie ran the Lockie Music Exchange in Los Angeles. He had seen the success that De Michelle had with marketing </span><i>ANDRÉ </i><span>reeds prior to the formation of Rico Products. The formation of Rico Products included Lockie proposing an exclusive distribution system through his two L.A. music stores. The other "even more silent" partner was Herman Snyder. Mr. Snyder appeared to have been a "money man" and had no other connection with the music industry. Both Lockie and Snyder had other family members involved in both the music store and Rico Products, Inc. </span></span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Most interesting is Herman Snyder's son, Nathan Snyder, a Los Angeles attorney. I had come across his name when learning that Rico Products had incorporated a small unsuccessful mouthpiece business called Gale Products, Inc. That business showed in its original corporate documents that De Michelle, Maier, and Nathan Snyder were on its board of directors (and Malcolm "M.C." Gregory was not involved). It makes sense now. The Snyder family was part of Rico Products, so when Rico started Gale Products, Nathan Snyder was on the board of directors. As I had earlier supposed, Gale Products was essentially an unsuccessful and short-lived subsidiary of Rico Products.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I also have a crazy theory as to where Rico may have obtained the molds that it used for its line of <i>M.C. Gregory</i> brand mouthpieces. There was a popular mouthpiece produced by Selmer (France) at the time (late 1920's through the mid 1930's) that bears a strikingly similar appearance to the <i>M.C. Gregory</i> line of mouthpieces in the late 1930's, although Selmer used a more elaborate shank band. At the time, Roy Maier had an ongoing distribution agreement with Selmer U.S.A. When Selmer (France) suddenly changed the molds for its Airflow model mouthpieces, where did the old molds go? To Selmer U.S.A.? Did Roy Maier end up with them and propose a mouthpiece business in addition to merging his reed fabrication business with De Michelle's business? The theory is more logical than Mr. Malcolm Gregory, a Rico employee who had no musical experience, suddenly developing the <i>M.C. Gregory</i> line of saxophone and clarinet mouthpieces and then distributing them exclusively through Rico Products, Inc. </span></div><div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Roy John Maier was born </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">in Chelsea, Michigan on </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">January 8, 1896 or 1897.*** He died on October 14, 1981. On his 1917 WWI draft registration, he lists himself as an "entertainer" working at the Bismarck Gardens in Chicago. Bismarck Gardens was a large summertime beer garden catering to Chicago's German immigrants. With the outbreak of WWI, German heritage was unpopular such that the park's name was changed to Marigold Gardens (in fact it had already changed by the time Maier listed his place of employment on his draft registration). With prohibition starting shortly thereafter, it was time for Mr. Maier to hit the road.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">But before we leave Chicago, I would note that Mr. Maier was a professional working musician in Chicago and playing at a well known venue at the same time as Mr. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">De Michele. Frank was listed in various publications as a band (and orchestra) leader prior to his leaving Chicago. It is not unlikely that Frank and Roy knew each other, although I can't figure out any way to determine who the members of Mr. De Michele's Chicago bands may have been. At the time, professional musician's often belonged to local unions, but the old Chicago union listings that I have found only show those union members who were </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>not</i> </b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">in good standing. It appears that Lloyd Broadus also left the the mid-west for California about this time, but he ended up in L.A. via a side trip to Caspar, Wyoming where he worked in a theater pit. Maybe that is where he obtained his affinity for ranching.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Roy Maier married Agnes Petkis in 1922 and </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">was on the road by the 1930 U.S. Census Report, leaving his wife and seven year-old son (Roy Jr.) in Chicago. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xsHTws1Cqok-bXUQJU1MRjDRbvSKz87dKrlUfZMuS1-gaRE9iMdwc5cSpwL1xdWq4IrmwgFsa1lTWycA_M8YY9p-sO-X-rG2iYs7l4XItcI6WP1YRkHbVsYKPKDij4Sb-jjZUmM0NZY/s1600/Roy+photo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xsHTws1Cqok-bXUQJU1MRjDRbvSKz87dKrlUfZMuS1-gaRE9iMdwc5cSpwL1xdWq4IrmwgFsa1lTWycA_M8YY9p-sO-X-rG2iYs7l4XItcI6WP1YRkHbVsYKPKDij4Sb-jjZUmM0NZY/s400/Roy+photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">He later moved with his family to Los Angeles in the mid-30's</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">, where he</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> was a musician of some note (no pun intended). </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">In the picture below, he appears in a promotional handout for the Paul Whiteman orchestra. He is on the upper right with his name and "reeds" underneath. How apropos. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUS5Gx8Qf7ZMO5OPxesYseZRAuKcjk2iNMoNLdBbI3Pwdr5Vex6exvnZEt0Y9tEcEQNRQqs3aAmiF8q-rXYDXx3UYWMo7tmKxabS3xgLsjP4TzvQE3qJ5ZMcY-OR4RhqZ3yXRJEeCrhNo/s1600/Paul_Whiteman_Orchestra_-_.jpg" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="1321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUS5Gx8Qf7ZMO5OPxesYseZRAuKcjk2iNMoNLdBbI3Pwdr5Vex6exvnZEt0Y9tEcEQNRQqs3aAmiF8q-rXYDXx3UYWMo7tmKxabS3xgLsjP4TzvQE3qJ5ZMcY-OR4RhqZ3yXRJEeCrhNo/s1600/Paul_Whiteman_Orchestra_-_.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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Also listed is "Joe Venuti, violinist," the same musician who worked with Arnold Brilhart and Elmer Beechler to produce the first Brilhart mouthpieces. It seems that a jazz violinist can produce respected woodwind mouthpieces.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">On the bottom of the page, to the right of the fold, is alto saxophone player Chester Hazlett. Mr. Hazlett already had his name on a mouthpiece by 1935. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBEkrXA3sCdXqnt2EAMpesvbC9MQpMGaz000P74joA-dTpuzzFCl1EXtArx5JJivjQdRIbCbJ1ftk3ildymwMS9pTrEeVSUnAYRwBjyS5Ohc1eb_8eVIqk0MzABNSZo2uc5hJ1MaqSgQ/s1600/Hazlet.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="358" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBEkrXA3sCdXqnt2EAMpesvbC9MQpMGaz000P74joA-dTpuzzFCl1EXtArx5JJivjQdRIbCbJ1ftk3ildymwMS9pTrEeVSUnAYRwBjyS5Ohc1eb_8eVIqk0MzABNSZo2uc5hJ1MaqSgQ/s400/Hazlet.JPG" width="190" /></a>The Woodwind Company's "Chester Hazlett" mouthpiece. It has a marbled Bakelite shank insert to add some flash.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">But look at the promotional handout picture right under Paul Whiteman. It shows a new singer, one of the "Rhythm Boys," by the name of Bing Crosby. Here is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQKszTQWymQ" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Paul Whiteman recording with Mr. Maier and Bing Crosby</span></a> Open in a separate window to keep reading with Bing crooning in the background.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Roy Maier had also already been in the reed fabrication business prior to joining Rico Products. His first venture may have been with Anthony Ciccone before Maier left Chicago in the 1930's. "Tony" Ciccone stayed behind in Chicago to run his own woodwind reed business called <i>Symmetricut</i>. (It turns out that Tony Ciccone is another name that is hard to research because there are several, including <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2313790/Anthony-Ciccone-Madonnas-homeless-alcoholic-brother-pictured-mugshot-stitches-face-refusing-leave-bathroom.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Madonna's homeless brother</span></a>). Years later, Rico Products purchased the <i>Symmetricut</i> brand name. I don't think that brand name is still in use.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNVgz34H5BWAeBHVKuQD9qCGuCEkacHNjNuNPkHtKI3bCMEpMoIF4tQVd4zJ3icCuXPzggzY-mXyLyh9NWyBO7Odn1ZBOygfRzeBypRg0jW461SW6FFYlwzwDoL7t2nqBE_sHoXY9f_o/s1600/Ciccone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="621" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNVgz34H5BWAeBHVKuQD9qCGuCEkacHNjNuNPkHtKI3bCMEpMoIF4tQVd4zJ3icCuXPzggzY-mXyLyh9NWyBO7Odn1ZBOygfRzeBypRg0jW461SW6FFYlwzwDoL7t2nqBE_sHoXY9f_o/s400/Ciccone.jpg" width="310" /></a> <i>Symmetricut </i>reeds were distributed by Chicago Musical Instrument Co., the same company that was the sole distributor of Elmer Beechler's mouthpieces when he first began.</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Here is Roy Maier's first solo venture into the reed business years prior to joining Rico Products.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpKVI8-vf5KtONuTAYcrhZIPPSdRd4Ku9cZosuVTOJu2omMap9jC_b3CJVxYCMBknXO5YWIGlx3j7MpkIS4dISC60tSveuZlKyPSQhdtiqvPQbuUWAB38XVnF4qLVCxVa1Z43IblHesQ/s1600/oldmaier2.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="497" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpKVI8-vf5KtONuTAYcrhZIPPSdRd4Ku9cZosuVTOJu2omMap9jC_b3CJVxYCMBknXO5YWIGlx3j7MpkIS4dISC60tSveuZlKyPSQhdtiqvPQbuUWAB38XVnF4qLVCxVa1Z43IblHesQ/s400/oldmaier2.webp" width="400" /></a>Roy Maier reeds distributed by J.H. Schuler Co. of Hanover, Pennsylvania.</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span id="goog_26880316"></span><span id="goog_26880317"></span>These are not the old Roy "<i style="font-weight: bold;">J.</i>" Maier reeds that you might have seen (picture below). Nor are they the still fairly common Roy J. Maier "<i><b>Signature</b></i>" reeds, which were not trademarked until 1942 (picture below). </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">These earlier reeds were exclusively marketed and distributed by the J.H. Schuler Company of Hanover, PA. Who was J.H. Schuler?**** Well, get into your time machine. One of the products marketed by J.H. Schuler was a "free" vending machine placed in high school band rooms that dispensed woodwind reeds (for a price). What a concept. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgMISwZ3dANtIPe-OGrCE8QiHP4Nf9ktfU_Niub3fHXJMZUdDjNlqikI-pAVHBd8iHrnXQQ37JpVk4-NnkZAEKrXZqQKYbvYbIsoMCFxaEdewmJSOFnOhiY35qg_KogAGA1dj-i2yV5Q/s1600/Shuler+%2528Maier%2529+reed+dispenser.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgMISwZ3dANtIPe-OGrCE8QiHP4Nf9ktfU_Niub3fHXJMZUdDjNlqikI-pAVHBd8iHrnXQQ37JpVk4-NnkZAEKrXZqQKYbvYbIsoMCFxaEdewmJSOFnOhiY35qg_KogAGA1dj-i2yV5Q/s1600/Shuler+%2528Maier%2529+reed+dispenser.gif" /></a>Bottom right corner. </div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">On of the other things that J.H. Schuler was known for back in the day was "bamboo" costume jewelry. It is now very collectible.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpzTd4GWqwLskXTgADTuQp18QtzyJBeEPKoJYe1pfwzzaxCsF-XXag5jVzKjeKWTIKLMNtYvmblzUqG8Twu_LD_7F1-oe75Npwel72UUWx6W-CyiOCoHvbkui5B04L6un7BTe5BVu8-M/s1600/Schuler+bamboo+jewelry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="570" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpzTd4GWqwLskXTgADTuQp18QtzyJBeEPKoJYe1pfwzzaxCsF-XXag5jVzKjeKWTIKLMNtYvmblzUqG8Twu_LD_7F1-oe75Npwel72UUWx6W-CyiOCoHvbkui5B04L6un7BTe5BVu8-M/s320/Schuler+bamboo+jewelry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXol5PU2xdjaEBywhqOoihStH6f_r4L2QEkETN7yMgK8JBJHGNqsiGPdWA-9zOGnb3tnxuFBxv6jU2h-Awf63LE4GjHRNpXaHiJPKR8M6OdTb7mTJ0e5q6zwGWgZlSDUrv5GMuqH0cTT0/s1600/schuler-bamboo-butterfly-pin-screw.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXol5PU2xdjaEBywhqOoihStH6f_r4L2QEkETN7yMgK8JBJHGNqsiGPdWA-9zOGnb3tnxuFBxv6jU2h-Awf63LE4GjHRNpXaHiJPKR8M6OdTb7mTJ0e5q6zwGWgZlSDUrv5GMuqH0cTT0/s320/schuler-bamboo-butterfly-pin-screw.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qfSWlhONuSXMKdDcJYffzdLD0kgZgcXmuQ_XPzit9ywLMVgsmPKw1r6Ov5e4ZsyUexAVnpaiLKvqeDMsdQhSoCVOkgVHL8mn_X9Jo7RoEP87Qlg7ck-zCTwXsjxGxebUH5xlAxXbkyI/s1600/Schuler+trinkets.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="1080" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qfSWlhONuSXMKdDcJYffzdLD0kgZgcXmuQ_XPzit9ywLMVgsmPKw1r6Ov5e4ZsyUexAVnpaiLKvqeDMsdQhSoCVOkgVHL8mn_X9Jo7RoEP87Qlg7ck-zCTwXsjxGxebUH5xlAxXbkyI/s400/Schuler+trinkets.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">What's the connection? I don't know, but it is kind of strange. In the late 1920's, Roy Maier needed to fabricate delicate precision woodwind reeds from cane. His exclusive distributor at the time was famous for delicate precision costume jewelry fabricated from cane. Hmmmm.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">There was a subsequent "Roy J. Maier" brand reed prior to Mr. Maier joining Rico Products. This reed was affiliated with Selmer. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">It appears that Selmer U.S.A. (not J.H. Schuler) distributed all Roy <b>"J."</b> Maier reeds prior to Maier joining Rico. In the mid-30's, Selmer catalogs featured both Rico Products mouthpieces (the <i>Gregory</i> models), Rico reeds, <i>and</i> Roy J. Maier reeds. But not until 1939 were </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Rico reeds and Mr. Roy Maier affiliated. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLlAAQueNTo6O2v8ZOGjXnFOHjaXFbwVur71SPrfXzuVpNy1y44_N2RqwJlLD0WmGL0I1hAYHrVIazU-Yz-vIUkn8lFuywexPvkjvtBb8v5DNFJ3sF2zZMZuGTrurWXKKg-GNUkC4soc/s1600/selmer+maier.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLlAAQueNTo6O2v8ZOGjXnFOHjaXFbwVur71SPrfXzuVpNy1y44_N2RqwJlLD0WmGL0I1hAYHrVIazU-Yz-vIUkn8lFuywexPvkjvtBb8v5DNFJ3sF2zZMZuGTrurWXKKg-GNUkC4soc/s320/selmer+maier.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Finally, after Roy Maier joined Rico Products, he trademarked the "Roy J. Maier <b>"<i>Signature</i>"</b> reed in 1942. Maybe his actual signature (which he did trademark) separated it from the earlier Selmer trademarked Roy J. Maier reeds? Or maybe his business affiliation with Selmer U.S.A. was so congenial that Selmer didn't care.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhuVU8TEgqaJnjFPJYMx0XtPZSU5jPpyZ6XLQUcCaIpdSGlM4zwyLLQwJpVdTQ6VjSdDt_RVFYr1Vz1xgHCEYeCrWINWUjgNYmNh9f0aCAHvmgzp0NHaYyiNnm8X_o7sFx7Va8Wmuq9Q/s1600/Roy+Sig+reeds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhuVU8TEgqaJnjFPJYMx0XtPZSU5jPpyZ6XLQUcCaIpdSGlM4zwyLLQwJpVdTQ6VjSdDt_RVFYr1Vz1xgHCEYeCrWINWUjgNYmNh9f0aCAHvmgzp0NHaYyiNnm8X_o7sFx7Va8Wmuq9Q/s320/Roy+Sig+reeds.jpg" width="320" /></a>The<span style="color: blue;"> </span><a href="https://trademarks.justia.com/714/55/roy-j-maier-signature-71455711.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">trademarked Roy J. Maier signature</span></a> now appears on the "Signature Reed." Made in the U.S.A. At the time, German Unterseeboots (U-boats) were patrolling the Atlantic. The Var region of France, famous for cane, was occupied by the Nazis. So the cane used for these reeds is likely from the U.S.A. and Rico was no longer claiming to use French cane that was aged 4 years. Mr. Maier began buying swampy land in California for growing Rico Products cane.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">Roy Maier <i>Signature Reeds</i> had their own advertising campaign separate from Rico reeds. Here is a matchbook indicating that music stores handed these out as promotional material for the reeds. Close cover before striking!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br style="text-align: left;" /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIp2S3YLhZQS8oCsLI00Fw5eB23HW6Ikw_kz9-qjEkdcEBkHVUjMOh-m5EnZSLUfezFf-tnUzd8YESqm86KOzI3iWLxhG47rTjzIMqPCmM4k67Jd6eHCP_1e_joTRBVPfoRQFNlpYOaDU/s1600/Maier+full+book3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIp2S3YLhZQS8oCsLI00Fw5eB23HW6Ikw_kz9-qjEkdcEBkHVUjMOh-m5EnZSLUfezFf-tnUzd8YESqm86KOzI3iWLxhG47rTjzIMqPCmM4k67Jd6eHCP_1e_joTRBVPfoRQFNlpYOaDU/s320/Maier+full+book3.jpg" width="155" /></a></span></div><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMRdeXUogZlg9jYVC53vXkIqPTOxrWszgkmr0n3JGPu0Q4a_fbiadlVvwoWtD5viGWb4ISxksv5rJZc-Jqk-VtdBOiPNFsbupEQbPbn6__3BFaFeMocS_JnsETsL5is3XH8iV5GsOdFw/s1600/Maier+full+book2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="567" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMRdeXUogZlg9jYVC53vXkIqPTOxrWszgkmr0n3JGPu0Q4a_fbiadlVvwoWtD5viGWb4ISxksv5rJZc-Jqk-VtdBOiPNFsbupEQbPbn6__3BFaFeMocS_JnsETsL5is3XH8iV5GsOdFw/s320/Maier+full+book2.jpg" width="268" /></a></span></div><br style="text-align: left;" /><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Notice that the matchbook also references <i>Roy Maier</i> model mouthpieces for saxophone and clarinet.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yVpTuzDcrj-b1CFjZuCD64QDCCD7m1qEKfk2MMYHJFq0CXTxbwyvZUbGnIWtpZAS7WJnlRo5YizCVzJsBIMKXuTdgdPauBAnLIMiBK6fWcZBKMo0XOJYIUor_r31O0ATu8lkwJjJHvo/s1600/Roy-Maier-Mouthpiece.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="766" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yVpTuzDcrj-b1CFjZuCD64QDCCD7m1qEKfk2MMYHJFq0CXTxbwyvZUbGnIWtpZAS7WJnlRo5YizCVzJsBIMKXuTdgdPauBAnLIMiBK6fWcZBKMo0XOJYIUor_r31O0ATu8lkwJjJHvo/s640/Roy-Maier-Mouthpiece.jpg" width="640" /></a>The same trademarked Roy Maier signature also appears on a "resonite" resin mouthpiece (this mouthpiece was also branded by Rico Products as the <i>Mickey Gillette</i> and <i>M.C. Gregory</i> models). </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">It appears that Mr. Maier kept the Roy J. Maier <i>Signature</i> reeds throughout his association with Rico. He may even have had a separate corporation. Here is an advertisement from <i>International Musician</i> in October of 1958. These reeds were distributed exclusively through Selmer U.S.A.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4f3HrFfEj-sx0qauTDb9f5fkMwhjv_Om09cR-hQN0ksY_SW143qWswwl4LtASjCnbsbe9m3NmyhucUZBgnYnelgXpdi_xm3HJcV4WuGmf_QEJ-h1M8sPqOEZdl-hXhQUJR_nZdigcm7DVXjMeKYb7jFI0YbY0Pj_GkoU38t3c_cn37KYuPjlH3RRA/s793/Maier%20Oct58.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="605" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4f3HrFfEj-sx0qauTDb9f5fkMwhjv_Om09cR-hQN0ksY_SW143qWswwl4LtASjCnbsbe9m3NmyhucUZBgnYnelgXpdi_xm3HJcV4WuGmf_QEJ-h1M8sPqOEZdl-hXhQUJR_nZdigcm7DVXjMeKYb7jFI0YbY0Pj_GkoU38t3c_cn37KYuPjlH3RRA/w494-h638/Maier%20Oct58.JPG" width="494" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I have seen some articles that say that Roy J. Maier was an engineer who also had an interest in music (he has some non-musical patents to his name). I think that this might be a looser interpretation of "engineer" than most people today would use. I've also seen a reference to Arnold Brilhart as an "engineer" who came to work for Rico Products late in life. Roy Maier completed 2 years of high school (tenth grade). Mr. Brilhart only completed through eighth grade. So neither was a licensed professional engineer like we might imagine. They both were impressive engineers in the "inventor/designer" definition.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Roy Maier invented and patented the <a href="http://www.samash.com/rico-reedgard-iv-for-bb-clarinet-or-alto-saxophone-for-4-reeds-rorgad4c?cm_mmc=GoogleShopping-_-Band/Orchestra-_-Channeladvisor-_-Rico+ReedGard+IV+for+Bb+Clarinet+or+Alto+Saxophone+for+4+Reeds&utm_source=GSH&utm_medium=CSE&utm_campaign=Channeladvisor&CAWELAID=1594695666&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=28120526597&CATCI=pla-75418554809&CATARGETID=500002510000088952&cadevice=c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7ZjqnMGh2AIVCNVkCh1D1g-QEAQYBSABEgLPYfD_BwE" target="_blank">Rico <i>ReedGard</i></a> that shows up in every old saxophone case. But that's a story for another time. Also, the land that he had acquired in the Sonoma valley to grow <i>arundo donax </i>(cane for making woodwind reeds) turned out to have a better use. And you thought, based on the <b>Rico Story</b>, that all of Rico's cane came from the Var region of France. Guess again. Having sold the swampy land where Rico Products once grew cane and thereby purchasing upland tracts, here is the Sonoma valley product with which the Roy J. Maier trade name is now associated. Cheers.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">"A tribute to the Roaring 20's musician and musical genius." That also sounds like a story for another time.</span>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">* </span><span style="font-family: times;">Throughout my career in technical and legal writing, putting a verbal statement in quotation marks generally meant that the text was a verbatim transcription and supported by corroborating evidence. If one wrote that, prior to the gunshot, the victim shouted "Don't shoot me!" the Judge would say "Based on what evidence?" (while defense counsel jumped up and down yelling "Objection!!") How do we know that Frank said </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times;"><span style="color: #4d4d4d;">"Uncle Joe, you are so well established in the musical scene in Paris?</span><span style="color: #4d4d4d;">" </span><span style="color: #4d4d4d;">Without a copy of the letter, it is like the quotation marks in a story where Goldilocks says "This bed is just right," i.e., it is likely a fairy tale.</span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">**</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">These old records were not called "seventy-eights" at the time. They were just records, as 78 rpm was basically all that there was, although the French used 77.92 rpm because, well, they are French. Here are the lyrics to Joseph Rico's hit:</span></span></div><div><pre class="lyric-body wselect-cnt" data-lang="en" id="lyric-body-text" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; cursor: alias; font-family: Oxygen, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: auto; padding: 9.5px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-break: break-word;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">I cried so much for you</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
Prayed so much, without tenderizing you, wicked one!</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
I spent so many days, so many </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/nuits" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">nights</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> not </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/songer" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">think</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> only of you!</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
I have everything deep inside me.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
Had to </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/cacher" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">hide</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> so many </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">burning </span></span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/larmes" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">tears</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> ,</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
How I tired my </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/coeur" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">heart</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> to </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/souffrir" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">suffer</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> so </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">much </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">for you!</span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><br /></span></pre><pre class="lyric-body wselect-cnt" data-lang="en" id="lyric-body-text" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; cursor: alias; font-family: Oxygen, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: auto; padding: 9.5px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-break: break-word;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">In my madness,</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
I </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/croyais" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">thought</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> I was </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">a boring poet,</span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
That </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/notre" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">our</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> life </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/serait" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">would be</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> a </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">wonderful </span></span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/roman" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">romance</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> ,</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
The </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">wiser </span></span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/coeur" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">heart</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> ,</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
Without seeing </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">my eyes </span></span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/troubler" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">cloudy</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
I read the last page: the page where we </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/parle" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">talk</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> about farewell ...</span>
<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
I cried so much for you.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
Prayed so much without tenderizing you wicked!</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
I spent so many days, so many </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/nuits" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">nights</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> not </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/songer" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">think</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> only of you!</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
I have, deep inside me,</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
Had to </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/cacher" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">hide</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> so many </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">burning </span></span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/larmes" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">tears</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
How I tired my </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/coeur" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">heart</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> to </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/souffrir" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">suffer</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> so </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">much </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">for you!</span></span></pre><pre class="lyric-body wselect-cnt" data-lang="en" id="lyric-body-text" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; cursor: alias; font-family: Oxygen, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: auto; padding: 9.5px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-break: break-word;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">The broken soul,</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
Following his </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">painful </span></span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/chemin" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">path</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> ,</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
Far from the beloved one </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/reste" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">remains</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> unhappy </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/reste" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">for a</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> long time.</span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
But we get tired</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
Each day </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/console" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">consoles</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> a little;</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
And </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/chaque" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">every</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> morning that passes.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
Erase a </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/larme" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">tear</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> in your eyes! ...</span>
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I cried so much for you</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
Prayed so much, without feeling wicked</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
I spent so many days, so many </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/nuits" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">nights</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> not </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/songer" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">think</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> that you</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
I have everything deep inside me</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
Had to </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/cacher" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">hide</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> so many </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">burning </span></span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/larmes" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">tears</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">
How I tired my </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/coeur" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">heart</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> to </span><a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/souffrir" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">suffer</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> so much to </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">suffer for you!</span></span></pre><pre class="lyric-body wselect-cnt" data-lang="en" id="lyric-body-text" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; cursor: alias; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: auto; padding: 9.5px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-break: break-word;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: times; vertical-align: inherit;">And you will need the sheet music:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qL9G2-0TNjFM6FiXE0DU_bJF06kdxTzY4k3y6eWk_GVtrwAwAFW_H6K2CdTx514twfbwDUZM-c8hP-cyfTj18V_jDyUvW5M1Y6PqDsXhGJbUsPPuhHqowPX1G5szclpcP5kengcNneI/s550/joseph+rico+tunes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qL9G2-0TNjFM6FiXE0DU_bJF06kdxTzY4k3y6eWk_GVtrwAwAFW_H6K2CdTx514twfbwDUZM-c8hP-cyfTj18V_jDyUvW5M1Y6PqDsXhGJbUsPPuhHqowPX1G5szclpcP5kengcNneI/s320/joseph+rico+tunes.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><br /></span></span></pre>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>*** Pinocchio </i>is still impressive because of the animation and also because of a <i>constant</i> musical score during the entire movie. Those of us of a certain age will remember Jiminy Cricket singing "When You Wish Upon a Star" from <i>Pinocchio</i> as the ending to Sunday night's <i>Wonderful World of Disney</i> television show.</span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">**** The birth date given on Mr. Maier's WWI and WWII draft registration cards differ by a year, again making research on him a little more difficult. Even the date given on his state birth record says "about" 1896.</span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">***** J.H. Schuler Co. is still around. It is a merchandising company that has been involved in a wide variety of products over the decades.</span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Comments and contributions can be made by providing me with your personal email in the comment section if you wish to remain anonymous. That way I can contact you directly without posting the comment or email on this site.</span></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></div></div>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-9213241286989110632019-02-16T12:43:00.001-08:002019-06-24T14:37:59.718-07:00Making a Silicon O-Ring Neck Gasket<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've seen this idea around in a few places and thought I would try it. I replace my own neck corks, but because I often rotate between several mouthpieces, I tend to wear them out fairly fast. By fairly fast, I mean that they usually don't last a year. Generally what happens is that the cork gets compressed by my mouthpiece that has the narrowest shank and then when I decide to play a mouthpiece with a larger shank opening it doesn't fit tight. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">An example of this is that I sometimes play an old Otto Link Super Tone Master. That mouthpiece is one of my tighter shanks and needs to go on quite far in order to tune. Then if I switch to something like an old large chamber ebonite, which tend to be shorter and not need to go on the neck as far, it can be really loose on the cork. The neck cork stays resilient enough to go through this for several months, but then I'll notice something isn't right. Maybe a drop of condensation will leak out or I get a wobbly mouthpiece, or even worse, wobbly low notes that indicates a tiny leak. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The other way that neck corks seem to wear out is the contact cement letting loose. Contact cement is not completely waterproof, in my experience. It might say waterproof on the label, but constant exposure to warm condensation is different than a momentary contact with water. I've found that the cement tends to let loose at the front of the cork and it's only a matter of time before a little piece will fall of. By only a matter of time, I'm talking maybe a year of daily playing. Still, there might be a method of sealing a mouthpiece that is closer to permanent. And if not permanent, maybe a sealing system that is quicker and easier to fix than re-corking a neck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The system I'm going to try uses silicon o-rings. These are available in many sizes, and choosing the right size might be the most difficult part of the project. I used a caliper to measure the outside diameter of the cork on the neck of my Martin Handcraft. Then, I eyeballed the thickness of the cork. In other words, I ended up sort of guessing what size o-ring to buy. I actually decided to buy two different sizes. And I didn't just buy two o-rings (as you will see in the following pictures).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The cork on the neck of my 1939 Martin was replaced when I <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/01/1939-martin-handcraft-tenor-rebuild.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">rebuilt it a couple years ago</span></a>. It is my backup horn and gets played less than once a week. I also play it with fewer mouthpieces. In fact, I tend to always use the original Martin Handcraft mouthpiece <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/12/making-your-own-otto-link-slant.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">after refacing it to a Link 6</span></a>. Here is a picture of the neck cork, along with some of the tools and materials that I will use.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I put masking tape on the neck because I sanded the cork down a little. The cork had compressed so that I could see where I normally tuned the Martin Handcraft mouthpiece. Past that area, the cork was not compressed and I would have a difficult time pushing that mouthpiece, or any other mouthpiece, past the "broken in" area. But the idea with this project was to create a neck gasket system that would work with a variety of mouthpieces. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I decided to put my gasket in about 2 cm from the end. I made a line and cut a groove in the cork about 1.5 mm wide (the o-rings are 1/16th inch wide). I'll probably have to switch back and forth between measurements in inches and millimeters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I pulled the strip of cork out with a dental pick and then used a tiny riffler file to try to clean out the residual contact cement (or "boogers" to use the technical terminology). That went fairly fast, but without a tiny file the width of the groove, this part of the project could be fairly tedious. Because the groove will hold the o-ring, you don't want to damage the cork. Also, if there is any cork or glue left in the groove, that could throw your o-ring out of round. In the end, it may not matter too much because the silicon o-ring is quite flexible. But I spent some extra time getting in the groove.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Above is a picture of the o-ring in place. You can see at the bottom of the picture that the o-ring stands just slightly proud of the cork. This o-ring is the larger of the two sizes that I bought. The smaller size, even though the same 16th inch thick, would be stretched on more, meaning that once on it was stretched on it would be less than 16th inch thick. This one seemed to be the perfect size.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I put on some Dr. Slick cork lubricant and the fit seemed perfect. I could feel the shank slide over the o-ring. There was the tiniest amount of play in the mouthpiece as though the o-ring was acting as a fulcrum. I've had a similar feeling with worn out cork where the mouthpiece feels a little loose, so I decided to put another o-ring on to eliminate the possibility of wobble. I cut another groove, this time 13mm from the end of the cork, and put in another o-ring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can see that I have a lifetime supply of o-rings for a few dollars. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm not certain that cork lubricant will be necessary in the future. Wet silicon rubber seems to be just right for sliding the mouthpiece on and adjusting. I don't know if a mouthpiece were left on too long whether silicon rubber would grip to the shank, but I doubt it. If so and the o-ring were damaged, or if it should wear out, I obviously have plenty of spares for replacement. And rolling another o-ring on takes two seconds and costs 3 cents. In theory, this should be the end of neck cork replacement. Time will tell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The o-rings I used for this tenor are 1/2" ID, 5/8" OD, 1/16" width. The smaller ones, which would probably work for an alto neck, are 7/16" ID, 9/16" OD, 1/16" width.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-24183825615143938212019-01-12T17:26:00.001-08:002021-02-07T10:07:08.645-08:00Modifying Feeler Gauges for Accuracy<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Here is a simple method for making your feeler gauges more accurate. Feeler gauges are already incredibly accurate, if you use them as they were intended. Unfortunately, when facing a woodwind mouthpiece we not using them in the traditional way. If you have ever adjusted valve lifters or gapped a spark plug, you know the traditional use. Feeler gauges are used to measure something based on the thickness of the gauge. They measure gaps and clearances. But that isn't exactly what we are doing. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I should note that a feeler gauge is a feeler gauge. By that I mean there are not special feeler gauges for refacing mouthpieces. You can buy a 32 blade set for about $5 (including shipping) on Ebay. You will only need a few of those. Probably most important is to ensure that it has a .0015 blade, which will be used to determine the length of the lay. Most larger sets have this blade. The thicker blades (like .035 and .040) can be helpful if you intend to create larger tip openings. My point is that it is completely unnecessary to have a set of special "mouthpiece" feeler gauges. You are simply paying more for less. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The strips in a feeler gauge are made of steel or stainless steel. Most of us will be using just steel and will need to keep them from getting wet. They can rust and throw off the thickness of the gauge. But the more important issue is that we are using just the edge of the strip. The strip thicknesses are very exact. If you put your digital calipers on a strip and it is off by .0002, it is just as likely that it is your caliper that is off. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But there is somewhere on the strip that is likely to be inaccurate. Unfortunately, it is right where we need it to be accurate. The little strips are "punched" out of a larger sheet that is accurate as to thickness. The punching process tends to deform the very edge of the strip. Think of the process like a cookie cutter. Let's say that we have a sheet of cookie dough that is exactly 1/4 inch thick. As the cookie cutter passes through the cookie dough and cuts out the shape, it deforms the edge of the dough by rounding it off. The perfect thickness is retained across the entire surface <i>except at the edge</i> where it is no longer 1/4 inch thick. And that edge is exactly what we are using when we measure with our feeler gauge blades.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The amount of deformation on the feeler gauge edges varies with the brand of gauges and the thickness of the gauge blade. I haven't found any that are perfect right out of the box. Fortunately, it is something that is easy to fix. And it is one of those things that is so easy to fix that there isn't much point in trying to determine which or how much a feeler gauge edge is deformed. It will drive you crazy trying to look at the edges under high magnification, which would be required (at least for my eyes). Some of these pictures are through my lighted bench magnifying glass, and even still it is easier to describe than it is to see. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In the above picture, I ran a black Sharpie down the edge of a .016 inch feeler strip. I was then going to run then run the edge over sandpaper to show that there was a little strip of Sharpie not removed. That would indicate the "rounded off" edge of the feeler gauge that we are going to fix. Unfortunately, getting a good photograph was impossible and I was spending way more time trying to get a picture than it would take me to just finish the edge to 90 degrees and make it accurate for mouthpiece refacing. Think of this process as "sharpening" your feeler gauges, although the "sharp" edge that we are looking for is 90 degrees.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This is basically all you have to do (to both sides on the various gauge thicknesses). I'm using 320 grit, which is aggressive enough to cut through the steel without leaving any burrs. I'm only sliding the gauge along its length (left to right),<i> not crosswise</i>. That ensures that there will be no burrs. This paper is on top of a piece of glass, just like I was putting a facing on a mouthpiece.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The above picture, believe it or not, is showing the "rounded edge" of a gauge that I am going to remove. I am holding the gauge under my lighted bench magnifier and rotating it so that first the flat surface reflects the light and then the thin edge reflects the light. If the edge were a sharp 90 degrees, the reflection would change abruptly from flat to edge. But in the picture, the flat surface is beginning to not reflect (except for some scratches), and the thin edge is not yet showing. What I have is a bright reflection line at the top running right along the transition from flat to edge. That shows me that I have a rounded surface there. On the bottom is a dark line. That is the shadow caused by that edge being rounded off.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The above picture is what I'm going for. After "sharpening," I have a sharp, crisp transition from shadow to shine because of a 90 degree edge. It isn't really necessary to get carried away with magnification. You can feel the difference on the gauges, especially on the thicker ones. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPo2ihSpLZYo411jVV5VtCccMgBAGN0wPyafCBt7GiA7wvu1SolbiGjacEuf6e811EJx1Ew6agt9GKZCJ1dtnDhYB2kPmf9Sjm8JKqs0S5uZNX4Y9EgAWCDxuYhQ-IIEhdkgInIUCgxg/s1600/101_0005.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPo2ihSpLZYo411jVV5VtCccMgBAGN0wPyafCBt7GiA7wvu1SolbiGjacEuf6e811EJx1Ew6agt9GKZCJ1dtnDhYB2kPmf9Sjm8JKqs0S5uZNX4Y9EgAWCDxuYhQ-IIEhdkgInIUCgxg/s640/101_0005.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Run your thumb over the edges. Before you start the sharpening process you will notice that on one side of the feeler gauge both edges don't feel as sharp as the other side. (The rounded edge has always been on the etched side on the ones that I have.) That is because of the punching. You want both edges to feel sharp. On a gauge like the .010 inch, that takes about 10 swipes back and forth on 320 grit. If you have some of the larger thicknesses, like .050, it will take longer. Also, if you have the longer gauges (I have some 1 foot long feeler blades), it can take considerable time. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If you can remove the individual feeler strips from a bundled set, that makes it easier, but this can be done on the mechanic's sets that are permanently bound. Be careful on the really thin ones, as you can put a kink in the steel. Also use something like 600 grit and a light touch. And you don't have to do the entire set, of course. Do the ones that you use individually and in a stack. Even in the stacked blades, you don't have to do the one(s) that are always in the middle. For instance, your .021 blade is only used as the center blade when stacking .020, .021, and .023 in order to measure .063. I don't worry about the .0015 blade. The rounded edge would be insignificant and it is likely that I would put a kink in it by using this process. Better to just not worry about it.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If you are concerned that you might have put a burr on the edge, run your fingernail down it. Or pinch a piece of bronze wool over the edge and draw the strip through. Be careful not to go over the chemical etching on the blade, as it is easily removed.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So how much does this increase the accuracy? By less than a whole Brand number (.5 mm) <i>at the most </i>on the thicker feelers that I have sharpened. But it makes enough difference that you will notice. I have measured, set that feeler blade down and measured with another gauge, gone back to the first one and, wait a minute, it measures different now!! That's because I inadvertently flipped the feeler gauge over. When the rounded edge is on top it measures different than when the flat edge is on top. Sharpening both of the edges on the feeler strips gets rid of that.</span><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-68949606834774698442019-01-09T13:03:00.001-08:002019-06-24T14:38:54.344-07:00Building a Custom Thumb Rest<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This project came after <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2018/11/1965-beaugniervito-tenor-rebuild.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">a full rebuild of a Beaugnier/Vito tenor</span></a>. As I was playing it daily to see if it would become my true love, I kept thinking that I wasn't completely happy with the thumb rest. It looked like Beaugnier had modified and "updated" the standard vintage type of thumb button. Here is my alto from the 1930's that has a pearl button for the thumb rest. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgPoR17Hk6PJ56gZxvxATMRXysg-yAWyrMGKWm_tjS0SBMpYklbha5nkvuuvTLR5nGoWeL46FhNuJtTNl7rq4iBKS79Ii8uyzrDD4-OZJwGSI3Ir65CXhwjiD_o2qgjP7BJJb8cv9xng/s1600/WP_20190109_10_43_02_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgPoR17Hk6PJ56gZxvxATMRXysg-yAWyrMGKWm_tjS0SBMpYklbha5nkvuuvTLR5nGoWeL46FhNuJtTNl7rq4iBKS79Ii8uyzrDD4-OZJwGSI3Ir65CXhwjiD_o2qgjP7BJJb8cv9xng/s640/WP_20190109_10_43_02_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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30's era Conn upside down. Click to enlarge.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was a standard feature on horns of the era. In practice, it places quite a bit of pressure on a limited area of the thumb, depending on how you hold your horn. And how you hold your horn is probably the determinative factor in whether or not you are bothered by this style of thumb rest. If you play seated with the horn between your legs, then the horn is in an upright position and the full sectional area of the button might be used. In this position, a player could find this button style of thumb rest perfectly acceptable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But if you play seated with the horn to the outside of your leg, or standing with the horn off center, you may find that the thumb pressure is on the edge of the button. That can become irritating after a while. I always play standing, if possible, with the bow of the horn either on one leg or to my right side. And I tend to not keep the horn at a constant angle. As such, the later Beaugnier flat style wasn't particularly comfortable. Here it is.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi60FJY-315sPzZKlMVFbLOgvJr-mvquGwCf_1TNSTLhdcdaNzHxvJdvLSL0N2XK-ZKYAsspQ-XnfAFkq61eQlnJMEG7fybxCpaIwdbQGt1bL-ra1pkY8yvrocs0IzPwxJeeoBAxFGSTG8/s1600/WP_20190109_10_32_18_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi60FJY-315sPzZKlMVFbLOgvJr-mvquGwCf_1TNSTLhdcdaNzHxvJdvLSL0N2XK-ZKYAsspQ-XnfAFkq61eQlnJMEG7fybxCpaIwdbQGt1bL-ra1pkY8yvrocs0IzPwxJeeoBAxFGSTG8/s640/WP_20190109_10_32_18_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a> Beaugnier/Vito tenor, again upside down. Plenty of surface area, but it felt like it was at the wrong angle and provided less surface area than one would think based on the shape. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMN5l1suS_OwEqgueF2IuMmVth1kTUYgXi7cQ0qZZ8sgl8LTQoO5ZhEfAYGN2EEjqYbFJjBI_3b8Z-DgIeZvSZ4sHpBfV5qd16iCEpbMD81xK33gXha_4Jj7xMHYlCLgztqL3HF77ET0/s1600/WP_20190109_10_32_49_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMN5l1suS_OwEqgueF2IuMmVth1kTUYgXi7cQ0qZZ8sgl8LTQoO5ZhEfAYGN2EEjqYbFJjBI_3b8Z-DgIeZvSZ4sHpBfV5qd16iCEpbMD81xK33gXha_4Jj7xMHYlCLgztqL3HF77ET0/s640/WP_20190109_10_32_49_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a>White plastic piece held in place with a tiny set screw.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfF95Pz4wt2qp3mhkOqSj7V0OwPaEiIRwQVfOx_PX9ciwCWTUx6tI021qEuT4CeuTBqoQv2vWmMEFAzmft-vuBQbZO83x7eR6xJASxgV9QelivvSf5qn-NuCw5lLvUneMEPuHYg1OcPHQ/s1600/WP_20190109_10_36_49_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfF95Pz4wt2qp3mhkOqSj7V0OwPaEiIRwQVfOx_PX9ciwCWTUx6tI021qEuT4CeuTBqoQv2vWmMEFAzmft-vuBQbZO83x7eR6xJASxgV9QelivvSf5qn-NuCw5lLvUneMEPuHYg1OcPHQ/s640/WP_20190109_10_36_49_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a>Thumb rest removed, showing what looks like the traditional thumb rest minus the pearl.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You can see tha</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t the white plastic "slab" is probably a modification of the older pearl button. The same brass cylinder </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is soldered to the body tube, but instead of a pearl button, the cylinder is tapped to accept a set screw that hold a plastic thumb rest. The plastic rest is completely flat and, if the horn is held at much of an angle, doesn't feel right (to me).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Below is a picture of my other vintage alto with the thumb button modified. I also found the original thumb rest uncomfortable, although the prior owner(s) had the same issue and didn't modify the rest. This is a 1957 Kohlert with a brass thumb button. You can see on the left side of the brass (where the shiny spot is) that the lacquer is worn off, showing that the "edge" of the button was the major point of contact over the decades. I added <a href="https://www.target.com/p/sugru-mouldable-glue-black/-/A-16889111?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Home%2BImprovement%2BShopping_Local&adgroup=SC_Home%2BImprovement&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9033305&gclsrc=aw.ds&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1247068&ds_rl=1246978&ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Home+Improvement+Shopping_Local&adgroup=SC_Home+Improvement&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9033305&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIr8jOirrh3wIVlKDsCh2rtgoIEAQYAiABEgLYSvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Sugru</span></a> to that edge so that my thumb contact area was larger and wasn't concentrated on the uncomfortable edge. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8idX6yjvrkPjZnC0DQwFAbZbJ2lqZhDxOcFouw3RqO3ghdqwTLxH1bpERJJ9iipnkniiRVzTuerxOLfXea-6sZKGTqhNKMYc7-YA2nHhxiiaflZmYsN11t-NwCktpqXMaxiwE2dWsODk/s1600/WP_20190109_11_36_30_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8idX6yjvrkPjZnC0DQwFAbZbJ2lqZhDxOcFouw3RqO3ghdqwTLxH1bpERJJ9iipnkniiRVzTuerxOLfXea-6sZKGTqhNKMYc7-YA2nHhxiiaflZmYsN11t-NwCktpqXMaxiwE2dWsODk/s640/WP_20190109_11_36_30_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sugru works great for this purpose, and even for building key risers, but I was not sure that it would work well on the Beaugnier. I would have to stick it down inside the button cylinder, and I know from experience, if I didn't get it right or wanted to remove it should I sell the horn, it would be difficult to get out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What I wanted was an ergonomic thumb button more like that on my old Martin tenor. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBclTgOvrwnX0N8GNpO-dXg1zIcN99fVvAhgkLAQlvCx4oIhyphenhyphenWiCfk_X0tLPWMhxHKpEMPLmqsqWerdihhCDbnwzoH5h45XLv-ywe98y8kMN_b3Vb4ntGTl9ogqVJRKjZStfFg-CzpN-4/s1600/WP_20190109_10_42_07_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBclTgOvrwnX0N8GNpO-dXg1zIcN99fVvAhgkLAQlvCx4oIhyphenhyphenWiCfk_X0tLPWMhxHKpEMPLmqsqWerdihhCDbnwzoH5h45XLv-ywe98y8kMN_b3Vb4ntGTl9ogqVJRKjZStfFg-CzpN-4/s640/WP_20190109_10_42_07_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I looked around at the hardware store for something that I might modify, but ultimately came up with the idea of fashioning one out of moldable plastic. You can find videos and information about this stuff on the internet, so I won't go into much detail here. Basically, you melt the white beads under fairly low temperature (140F), which causes the beads to bind together into a single pliable gob of clear plastic that you can mold by hand. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpG-ElVbiYcLo8DmbvfxqYCEKwUZxSRTE7SnCB0pit60Yuz99XNWQQIwL0r6QxD2TgGkJp7giS-vLjekdykOF7SP-piqZOURn1Qr40br6TdJLJRy5kE2iX0jJvyatVRAuK7yaMhHxexrs/s1600/WP_20190109_10_39_14_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpG-ElVbiYcLo8DmbvfxqYCEKwUZxSRTE7SnCB0pit60Yuz99XNWQQIwL0r6QxD2TgGkJp7giS-vLjekdykOF7SP-piqZOURn1Qr40br6TdJLJRy5kE2iX0jJvyatVRAuK7yaMhHxexrs/s640/WP_20190109_10_39_14_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were only a couple of things to note on this project. The first is that as the plastic cools, it hardens. Since I was pushing the warm plastic up against brass, and the brass, even though at room temperature, would cause the plastic to become stiff faster than I could mold the shape that I wanted. The second issue was that, unlike Sugru, moldable plastic would not "stick" in place. It cools into a plastic that feels much like Delrin. I would need to mold a piece that used the original set screw to hold it in place. Neither of these issues proved to be a problem. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I used a hair dryer to get the surrounding area warm (not hot). </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJe12b8al00KNb_bvsFvkBWWmiagbGUcCYj65DZA3T_M6KfeI1TB39MjBxC69bU8zbeLG_htANc6X3mw3mpu-NIOkHazkMeBf8VTvcLti6GcbQ1SrqgkBt8q-lkvqVDB9h9DHGCpPb6w/s1600/WP_20190109_11_02_33_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJe12b8al00KNb_bvsFvkBWWmiagbGUcCYj65DZA3T_M6KfeI1TB39MjBxC69bU8zbeLG_htANc6X3mw3mpu-NIOkHazkMeBf8VTvcLti6GcbQ1SrqgkBt8q-lkvqVDB9h9DHGCpPb6w/s640/WP_20190109_11_02_33_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The picture above shows the moldable plastic starting to cool. It is still translucent and you can see the thumb cylinder over which I am putting the thumb rest. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVTbe_LLPGfx2pOMQVwrbcUbW7lv4Bv_b9R8JrXexZ_ikTVTkMu1imRh5MoO4uwPQq5hpOiVUNlWA6bEAZc3Aar8cH9N5uI3ITUcAYLm-y0rnVYC91p69axNwQz7taf216fENN3TyD50/s1600/WP_20190109_11_17_51_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="903" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVTbe_LLPGfx2pOMQVwrbcUbW7lv4Bv_b9R8JrXexZ_ikTVTkMu1imRh5MoO4uwPQq5hpOiVUNlWA6bEAZc3Aar8cH9N5uI3ITUcAYLm-y0rnVYC91p69axNwQz7taf216fENN3TyD50/s640/WP_20190109_11_17_51_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I used a pencil to poke a hole in through the soft plastic for the set screw. The plastic has now cooled and turned white. It is now hard enough to accept the set screw.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUw8Apdc84pndrtkYLFg_26ykw-NaAvd_aI8fzO1ntmbTQil40K_5ldj7ePDQHXTUclXm15U2fKXLBOYuo1o2UHPkrfMvNbO0TQPF7eqYlDrZdu2zHsHf9qj9Sy29jV22tLT43_v8jlw/s1600/WP_20190109_11_19_04_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="903" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUw8Apdc84pndrtkYLFg_26ykw-NaAvd_aI8fzO1ntmbTQil40K_5ldj7ePDQHXTUclXm15U2fKXLBOYuo1o2UHPkrfMvNbO0TQPF7eqYlDrZdu2zHsHf9qj9Sy29jV22tLT43_v8jlw/s640/WP_20190109_11_19_04_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here is the final thumb rest. It is contoured to my thumb. It even includes my thumb print. Although not easy to see in the picture, it is raised on the right side and lowered on the left compared to the original flat plate. More comfortable and it gives me greater control of the sax if I move it around.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I overestimated the amount of beads that I needed for this project. It turned out that I melted down about 3 times too much. That's not a problem because the excess can be put back in the pouch and used for another project. Like with Sugru, once you use it, you will start looking around for other possible uses.</span>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-1516889237321716802018-11-26T11:52:00.004-08:002021-03-06T09:50:29.886-08:00Making your own vintage M.C. Gregory 4A 18 mouthpiece<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I got my carcass or blank for this project several years ago, but I didn't get around to finishing this blog until Covid-19. The project was to make a Rico "<i>M.C. Gregory</i>" brand mouthpiece just like our favorite player supposedly played during part of his or her career. That's the one that demands the high prices. It might play okay for us, but more importantly, it will impress some players when we tell them that we have one.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">As I said in another blog, these particular blanks are hard to come by. Rico apparently kept tight control of the molds and didn't seem to sell many blanks to third parties. But the blanks are out there. So are the molds. <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-mc-gregory-saga-part-viiii-epilogue.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The unrelated Gale molds recently sold at auction</span></a>, but the Gregory molds have never been located (<a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-gregory-mouthpiece-saga-part-vii.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">only the chamber plugs</span></a>).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNuBpQKLUfGFOPeoV3A7GxdJq1nt_1wTAfbrk7-2PcLMPDlr8y2fhoad0rhDZcBiUuRRms8EyjsMBML67NrBxU0rWPFfBzl5_FfrEg4mFb0smuI97-RflXz58aRDwG7Zc0uID-IKgUIuw/s1600/100_0912+-+Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNuBpQKLUfGFOPeoV3A7GxdJq1nt_1wTAfbrk7-2PcLMPDlr8y2fhoad0rhDZcBiUuRRms8EyjsMBML67NrBxU0rWPFfBzl5_FfrEg4mFb0smuI97-RflXz58aRDwG7Zc0uID-IKgUIuw/s640/100_0912+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a>Vintage Rico Gregory blanks.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jOpN6UnLmzCwB4sduzC00Ug_zmLSkwuVG9cHJVw9dU9sYp6HCyOCWXKnnxgaOHJbAQXx_jgF08g82RVv_aPJRlNR1dZww6BrUXbZrx0gAqz_kB4kK7AiBHRUfIMH7pjufblAdRXrXDU/s1600/100_0913.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jOpN6UnLmzCwB4sduzC00Ug_zmLSkwuVG9cHJVw9dU9sYp6HCyOCWXKnnxgaOHJbAQXx_jgF08g82RVv_aPJRlNR1dZww6BrUXbZrx0gAqz_kB4kK7AiBHRUfIMH7pjufblAdRXrXDU/s320/100_0913.JPG" width="320" /></a>No tip and lay number.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgomEhf7ucPAaJeAmW0AXEX4qq4Uuc7J7Fx8bNmMbxWBxEsuQ8ZD94Iy1gZefV_Z3T-fHIEF7lfP0uuYX7v0YbkRYHQ4om5XXjdIfrbvf47qxsxnzJuTKJrOQsxc5rZQ2q-rEO5-vtCeIQ/s1600/100_0914+-+Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgomEhf7ucPAaJeAmW0AXEX4qq4Uuc7J7Fx8bNmMbxWBxEsuQ8ZD94Iy1gZefV_Z3T-fHIEF7lfP0uuYX7v0YbkRYHQ4om5XXjdIfrbvf47qxsxnzJuTKJrOQsxc5rZQ2q-rEO5-vtCeIQ/s640/100_0914+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a>No "Rico," "Master" or "Model A" designation. These are actually the "Master" blank with the ebonite finished flush to the brass shank band.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1ch1UyBFz6GS89lv7w93JDi7tw5QtMC3WKLDzofy_sYV3XuZUtQUrbdCG296PHz4Ql6Qtf_8a8YmeYt6aV9PivMm6-0haXKhl1bUkpWLQYd3h2cE3QHS7v3u1en8K82g0dNI0cP5IKg/s1600/100_0915.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1ch1UyBFz6GS89lv7w93JDi7tw5QtMC3WKLDzofy_sYV3XuZUtQUrbdCG296PHz4Ql6Qtf_8a8YmeYt6aV9PivMm6-0haXKhl1bUkpWLQYd3h2cE3QHS7v3u1en8K82g0dNI0cP5IKg/s640/100_0915.JPG" width="640" /></a>No chamber number.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jBoZhgVIz8aVxOXVPGkKh7vodLp5lu4YTgCVgb0eg_I4PZsaXZxqPwOto2nNjj7vOZfHs_aU6WnCs7G5wSuYBgJGwy9baz0NkmMxyIEYH77TLuEsWx9WaJzV7YdAqHWU7A6jgKSRefw/s1600/100_0916+-+Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jBoZhgVIz8aVxOXVPGkKh7vodLp5lu4YTgCVgb0eg_I4PZsaXZxqPwOto2nNjj7vOZfHs_aU6WnCs7G5wSuYBgJGwy9baz0NkmMxyIEYH77TLuEsWx9WaJzV7YdAqHWU7A6jgKSRefw/s320/100_0916+-+Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a>The chamber. This one looks to be a 20 or large chamber.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8PPIGgtY9i859mS5tBetNNM4E4OFdjNLQUs7-bflUbmHctPa_JNLhSzHQlrf85H9qJdXGoeSHloXed_1JxVLvsZ7RQ5fRmGcpOChS8Y_Kw8CeygNEhdVrCajubjd3QpEwoGb7IJw2PA/s1600/100_0917+-+Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8PPIGgtY9i859mS5tBetNNM4E4OFdjNLQUs7-bflUbmHctPa_JNLhSzHQlrf85H9qJdXGoeSHloXed_1JxVLvsZ7RQ5fRmGcpOChS8Y_Kw8CeygNEhdVrCajubjd3QpEwoGb7IJw2PA/s320/100_0917+-+Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a>The shank band and chamber. The mold lines between the shank and the chamber don't appear to have been polished or even cleaned up.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The unmarked tenor Rico <i>Gregory</i> blanks that I've seen are probably from late in the production when Rico had switched from brass to aluminum for the shank band. This could have been after Rico had Remle Musical Products, Inc. (Elmer Beechler) producing its mouthpieces. Mr. Beechler was more familiar with injection molding and produced the <i>Reloplex</i> by Rico. Below is an unmarked tenor Rico <i>Gregory </i>"Master" and a <i>Reloplex. </i>The <i>Gregory</i> is vulcanized rubber and the <i>Reloplex</i> is injection molded plastic.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyG7uLu381Tpe44A2qgbYXjoIBZwr8RFHhKP0LMlMoQ9Z-puYssgJxWTeX6xsKKPU0CJ3yWGkckSJWlq8ZqU50Z6apRh13FTSvrgyOkXRkEk-DByBnRoGGzh-i0zXngEOG0berYAZLdQ/s2048/102_0066.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyG7uLu381Tpe44A2qgbYXjoIBZwr8RFHhKP0LMlMoQ9Z-puYssgJxWTeX6xsKKPU0CJ3yWGkckSJWlq8ZqU50Z6apRh13FTSvrgyOkXRkEk-DByBnRoGGzh-i0zXngEOG0berYAZLdQ/w640-h480/102_0066.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7N_oLAkbHgeos9f0xHDWj26WySP6M73Ax9Gck8fRvsooVGgnADNogWIRGz2CSCImc-G8zXxDsUsqKVFqqNlZzzbWDPyR440-N-x-ICNDVU46MNcJFzNlGIXB5xM4okad8TvxxhZ5kTI/s2048/102_0068.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7N_oLAkbHgeos9f0xHDWj26WySP6M73Ax9Gck8fRvsooVGgnADNogWIRGz2CSCImc-G8zXxDsUsqKVFqqNlZzzbWDPyR440-N-x-ICNDVU46MNcJFzNlGIXB5xM4okad8TvxxhZ5kTI/w640-h480/102_0068.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />The Rico <i>Gregory</i> has a peashooter chamber reminiscent of the Selmer <i>Airflow</i>. The Rico <i>Reloplex</i> has a chamber more like the Brilhart <i>Tonalin</i> from the Great Neck NY period (which is when Elmer Beechler had worked for Arnold Brilhart in New York prior to moving to California in 1947). Production of the <i>Reloplex</i> began about 1950, which seems to be about when Rico phased out the <i>Gregory.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Don't attempt to make a Rico <i>Gregory</i> from an old Gale mouthpiece. They are not related. The mistaken claim that the mouthpieces are <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-mc-gregory-saga-parts-l-ll-and-lll.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">from "the same company" was asserted years ago by a single person</span></a> and, <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-gregory-mouthpiece-saga-part-v.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">despite it's inaccuracy</span></a>, the <span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.morganmouthpieces.com/products/morgan-gregory-mold-baritone-saxophone-mouthpiece" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">myth continues</span></a> </span>(using a Gale mold to allegedly create a Rico <i>M.C. Gregory</i> mouthpiece). </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The Rico alto blank that I will use has sort of a "preliminary" or maybe a "student" facing on it. The tip opening measures .064 inches. That was the smallest opening available on the <i>Gregory</i> (a #3A) and about the same as a Selmer <i>Goldentone </i>student mouthpiece. There was evidence of a tiny amount of tip work done in the chamber of the blank that I will be using. Just enough to clean up the tip. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjG6rlvsWSwollKrz7hrWH7g9nqH-dfd7jM9sf4E3LV9eXMr1BX7fTOI4Ph6LBuSY2bwwjMF1sGRt9v1IbaR03xnhfWZ-p2N4BjYX-1gdfvBOzULtLf_Bw59y9exTqSY5lQ3bu5wLJqHI/s1600/103_0058.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjG6rlvsWSwollKrz7hrWH7g9nqH-dfd7jM9sf4E3LV9eXMr1BX7fTOI4Ph6LBuSY2bwwjMF1sGRt9v1IbaR03xnhfWZ-p2N4BjYX-1gdfvBOzULtLf_Bw59y9exTqSY5lQ3bu5wLJqHI/s320/103_0058.JPG" width="320" /></a>One of my Rico blanks with a little chamber work, but the majority of the chamber still has the "frosted" unfinished look created by the chamber plug.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIlAP5A2H6kCcMizM5g6fDC_IwUas6c2GgWkDEM7Mtdecp3JfQgerQzpzM8grHg-3c9ip0-7OvxnDCUaWd0JQPsWjvOFgBToUH5Z-z4InaY0vjqSlssY9fqJQF6jyWYI_T8lN_a4_Z1w/s1600/4A-18M+from+saxophone.org.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="573" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIlAP5A2H6kCcMizM5g6fDC_IwUas6c2GgWkDEM7Mtdecp3JfQgerQzpzM8grHg-3c9ip0-7OvxnDCUaWd0JQPsWjvOFgBToUH5Z-z4InaY0vjqSlssY9fqJQF6jyWYI_T8lN_a4_Z1w/s320/4A-18M+from+saxophone.org.jpg" width="320" /></a>A vintage Rico <i>Gregory</i> 4A 18 from the website saxophone.org. It also has a minimal amount of tip work with the chamber interior still showing the "frosted" look of an unpolished ebonite casting.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">My blank looks like the perfect candidate to use for a new vintage original genuine <i>M.C. Gregory</i> 4A 20, just like this kid is playing. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBpJjTr4sUdUBBA6WgTWdP8EKbmTR9VZAa2_0qmeGK6MWhFbYqkoE3iLaVmsgDTT8JjP7TCDaoCN3xG8D2n6KJsiOQWoOzU-rro-4bW652RQbD71ogebp4ll7spKqeoqRwMF256P0aAc/s1600/Paul-Desmond.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="1600" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBpJjTr4sUdUBBA6WgTWdP8EKbmTR9VZAa2_0qmeGK6MWhFbYqkoE3iLaVmsgDTT8JjP7TCDaoCN3xG8D2n6KJsiOQWoOzU-rro-4bW652RQbD71ogebp4ll7spKqeoqRwMF256P0aAc/s320/Paul-Desmond.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Or maybe he is playing a 5A 18. Oh no, we don't really know! Hopefully, somebody can tell me or, better yet, I could start a poll to find out which one I should make, i.e., which one is the "Holy Grail." Or I can do the common modification of putting on a facing that works best <i>for me</i> (called re-facing) but make sure the embossing on the mouthpiece is the "famous" combination. Turns out that the 5A facing is .066 inch, still a little too small for me. Maybe even too small for Paul Desmond, but we will never know if he improved his Rico mouthpiece like I'm going to do.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">As we learned in another blog, nobody really has any definite idea as to what the old Rico <i>Gregory</i> lay numbers were. Mr. <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2018/01/making-your-own-otto-link-slant.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Eric Brand published some numbers in the late 1930's</span></a>, but they are thin on detail and bit lumpy when graphed. The lay numbers he provides for Rico mouthpieces (then the <i>M.C. Gregory</i> model) are not exactly what we would expect. For instance, the difference between a vintage Rico 4A 16 and a 4A 18 is generally considered to be only a difference in the chamber size. 16 is small, 18 is medium, and 20 is a large chamber. But Eric Brand's old numbers have a difference in both tip opening <b>and </b>lay numbers between the Rico 16 and 18 chambers for the alto mouthpiece. Nobody knows what the old lay and tip numbers for a Rico 20 chamber might have been (or if it also differed).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSOxKRUzBDWh19Ml5X7W92dM7Kde_enT7hl5aohqia9w78KkgXW5qw5uhlIb-ooB-oMSlgeTvFTT7Xrdsyk3M81V14v1T6bwxEY4p18xg45z94O7tNC3bbVCmeeXhBvDdiZBq3Eiof1c/s1600/Rico+alto+facing+numbers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1560" data-original-width="1030" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSOxKRUzBDWh19Ml5X7W92dM7Kde_enT7hl5aohqia9w78KkgXW5qw5uhlIb-ooB-oMSlgeTvFTT7Xrdsyk3M81V14v1T6bwxEY4p18xg45z94O7tNC3bbVCmeeXhBvDdiZBq3Eiof1c/s1600/Rico+alto+facing+numbers.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.saxophone.org/museum/publications/id/402" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Visit saxophone.org</span></a> at the 1938 Selmer publication <i>How to Reface Reed Instrument Mouthpieces </i>(page 25) written by Eric Brand for more detail. The final number in each column (the tip opening) is based on a tip gauge available in the old Selmer refacing kit (see page 10 of the publication) that is no longer available. Mouthpiece tip openings are now commonly given in thousandths of an inch or millimeters.</div>
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<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I could just use </span><a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2018/10/making-your-own-meyer-brothers-6m-alto.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">the numbers that I used when making the new old vintage official Meyer Brothers alto piece what worked well for me</span></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">. I had to think about this a bit before creating a new old vintage official Rico "Master" alto facing curve. Measuring the lay on my un-embossed Rico blank would not be much help. Still, it was interesting to see how accurate the "take off" point was for the .0015" feeler gauge. This measurement is commonly used to see if the lay leaves the table accurately. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKoPdiY_5T71l22_v1dyoXzX3fNeDdxgkTd2MZBpzCPdui4h_KFuZSUtSElJ80ZDa6EuESJu7oz5AdwGSnKHbNHHLaGeHx-WpyDB1WNitbDMxy4kdt-BhocNJFT1y3ejsV0dPQi9AZrNs/s1600/103_0004.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKoPdiY_5T71l22_v1dyoXzX3fNeDdxgkTd2MZBpzCPdui4h_KFuZSUtSElJ80ZDa6EuESJu7oz5AdwGSnKHbNHHLaGeHx-WpyDB1WNitbDMxy4kdt-BhocNJFT1y3ejsV0dPQi9AZrNs/s320/103_0004.JPG" width="320" /></a>The .0015 feeler gauge slid between the mechanic's ruler and the mouthpiece (hidden by the ruler).</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">This is not good. The right-hand side is about 23.5 mm (a Brand number of 47). The left-hand side is way off. Of course, both are really long for a .065" tip opening (which should be about 20.5 mm or a Brand number of 41). </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I played this blank and, on a scale of bad to good, it rates an okay. It doesn't inspire the awe one would expect for a Rico <i>Gregory</i> blank, but it does play. I tried my hardest reed, a NOS #3 Olivieri (a vintage reed for a vintage mouthpiece) and it still wasn't impressive. Maybe if the mouthpiece had the Rico "Diamond" logo used on several models and a chamber stamp, especially something like 5A-18, it might convince some players that it has a cool West Coast sound. To me, it plays surprisingly well considering the lay, but the notes don't pop out, especially the bell notes.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Based on what I am hearing and seeing, I can do no harm in altering the facing. It looks like I will have to start with straightening out the table. Once that was done, here are the numbers that I used. If you are unfamiliar with what these numbers mean, <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2018/01/making-your-own-otto-link-slant.html">check out this blog</a>. <br /></span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">41.5</span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">35.5</span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">29.9</span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">24.9</span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">20.3</span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">14.6</span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">8.1</span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">4.5</span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">That left me with a tip opening of .075 inch, not large by today's standards, but which is slightly larger than what was available on Rico's <i>M.C. Gregory</i> line of mouthpieces. It also left me with a little material that needed to be removed in order to thin down the tip rail. I decided to remove most of it and not accentuate much of a baffle, just like on the original <i>Master by Gregory </i>mouthpieces. I also polished the inside of the chamber a little more as a result, but left the original frosted look further inside.</span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5QnY5aGsE4FbAqNQQn3TDygUqc0czE_w-w3U_RkCDnVd3_uMRm6psIvK1hJOpPDqpnq1MO28toIw2sNCho9QGSBLoX4N9UgUMb-ZAyVuQzPyc16ALrJOl07StWHmk8xvOeL55FE8c1A/s2048/100_1572.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5QnY5aGsE4FbAqNQQn3TDygUqc0czE_w-w3U_RkCDnVd3_uMRm6psIvK1hJOpPDqpnq1MO28toIw2sNCho9QGSBLoX4N9UgUMb-ZAyVuQzPyc16ALrJOl07StWHmk8xvOeL55FE8c1A/w400-h300/100_1572.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbKDqYBTsa7YTkhHrQ2qij3ScxPxk9VgyhILDd0AE9JW65QAuygo46HOOKHNA1H1zmtvonYE3-CdtjbyA04Kn0nWGN16hyphenhyphenQoTUcGOnQWnbLCtpZERloSb87jg7NTeyLBGkfc25zVH22s/s2048/100_1573.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbKDqYBTsa7YTkhHrQ2qij3ScxPxk9VgyhILDd0AE9JW65QAuygo46HOOKHNA1H1zmtvonYE3-CdtjbyA04Kn0nWGN16hyphenhyphenQoTUcGOnQWnbLCtpZERloSb87jg7NTeyLBGkfc25zVH22s/w400-h300/100_1573.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Since I have a bunch of these, I was able to finish them to different tip openings and different lays. But the one above turned out the best for me so all of them will likely get the same treatment. Nice smooth sound and easy articulation. That's about all I ask for. True, it would be worth $1,000 more if it had Rico's <i>Gregory</i> logo on it and the magic numbers for the chamber and tip opening. But I'll just have to settle for one (actually a bunch) that play better. </span></div>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-82063677456630564312018-11-11T12:16:00.003-08:002019-06-25T08:26:20.716-07:001965 Beaugnier/Vito tenor rebuild<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This tenor saxophone came up on Ebay and, for some reason, Ebay notified me of it. They have my number. They showed it to me in a little sidebar when I was looking for something else. I don't need another tenor, but this one was really clean. Click to enlarge</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfa1-pgUTG5CEhVib__jrIlwkmXLYv_Qg8fJ7blPXLwaQVc_zC4qALDcidbSqGfqswtfcpivIG5RuZzoNJeKIrDbaH9BLSH32Wky99GhyphenhyphenwYsugFmRPYtkwZpsCVuXBI1cTEZYkaLSFUU/s1600/101_0115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfa1-pgUTG5CEhVib__jrIlwkmXLYv_Qg8fJ7blPXLwaQVc_zC4qALDcidbSqGfqswtfcpivIG5RuZzoNJeKIrDbaH9BLSH32Wky99GhyphenhyphenwYsugFmRPYtkwZpsCVuXBI1cTEZYkaLSFUU/s640/101_0115.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">With original mouthpiece and a copy of <i>Moweaqua Loyalty</i>, the middle school "fight song."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIJWIEXhUCVPRd9Q0li87tve1as1LtWKF-jc0aIzogx3hnClEg18A8nkGnwpoWexHIJj3SV2pgYDCH54_cVUa5PaGh6RiCBAn57vqv-EUMmsI61C4AnsdgwzNM23RqFROWHC1dTt8ncg/s1600/101_0116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIJWIEXhUCVPRd9Q0li87tve1as1LtWKF-jc0aIzogx3hnClEg18A8nkGnwpoWexHIJj3SV2pgYDCH54_cVUa5PaGh6RiCBAn57vqv-EUMmsI61C4AnsdgwzNM23RqFROWHC1dTt8ncg/s1600/101_0116.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Very plain VITO engraving.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiB4B5EF-ybmoN4oM_ATehwl74h4CsxYFxegCFRd43v_7ycgt5ZUhlb-4UzRKCLLxDm1yZM1To5wceyBt1TouJk7fMuVead0DFbJB56ahBYFS2urcduTGMAwJZ56MyDB7PhNdjOJnwzNE/s1600/101_0118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiB4B5EF-ybmoN4oM_ATehwl74h4CsxYFxegCFRd43v_7ycgt5ZUhlb-4UzRKCLLxDm1yZM1To5wceyBt1TouJk7fMuVead0DFbJB56ahBYFS2urcduTGMAwJZ56MyDB7PhNdjOJnwzNE/s640/101_0118.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The stylish Beaugnier pant guard.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As with all of my blogs, I'm going to wander far and wide from just the mechanics of rebuilding a saxophone, specifically a Beaugnier made saxophone. For the most part, rebuilding a Beaugnier is the same as a Dolnet, which is the same as a Selmer, the same as a Holton, the same as a Kohlert, etc. Whatever applies to one saxophone applies to most. If your only interest is the mechanics of fixing up an old sax, you can probably skip to where saxophone pictures start appearing in any of my blogs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had a Beaugnier tenor in the past that was a <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2013/12/1958-sorkin-music-catalog-featuring.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Revere </i>stencil for Sorkin Music</span></a>. This one was made for Leblanc U.S.A. and labelled <i>Vito.</i> It doesn't say "Made In France" or "Made in U.S.A.," so I don't know where it was assembled. Because there is no "<a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/12/riffault-saxophone-mouthpieces-part-2.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">COOL designation</span></a>," I would guess it was assembled in the U.S. from imported parts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">U.S. trade law at the time was controlled by complex tariff laws or "schedules." For instance, a imported rubber ball that was solid rubber paid a different tariff rate than a hollow rubber ball. How your imported item was classified or "scheduled" made a huge difference in your profit margin. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_4Runner" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">first Toyota 4-Runner</span></a> was essentially a pickup truck with a fiberglass cap and rear seats added after importation (turning it into an SUV, which would have had a higher import tariff rate). The U.S. modification after importation allowed a lower tariff on the major value of the vehicle, as pickups were taxed much lower than SUVs. Competitors, notably British Leyland, maker of the Land Rover, brought suit claiming Toyota was bending the tariff schedules which, of course, they were. The claim took more than a year to resolve, by which time Toyota had earned an SUV reputation (and gained a share) in the market.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The same hanky-panky went on with other imports, including saxophones and accessories. Rico Products found that if it claimed that reeds were made of wood there was one tariff rate. If it claimed that reeds were made of grass (<i>arundo donax </i>is a giant grass), there was another rate. If reeds are cane, they have still another rate (the same rate as rattan furniture). Finally, there would be a significantly different tariff if the imported raw material was classified as "sticks" rather than "fiberous vegetable matter." There are at least four federal cases of <i>Rico Products vs. United States</i> that argue about the proper tariff rate for the material used to make saxophone reeds. A lot of this costly legal wrangling was eliminated by subsequent "free trade" agreements, but those agreements created their own problems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The old tariff schedules for musical instruments were also a convoluted mess. It appears that if you had a Congressman who liked accordion music, that instrument would have a lower import tariff. Or maybe it was because there were no U.S. accordion manufacturers to lobby Congress for higher U.S. accordion tariffs. It was often the case that U.S. instrument manufacturers would be behind the request for a higher tariff on imported competing instruments. And tariff schedules created a "disharmony</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">" where a U.S. manufacturer both made instruments domestically and also imported a second line of instruments.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Vito Pascucci, the CEO of <i>Leblanc U.S.A.</i>, began by importing and selling Leblanc instruments made in France. In France, <i>G. Leblanc et Cie</i> made their clarinets in a facility in La Couture-Boussey (30 km southwest of Mantes). Their saxophones were made in Mantes (50 km west of Paris) by Maurice Beaugnier at <i>E. Beaugnier et Cie</i>, a company later purchased in part or in whole by <i>Leblanc et Cie</i>. Beaugnier made saxophones for <i>Leblanc et Cie</i> (France), <i>Leblanc</i> (U.S.A) as well as stencil horns for several U.S. wholesalers (as we saw for <i>Sorkin N.Y.</i> in another blog). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Either because Beaugnier didn't have sufficient manufacturing output or, more likely, because of the U.S. tariff schedules, Mr. Pascucci realized that he could have the saxophones delivered un-assembled. At the time, the tariff on "parts, musical instruments" was less than for completed "musical instruments." Further, if greater than 50% of the instrument's value was added by completing assembly in the U.S., that had additional tax, tariff, and even future export advantages. That is likely what happened with my Beaugnier/Vito tenor. Parts from France and final assembly in the U.S. which added more than 50% to the instruments value. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The theory is also supported by the Vito serial numbers. The Vitos that I've seen that appear to have been assembled in the U.S. have a serial number followed by "A." I've seen one sax engraved "Leblanc" rather than Vito that has an "A" serial number, yet it did not indicate that it was made in France. So despite the engraving, it could be that a serial number followed by "A" (for America?) tells us where the final assembly took place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Depending on the cost of production in each country, the degree of assembly could be complex. If you are thinking of a body tube and a box of keys being imported, that probably isn't what happened. Key posts may have been already soldered on in France and the keys attached here. Necks, including cork and octave key, may have been completed in France and shipped separately from a particular horn, meaning that even the completed necks could be shipped as "parts." Determining whether a saxophone without a neck is "parts" and what constitutes 50% of a saxophone's value would be complex and so the constant arguing over trade tariffs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The "simple" engraving on some Vitos may have been done in the U.S. The elaborate engraving on other Vitos may be old world craftsmanship. And just how much value does engraving add to a saxophone? All of that could be the the source of another tariff schedule dispute. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the most famous tariff disputes was over the importation of women's fancy dresses. Made in Asia, the importer stopped at a U.S. Territory in the Pacific and had the dresses quickly sprayed with a flame retardant, claiming that the process added more than 50% to the value and therefore the dresses were "made in the U.S.A." and not subject to import tariffs. The importer cited to the incidents where <a href="https://www.racked.com/2017/12/19/16710276/burning-dresses-history" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">women literally went up in flames at social events from wearing ball gowns</span></a>. In the mid-1800's, annual death by "dress fire" had approached that of women then being murdered. U.S. Customs was not impressed with the importer's argument and denied the claim. Now, back to saxophones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can find internet references to the Leblanc and Beaugnier factories being located <u><i>in</i></u> Paris. I don't think that this is accurate, even though Leblanc and Beaugnier had "Paris" stamped on some items. More accurately, they were near Paris. Many French woodwind manufacturers claimed Paris as their headquarters even though they were located 80 km west. Some even had Paris mailing addresses (usually a music store that sold their goods), but not really an office. It is sort of like Italian clothing designers and manufacturers claiming that they are <u><i>in</i></u> Milan. Or the French saxophone maker Dolnet listing an office <i><u>in</u></i> New York (it was the residential apartment of an import agent). Stamping your instruments with "Paris, Milan, and New York" looks and sounds good to the consumer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The woodwind company <i>G. Leblanc et Cie</i> became famous in part because George Leblanc employed a well know acoustician, Mr. Charles Houvenaghel. Houvenaghel is credited with designing the Leblanc Rationale system (a Boehm system saxophone) that had innovative alternative fingerings and incredibly accurate intonation. I have owned one and it had all the indications of being a Beaugnier built saxophone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Houvenaghel also designed the famous Leblanc "paperclip" contrabass clarinet. Here he is with a BBb octocontrabass paperclip, which apparently never went into full production. In 1960, the year of this picture, the paperclip contrabass was in full production. Mine is #441 of over 2,000, and is silver plated rather than the nickel plating used on the later paperclips.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3I3yq218YBgaiAZi-BIJLAq0qVBSGEv4q7cLsm8Z7WL8IOhT_3ZVBBWOLDn8aZPI-u1UvA8o3VlCss0y7HSDODO6mle-itXtaMh9_eNYWEKuBQZ78ICfuJFyvunBaQ2Jrm70B4vvCA5c/s1600/charles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1093" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3I3yq218YBgaiAZi-BIJLAq0qVBSGEv4q7cLsm8Z7WL8IOhT_3ZVBBWOLDn8aZPI-u1UvA8o3VlCss0y7HSDODO6mle-itXtaMh9_eNYWEKuBQZ78ICfuJFyvunBaQ2Jrm70B4vvCA5c/s640/charles.jpg" width="436" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAi42VqDSza2utAp36x0426TW39egrna7UgYoPKbZru23GtOVHU9_WCznMrNaaqfX5L6y2rkFViS1n1oG_Mo3A1j8Z8eDU_uDFz_pZW_mwP8xex7mqDgHTnIDmwwXFF2xLjbb4KgZIcNQ/s1600/8clar.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="229" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAi42VqDSza2utAp36x0426TW39egrna7UgYoPKbZru23GtOVHU9_WCznMrNaaqfX5L6y2rkFViS1n1oG_Mo3A1j8Z8eDU_uDFz_pZW_mwP8xex7mqDgHTnIDmwwXFF2xLjbb4KgZIcNQ/s640/8clar.gif" width="200" /></a>The Leblanc octocontrabass compared to the paperclip contrabass. There is a Leblanc octocontrabass and contrabass on display at the <i>Musee des instrument a vent</i> in La Couture-Boussey.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Since Beaugnier was responsible for Leblanc's brass wind production (they are also known to have produced trumpets), one wonders whether Beaugnier had anything to to with the fabrication of Leblanc metal clarinets. Regardless, Leblanc and Beaugnier had a very close relationship for saxophone production and it is likely that Beaugnier's reputation for accurate intonation is related to Mr. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Houvenaghel's long association with <i>Leblanc et Cie</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Beaugnier/Vito tenor that I am rebuilding was purchased in 1965 and played for three years in middle school, then put in the closet. How do I know this? When cleaning out an old case I always carefully slide my fingers into every nook and cranny. Carefully (I once found a hypodermic needle). Usually I will find missing screws. This time I found a little luggage tag with the name of the Thompson - Kramer Music Company in Decatur, IL. On the other side was the name of the original owner, written in a kid's handwriting. I contacted the Ebay seller and learned that this is the seller's uncle and a little more about the history of the horn. It had been played in middle school from 1965 to 1968. It then spent the next 50 years in the closet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I could deduce some of the history just by looking at the sax. It had been put back into the case wet a lot of times (a classic kid maneuver). There wasn't a pull through swab in the case and putting it back wet is a killer on pads, especially the low Eb pad.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYX46fX_OhI_DamvLpGREgzPIrRclnK7qkA98boEWezqYh9_WUA24u7YwBViysy7aNGCNSveG5N1uckefI-9o1Hsy7UtTtj1yAcK_bvNs3XycJZgHKzADzHPG3EY7TQCN4c_QQaPsqck/s1600/WP_20181027_10_43_32_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="903" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYX46fX_OhI_DamvLpGREgzPIrRclnK7qkA98boEWezqYh9_WUA24u7YwBViysy7aNGCNSveG5N1uckefI-9o1Hsy7UtTtj1yAcK_bvNs3XycJZgHKzADzHPG3EY7TQCN4c_QQaPsqck/s640/WP_20181027_10_43_32_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" width="360" /></a>The Eb pad sitting on my list of replacement pad sizes to order.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The hairy looking stuff on the Eb resonator is from the fuzzy lining in the case. The inside of the horn was covered with it, indicating that the sax probably hadn't been swabbed regularly. The effect is not only to ruin the pads, but the moisture is also hard on the tone hole chimney rims. This particular horn apparently had the tone holes leveled after being lacquered. The effect is that the tone hole rim has raw brass exposed. Combine that with wet leather on the normally closed pads and it produces a thick layer of verdigris gunk that makes pad sealing difficult. <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2016/11/keeping-it-clean_6.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Check out this blog for more on cleaning up this kind of mess</span></a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvcuaOEyj5VLVBGla04LDO0_e8aYcbInsYxPITWhcgaIODRBG3BWqhOXRQvi0LPDz-sMGmTkViBeaFsUAwssTCxYPHmPOq0GFZj_c7TFosCvPCTq_VeHmmlesTBQA9Bg6BmVd2AL3rGQ/s1600/WP_20181026_15_20_02_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvcuaOEyj5VLVBGla04LDO0_e8aYcbInsYxPITWhcgaIODRBG3BWqhOXRQvi0LPDz-sMGmTkViBeaFsUAwssTCxYPHmPOq0GFZj_c7TFosCvPCTq_VeHmmlesTBQA9Bg6BmVd2AL3rGQ/s1600/WP_20181026_15_20_02_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" /></a>You can see the green gunky tarnish on the upper tone holes. The lowers were the same. Every tone hole was cleaned and checked for level. All were level, the sign of good build quality and no subsequent trauma.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRkGS4VlIdIvapZvlFbrloJaU2zjyB370muv0dHtc3XQaJB-3LDZvIysX0yagNKkWyEF3_bRIb0YgJDmaJchLTRFt09Uhz2Rqr-1afQZoLijDYGOm_1jG6W7nbQkHZubW3QSLoli7B0Y/s1600/WP_20181026_14_07_42_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRkGS4VlIdIvapZvlFbrloJaU2zjyB370muv0dHtc3XQaJB-3LDZvIysX0yagNKkWyEF3_bRIb0YgJDmaJchLTRFt09Uhz2Rqr-1afQZoLijDYGOm_1jG6W7nbQkHZubW3QSLoli7B0Y/s640/WP_20181026_14_07_42_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a>There was sufficient moisture that it even affected the Eb key guard. This corrosion cleaned up, but the lacquer is gone.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Other than these few issues, the horn was in great shape. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLwjSEiAZUl-O1MbGuNggo7f4DI3a1o5AA_rOcv7mwBz2MGhnvlhUpFu3PwiQQjb083mS97CwdDK0udkfwgpVGugCE8i0r23cCQCZWKkCMzXPaONEc1hlo6Ld-aE8AwMpAnT71uSVN0U/s1600/WP_20181029_11_12_31_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLwjSEiAZUl-O1MbGuNggo7f4DI3a1o5AA_rOcv7mwBz2MGhnvlhUpFu3PwiQQjb083mS97CwdDK0udkfwgpVGugCE8i0r23cCQCZWKkCMzXPaONEc1hlo6Ld-aE8AwMpAnT71uSVN0U/s1600/WP_20181029_11_12_31_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" /></a>Because the springs are gold plated, there was no rust on them. After a thorough cleaning, even the inside of the sax is shiny.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvS8Q4oYXJx2p00ShSaX35iKQC3OsBMzUmDKFmE1qfXVlB-VqXAKiIZc9hN9UZJ_5AR4OAmgk1McZFYhv3p9dqm2weBBjPqBmIK7Zt4QhE4giJYRsqv_cPwl5GW151L_bI37c7tUPJrnw/s1600/WP_20181029_11_13_03_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="903" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvS8Q4oYXJx2p00ShSaX35iKQC3OsBMzUmDKFmE1qfXVlB-VqXAKiIZc9hN9UZJ_5AR4OAmgk1McZFYhv3p9dqm2weBBjPqBmIK7Zt4QhE4giJYRsqv_cPwl5GW151L_bI37c7tUPJrnw/s1600/WP_20181029_11_13_03_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" /></a>Vito inside of an oval is the only engraving and it was apparently engraved prior to the application of lacquer. This makes the engraving appear shallow. When horns are engraved after the application of lacquer, it tends to break through the lacquer and cause corrosion to start at that point. That would have been particularly bad on a saxophone that was often put back in the case before completely dry. </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As often happens when the horn is put in the case wet, the neck is put away with the mouthpiece still attached. The mouthpiece soon fuses to the cork and the cork is ruined when the mouthpiece is finally yanked off. Not a problem for me because my plan was to rebuild everything anyway. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I started with the neck cork.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr08-UrlLeZ6P0i5zb1lFClKsA0Q83fYc4CdDNTcbP62jydJpjt8HwD3kClN_ILKAe1NruwhL8ZZCPrM3-YTghRQnk-3F4shjfHXOXt1W_dX1csC2NMFExu44tfTgAJZz-F9iGorB4nE/s1600/neck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr08-UrlLeZ6P0i5zb1lFClKsA0Q83fYc4CdDNTcbP62jydJpjt8HwD3kClN_ILKAe1NruwhL8ZZCPrM3-YTghRQnk-3F4shjfHXOXt1W_dX1csC2NMFExu44tfTgAJZz-F9iGorB4nE/s640/neck.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I taped the lacquer above the old cork and began removal. What you can't see here is that the Vito mouthpiece (the original) had been pushed far on to the cork. That combined with the extreme height of the pads made me think that there might be some tuning issues once I got the neck corked and the pads installed. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-M-7twGhgxEKWPQ0nPY3kSTWFWFSDZddnMgOPkBVAVDKVpdMOAyJcErmK4cpwK-aDOx4ah_ORFwUOj8lM3FEgcoU6A-yeqgE33MpJ9BRmf6qiitHDboW8ohCXS0MW7-EvvB4hSJMruaY/s1600/WP_20181026_12_25_51_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-M-7twGhgxEKWPQ0nPY3kSTWFWFSDZddnMgOPkBVAVDKVpdMOAyJcErmK4cpwK-aDOx4ah_ORFwUOj8lM3FEgcoU6A-yeqgE33MpJ9BRmf6qiitHDboW8ohCXS0MW7-EvvB4hSJMruaY/s640/WP_20181026_12_25_51_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a>The neck opening wasn't perfectly round (very common). I rounded this out before starting but, as you will see, it ended up that this did not matter.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The neck was then cleaned off and a piece of cork was prepared. It is possible to buy ready-made neck corks, but I'll show you the way to quickly make them out of 1/16" sheet cork. If you want to try something more innovative, here is a blog on <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2019/02/making-silicon-o-ring-neck-gasket.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">making a silicon o-ring neck gasket</span></a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimX7I7SgQETwlw2lyProW2hsGczioZcViDiUsHQA5K9N0Hc99OnZJ9WvtWujMatMzqt-PRyDPt9WsbQ8778qd7rwby5kJwRklpoAj4_KNb2_poGHGIQoTci7pRYKPFOpWU-eSNiARoYko/s1600/WP_20181026_12_34_41_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimX7I7SgQETwlw2lyProW2hsGczioZcViDiUsHQA5K9N0Hc99OnZJ9WvtWujMatMzqt-PRyDPt9WsbQ8778qd7rwby5kJwRklpoAj4_KNb2_poGHGIQoTci7pRYKPFOpWU-eSNiARoYko/s640/WP_20181026_12_34_41_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The initial cut.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I purchase a few sheets of 16th inch cork, I always set aside the one that looks best for neck corks. I cut a piece to the approximate width that I need. Length is just a guess at this point. I put it up to the edge of my glass desk top and use a razor knife to make the initial taper cut because it is faster than rasping all of that material off.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUYQNUI0lGxXccxaoakfpXwEUmWYoLpilLjrlBcZR1OhC1cbhqEw2JZksBFL0bRZ32fmQDvzyjgN7MHyjo6xhuEEBKTPdzqDmM2qbU-XnhnWX9pQcNKLcXY1O_ZGb0m_Oj2D1rmOMg7w/s1600/WP_20181026_12_36_03_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUYQNUI0lGxXccxaoakfpXwEUmWYoLpilLjrlBcZR1OhC1cbhqEw2JZksBFL0bRZ32fmQDvzyjgN7MHyjo6xhuEEBKTPdzqDmM2qbU-XnhnWX9pQcNKLcXY1O_ZGb0m_Oj2D1rmOMg7w/s640/WP_20181026_12_36_03_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I then use a rasp to finish the taper, pulling it towards me. When tapering the outside edges of the cork, I make sure and draw the rasp slightly towards the center of the cork as I pull. That way I'm less likely to "chip" the edges. As it tapers, I can hear the rasp grating on the glass when my taper is finished to a fine angle. If there is a flaw in the cork and the edge tears, the piece is long enough so that I can start over.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahqby9bhnhXw194Do58VyNGh26Y9tTV-SmaApvuptFH-wuLDhSunCL9KkScC6bHTroU5XxW5zAOi8a6zJ8n-02pg-gadFSJJkqXNJBh4NkQI-dii3jjfQ0CmCSGF0tTJEOW7s2k-YDyQ/s1600/WP_20181026_12_36_29_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahqby9bhnhXw194Do58VyNGh26Y9tTV-SmaApvuptFH-wuLDhSunCL9KkScC6bHTroU5XxW5zAOi8a6zJ8n-02pg-gadFSJJkqXNJBh4NkQI-dii3jjfQ0CmCSGF0tTJEOW7s2k-YDyQ/s640/WP_20181026_12_36_29_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The side view showing the taper.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Contact cement is applied to the back of the cork and to the neck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4z8gLFhE2NT1UhvEN3IAaSr9SRf0aZ-O_Sjgiw4U9FDIVkwHV-pyPh-dDld3rFIs_NBvSGk2RqfzFrtJV0vNicZ438vi1riaB7LeMluQW42novOZXr9aPQ9L5XvEkuIEJB7h-Ir0wwI/s1600/WP_20181026_12_41_05_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4z8gLFhE2NT1UhvEN3IAaSr9SRf0aZ-O_Sjgiw4U9FDIVkwHV-pyPh-dDld3rFIs_NBvSGk2RqfzFrtJV0vNicZ438vi1riaB7LeMluQW42novOZXr9aPQ9L5XvEkuIEJB7h-Ir0wwI/s640/WP_20181026_12_41_05_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The glue is almost dry with only a few shiny wet spots remaining. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0zzOB9tdKgyzB-Vh659mS2KdifbUI0quIQH7kdtitPiM7UCF5M16r0ioOBKyFNuZXSeqSoyblQS6Kf6vZax88IsJ65GkVxzC6_ovq7-7s9uHOMuqKw1T_1ZQa6HCWPEYYi9x-SKUP4I/s1600/WP_20181026_12_39_18_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0zzOB9tdKgyzB-Vh659mS2KdifbUI0quIQH7kdtitPiM7UCF5M16r0ioOBKyFNuZXSeqSoyblQS6Kf6vZax88IsJ65GkVxzC6_ovq7-7s9uHOMuqKw1T_1ZQa6HCWPEYYi9x-SKUP4I/s640/WP_20181026_12_39_18_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The masking tape shows me where the old cork was, it keeps me from getting glue too far onto the cork, and it prevents scratching the lacquer when I sand the cork down.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I apply the cork starting "in the middle" (see below). I actually try to keep the overlap seam at the "bottom" of the neck (not terribly important) and the cork wrapped around "clockwise" (also not terribly important). The clockwise part is so that when I put the mouthpiece on initially I twist it on in a way that tends to "wind the cork on" instead of off (being as I'm right-handed). Regardless of how you install the cork, the first couple of times you put the mouthpiece on and take it off it helps to only twist it in the direction of your wrap.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcifMVI9roXqwwvvRWa1dvPDMRrk0wqSER7pSQFa1xLe_MXL3WdfquyEnrHDOuwFKJJrgpiaDabdxKBfAn3FSf99OwBhuf9shB672O2xs7j_E1_ovthOfD889c7qSflfxVE1i8MK6QR1Q/s1600/WP_20181026_12_58_43_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcifMVI9roXqwwvvRWa1dvPDMRrk0wqSER7pSQFa1xLe_MXL3WdfquyEnrHDOuwFKJJrgpiaDabdxKBfAn3FSf99OwBhuf9shB672O2xs7j_E1_ovthOfD889c7qSflfxVE1i8MK6QR1Q/s640/WP_20181026_12_58_43_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The cork is stuck on "in the middle" so that the tapered edge (to the left) will wrap halfway around and end up on the "bottom" side of the neck. This neck cork is quite long (covering about 1.5" of the neck), but so was the original and I need to cover up the old glue area.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EXW8pMcGI02bg48XCmHanI5NQXOjWRAWKLHQD-jzrJGpEwuPONaOkvWwEuwyBkjVMalQ8tOQ1J7weqLl_P_e_A5-fLZuX-CIpIwp38KiNLH2yDy1_FOh-A5Z6uPXKTTIuTSFHwE5scY/s1600/WP_20181026_12_59_07_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EXW8pMcGI02bg48XCmHanI5NQXOjWRAWKLHQD-jzrJGpEwuPONaOkvWwEuwyBkjVMalQ8tOQ1J7weqLl_P_e_A5-fLZuX-CIpIwp38KiNLH2yDy1_FOh-A5Z6uPXKTTIuTSFHwE5scY/s640/WP_20181026_12_59_07_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a>Starting the wrap.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs8Sgh_FxwRrVZdi8fXLNBEUj1agsEQJsPEZ-7PEgIFQZTflp2f4OB0yzVeD1Vv0oJ931NfoF7L5g8NQmT4uMKmsktxEy_IJ2HbigIrP2T6P3EVSp96Y1xnmBZlGLr4nadnFfwv0qQZXs/s1600/WP_20181026_12_59_31_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs8Sgh_FxwRrVZdi8fXLNBEUj1agsEQJsPEZ-7PEgIFQZTflp2f4OB0yzVeD1Vv0oJ931NfoF7L5g8NQmT4uMKmsktxEy_IJ2HbigIrP2T6P3EVSp96Y1xnmBZlGLr4nadnFfwv0qQZXs/s640/WP_20181026_12_59_31_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a>The tapered edge is laid down and glued tight against the neck.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz25fu-eK-34ox9gc0lZrCyeYnaz1mTHqYTgQxIepe4KksXn3qT7cf_MykQEZUtdVqhK3b8VW-OXROqP2uCEIJonj9HRPfigY54eakS-cONLxctmRvlVBj3B8emNHHX0lL7XW-dbwP5b4/s1600/WP_20181026_13_00_10_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz25fu-eK-34ox9gc0lZrCyeYnaz1mTHqYTgQxIepe4KksXn3qT7cf_MykQEZUtdVqhK3b8VW-OXROqP2uCEIJonj9HRPfigY54eakS-cONLxctmRvlVBj3B8emNHHX0lL7XW-dbwP5b4/s640/WP_20181026_13_00_10_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a>Contact cement is then applied to the tapered area and a little more on the cork that will be glued down on top of it. Another 10 minute wait.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiir3viTaVK2k5BoKUexKAmPXBt_imF0u8fTO-uMVmDfrbzWlR_Z7ua5c_Zo56znOZz9rrb9cles_0ntmYTrH0QRmSqJrefTYjree3cqmSlGTe0VyXWnh82oNQYZYp_MgLL4LxAd_KD4UQ/s1600/WP_20181026_13_13_14_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiir3viTaVK2k5BoKUexKAmPXBt_imF0u8fTO-uMVmDfrbzWlR_Z7ua5c_Zo56znOZz9rrb9cles_0ntmYTrH0QRmSqJrefTYjree3cqmSlGTe0VyXWnh82oNQYZYp_MgLL4LxAd_KD4UQ/s640/WP_20181026_13_13_14_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a>Once glued, a wide shoe string or piece of ribbon is wrapped tightly around the cork, winding it in the same direction as the cork was glued down.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxvFVGgSvgTCvFsNTIEwOIR-QFEtQFqvJUhpq1Da7oPLqADJd7pKi9haC0Kc_c5BG68eaQtBU6mTrno6c1L-Iym9I9ziR0JOeFC720wmv0cBe3kWVNDOt1g8L4FIbxDeJIZ6NBWy9Ptc/s1600/WP_20181026_13_13_25_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxvFVGgSvgTCvFsNTIEwOIR-QFEtQFqvJUhpq1Da7oPLqADJd7pKi9haC0Kc_c5BG68eaQtBU6mTrno6c1L-Iym9I9ziR0JOeFC720wmv0cBe3kWVNDOt1g8L4FIbxDeJIZ6NBWy9Ptc/s640/WP_20181026_13_13_25_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a>Almost 90 degrees of overlapping cork (from 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock in this picture). Better too much than not enough. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPhy7qFcsFvAxJ2Eg2FQOJ_PHReAVY548xYYprgHwokM-JrQjRWHE45yPGiwg3b52u52_qkHeUpbQG2wuei_XOfgAbcDtWr6xjSCpeQMFNjVh4hucglAUS3YP79cHKfoWe-3NS88QMdA/s1600/WP_20181026_13_15_26_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPhy7qFcsFvAxJ2Eg2FQOJ_PHReAVY548xYYprgHwokM-JrQjRWHE45yPGiwg3b52u52_qkHeUpbQG2wuei_XOfgAbcDtWr6xjSCpeQMFNjVh4hucglAUS3YP79cHKfoWe-3NS88QMdA/s640/WP_20181026_13_15_26_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a>The wrapping goes over the end of the mouthpiece to make sure that the end edge is glued tight.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrSqPDYKCY4MDGC_bOD8IMwNiaZJxXqytIGmIsvjWnDOYnXN79QBoeMghxeM1PbcpMkWQ_7_5e311rXryKUkpH6VMbxumA0xegvyGBfDgn2eDzzmkbfMVddeMqe98tCB_dOJ1AXLrKqU/s1600/WP_20181026_13_16_44_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrSqPDYKCY4MDGC_bOD8IMwNiaZJxXqytIGmIsvjWnDOYnXN79QBoeMghxeM1PbcpMkWQ_7_5e311rXryKUkpH6VMbxumA0xegvyGBfDgn2eDzzmkbfMVddeMqe98tCB_dOJ1AXLrKqU/s640/WP_20181026_13_16_44_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a>Twenty minutes later it's time to unwrap and begin finishing the cork.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcgfJK4nGzHBG4DlgsjF4UBYv6RPNbFqy-9We2FuJ1O5OjBmeGZPPW0NRAolhPUjB6DjQO0gxxbgByx5nhjcevLXgl8zK-k73ktZKKG1d0EKrozo6bsBmDz7XCkzrLFj-uulLfQlquKM/s1600/WP_20181026_13_17_52_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcgfJK4nGzHBG4DlgsjF4UBYv6RPNbFqy-9We2FuJ1O5OjBmeGZPPW0NRAolhPUjB6DjQO0gxxbgByx5nhjcevLXgl8zK-k73ktZKKG1d0EKrozo6bsBmDz7XCkzrLFj-uulLfQlquKM/s640/WP_20181026_13_17_52_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a>Being very careful, I cut away a lot of the overlap using a razor knife. This saves a lot of time and usually 1/16th inch cork is plenty thick, allowing for some inexactitude.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDgCdNtF8_EBbilMA2w2gKU75eHmq3PqStDyuDlgdVd5RXLUq0bUh2rNpQMm7n3kx9BkqTMBqWOyGVNjZeUlYAh7XoRLEVxKy5pVgTtO_Enq0vkY5V-t4KtwWGjhHowPqLLRMniOISZk/s1600/WP_20181026_13_19_38_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDgCdNtF8_EBbilMA2w2gKU75eHmq3PqStDyuDlgdVd5RXLUq0bUh2rNpQMm7n3kx9BkqTMBqWOyGVNjZeUlYAh7XoRLEVxKy5pVgTtO_Enq0vkY5V-t4KtwWGjhHowPqLLRMniOISZk/s640/WP_20181026_13_19_38_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a>A fine rasp, like was used to create the cork taper, is very helpful in speeding up the sanding. Make sure and file the right direction on the overlapped area.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGsSHzdan6HQ8jb4josxBkTJ7bqQ9y2UJ7dQdLavq5yznpK6-b26XswQOWjqL6Wyg7bYjwVTOMMIL9lGUhRhI8_2Qbp0gP0ErGma5IRIWmDto-1CzaRsgYDkmZcZfoOPu7AeZWqAGnqM/s1600/WP_20181026_13_27_35_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="903" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGsSHzdan6HQ8jb4josxBkTJ7bqQ9y2UJ7dQdLavq5yznpK6-b26XswQOWjqL6Wyg7bYjwVTOMMIL9lGUhRhI8_2Qbp0gP0ErGma5IRIWmDto-1CzaRsgYDkmZcZfoOPu7AeZWqAGnqM/s640/WP_20181026_13_27_35_Pro.jpg" width="360" /></a>A strip of sandpaper is then used like a "shoe shine" to finish the surface.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jn4ApB23kqj99kX1_BG9PU3YucybtRTDB9TDP5ZCvVvUnEihjoQWw-36eaWNR435Gs4GARIdkGACtriRuFzZSHmdEycDU0hVZC2foK-orwXbr7WVApnfjt4v0Eq0RJuv9HeOePcHsBw/s1600/WP_20181026_13_28_42_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="903" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jn4ApB23kqj99kX1_BG9PU3YucybtRTDB9TDP5ZCvVvUnEihjoQWw-36eaWNR435Gs4GARIdkGACtriRuFzZSHmdEycDU0hVZC2foK-orwXbr7WVApnfjt4v0Eq0RJuv9HeOePcHsBw/s640/WP_20181026_13_28_42_Pro.jpg" width="360" /></a>I then use Doctor Slick to lubricate the cork. If you use regular cork grease and then decide that you need to sand some more to make the cork thinner, the grease will load up the sand paper and make a difficult mess. Doctor Slick can be washed off and doesn't gum up the sandpaper.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, why all of this neck cork stuff when the blog is about the rebuild of a 1965 Beaugnier/Vito? Because once I got the tenor rebuilt I had to do the neck cork all over again. What?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">First the pads had to be installed (a little on that later), and then I learned why the original Vito mouthpiece had always been pushed on almost to the end of the long original cork.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1yJLMuEZD249NwXlkbxRdpIH67QD1PlkqazrG-8myBohCVsO1i4ZFYf39Kzpcqbag6EZRNL29TLdj0CJ6aCunYVFZHFIXuaDAxBQUZZhye9uVoPTZLx_aT4_dVnpRzYBbxxsQ1vHNnw/s1600/WP_20181110_10_03_56_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="903" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1yJLMuEZD249NwXlkbxRdpIH67QD1PlkqazrG-8myBohCVsO1i4ZFYf39Kzpcqbag6EZRNL29TLdj0CJ6aCunYVFZHFIXuaDAxBQUZZhye9uVoPTZLx_aT4_dVnpRzYBbxxsQ1vHNnw/s640/WP_20181110_10_03_56_Pro.jpg" width="360" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Above is where the Vito mouthpiece "almost" tuned on the new cork (which I put in exact position as the original cork). Even though the cork was long, the mouthpiece still had to be pushed in so that the neck "bottomed out" in the mouthpiece chamber. This was necessary to bring the pitch up.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7DkVhl8nCK2dV6aNn3S7ft2hrykeBdetJzp5n9MlsrKHSRH5wYRPv-Ocu99qYSEamvCYGk6zZOX6Sy2SsntbldPs8i2o4lL7I4zvNcfqXfEwqqMZw8QL12iEAjLPqtjLs6z6KIJ9qTc/s1600/WP_20181110_10_05_12_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7DkVhl8nCK2dV6aNn3S7ft2hrykeBdetJzp5n9MlsrKHSRH5wYRPv-Ocu99qYSEamvCYGk6zZOX6Sy2SsntbldPs8i2o4lL7I4zvNcfqXfEwqqMZw8QL12iEAjLPqtjLs6z6KIJ9qTc/s640/WP_20181110_10_05_12_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a>This give you an idea of how far the original corked neck was inside the mouthpiece.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrtFKQq50-WbyhR5rxfRnAnvvU5eLE7mnWZikAIJYwgwUzGwNMdmREF2-bU0y2Ndzhm55ItIBd4CSwEpJ_t9DSronxOlOXvx9gmEZH82bVua7GNpZuMrcRfkD4Pf2p_OsdtYAi6bw36c/s1600/WP_20181110_10_27_48_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrtFKQq50-WbyhR5rxfRnAnvvU5eLE7mnWZikAIJYwgwUzGwNMdmREF2-bU0y2Ndzhm55ItIBd4CSwEpJ_t9DSronxOlOXvx9gmEZH82bVua7GNpZuMrcRfkD4Pf2p_OsdtYAi6bw36c/s640/WP_20181110_10_27_48_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The new pads are now in, but I had used the original cork thickness on the key feet for the rebuild which, of course, resulted in reproducing the original pad heights. These are gigantic pad heights, which would effectively bring the pitch up as high as possible. Playing the horn felt kind of clunky with the pads that high. I needed to use a thicker cork for the key feet in order to drop the key heights to where they felt right (to me). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwZK-RYd5gKbJpvbOvMi2qWVNTI61F-DjLR5tP-KNpaluUK8peTUO_hgoQZWQGqHFWv0X98eOMwwF-WQRruJ3gUyW02YNHe30CbIs-_zDu93ATniX27DVJiIS1BQygLYT_JfRTsuqzSI/s1600/WP_20181110_11_00_28_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwZK-RYd5gKbJpvbOvMi2qWVNTI61F-DjLR5tP-KNpaluUK8peTUO_hgoQZWQGqHFWv0X98eOMwwF-WQRruJ3gUyW02YNHe30CbIs-_zDu93ATniX27DVJiIS1BQygLYT_JfRTsuqzSI/s640/WP_20181110_11_00_28_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Above is a picture of some of my cork selection showing the thicknesses in millimeters. Some suppliers I use list cork thicknesses in fractions of an inch and some in millimeters. I generally use a caliper and then write on them. The 1.88, 1.75, and 1.66 were all sold as 1/16th inch thickness (which is 1.58 mm). Even an individual sheet can differ from one area to another. I had used 1.66 mm, which appeared to be the same as on the original setup, but that clearly wasn't thick enough for my preference. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">All of the corks that I had put on the key feet during the repad were too thin, especially on the lower stack. When the keys were off, it was easy to put on corks and make sure that the edges are nicely sanded so that there is nothing to catch when you are wiping down the horn. Working on the corks with the keys off makes it easy to get the corks looking nice and professional. I <i>could</i> take it all apart again and put on thicker corks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had already had the horn completely apart and straightened rods, swedged, cleaned, lubricated, floated pads, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">adjusted spring tension,</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">regulated, etc. All of those things require the horn be stripped. But now, it's just three little corks on the pad feet. The only thing I would be doing if I stripped it down again would replacing those corks to adjust pad height (and I probably would have to redo some of the adjustments and regulating). Instead, I replaced the corks with thicker cork without taking all of the keys off. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQeCgvNTI6_YTKYX3GSjcHw1s5uJifC3Qa7RUXq-MistZQKPf7NfyfHnDzcZ44ygzZWGDITRSMj-aH8isA2DuXlrGuCEQdCcFmxSgXcH9JqdvewCb_lmYqCul7rmx87JPp9J4ZM63W4E/s1600/WP_20181110_13_40_49_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQeCgvNTI6_YTKYX3GSjcHw1s5uJifC3Qa7RUXq-MistZQKPf7NfyfHnDzcZ44ygzZWGDITRSMj-aH8isA2DuXlrGuCEQdCcFmxSgXcH9JqdvewCb_lmYqCul7rmx87JPp9J4ZM63W4E/s640/WP_20181110_13_40_49_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center;">The new cork foot thickness (right) compared to the original thickness. Almost twice as thick.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">First, I scrape off the old (actually new) corks. I use them to see how wide my new corks have to be. Then I cut my new thicker corks using a straight edge (like the metal ruler shown below). I'm going to use my fancy whiz-bang cork installment tool.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjM83SSB67UR92A8QtBquwE7tjN-Y4Cm-WpPd80api6NKdHaftub9S166E32jPrSadqwrVtm02sx3PBdpqAbhkEHiUO4pa_5l9qPGz-tBYP0-C8ADiulyCWso6hNNPaM58H0mnFc6-nNk/s1600/WP_20181110_10_45_05_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjM83SSB67UR92A8QtBquwE7tjN-Y4Cm-WpPd80api6NKdHaftub9S166E32jPrSadqwrVtm02sx3PBdpqAbhkEHiUO4pa_5l9qPGz-tBYP0-C8ADiulyCWso6hNNPaM58H0mnFc6-nNk/s640/WP_20181110_10_45_05_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My special tool is a champagne cork with a needle spring stuck in it. I can then stick the little piece of cork on the edge, touch one side with contact cement, rub that on the key foot so that both the cork and the key foot have contact cement on them. I let the cement on the cork dry by standing the champagne cork upright. I use a rubber band or wedge to keep the glue-coated key foot from touching the body tube while the contact cement dries. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When the contact cement is dry, I can carefully position the cork, touch it to the key foot, and pull the pin. Gently lifting up on the pad cup applies pressure to that key foot cork to make sure that the entire cork is glued. With fresh contact cement, tiny adjustments (to adjust the cork's position) are possible for a short time. Bingo, a new thicker cork foot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had to redo the lower stack key feet with 2.15 mm thick cork. Although the new cork is only about .5 mm thicker, that brought every pad down about 2 mm. The upper stack keys were redone with 1.88 mm cork and that seemed to do the trick. All of the corks on the feet were then individually adjusted as part of the re-regulation, but these cork thicknesses (and further reducing all spring tensions), got me to a place where the horn felt great.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don't measure individual pad heights because I don't have a height fetish. I have a pitch fetish. And even with pitch I am not looking for perfection. I want each note to be within about 5 cents of perfect. The rest is up to the player (me).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The felts on the bell notes were also adjusted to bring those key heights down uniformly. With my new pad heights, I now checked the tuning again. Lowering the key heights, which tends to make a horn play flatter (which is <i>not</i> what I needed) did not have very much effect. As you <i>raise</i> pad heights, you reach a point of diminishing returns. This makes sense if you think about the extremes. At a certain point, the pad is so far away from the tone hole that it might as well be completely removed. It no longer affects tuning. That was the case here. The pads were so high that bringing them 2mm closer had very little effect on the pitch. It improved the feel of the horn while hardly lowering pitch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of course, the horn still played flat overall and the mouthpiece had to be pushed in way too far, in my opinion. What could be making the horn play flat top to bottom such that the mouthpiece had to be crammed on all the way? Even pushing the mouthpiece to the max didn't completely solve the issue. Time for some drastic surgery.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PQMMa5rjW8iZkrqpYkZFsuMHlpCrAVlVFZsE-eAtklaO9AMb2xipeb3K9qtb1wWvM9uaAdHVHiR3NWKdRHD0GSZ1UhFhGkqEi5smqgefyFrC7IijHlTR5CvZ-1A6kphCuzXz3hvjnI8/s1600/WP_20181110_14_13_55_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="903" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PQMMa5rjW8iZkrqpYkZFsuMHlpCrAVlVFZsE-eAtklaO9AMb2xipeb3K9qtb1wWvM9uaAdHVHiR3NWKdRHD0GSZ1UhFhGkqEi5smqgefyFrC7IijHlTR5CvZ-1A6kphCuzXz3hvjnI8/s640/WP_20181110_14_13_55_Pro.jpg" width="360" /></a>The removed neck section.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I cut 13 mm off the of the neck and recorked it so that the cork went</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> 13mm further up the neck than it was originally. Even though more neck cork is showing now in the picture below, the mouthpiece is actually on several millimeters further than it could go on the original neck.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgNcqgJw1iHNZ6NT0dA0I-hvfQCVtkxE50PL0Zn45liWlNvycyFJ-oP8aR6Ea6bCiWrRIfX_siuVi15elsOzfzTuTC8NI9v1KUXlaDqPANSFjBVgGbS3DG6Y0Zr1Wbttt9iCkGeXNijI/s1600/WP_20181110_14_13_38_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgNcqgJw1iHNZ6NT0dA0I-hvfQCVtkxE50PL0Zn45liWlNvycyFJ-oP8aR6Ea6bCiWrRIfX_siuVi15elsOzfzTuTC8NI9v1KUXlaDqPANSFjBVgGbS3DG6Y0Zr1Wbttt9iCkGeXNijI/s640/WP_20181110_14_13_38_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a>The removed section (with new cork on it.)</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After spending some time on the tuner, the photo above shows where the mouthpiece now tunes. Instead of right to the very end of the original cork (where the mouthpiece could go no further), I now have some additional tuning ability. Tuning is as good as any sax I've ever tested with only one outlier. 2nd C# is still almost 10 cents flat, but can be easily lipped up. Everything else is just fine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So what's up with a neck that was too long? If, as I hypothesized earlier, this saxophone was built in the U.S. from parts sourced from Beaugnier, is it possible that Beaugnier shipped a generic neck, i.e., a neck that was to be "cut to length" depending on the choice of mouthpiece later paired with the sax? I don't know. I did notice that the lacquer on the neck was slightly lighter than the body, but since I know the entire history of the sax, I know it is the original neck. Pictures on the internet confirm that this style of neck came with this model of Vito. The difference in lacquer seems to relate to the horn being assembled from parts. It's just another sax mystery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The other thing that makes me dismiss the idea of the neck being a replacement is the pant guard. It, like the neck, is lacquered with a slightly different tint. It is a difference that probably was never noticed by the original owner and only noticed by me after a detailed examination. Could it be both a replacement pant guard and a replacement neck? Not likely. First, I've never seen a damaged pant guard the didn't also dent the body tube. Second, the lacquer on the guard and the neck match. I think it is more evidence that this Vito was simply assembled in stages. Adding "parts" (like a pant guard and neck) could have been necessary to ensure that the saxophone was "made in the U.S.A."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now back to the rest of the rebuild. Everything was stripped down. Every cork and felt was replaced. Every rod was removed and checked for straight. One thing that I found (or didn't find) which was great was that, although the horn had been put away wet, it didn't look like it had been played in the rain. School marching band horns can have lots of rust on the steel key hinge rods, making them rough, sticky, and hard to get working properly. This horn had no mechanical problems, other than having been over oiled and the oil was now stiff and grimy. If it had ever been played in the rain, the over oiling may have been what saved the key rods.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcR6_wp8tpZltANlW0wggyjzy7XolIXfly60CstGDOBtuIdENk0CL1tnVm6hkXEYjh0SpmaG9sPd6nrjaDNbIkWPzRu1pdPHfJXsVUuheVlDfsOaVy5dEaD5iooIROK-a-rK1CqngeuhA/s1600/WP_20181028_10_36_40_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcR6_wp8tpZltANlW0wggyjzy7XolIXfly60CstGDOBtuIdENk0CL1tnVm6hkXEYjh0SpmaG9sPd6nrjaDNbIkWPzRu1pdPHfJXsVUuheVlDfsOaVy5dEaD5iooIROK-a-rK1CqngeuhA/s640/WP_20181028_10_36_40_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
As each rod is removed, it is cleaned with bronze wool. If there is a rusty or rough spot on the rod, you can feel it with the bronze wool and polish it smooth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1VUfHLN4-_9NGzYvNNzG45bgOxxjn-t0-lkGzKlfDMYIZHTlY50BsywPd-Ki6FFrwhKGWUiPmdHCsjJ4-4BR9yr_Y7MMQzcgU6dpJZBb2Muilkqs3cLvPe7D3MQN2oDZ-CmYMOqns2Y/s1600/WP_20181028_10_33_58_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="903" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1VUfHLN4-_9NGzYvNNzG45bgOxxjn-t0-lkGzKlfDMYIZHTlY50BsywPd-Ki6FFrwhKGWUiPmdHCsjJ4-4BR9yr_Y7MMQzcgU6dpJZBb2Muilkqs3cLvPe7D3MQN2oDZ-CmYMOqns2Y/s320/WP_20181028_10_33_58_Pro.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Instead of using oil, I'm using a dry lubricant. The carrier is something like alcohol and dissolves the old grimy oil as it leaves a thin layer of Teflon.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGW68FaH8PXD9h76oGfDBKs2rYWxrOz7COrjSDz53t-PnMGBl7h9afXxYrzzy1jAv-banPMxqexVy6LuBXisigSmZ_TEDVLcH6vHxwM8t9rPYSdhKovqxCKlMzTfD7sj1-_iJnx_GvjYA/s1600/WP_20181028_10_35_15_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGW68FaH8PXD9h76oGfDBKs2rYWxrOz7COrjSDz53t-PnMGBl7h9afXxYrzzy1jAv-banPMxqexVy6LuBXisigSmZ_TEDVLcH6vHxwM8t9rPYSdhKovqxCKlMzTfD7sj1-_iJnx_GvjYA/s640/WP_20181028_10_35_15_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a>I put a couple drops of the dry lubricant on a pipe cleaner and run it through the hinge tube, both cleaning and lubricating.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4j1AE0ffwSYhZnvavNILyCK_8HT6lAAdGWX0Updi3Vr1Ege32LWux7IJ1DgKxW1pJmMdBqBi1ex5zzLa7KfMGFBBTt6_PJl345FwPUQclDZXB0y3lrisjD2eLJHZFJiKZhF1EM8blQ6s/s1600/WP_20181028_11_45_31_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="903" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4j1AE0ffwSYhZnvavNILyCK_8HT6lAAdGWX0Updi3Vr1Ege32LWux7IJ1DgKxW1pJmMdBqBi1ex5zzLa7KfMGFBBTt6_PJl345FwPUQclDZXB0y3lrisjD2eLJHZFJiKZhF1EM8blQ6s/s640/WP_20181028_11_45_31_Pro.jpg" width="360" /></a>Running the pipe cleaner through often results in a really dirty cleaner. </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I probably use 5 pipe cleaners on a saxophone rebuild, often snipping off dirty ends with a wire cutter and using shorter and shorter pieces. I also clean out the little sockets that receive hinge screws. I want all of the old dirty oil out.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYfZJRUnJ3w0-_TMlw8o7Mycc2jF-AdwiDTvQLYh2alTGFrIf_nOXZFUelEImqQh19Qcdpf3ZbVRz-H2jDdqkZ9Gfd_mircLwNh4oQbOHONWqs2y6UVUIzS7UVLemt2BYLj4nXPVqMk4/s1600/WP_20181028_10_39_10_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="903" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYfZJRUnJ3w0-_TMlw8o7Mycc2jF-AdwiDTvQLYh2alTGFrIf_nOXZFUelEImqQh19Qcdpf3ZbVRz-H2jDdqkZ9Gfd_mircLwNh4oQbOHONWqs2y6UVUIzS7UVLemt2BYLj4nXPVqMk4/s640/WP_20181028_10_39_10_Pro.jpg" width="360" /></a>The dry lubricant is dribbled on the rod as it is rotated. It quickly dries (the carrier is volatile and flammable), leaving a dull Teflon film. </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Be careful trying to apply the lubricant to hinges once the horn is reassembled. You will dribble some and the lubricant is hard to remove from lacquer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm going to describe using a Teflon shrink tube for various friction points. Putting the tubing on the friction area and applying heat isn't the problem. The problem is keeping the Teflon tube from falling off later. The easiest place to show what I'm doing is on a Bb side key connector piece. These are sometimes corked to make them quiet and sometimes for adjustment. Often Teflon alone is enough. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I cut the shrink tube and slip it over the friction point on the key. Then I slice a little piece of hot glue and put in on the end. As I slowly apply heat, the hot glue melts first and wicks down inside the tube. When the tube shrinks, it squirts the melted glue back out and I then touch the glue end to a cold surface, like the glass desk top. The glue sticks to the brass key much better than the smooth glass, and I can simply pull it away from the glass when cooled. What I end up with is a Teflon shrink tube held in place by a hot glue plug. Without the hot glue plug, the Teflon will fall off sooner or later.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFM1jtSF61s2EwNhDB3chcGKpNMwnXMFhAdLAco0QWzPTFYCT5vHAwdh3ONBXatepa8zYmmhwLHLTc9P5g79Nyi6zY5dwg9_42JqjEZ3xOHJ6nHNuyxGQsdrrvI-zTmKHRVfyK1znl8uo/s1600/WP_20181028_10_42_05_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFM1jtSF61s2EwNhDB3chcGKpNMwnXMFhAdLAco0QWzPTFYCT5vHAwdh3ONBXatepa8zYmmhwLHLTc9P5g79Nyi6zY5dwg9_42JqjEZ3xOHJ6nHNuyxGQsdrrvI-zTmKHRVfyK1znl8uo/s640/WP_20181028_10_42_05_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a>Click to enlarge and you can see the "smashed glue" on the end.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here is another example of Teflon tube use. This is the little arm that closes the lower octave pip pad. It has already corked so that it doesn't "click" when the octave key is pressed. But this closing arm slides over the pad key and Telfon makes it smoother. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoyS9rpfYMAZRHFnVCp_tkE1KsFTzgZ-kJ29_CdB5l1iK6-halbdfaKZm_gqN8XV2W2Hka1z4XinilYgxb3qkFX62wS-adBdg04Tkd4jZRFJbm66Br8y86Xkt8tJnjN1QLns4pBQgOiMI/s1600/100_0892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoyS9rpfYMAZRHFnVCp_tkE1KsFTzgZ-kJ29_CdB5l1iK6-halbdfaKZm_gqN8XV2W2Hka1z4XinilYgxb3qkFX62wS-adBdg04Tkd4jZRFJbm66Br8y86Xkt8tJnjN1QLns4pBQgOiMI/s640/100_0892.JPG" width="640" /></a>A little tear-shaped piece of hot glue will be slid down inside the tube when placed over the corked arm.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxFjCuFkRRuBWYSq72FvTWjkBAXTmFLdJb0NzsFwFivXzn-xCPXwIst3EqNqet6cmsvkbP-95WV-37X8zvA_e5hgwxDajm7JxjBzsCU5t8cLQO2t5jWkTUmzg66dQjnFfj-ho4pe_wTs/s1600/100_0893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxFjCuFkRRuBWYSq72FvTWjkBAXTmFLdJb0NzsFwFivXzn-xCPXwIst3EqNqet6cmsvkbP-95WV-37X8zvA_e5hgwxDajm7JxjBzsCU5t8cLQO2t5jWkTUmzg66dQjnFfj-ho4pe_wTs/s640/100_0893.JPG" width="640" /></a>The glue melted and the tubing starting to shrink. Pressing the end down on the glass will push the tubing on a little and cool the glue to keep the tubing from falling off. Notice that this piece also has a cork, now covered by the Teflon, because it needed something of a spacer to regulate properly.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm still looking for the photos that I took of the repad. I can't find them on my computer! So I'll talk for a minute about the original Vito mouthpiece. It is the "torpedo" shaped piece made by Riffault et Fils that was later the basis of their "Superfini" model. This particular one does not have the interior polishing that was the distinguishing character of the Superfini, although I don't see (hear) that it makes much difference. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMswX-lt8lPZ1M6qWEQ5MtHHUPL4bFJ-snmYvsV5ncCXR0-3ZHceOhc_mX2w2w-QKqBuz7ToMGJir9v8aaMST4CZ2d3PkFQhKG-DDerqvOIR8pV_xNKC17cnR0IizVTrYID7UW-a0dbfQ/s1600/100_0907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMswX-lt8lPZ1M6qWEQ5MtHHUPL4bFJ-snmYvsV5ncCXR0-3ZHceOhc_mX2w2w-QKqBuz7ToMGJir9v8aaMST4CZ2d3PkFQhKG-DDerqvOIR8pV_xNKC17cnR0IizVTrYID7UW-a0dbfQ/s640/100_0907.JPG" width="640" /></a>The Vito torpedo with the original ligature and cap.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUirpmWt_1uHNl_iCIbdyn_FpoWwBmqsSMt7hf0HbpAusAb6_zmTSdhFI0cWPLqlDo8te3BdHThMQrtB80ZWte_tb2YopTkTSNM-t7UruvJkJ7l1FCegJD1EvZqlczEOpLW0r9T3rXF3o/s1600/100_0909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUirpmWt_1uHNl_iCIbdyn_FpoWwBmqsSMt7hf0HbpAusAb6_zmTSdhFI0cWPLqlDo8te3BdHThMQrtB80ZWte_tb2YopTkTSNM-t7UruvJkJ7l1FCegJD1EvZqlczEOpLW0r9T3rXF3o/s640/100_0909.JPG" width="640" /></a>I would call this a small chamber, although I know that there are smaller. Flat sidewalls and a higher chamber roof (compared to the <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/12/making-your-own-otto-link-slant.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Otto Link Slant Signatures that I normally play</span></a>) made this piece seem bright, powerful, and a little abrasive to my ears.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The mouthpiece is a small chamber flat wall with a baffle that "drops off" a tiny bit at the shank bore. That "drop off" was polished out on the later Riffault <i>Superfini</i> model. It also varies a little from the mouthpieces pieces made for Leblanc, though the facings seem to be the same. This #3 tip is stamped with an "N" facing designation. I've also seen some torpedo pieces stamped with a "V" for Vito. I've never measured the entire facings to see if there is a difference in the lay between a Riffault N and V. As to tip openings, the #3 seems to be the standard Riffault "new sax" or student opening. A #3 Riffault tenor is listed as 1.65mm or .065 inch, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3289427606687069434#editor/target=post;postID=451909409038713087;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=14;src=link" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">as seen in a prior blog</span></a>. That is tight for a tenor piece even by 1965 standards. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I opened up the piece a little to to 1.95mm (.077 inch) or about a Riffault 5. It is now even more powerful, but I've learned that some of that is the horn itself. I'll probably write another blog about opening up these pieces because they are a little different than the Otto Link Tone Edge style of chamber. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It seems that Beaugnier (like Conn) could put whatever options you wanted on a stencil saxophone. Beaugnier could get <i>really</i> fancy (as was apparently the case with the Leblanc Rationale). My Vito has a pant guard (left off on some Vitos), a G# connection switch (left off on some Vitos), screw-adjustable felts in the key guards (left off on some Vitos) and who knows what else. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I found my repad pictures. As I noted at the beginning, there wasn't really anything specific to a Beaugnier/Vito rebuild that was unusual. One of the things that I've come across before is a pad or two that isn't centered over the tone hole. I think that I've seen this on every saxophone that I have repadded. Having a pad perfectly centered simply isn't required. More importantly, most players don't notice an off-center pad and therefore haven't created a myth that centered pads make a sax sound more "centered" or something. It is up to technicians to start that myth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That's not to say that there aren't situations where a pad being off center isn't an issue. That is especially true when the repad is going to include new larger resonators. Here are two pads from the Beaugnier/Vito.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEuO035d1vO4qqK7bfwuHXGeNHbwpzvP0I63n1JbpCtE0MkHBk7SgAO6DjWN6MU520A2PAmIQTf_Tm_M8y_PSycRO4RUMZhazCRE0dkGTkjcI7Ox-MbQDXIkVfx9DkCZUvv9wLu-Qdvk/s1600/100_0888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEuO035d1vO4qqK7bfwuHXGeNHbwpzvP0I63n1JbpCtE0MkHBk7SgAO6DjWN6MU520A2PAmIQTf_Tm_M8y_PSycRO4RUMZhazCRE0dkGTkjcI7Ox-MbQDXIkVfx9DkCZUvv9wLu-Qdvk/s640/100_0888.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is a situation where the pads might seal okay even though the resonator is close to the tone hole rim, as indicated by the old "seat" left in the leather. It's not really a problem caused by the pad cup being off center (although both of them are, which is common). The problem is arguably the size of the resonator. The pad on the left is the most troublesome to me. That resonator is covering up 90% of the tone hole, which is a much larger percentage than normal, so reducing it slightly won't be a problem.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYftej_9YiC3zoE45z9GyAofq_p9gYArmgPnkHM4SYJqT5qkuHfsSUcEbtYiLnVfTeMS_BsI5XNxeNIzjGeWgOuieuD-zJRFKm4YWE5CDFoY-lmLJV-Ii9r2JVk-gQXZW2EAFb5OWtK5E/s1600/100_0889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYftej_9YiC3zoE45z9GyAofq_p9gYArmgPnkHM4SYJqT5qkuHfsSUcEbtYiLnVfTeMS_BsI5XNxeNIzjGeWgOuieuD-zJRFKm4YWE5CDFoY-lmLJV-Ii9r2JVk-gQXZW2EAFb5OWtK5E/s640/100_0889.JPG" width="640" /></a>The original pads are domed rivetless resonators. It just happened that that is my favorite for all rebuilds. </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Above is the new pad ordered for that cup size with the standard size resonator for that pad size. You can see that the resonator is <i>even larger</i> than the original one that was possibly too large. I knew before I ordered the pad that this would be a problem. Fortunately, I have used the same pads (Saxgourmet black) and resonators (no-rivet domed chrome) on all my rebuilds over the years. I had ended up with extra pads because of ordering error (on my part). So I swapped out the standard size resonator that came with my new pad order with a smaller resonator. It is possible to order a pad or two </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">with smaller resonators from some suppliers (I use Music Medic), but this was faster for me.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2y3SKkfBCo3H2FYwn1RUsApAl6RrmJmpOhWfxgQzDAmyg8do3etXYUmBHJsJy7RHKmCc_3r3uLY5ImOltQwNos3KRPUuJutDstdKdM3D86oS8cFjBzx8cVU51wiimDpma5M4oxDr2d8/s1600/100_0890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2y3SKkfBCo3H2FYwn1RUsApAl6RrmJmpOhWfxgQzDAmyg8do3etXYUmBHJsJy7RHKmCc_3r3uLY5ImOltQwNos3KRPUuJutDstdKdM3D86oS8cFjBzx8cVU51wiimDpma5M4oxDr2d8/s640/100_0890.JPG" width="640" /></a>You can still see the outline of the original resonator on the black pad. That disappeared after a couple hours of playing. You can also see that the old brown pad was easily torn when using a dental pick to remove it. The old pad looks okay and many would say that it does not need replacement based on its ability to block light. While the leather isn't as rotten as the Eb pad shown above, its sealing ability has likely been compromised. I'm willing to spend $3 to replace it. For more, <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2016/11/why-i-dont-re-use-old-pads_27.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">check out this blog</span></a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQMO0gUx8Jn74nkA64hljGAKpsOYY973bno3foSX8rP_Gpi7cR6TCLC_-RApLba2FQ5MQ56XtCGSwmI1laEa7bGzi8f0_iP1stjS41N8WaW9k_vtLg3BTTMT1zonJ-qWcG1jKoobph7JA/s1600/100_0891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQMO0gUx8Jn74nkA64hljGAKpsOYY973bno3foSX8rP_Gpi7cR6TCLC_-RApLba2FQ5MQ56XtCGSwmI1laEa7bGzi8f0_iP1stjS41N8WaW9k_vtLg3BTTMT1zonJ-qWcG1jKoobph7JA/s640/100_0891.JPG" width="640" /></a>I did the same thing on the other new pad where the old resonator was too close to the chimney rim.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So that's about it for the rebuild. You can see that I even replaced the original felts. I changed from green to red felt because red felt makes a saxophone play better. It's not the style of the resonator, as some believe. It's the color of the felt. Don't tell anybody.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm still playing around with regulation. I can tell that I have a few things that aren't right. I tend to play at home and my "workshop" is above the garage at my summer cabin. That means that when I find things that I'd like to check out I then have to wait until the weekend to get to the workbench. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Playing with a tuner I've noticed that the horn is really sensitive to mouthpiece placement. Not just pitch, but also some in-harmonics when pitch isn't quite right. Commonly this is apparent in wobbly low notes. If I pull the mouthpiece out too far, the wobbling starts at low E even though the pitch isn't off too far (slightly low). As the mouthpiece is pressed on further, E gets stable and the wobbling doesn't start until low D. If pushed on further, wobbling at D disappears. If pushed on further, the pitch is too high. It seems that I can tune the horn without a digital tuner just by listening to low D. The wobbling is subtle and can be controlled even with the mouthpiece not in the most stable position, but there is no need to bother as the most stable position is also the most in tune. It's also an inharmonic that is only noticeable at <i>pp</i> and softer. If you just honk on the horn, you would never notice a wavering low D.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here is something about wobbly notes and stuffy notes that I have found. Play slowly down to the first troublesome note. Then, starting with upper stack B, press more firmly with that finger. Increase the pressure finger by finger all the way down, making sure to keep increased pressure on the higher keys. What you may find is a slight change in pitch or wobbliness as you go down the horn. For instance, pressing harder with your third left finger (G) may alter the pitch on D. That shouldn't happen. It means that you have a leak on the G pad (or a pad connected to or regulated by) that fingering.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can do something similar by just playing down the stacks. For instance, play A using a light touch and alternate with soft and firm pressure with your index finger (the lowest key touch for A). Do the same for G, F, E, etc. You should not get any "trill" difference in the pitch. If you do, then you know that that pad isn't seated properly. It can seal when you use a gorilla grip, but that shouldn't be necessary. Further, even if you initially use heavy pressure on the A key, for instance, as you move down to other fingerings you are likely to reduce the pressure on the A key. A pad that seals with your initial pressure may not stay sealed as you move down the scale and involuntarily reduce the pressure on the upper keys. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The reason that I mention this is that I just came across a variation of this on the Beaugnier. A low E that "trills" a little when varying pressure is applied with my right index finger. It means that I have to put it back on the bench and check my regulation. So far, every intonation issue with the horn has been my fault, not the Vito.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-76623366034535836972018-10-31T11:33:00.000-07:002019-05-30T09:12:38.998-07:00Making your own Meyer Brothers 6M alto saxophone mouthpiece<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I promised those of you who play alto saxophone that I would write a blog about how you can save hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars. For tenor players, you can check out my "<span style="color: blue;">Making Your Own Otto Link Slant Signature</span>" blog. The vintage Link Slant Signature doesn't command ridiculous prices for alto pieces. For that, you need to buy a vintage Meyer Brothers alto mouthpiece. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KYQBRL1jvZMV1d5UFGo5NlIWkbE2k52Fy6Rg3uwHZ5x0dgX24q9UuQj2zhWBBvOeAa8bdk5BGAlg4YDurzprVJ0JcObMD9YPjcV8QJKyCMPQbzelBiU0-9oGyPz3O4tA9dsAatu1xw4/s1600/100_0802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KYQBRL1jvZMV1d5UFGo5NlIWkbE2k52Fy6Rg3uwHZ5x0dgX24q9UuQj2zhWBBvOeAa8bdk5BGAlg4YDurzprVJ0JcObMD9YPjcV8QJKyCMPQbzelBiU0-9oGyPz3O4tA9dsAatu1xw4/s320/100_0802.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">That's right, $2,500 asking price and $25 shipping. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Ebay text often says that the 5M is the "Holy Grail,"* so I guess somebody famous played that tip opening. I always thought that the 6M was the "Holy Grail," because that's what usually plays better for me. Here is a 6M that is $200 less, but I'm still not tempted.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meyer Brothers </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meyer Brothers Meyer Brothers</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SaANTX8F1P6DMIV1jkI3khxj1-6toZ6TC7pPzyijJriXQEJnB5qlgSRREwDdL_AkN3LH05KMeH6evA5BEH9O0ZzF-bytH45mMfAi7OWl6c7xA6au6U7yqU1RJE6o-sYGqV2eAv1zzVg/s1600/Meyer+6M.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SaANTX8F1P6DMIV1jkI3khxj1-6toZ6TC7pPzyijJriXQEJnB5qlgSRREwDdL_AkN3LH05KMeH6evA5BEH9O0ZzF-bytH45mMfAi7OWl6c7xA6au6U7yqU1RJE6o-sYGqV2eAv1zzVg/s320/Meyer+6M.JPG" width="320" /></a>Still over $2k for a little hunk of ebonite.</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meyer Brothers mouthpiece </span><span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meyer Brothers Meyer Brothers</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Actually, many players find that a little larger tip plays even better than a 6M but, like the Otto Link Slant Signature, the vintage mouthpieces didn't come in modern tip openings. So we are going to make a larger tip opening, but label it a 6M. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meyer Brothers </span><span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meyer Brothers Meyer Brothers</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You should know that the $2,500 5M shown above has a gouge on the tip rail.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfbhNjCVpHwragLKK45pnhNp8g0SMY0tr5d2fddSBDg-2CFz-26XcDsB_7XeYjHejMQWPgl4jxaw4e14UdmyoiW6IXjYUoF82p0C49DCDH9MadFOZNJT8NZnEgS_FtCODYbz0N2Er8qQ/s1600/Meyer+5M+chip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfbhNjCVpHwragLKK45pnhNp8g0SMY0tr5d2fddSBDg-2CFz-26XcDsB_7XeYjHejMQWPgl4jxaw4e14UdmyoiW6IXjYUoF82p0C49DCDH9MadFOZNJT8NZnEgS_FtCODYbz0N2Er8qQ/s320/Meyer+5M+chip.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You could pay somebody to fix this, although then you will no longer have an original 5M .</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Meyer Brothers </span><span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Meyer Brothers Meyer Brothers</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Instead of altering the tip opening to get rid of the damage on a $2,500 carcass, lets just make ourselves a genuine new vintage Meyer Brothers alto 6M and save at least $2,000. We can use the money that we save to buy a nice vintage alto saxophone to put on the end of our new vintage mouthpiece.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meyer Brothers </span><span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meyer Brothers Meyer Brothers </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As with the tenor Link Slant Signature, we may need to find a vintage carcass. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We don't want to make a later "Babbitt" Meyer alto mouthpiece because the earliest version of any mouthpiece </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">is always the best</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> (for some unknown reason). </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fortunately, the later unworthy Meyer blanks are easy to recognize. On the later Meyer blanks, the two lines on the shank are very thin, as though they were cut in on a lathe rather than molded into the ebonite. Some of the no-name blanks don't have the lines at all, which makes me believe that they were cut in on later Meyer pieces (but not on other maker's use of the identical blank).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meyer Brothers </span><span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meyer Brothers Meyer Brothers</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here an example of the thin lines.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCbZyhYAd8B0EWbPYYUTYadICzpZLJgh0oiy3XhIlbGJodSf-jhoRvky7gX-6rmYom6DnCNwQ9WCo6r3LCyjjBudPS4W-6r1fbUFAFs1pHFgFxN_kC3ZPCtVS7RE6Qnu_WBmA0JiRKHQ/s1600/Meyer+thin+rings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1199" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCbZyhYAd8B0EWbPYYUTYadICzpZLJgh0oiy3XhIlbGJodSf-jhoRvky7gX-6rmYom6DnCNwQ9WCo6r3LCyjjBudPS4W-6r1fbUFAFs1pHFgFxN_kC3ZPCtVS7RE6Qnu_WBmA0JiRKHQ/s320/Meyer+thin+rings.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A later Meyer New York USA with the thin rings. BAD.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmFvXWSCA-aI45WxNxT1OFBw6L1RwY5ahdcFCa748qhSClMm4oavgMKRIBzZjALSTKtS-oMbxDasCUsb-i_0pY5tY91pyrB3_nqZv9QTFvXkelVHdQQQUpG0yhuWqa8hMYRUbMjuFu7Q/s1600/Meyer+Bros+rings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmFvXWSCA-aI45WxNxT1OFBw6L1RwY5ahdcFCa748qhSClMm4oavgMKRIBzZjALSTKtS-oMbxDasCUsb-i_0pY5tY91pyrB3_nqZv9QTFvXkelVHdQQQUpG0yhuWqa8hMYRUbMjuFu7Q/s320/Meyer+Bros+rings.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Meyer Brothers New York with the wider molded rings. GOOD. Well worth the extra $2,000 if you are going to show it to other players.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, where are we going to find a blank carcass without the Meyer name on it to reface? Babbitt only sold these to a few other companies besides Meyer Brothers back in the day. Good thing that we now have a new source. An enterprising company has chosen to make these again. Out of ebonite. For a reasonable price ($39). And free shipping.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here it is. It ships with an okay facing (no scratches, gouges, and discoloration like on an original), but it is a little smaller tip opening than a vintage 6M. And it only comes in a medium chamber, which is also okay because that seems to be the most popular vintage Meyer Brothers chamber. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GAcsysh6IwFV7r5OJl5ZoHtEShUJBVj8rLHSQHD1cg67byi8Vn8CXGLIinfQBetdvxAhGAyXfP2w9a1yrVKXYycRo2JrjhqLyTvYjCrPuyfR2J34J5cTVH2IH-ffKqRg98mdKp6YCvY/s1600/Meyer+blank+China.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="900" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GAcsysh6IwFV7r5OJl5ZoHtEShUJBVj8rLHSQHD1cg67byi8Vn8CXGLIinfQBetdvxAhGAyXfP2w9a1yrVKXYycRo2JrjhqLyTvYjCrPuyfR2J34J5cTVH2IH-ffKqRg98mdKp6YCvY/s320/Meyer+blank+China.jpg" width="320" /></a>The wide cast-in rings that indicate a genuine vintage new Meyer Brothers piece.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rvrAPII4ewGYBh2LVQx7Cm0RkVMxPGB-v5zJRrgOmVZE4UC5oY-cgPx3MCS5_hqYHISymBVwVvomKoEM_1eL4qEKj0YX_DUrk0QeA4glOfmKzgzRfwJYds48mImXJ5o_zhMRPxbzY9s/s1600/Meyer+M+China.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="800" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rvrAPII4ewGYBh2LVQx7Cm0RkVMxPGB-v5zJRrgOmVZE4UC5oY-cgPx3MCS5_hqYHISymBVwVvomKoEM_1eL4qEKj0YX_DUrk0QeA4glOfmKzgzRfwJYds48mImXJ5o_zhMRPxbzY9s/s320/Meyer+M+China.jpg" width="320" /></a>The official Meyer Brothers medium chamber made with secret recipe vintage ebonite.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FC1E0Czy4-Encjka5nK4b5OPXP5o_bz1GQ_wOQsQiuK6ciBSB_dXwLqzvXTACGq3aBESkMN2zhJ-GGxDFEn2bPMIAh2NoS-XaX7gviRYP4QRxRk3RBAljjAYWaH9EtlbU7hRvv4L2F0/s1600/Meyer+table+China.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="900" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FC1E0Czy4-Encjka5nK4b5OPXP5o_bz1GQ_wOQsQiuK6ciBSB_dXwLqzvXTACGq3aBESkMN2zhJ-GGxDFEn2bPMIAh2NoS-XaX7gviRYP4QRxRk3RBAljjAYWaH9EtlbU7hRvv4L2F0/s320/Meyer+table+China.jpg" width="320" /></a>All it needs is an official vintage Meyer Brothers facing. Even better would be some Meyer Brothers embossing. The embossing is what players need to see to justify spending $2,500. These blanks are less than $40, including shipping.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our blank does not come with anything embossed on it, and that will likely be one of the difficult aspects of creating a genuine vintage new Meyer Brothers alto 6M. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But first, the numbers. As with the prior blog on making a genuine vintage Link Slant Signature, we will rely on Keith Bradbury's website Mouthpiece Works for our alto 6M lay numbers:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.0015" 41.2</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.005 35.7</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.010 30.7</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.016 26.2</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.024 21.3</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.035 15.8</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.050 9.6</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.063 5.0</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.078 .2</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I should note that some of the tables for Meyer tip openings show that a #6 alto is .076," yet the lay shown above results in a .078 feeler gauge just barely slipping under the tip. A few things to remember. First, it is more important that the lay is smooth than the exact tip opening. Second, tables for Meyer tip openings varied over the years, so there is no agreed upon tip opening for a #6. Third, Meyer Brother mouthpieces were hand finished and varied from piece to piece. Fourth, if these unavoidable variations bothers you, you cannot be a mouthpiece finisher. You are what mouthpiece finishers call "customers" and you should not be reading this or measuring mouthpiece tip openings. If hand-finishing deviations bother you, just look at the number stamped on the side of a mouthpiece, tell everybody that number (even if they don't ask), and be happy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I should also note that, according to one mouthpiece finisher, the standard tip openings of Meyer alto pieces actually changed over the years. <a href="https://www.dornpub.com/SaxjPDF/meyer.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Ralph Morgan provided numbers for 1939 Meyer alto pieces </span></a>(Meyer Brother pieces) and 1970 Meyer alto pieces (then completely fabricated and finished by JJ Babbitt). According to Mr. Morgan, a 1939 6M had a tip opening of .085 inches and a lay of 20.6 mm (a Brand number of 41.2). A 1970 6M had a tip opening of .076 inches with the same lay of 20.6 mm. Obviously, the difference in tip opening would require different Brand numbers all the way down the curvature. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To further add to the confusion, as noted by Mr. Morgan, the designation "M" is generally related to the length of the lay, and not a "medium chamber." So the above "M" for medium lay at 20.6 mm <i>might be</i> correct despite the decreased tip opening over the years. The problem is that for the Meyer 6M tenor mouthpiece, unlike the alto, Mr. Morgan shows that the "M" medium lay went <i>down </i>from 24.8 mm to 20.6 mm over the years. So, like the <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2018/01/making-your-own-otto-link-slant.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Otto Link Tone Edge numbers shown in a prior blog</span></a>, we basically don't have any idea what the lay on a vintage Meyer 6M alto piece should be. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And again, that can work to our advantage. We are not forced to adhere to some musty old numbers that somebody may have measured incorrectly or copied down wrong from a mouthpiece that might have been altered prior to the measuring. We could, if we want, use some old "official vintage Meyer Brothers #6 tip opening" of .085 inches and a lay of our own choosing. For instance, the chart given on <a href="https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/MouthpieceWork/info" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Mouthpiece Works</span></a> shows that a .085 tip opening should have a lay of 22.2 mm. And we can, if we choose, use Excel to alter and smooth the curve between any numbers that we choose. What is important is that, when finished, we stamp our new vintage Meyer Brothers alto with "6M" because that is what our favorite player used.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To save time, here are "new" computer-generated Brand numbers for an "old" Meyer Brothers #6 alto with a .086 tip opening.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.0015" 44.4</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.005 38.9</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.010 33.9</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.016 29.3</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.024 24.4</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.035 18.9</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.050 12.6</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.063 8.0</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.078 3.1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These are closer to the numbers that I prefer and will be using on making my personal vintage Meyer Brothers 6M alto. My tip opening will actually be about .095 and I don't care if Meyer Brothers never made a tip opening that size. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9mf3Bypyk8" target="_blank">It just doesn't matter</a>. (Open the link in a separate window so you can continue reading while listening to the motivational speech.) Below are the numbers that I ended up using. This would be a long facing in a tip size never offered by Ed and Frank Meyer. </span></span><br />
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<td class="xl63" height="18" style="height: 13.2pt; width: 39pt;" width="52">48.2</td>
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<td class="xl63" height="18" style="height: 13.2pt;">42.5</td>
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<td class="xl63" height="18" style="height: 13.2pt;">37.5</td>
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<td class="xl63" height="18" style="height: 13.2pt;">32.5</td>
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<td class="xl63" height="18" style="height: 13.2pt;">27.5</td>
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<td class="xl64" height="18" style="height: 13.2pt;">21.7</td>
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<td class="xl63" height="18" style="height: 13.2pt;">15.1</td>
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<td class="xl63" height="18" style="height: 13.2pt;">10.4</td>
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<td class="xl63" height="18" style="height: 13.2pt;">5.6</td>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I spent $39 for the blank and I already had the other required tools and materials on the workbench. If you have read some of the other Stuff Sax blogs, you know what to do to put on a facing curve. Getting it to play like a vintage Meyer 6M is the easy part, so I'll just skip to the difficult part of making an official vintage $2,500 Meyer Brothers 6M alto mouthpiece.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There will be another required expenditure beyond the normal tools. I bought this a while back when making the world's only known official vintage Rico M.C. Gregory C-Melody mouthpiece. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6Z8-FBsq8Q_56keH0ECikfYsOjN0uDJu6ldxercVYB37CEK2EsnnTNx6SyxBgK_-cAYQFeKBl-5s6PrN4U5XH0NRJlgWLe_b1XNAmapqfPRiQFGt6zTamwJFh5T1gXJNatmtUjOdFRc/s1600/101_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6Z8-FBsq8Q_56keH0ECikfYsOjN0uDJu6ldxercVYB37CEK2EsnnTNx6SyxBgK_-cAYQFeKBl-5s6PrN4U5XH0NRJlgWLe_b1XNAmapqfPRiQFGt6zTamwJFh5T1gXJNatmtUjOdFRc/s320/101_0006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don't remember exactly what I paid for the little laser (probably about $50). Maybe prices have come down. Google </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">"</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;">NEJE DK - 8 - KZ 1000mW Laser Engraver Printer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"> "</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> and you will find lots of information. The laser works fine, but the software glitches and scanty manual make using it a challenge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #333333;">After putting on the lay of your choice so that it plays like a vintage Meyer 6M, now we are ready for the important part. Be sure to carefully check that you have the right font and size. H</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "opensans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px;">ere, I'm burning the vintage logo on to a pad of Post It Notes before actually engraving my new vintage Meyer Brothers 6M. I can then stick the paper on my mouthpiece to make sure it is the right size. The first test was a little too big.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnV-ZjGqocepjhL94p9bME50WWg_vlodg_0e4K1Iq92GXvIBaz8THIDhinp6g1hn7pH9-QcCYfP2YW9u2qHQavGsybHWIXUcy60u76gYc3Hcivk61kkYA4DvqpKPVnwOdkGgGruLNMeZk/s1600/100_0882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnV-ZjGqocepjhL94p9bME50WWg_vlodg_0e4K1Iq92GXvIBaz8THIDhinp6g1hn7pH9-QcCYfP2YW9u2qHQavGsybHWIXUcy60u76gYc3Hcivk61kkYA4DvqpKPVnwOdkGgGruLNMeZk/s320/100_0882.JPG" width="320" /></a>Cameras don't like taking pictures of laser beams.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxU-NgKj_ZITrlikRX_WvQ8f6A7t95spYTBnnlToW5vvhIEXHIvXcUEiO-Tz_CnhNyYFuTXBZyh4nI7W41uaa0NbQ7TZSSpoYBnR4WLIolxX_kZgDk1oDn8fWS7hKIhzdwZ4VHwXigdco/s1600/100_0887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxU-NgKj_ZITrlikRX_WvQ8f6A7t95spYTBnnlToW5vvhIEXHIvXcUEiO-Tz_CnhNyYFuTXBZyh4nI7W41uaa0NbQ7TZSSpoYBnR4WLIolxX_kZgDk1oDn8fWS7hKIhzdwZ4VHwXigdco/s320/100_0887.JPG" width="320" /></a>Here it is resized to fit the mouthpiece.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjau3VVI31Ixs84ZsSGyCCqaI3nlmaoMhpYeGnmdoZUDQwfLaq7Wcz-9hoBFInT1rTuIlcLcR6VNXjsm8ikmRY8FatdFE-EiwdOe6g6PWpRVZmWEr5cj7ECJQ4sJg3hHxDif7hXvEfAtcs/s1600/100_0881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjau3VVI31Ixs84ZsSGyCCqaI3nlmaoMhpYeGnmdoZUDQwfLaq7Wcz-9hoBFInT1rTuIlcLcR6VNXjsm8ikmRY8FatdFE-EiwdOe6g6PWpRVZmWEr5cj7ECJQ4sJg3hHxDif7hXvEfAtcs/s320/100_0881.JPG" width="320" /></a>Even better is to practice on an alto mouthpiece. This is a Selmer Perfectone that I am using as a Guinea pig. It is injection molded plastic, rather than the ebonite Meyer carcass, and the laser melts and raises areas around the etching. Not really a problem because those areas can be polished off. It is also possible to paint the etching so that, when polished, the letters are white or gold or whatever is required to make the vintage mouthpiece. Meyer used gold. Hard rubber, as we will see, doesn't deform and the paint can simply be wiped into the etching.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8KFnvPoc8Jc62lEkh4jTCnDJBuKNG0U8o7gXAvV4T_5M0u4Z_bUkOOJqTxFotiYMpl_DB8ISSy6A7Zvd1RuY-eWLlqMMT-SPZVtdN_f6qA5Tm4jCjDoFyrONb9_jeZIMwYtZRKHsGM4/s1600/100_0894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8KFnvPoc8Jc62lEkh4jTCnDJBuKNG0U8o7gXAvV4T_5M0u4Z_bUkOOJqTxFotiYMpl_DB8ISSy6A7Zvd1RuY-eWLlqMMT-SPZVtdN_f6qA5Tm4jCjDoFyrONb9_jeZIMwYtZRKHsGM4/s320/100_0894.JPG" width="320" /></a>This is the gold paint daubed into the engraving on my Selmer Perfectone test piece.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6XGiOP_pf0HVksZgs1VGTgTeiONAM-n1VEGQGQxEgTXloXz_tv9ZEsc9zRCg49UFR4oVIx_WGS-N2rmFejfbn23N2g9kZiRIxWtxlOSId1f2Etz9UVWci0w5v1cd7U-f3hMnP0pdbS0/s1600/100_0896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6XGiOP_pf0HVksZgs1VGTgTeiONAM-n1VEGQGQxEgTXloXz_tv9ZEsc9zRCg49UFR4oVIx_WGS-N2rmFejfbn23N2g9kZiRIxWtxlOSId1f2Etz9UVWci0w5v1cd7U-f3hMnP0pdbS0/s320/100_0896.JPG" width="320" /></a>Lightly sanded with 400 grit paper removes the ridge around the engraving and cleans up the paint.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLsd7XPmfkGCV4G_NwoYxH-PmX6iwMwRqBM_MZHWK2fbnS4opNhT1zKnRULP5AjEeBA8CMp0vhJ-bePzzvqiAbtdeYIiYUlfdKnCbOCsINtcp41UUD5t7t_-itUsRGuOQwrWxYNvS4fM/s1600/100_0897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLsd7XPmfkGCV4G_NwoYxH-PmX6iwMwRqBM_MZHWK2fbnS4opNhT1zKnRULP5AjEeBA8CMp0vhJ-bePzzvqiAbtdeYIiYUlfdKnCbOCsINtcp41UUD5t7t_-itUsRGuOQwrWxYNvS4fM/s320/100_0897.JPG" width="240" /></a>Then polish the area. For many players, this Perfectone will start sounding like a vintage Meyer.</div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "opensans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px; text-align: left;">I also tested a "6" and "M" stamp on the Perfectone to make sure that they are the right font and point size. To get the vintage Meyer sound, you will need 3/32" steel stamps. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBhDauCuu_kHMrbSqjMjevShS5ugqVfi5Nqg_HVxw94lts5U29gbStXwjtkW3m8OiaA9LitNzju6PsSQN6TmiGbaL_XCDb5wsZSJIE-feKrsAOfhlezfCeq6trhABBOtkul_040WMSVo/s1600/100_0898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBhDauCuu_kHMrbSqjMjevShS5ugqVfi5Nqg_HVxw94lts5U29gbStXwjtkW3m8OiaA9LitNzju6PsSQN6TmiGbaL_XCDb5wsZSJIE-feKrsAOfhlezfCeq6trhABBOtkul_040WMSVo/s320/100_0898.JPG" width="320" /></a>Looks good. These don't get gold filled and have to be in the right position (not on the beak like I did on this old Perfectone!) Also, make sure that you have the stamps oriented correctly. The 6M is the Holy Grail. If you use the stamps upside down, a 9W won't play the same for some.</div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "opensans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px; text-align: left;">So I've now tested all the engraving requirements. I need to put all of this on my official vintage Meyer Brothers blank. I put the carcass in my laser engraver and center it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rkH9FBr7pxdn6Ry7Y02WHa-ye84fzsMSBNWrKTW9hEuwRzcSUnbubbcatLZNEPHpQg6_juieeutP82cy05ZE_Kh0t-ZGwb9LyXZMHqWkmbGTdb4Ex0mUNrXWBJUQS6gWDYk6n67Fnao/s1600/100_0871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: OpenSans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rkH9FBr7pxdn6Ry7Y02WHa-ye84fzsMSBNWrKTW9hEuwRzcSUnbubbcatLZNEPHpQg6_juieeutP82cy05ZE_Kh0t-ZGwb9LyXZMHqWkmbGTdb4Ex0mUNrXWBJUQS6gWDYk6n67Fnao/s320/100_0871.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Held in place with tape and ready for the vintage Meyer Brothers chamber size.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hFuLhYS9f9kO7xCpMX0Eq3LI3VhzPd3NHjQW4kt5QSpKDj13JnTbry63S2v51uuzfvIfEP_2b7meCEx49GiUopDF1hEergtg6TDgEBBmuFKiHaCDY1ZGc8WFm6_1M8heNhYW0ocYZxE/s1600/100_0873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: OpenSans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hFuLhYS9f9kO7xCpMX0Eq3LI3VhzPd3NHjQW4kt5QSpKDj13JnTbry63S2v51uuzfvIfEP_2b7meCEx49GiUopDF1hEergtg6TDgEBBmuFKiHaCDY1ZGc8WFm6_1M8heNhYW0ocYZxE/s320/100_0873.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Look, it is now officially a vintage medium chamber. That adds $1,000 in value.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMr3F399mZVDEv62NdeJi9GqPybZjHozqqqe8qE26KIPjky7MKzPSOofzv4jCaHG_qewbsNWAcu1PAMbovdC-sdZqmLp8bxG4L43wUSlW2ubpDpUwDp8oitUdra3lsw5xqN07txXSG38/s1600/100_0899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMr3F399mZVDEv62NdeJi9GqPybZjHozqqqe8qE26KIPjky7MKzPSOofzv4jCaHG_qewbsNWAcu1PAMbovdC-sdZqmLp8bxG4L43wUSlW2ubpDpUwDp8oitUdra3lsw5xqN07txXSG38/s320/100_0899.JPG" width="320" /></a>Here it is with gold paint in the engraving. By rubbing a little more, the letters will get a little more distinct. It is even possible to remove some of the paint that is down inside the embossing, making it look even more vintage (and making it play much better, of course).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS40gZVSH9ijHZ-zs-nHx7CDoMl504DDOk43hMgNBVWUqCXYgUfDKI1vqnFqrsIv7gTLowg-w4gZ26HQFhqtcbLtiYFKXycPlgs4qG_1oYPBlOIkOo0BTBgT-NSKgeuU0Uwn-OS0t65gs/s1600/100_0872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: OpenSans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS40gZVSH9ijHZ-zs-nHx7CDoMl504DDOk43hMgNBVWUqCXYgUfDKI1vqnFqrsIv7gTLowg-w4gZ26HQFhqtcbLtiYFKXycPlgs4qG_1oYPBlOIkOo0BTBgT-NSKgeuU0Uwn-OS0t65gs/s320/100_0872.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ooooh, a real vintage "New York" Meyer. Well, it is vintage 2018. Still, the engraving adds another $1,000 in value. But is it a vintage 6M? Not yet. It needs just a little more work, but it's starting to get that West Coast sound.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDZ8dg1wEWKGs9ub2hgLoGfQz4q3Db87wUQHtsJ_C-ga93bx2hvfDiCkM29HartMle4sdv2BghrJwKxcTbFBGiv6pC-wDqfVgC6sUzXm-MYuxArC12prB9gVrkV90lQBgvQH2VBka7o0/s1600/100_0906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDZ8dg1wEWKGs9ub2hgLoGfQz4q3Db87wUQHtsJ_C-ga93bx2hvfDiCkM29HartMle4sdv2BghrJwKxcTbFBGiv6pC-wDqfVgC6sUzXm-MYuxArC12prB9gVrkV90lQBgvQH2VBka7o0/s320/100_0906.JPG" width="320" /></a>Again, you can see a little bit of the gold paint outside of the lettering and below "York." This will clean up and the rough edges around the letters will smooth out with a little polishing. Now it is starting to sound more like that famous player.</div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "opensans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px;">The big question. Once we are finished with the embossing, does it play just like a vintage New York Meyer Brother alto 6M? Yes. It actually did before I put the engraving on it. The difference is that now others will agree.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "opensans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px;">Since writing this blog, several people have told me that their favorite alto player didn't play a Meyer Brothers 6M. He played a Rico "Gregory" brand mouthpiece. More accurately, he played a Rico mouthpiece at one point in his career and that's what now commands high prices. Could I please show them how to make a vintage Gregory so they can sound like the famous player? Well, I can show them how to make an official real vintage original Gregory alto mouthpiece. The rest is up to them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "opensans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px;"><span style="color: #333333;">Rico apparently kept total control over the Gregory molds and the sales of blanks to others was extremely limited (I've only found a few and they may be from the prior owner of the molds). Some believe that you can make a Gregory mouthpiece by using a Gale mouthpiece as a carcass, as </span><a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-gregory-mouthpiece-saga-part-v.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Gale Products, Inc. was associated with Rico for almost a year</span></a><span style="color: #333333;">. Sorry, but no. Elmer Beechler associated with Rico at one point, so we could just as rationally claim that you can make a Gregory from a Reml</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;">é</span><span style="color: #333333;"> mouthpiece. Arnold Brilhart associated with Rico, so we could claim that the Rico Graphonite is really a Gregory. </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "opensans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px;">I don't think so. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "opensans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "opensans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px;">To make a "real" vintage Gregory, you need a Rico Gregory blank. As we learned from the making a Meyer Brothers alto 6M, it is extremely important that the finished mouthpiece looks like a Meyer Brothers 6M. If it doesn't look right, it doesn't play right. </span><span style="font-family: "opensans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px;"><a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2018/11/making-your-own-vintage-mc-gregory-4a.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">I'll post a link here when I get around to making a Gregory</span></a><span style="color: #333333;">. I'll make one that looks just like the one that your favorite alto player supposedly used at some point.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "opensans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px;">* </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Holy Grail is a vessel that provides it's owner happiness, eternal youth, and sustenance in infinite abundance. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is now available for the first time ever as a saxophone mouthpiece. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some claim that the Holy Grail is just a myth. True believers are willing to take a gamble and spend the money.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Just a thought. Claims that a mouthpiece is the Holy Grail are always made by sellers. Once purchased, no players claim that their mouthpiece is the Holy Grail (until it is time to sell it). Why is that? And why would somebody sell the Holy Grail?</span><br />
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gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-52560684148511887012018-10-03T14:01:00.001-07:002018-11-05T13:49:55.575-08:00The M.C. Gregory Saga Parts l, ll, and lll<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In order to understand the commentary and criticism in the <span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3289427606687069434#editor/target=post;postID=4755535840984915118;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=21;src=postname" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">further Parts of </span><i><span style="color: blue;">The Gregory Mouthpiece Saga</span></i></a></span>, here are the excerpts from three 1992 issues of the <i>Saxophone Journal. </i>You can click on any page to enlarge. It may be necessary to right click and open the image in a new tab in order to make the pages large enough to read clearly.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HeHg49JiwpbxFsHgMA3uptDvV-EnzwiWhyNWzyPe0Qb6tn3baexHI79oAXxu8-lwthWlugxdv0p3Fm3fMAGzi7s3S_simXK77TtkIQibpllyz5xXOWmVbshKFJueiVCbFAT4y4C2nFw/s1600/Morgan_saga-1%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HeHg49JiwpbxFsHgMA3uptDvV-EnzwiWhyNWzyPe0Qb6tn3baexHI79oAXxu8-lwthWlugxdv0p3Fm3fMAGzi7s3S_simXK77TtkIQibpllyz5xXOWmVbshKFJueiVCbFAT4y4C2nFw/s320/Morgan_saga-1%255B1%255D.jpg" width="247" /></a>The first installment was called The Gregory Mouthpiece <i><u>Chronicle</u></i>, Part 1.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWZbvv7sYhjhKIyRsIftti0hsN4T5kVoEmNN1u4SQc9U9Gy1wwW9ZnYTVRf4juaUWYawGbL6QDxoR8MTPAkVg-ccqSQ5rmBkOVGRToM2mrmdaAFwS_TpZm1y-30oa7Paft4voMVmxd1U/s1600/Morgan_saga-2%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWZbvv7sYhjhKIyRsIftti0hsN4T5kVoEmNN1u4SQc9U9Gy1wwW9ZnYTVRf4juaUWYawGbL6QDxoR8MTPAkVg-ccqSQ5rmBkOVGRToM2mrmdaAFwS_TpZm1y-30oa7Paft4voMVmxd1U/s320/Morgan_saga-2%255B1%255D.jpg" width="247" /></a>The second and third installments were called The Gregory Mouthpiece <i><u>Saga</u></i>. A "chronical" is generally fact based, whereas a "saga" is more fanciful and fictitious. I'm not sure if that is why the titles differ, as Part 1 also contained obvious and undeniable factual errors, the most glaring being the assertion that "M.C. Gregory formed Gale Products, Co, in Hollywood, to carry on the manufacture of Gregory products."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoBX3caxCTllcCcdfLQ3t-ySDbrz-DElMRzrN1DjbLA6yGgEv4SILxjrS0Jrst8BxRMOmHTBmDoxeL6vbsyRyLL5A8ZV5q9yJhCUvJbWTmltqtAAflWkfOCQA8_UVYBlC4pvBkHVVVHk/s1600/Morgan_saga-3%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoBX3caxCTllcCcdfLQ3t-ySDbrz-DElMRzrN1DjbLA6yGgEv4SILxjrS0Jrst8BxRMOmHTBmDoxeL6vbsyRyLL5A8ZV5q9yJhCUvJbWTmltqtAAflWkfOCQA8_UVYBlC4pvBkHVVVHk/s320/Morgan_saga-3%255B1%255D.jpg" width="247" /></a>Carl Satzinger, a principal in Gale Products, Inc., is given credit for working on the Master by Gregory, but we now know that Gale Products, Inc. had failed and sold its assets before Rico introduced the Master by Gregory. And it appears that the Master was a just a rebadging of Rico's prior pieces. The facts actually indicate that Gale and Gregory were two separate and unrelated Rico brand names.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWWo1scryy38pxDGAkkx0GyKVpXv3-sAd27mlSEeHr3uwrXINuXHPxXAbS9GMWZC7M9VlC9JnO7Y1qYjiPhpBgsTisuBnOpO5evM-fwRO1sCZeaIDQxLADfNbLUXetUi4-OWfoFQoHRQ/s1600/Morgan_saga-4%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWWo1scryy38pxDGAkkx0GyKVpXv3-sAd27mlSEeHr3uwrXINuXHPxXAbS9GMWZC7M9VlC9JnO7Y1qYjiPhpBgsTisuBnOpO5evM-fwRO1sCZeaIDQxLADfNbLUXetUi4-OWfoFQoHRQ/s320/Morgan_saga-4%255B1%255D.jpg" width="247" /></a>The original Saga is mistaken and misleading in that Cesar Tschudin was not an attorney, did not know M.C. Gregory, had formed a partnership with Elmer Beechler, and, when that partnership failed, simply revived the name "Gale" for his subsequent mouthpieces, as is detailed in the blogs, beginning with <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3289427606687069434#editor/target=post;postID=4755535840984915118;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=21;src=postname" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Part IV</span></a>. And, spoiler alert, Gale didn't die.</div>
<br />gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-1389688393361107272018-07-16T09:20:00.000-07:002019-06-28T09:38:51.996-07:00Vintage Martin Ligatures and Mouthpiece Caps<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">While conducting research on Riffault et Fils and speaking with Bernadette Mimault (the daughter of founder Maurice Riffault) and her husband, Jacques, I also learned a little about the fairly common vintage ligatures and mouthpiece caps marked "M Martin, France." If you have had more than a couple of vintage mouthpieces, you have seen caps and ligatures with this logo. You should be able to click on any picture to enlarge.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsk0McgF_eBumR6dTM6w8CcEjw4WlMUqAnVu52LXLhb7qa7nv9gIXmv_tV2uoq9nizi0bimzagqlGUukKGk1g1XC5SnysplkiK83VLLTMh0Vb9h5rO_NK0lgp5rot3mKO4ew7Av-gaZ8/s1600/Martin+cap+and+lig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1594" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsk0McgF_eBumR6dTM6w8CcEjw4WlMUqAnVu52LXLhb7qa7nv9gIXmv_tV2uoq9nizi0bimzagqlGUukKGk1g1XC5SnysplkiK83VLLTMh0Vb9h5rO_NK0lgp5rot3mKO4ew7Av-gaZ8/s640/Martin+cap+and+lig.jpg" width="636" /></a>These are not, as some claim, related in any way to Martin saxophones.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21osguvNrFZN4wlMj0vfXrMg0YwN23jgVaMFMJgPIoaXvurj3sjuiGCYBmhLcC-i0VlGKUTHRG4EhrYmgyrVaxUv7gmdlKglgZmxLA_5NcVLylAHjetn79St14yCzgYciJLiXqa8hbYo/s1600/Martin+cap+lig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21osguvNrFZN4wlMj0vfXrMg0YwN23jgVaMFMJgPIoaXvurj3sjuiGCYBmhLcC-i0VlGKUTHRG4EhrYmgyrVaxUv7gmdlKglgZmxLA_5NcVLylAHjetn79St14yCzgYciJLiXqa8hbYo/s640/Martin+cap+lig.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes called a "salt shaker" cap, it features three holes in the top, usually some fancy embellishment, and the M Martin logo inside of a diamond (generally a double diamond). They were available in brass, lacquered brass, nickel plate, and silver plate for all size mouthpieces. They are still available in brass and nickel plate, and by special order, in silver or gold plate. That's right, they are still available, although presently without the Martin logo stamped on them. They are, however, available with custom logos, like Selmer, Leblanc, Vito, Buffet Crampon, etc. You have probably seen or owned those as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In order for Riffault et Fils to market it's mouthpieces in France and abroad, they needed to be complete with a properly fitted cap and ligature (and sometimes even a reed). I learned that they sourced their caps and ligatures from Hérouard & Bérnard, a company located close by in Ezy sur Eure, the historical center of woodwind manufacturing in France. Ezy sur Eure became a center because of the abundance of boxwood in the area used to make early woodwind instruments. When the mature boxwood trees were used up, the industry shifted to ebony wood, but stayed in and around La Couture-Boussey (starting about the 1500's, way before the saxophone). I made arrangements to visit the manufacturing site of </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hérouard & Bérnard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's not clear to me exactly how "Martin" became the logo, in part because of the intertwining of the families that were involved in the woodwind industry. I'm talking about local family names like Buffet, Noblet, Thibouville, and Leblanc. "Martin" was one of those names, in fact, Madeliene Martin was a descendant of Claude Buffet. Presumably, Madeliene is what the "M" in "M Martin" stands for. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">From what I've gathered, Rose Buffet (sister of Claude Buffet) married instrument maker Jean Jacques </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hérouard</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> in La Couture-Boussey in 1800. Their grandson, Alfred </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hérouard, born 1866, developed and improved the manufacture of metal ligatures. Their great grandson, Pierre </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hérouard, developed a metal cover </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">(now called a cap) </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">for protecting the mouthpiece and reed. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The company is still run by the great, great, great, great grandson of Jean Jacques <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hérouard</span>, Mr. Robin Chevreteau, making Hérouard & Bérnard France's oldest continually family run woodwind business. I was given a tour by Mr. Chevreteau.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The surprisingly large low-rise factory is right behind this house in a residential area of Ezy-sur-Eure. The home's living room is now the showroom and other rooms have been converted to office space. Mr. Chevreteau explained that it was his grandfather's house and was used as a residence until recently. Given the history of </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hérouard & Bérnard, "recently" may be decades ago.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYg2UeUv8AwIabKng3kAmb9RYSZCgQxhi5PoUUJWLbbyKCydJy_qnuczh1flLgJsmTq4dL_mbLLxwVrqfaT27yz5R1Ccy3wd4khi-13ZyKYSF1TrBcz0uqq_c0HNK_qBVeKeW0nvbLdI/s1600/100_0318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYg2UeUv8AwIabKng3kAmb9RYSZCgQxhi5PoUUJWLbbyKCydJy_qnuczh1flLgJsmTq4dL_mbLLxwVrqfaT27yz5R1Ccy3wd4khi-13ZyKYSF1TrBcz0uqq_c0HNK_qBVeKeW0nvbLdI/s640/100_0318.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Although I don't know exactly how the M Martin name ended up on the caps and ligatures, I know that through some convoluted history, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hérouard & Bérnard</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> continues to fabricate the identical ligatures and mouthpiece caps. </span><br />
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Rolls of brass sheet metal for making caps and ligatures.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpnNUJFAOsr4TGlRpbRg3mvk7y0ON5AQkKYO4YUaDEl0gbqrLbtlMuJsuvbNCq63TT5T_2n3Zl3yUY-j0g9373IXqh8tN1hWucfjTMyyOxxDkw5CLZ_a3Jt_pf6_HLkMTcTWHPABSsGQ/s1600/100_0325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpnNUJFAOsr4TGlRpbRg3mvk7y0ON5AQkKYO4YUaDEl0gbqrLbtlMuJsuvbNCq63TT5T_2n3Zl3yUY-j0g9373IXqh8tN1hWucfjTMyyOxxDkw5CLZ_a3Jt_pf6_HLkMTcTWHPABSsGQ/s640/100_0325.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Cap sheet metal stamped, partially formed, waiting for the "salt shaker" end piece and final brazing.</div>
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The three-hole "salt shaker" end pieces. Each size cap requires it's own end piece, so there were many different sized end pieces.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hadn't really thought that much about metal mouthpiece caps, but the process was way more complicated than I would have imagined. After final brazing, the cap is polished so that the braze line disappears, then lacquered or plated. It was impressive to look at that many perfectly shiny caps, thousands of them, all lined up. I'm used to seeing old tarnished and dented caps that are mismatched to the mouthpiece and ligature.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXk6-rOh238rjDlVbIiGt80mMbGZYYEf5KWlyDRBlL0N5WoUL2W3apuE3eNiOBlN__uYyOxqUKOLPVLg0g4Gh5CBtiPPcCFNz7bJxTRc4uYqNXafCbrBxMJD9H_DMWC8_xczeVZxcbgh8/s1600/100_0327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXk6-rOh238rjDlVbIiGt80mMbGZYYEf5KWlyDRBlL0N5WoUL2W3apuE3eNiOBlN__uYyOxqUKOLPVLg0g4Gh5CBtiPPcCFNz7bJxTRc4uYqNXafCbrBxMJD9H_DMWC8_xczeVZxcbgh8/s640/100_0327.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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These ligatures, minus the screws, appear to be acid etched and ready for nickel plating.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Again, there were thousands of ligatures in all stages of fabrication. I had never thought about how ligatures were manufactured, though I was aware that not ever tenor ligature fits every tenor mouthpiece. Not by a long shot. But seeing the stages of fabrication made it obvious that when a mouthpiece manufacturer like Riffault et Fils, Selmer, or Vandoren ordered ligatures for a certain size mouthpiece, a company like Hérouard & Bérnard could custom fabricate a perfect fit for that model. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A jig representing the mouthpiece is fabricated. The correct size metal strapping band is made and formed around the jig so that the ends leave the right amount of gap. A little metal tube, with one half threaded, is brazed on across the gap. Then the metal tube is cut in half, leaving a threaded piece on one side and an un-threaded piece on the other. That way, it is perfectly aligned to fit the tightening screw. (I always wondered how they got the screw holes between the two sides to line up perfectly.) </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzJdqlXu0QEQ4dquNvlZhLe1aunEskE_tyVQsLaa-yHRAH2JpdicMXGxtst9BE_Hou5zAHH7c80U574SwPt1wEVDBU-SQnBuv_LtH2WBr2wsvrGetg-8fETnTkU-kywGy6tTUZ2mJs8w/s1600/ligature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzJdqlXu0QEQ4dquNvlZhLe1aunEskE_tyVQsLaa-yHRAH2JpdicMXGxtst9BE_Hou5zAHH7c80U574SwPt1wEVDBU-SQnBuv_LtH2WBr2wsvrGetg-8fETnTkU-kywGy6tTUZ2mJs8w/s640/ligature.jpg" width="640" /></a>The flat spot is where the metal tube is brazed on to the ligature band spanning the ends. It is then cut in half on the indentation line, leaving one half with threads and the other un-threaded.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then it's all polished (without deforming the soft brass!), plated or lacquered, quality inspected, and ready for sale. Again, a much more complex and time consuming process than I would have imagined.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And although the stamping, bending, and brazing of the brass sheet metal doesn't sound too complicated, the machines and fabrication parts wear out and have to be repaired or re-manufactured on site. Also, the tiny screws and screw barrels are machined on site with rather complicated CNC machinery. So the facility that produces little ligatures and caps </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">includes an elaborate machine shop that </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">looks like this.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPdCk8crn8EHH4mKGZU-6Kz9n_oIzkdJehsPVlTl5SdltqW3FgmwSPaxOamHOylUS_dMBDgo_s-iVmNZ6PDGnVTJcHumqGpOW7XDH9XvBOvr3D_sdHOk5K7BqdfCipOQL_R3jQJK72KA/s1600/100_0328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPdCk8crn8EHH4mKGZU-6Kz9n_oIzkdJehsPVlTl5SdltqW3FgmwSPaxOamHOylUS_dMBDgo_s-iVmNZ6PDGnVTJcHumqGpOW7XDH9XvBOvr3D_sdHOk5K7BqdfCipOQL_R3jQJK72KA/s640/100_0328.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCt0GSUfw7Mryv4Qmq_gBBXGzbbmzA32sZGJTg5mfiOrbHDPRyn2OC9cGcixyjOP3RsZXwSd3rPJ4wvFAS9QhyphenhyphenSQtLEoLJgQJeBu78qbR2hmAbzJooeoI1nx37W-Znm6Wnio5H7PeDAgI/s1600/100_0329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCt0GSUfw7Mryv4Qmq_gBBXGzbbmzA32sZGJTg5mfiOrbHDPRyn2OC9cGcixyjOP3RsZXwSd3rPJ4wvFAS9QhyphenhyphenSQtLEoLJgQJeBu78qbR2hmAbzJooeoI1nx37W-Znm6Wnio5H7PeDAgI/s640/100_0329.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Although some of the fabrication machinery was state-of-the-art, there remained some equipment that had obviously served it's purpose for a long time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Every item goes through quality control.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7vkoqzbV5GPpEbKBN5iaD21NoOBFLDIC5M9fxGJtEs1N-UEwS6mvDxMStyGi5fPQkT4uQWNHhij5mLpEEDdUq63vuPhrJAdCBH8s74H8cv8ixuBAelZpWN80AQZQzuINspdreSRmqoc/s1600/100_0321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7vkoqzbV5GPpEbKBN5iaD21NoOBFLDIC5M9fxGJtEs1N-UEwS6mvDxMStyGi5fPQkT4uQWNHhij5mLpEEDdUq63vuPhrJAdCBH8s74H8cv8ixuBAelZpWN80AQZQzuINspdreSRmqoc/s640/100_0321.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hérouard & Bérnard has branched out from the original M Martin salt shaker type of cap and two screw ligatures. They are also the licensed producer of Bonade brand ligatures and caps, a line of single screw real leather ligatures similar in style to the familiar Rovner, as well as a line of traditional ligatures available with your custom logo on them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They also manufacture saxophone, clarinet, and flute pads, again an enterprise with a long history. In 1827, a 27 year-old woman by the name of Valantine Chanu started fabricating clarinet pads for the local woodwind industry. Her descendant (grandson?) married Madeleine Martin, later forming the Martin-Chanu company. In 2007, a division of Martin-Chanu was purchased by </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hérouard & Bérnard and they still makes pads for clarinet, saxophone, and flute. They also fabricate resonators, including the on-site injection molding of the familiar brown plastic resonators sometimes referred to as "Selmer style" resonators. (Gosh, I wonder where Selmer gets theirs?) <a href="http://www.martinchanu.com/reference.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The other division of Martin-Chanu continues on with making small precision parts</span></a>, but not specifically for the woodwind industry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Again, the woodwind pad making process is not as simple as I thought. Leather, felt, and cardboard backing are all stamped out on a huge conveyor-belt type of punch.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6gR5C3_BdbpwHpgG8rQPK1iokdaUR-qmSO2ngcyXfvc8RB9X2_wXQL00LFUaQJnXRyr9_aPPAG1Zo6pLjjkIpfLimjVksD4hYXL3bNg0kMv_zwuBXZzs883sTyLJ0gCKGipOBt1Zvhk/s1600/100_0339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6gR5C3_BdbpwHpgG8rQPK1iokdaUR-qmSO2ngcyXfvc8RB9X2_wXQL00LFUaQJnXRyr9_aPPAG1Zo6pLjjkIpfLimjVksD4hYXL3bNg0kMv_zwuBXZzs883sTyLJ0gCKGipOBt1Zvhk/s640/100_0339.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Below, you can see some of the felt and "Martin-Chanu" logo card stock that has been previously punched for various size pads.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAVemA7d1bZ1oY7K-PAQqI5RvcCupqmLbFPYMsJANGVX3RVle_UJCh4N1blsRr3jjHSO22Cgr-vNme-C2XSlN3z7zFEIaO4rK8pTnb_807F-oyMaAxLQy7GlrrRjaH-8iZqrJJFUlU0U/s1600/100_0340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAVemA7d1bZ1oY7K-PAQqI5RvcCupqmLbFPYMsJANGVX3RVle_UJCh4N1blsRr3jjHSO22Cgr-vNme-C2XSlN3z7zFEIaO4rK8pTnb_807F-oyMaAxLQy7GlrrRjaH-8iZqrJJFUlU0U/s1600/100_0340.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-8VuK7rYMoMQYfinmIOUWIbj8qZ2Z6_aQaffQ8gnbmi5f0w3ABRnjQ2sLUG5wJYMoOUV8hG1Hy5qWh3JmqSxuIoL01tYaEcX4Bs1tyfL_rbiMZWp3jZqPv7k2GKansOI01U2S9Rn1zw/s1600/Martin+Chanu+pads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="1032" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-8VuK7rYMoMQYfinmIOUWIbj8qZ2Z6_aQaffQ8gnbmi5f0w3ABRnjQ2sLUG5wJYMoOUV8hG1Hy5qWh3JmqSxuIoL01tYaEcX4Bs1tyfL_rbiMZWp3jZqPv7k2GKansOI01U2S9Rn1zw/s640/Martin+Chanu+pads.jpg" width="640" /></a>A complete line of resonators and rivets, with the "Selmer" style plastic resonator on the bottom left.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I asked Mr. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chevreteau what type of leather they used, he just smiled and said "animal." Okay, I get it. There are some trade secrets involved. I just thought that I would ask.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Each pad is then measured. Even though the pad was stamped out to be a certain size, that is double checked at this work station.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8kfpjuGkmxCA6oieJ9JHXcsn7pgL3Uf1sRRXIrukW8TyhKz2gy6kUOB8WQrYqt3WPvWUZQaaObmyZ1l0XfuFCv-LrRbcan4GyDRzKGYMztgpkDdBCE9vsxFPIZdZmABSmCWs32foDNo/s1600/100_0338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8kfpjuGkmxCA6oieJ9JHXcsn7pgL3Uf1sRRXIrukW8TyhKz2gy6kUOB8WQrYqt3WPvWUZQaaObmyZ1l0XfuFCv-LrRbcan4GyDRzKGYMztgpkDdBCE9vsxFPIZdZmABSmCWs32foDNo/s640/100_0338.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As you might imagine, producing a full line of pads for the full range of clarinet, sax, and flute creates a bit of an inventory nightmare. There were quite a few rows of shelving with bins and bins of pads. In the foreground is the riveting station for adding a variety of different style rivets and resonators.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHSR3Lykwq6P2JjmEwrjyBwCO2bzoYrfU5dlCtvpCSAKEuBatCeKj-T6y5L3PjmCKXPSO92owQoJ643ROy5tuvZUy9Vb4rj-FTfVfNfDaBDAd4rpr0KgZ3akxtPnsc5HQTj-RHZpvzpU/s1600/100_0341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHSR3Lykwq6P2JjmEwrjyBwCO2bzoYrfU5dlCtvpCSAKEuBatCeKj-T6y5L3PjmCKXPSO92owQoJ643ROy5tuvZUy9Vb4rj-FTfVfNfDaBDAd4rpr0KgZ3akxtPnsc5HQTj-RHZpvzpU/s1600/100_0341.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hérouard & Bérnard also produces an extensive line of woodwind neck straps and harnesses, all fabricated in house. (Sorry, no pictures of the sewing machines, etc.) They market the straps under their own name as well as trademarked names that you have probably heard of. One of their models is the <i>Harnais Be Bop</i> that allows the player more freedom of motion than a standard harness (to jump and jive?).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In 2001, Hérouard & Bérnard purchased Riffault et Fils and still produce a line of woodwind mouthpieces in a separate area of the same facility. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zid660V8ozxWaI6gKWQDkte0lCiFz_jhkQ4uP48Rv8vOITkD7udMAT1Mp0lnMIngcHGCHK4tLcTln3hHbHaayq5NBozeDowQw6kxUyaZwHpw3_2C5SxKM3aQ1fgRNL-iV8tYsso_mIY/s1600/100_0333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zid660V8ozxWaI6gKWQDkte0lCiFz_jhkQ4uP48Rv8vOITkD7udMAT1Mp0lnMIngcHGCHK4tLcTln3hHbHaayq5NBozeDowQw6kxUyaZwHpw3_2C5SxKM3aQ1fgRNL-iV8tYsso_mIY/s640/100_0333.JPG" width="640" /></a>Clarinet mouthpiece blanks ready to be hand finished as was done at Riffault et Fils. </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The area has a long history of one woodwind business helping another. Below, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mr. Chevreteau explained, is a worker polishing the ebonite bell piece for a local clarinet manufacturer. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hérouard & Bérnard has all of the equipment necessary for polishing ebonite because of its mouthpiece production. Although this was normally the factory workers' day off, he found somebody willing to work "overtime" and do some fine finish work for one of the local woodwind businesses that purchases H&B accessories. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JJ7cDqH2Exrnan-_clHi6rQyzz1J5CnhryO5kw6bWGRfOeniT83E3FQ_sql12BLjJ-owR3dmGr2R_UZFBX5IRbxEtAzIOfxIUxkcbIbdMr5H_Ri4PhsBbNJ1neRQagzchBwMEi7hp-U/s1600/100_0331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JJ7cDqH2Exrnan-_clHi6rQyzz1J5CnhryO5kw6bWGRfOeniT83E3FQ_sql12BLjJ-owR3dmGr2R_UZFBX5IRbxEtAzIOfxIUxkcbIbdMr5H_Ri4PhsBbNJ1neRQagzchBwMEi7hp-U/s640/100_0331.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Can you guess which French woodwind manufacturer this order of hand-finished clarinet mouthpieces is for?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRQ5yciyHSerUyi1fYjq34G9aydJjvyP9bLWzXH_mdKsZGYbQ6HT13lTyrdkn9ukCYflPnNCVGIomnwmi2OSs15iRLjh2cAEkcS0Z2-WqKK2EAzNZn0ZhXLOTLdekGhupEEQxm82FWQE/s1600/100_0334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRQ5yciyHSerUyi1fYjq34G9aydJjvyP9bLWzXH_mdKsZGYbQ6HT13lTyrdkn9ukCYflPnNCVGIomnwmi2OSs15iRLjh2cAEkcS0Z2-WqKK2EAzNZn0ZhXLOTLdekGhupEEQxm82FWQE/s640/100_0334.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As was traditionally the case with Riffault and Fils, ma<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">ny <span style="text-align: left;">Hérouard & Bérnard</span> mou</span>thpieces go out the door with no embossing. The "brand name" is added by the subsequent wholesale purchaser and then players swear by that brand name.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you want to contact me with information on Riffault et Fils or </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hérouard & Bérnard</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">and not have your comment published in this blog, simply state that in the comment. If you want me to contact you, you will need to include your email address with your comment.</span></div>
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gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-34814950671889205532018-04-03T17:38:00.001-07:002019-06-28T09:34:49.660-07:00Polishing a Vintage Hard Rubber Mouthpiece<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've seen a lot of posts on various saxophone websites about how to clean up an old oxidized hard rubber mouthpiece. Hard rubber, if left in the sun or put under hot water, can quickly oxidized and leave a dull finish. Sometimes leaving a ligature on the piece and leaving it out in daylight can "print" the shape of the ligature on to the mouthpiece. Just look at "vintage hard rubber mouthpieces" on Ebay and you can see what I mean.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The oxidation is often accompanied by a sulfur smell. The smell can be removed without cleaning up the mouthpiece, but I'm going to do both. I know that I can polish for hours with a commercial polish like Simichrome or Flitz to remove the oxidized layer, but that is <i>extremely slow.</i> It is also possible to start with something like 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper (using water) and quickly remove the oxidized layer, but that seems too aggressive. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I decided to try inexpensive fingernail polishing and buffing blocks used by manicurists. Type in something like "nail polishing block" on Ebay and you will see what I mean. They tend to have 4 sides with different grades of "sand paper" (it isn't really sand paper, it's way less aggressive). They are about $1 each and one can do several mouthpieces.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I first tried it just on the beak to see how aggressive the roughest (#1) side was.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmn9-0Gt0so-mx_x4hx_OwJAmutUZwbLzJTWJfK3ndVRc7sS9h_n8_87IkfPscM2W3X9NbCn1xg5o5cUyzfJ6K78_l7l_tfkvAt8gCiAhln0pnwqFhh8lkL4fRcinUYN3kNWKxTZzbqM/s1600/100_0612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmn9-0Gt0so-mx_x4hx_OwJAmutUZwbLzJTWJfK3ndVRc7sS9h_n8_87IkfPscM2W3X9NbCn1xg5o5cUyzfJ6K78_l7l_tfkvAt8gCiAhln0pnwqFhh8lkL4fRcinUYN3kNWKxTZzbqM/s640/100_0612.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I used water here because I was concerned that the little sanding block would load up with ebonite. Turns out that it works better without water.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can see there is some brown residue on the block and the mouthpiece. It seemed to be working.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjGZsUvwUKC78pfEKt61LQRFDW4a98Vze-gCv0jHZ2jnx9A_-Sl6sQJkFXIMLmMn7SWoNR1Hc4VW0IrlaWxGfy9bKuTu31SPl2ryxedcekXS4bk9ehskDxMuvebblTN_zBc7bwZSbB-w/s1600/100_0613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjGZsUvwUKC78pfEKt61LQRFDW4a98Vze-gCv0jHZ2jnx9A_-Sl6sQJkFXIMLmMn7SWoNR1Hc4VW0IrlaWxGfy9bKuTu31SPl2ryxedcekXS4bk9ehskDxMuvebblTN_zBc7bwZSbB-w/s640/100_0613.JPG" width="640" /></a> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I continued to work through the rest of the abrasive levels and finished with #4. Above is a picture where the polisher was only used in front of the ligature lines, so you can see how bad this mouthpiece was oxidized. I can't reface a mouthpiece and have it look like that.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2FJZKx4mNZh72mzbyrQU4S5bCgzRN_FSNpjVzulN-kpazwRGVNSEpZqN2yFUuHpU8ZKdN-0aLpU0O5t9BheebXo4ZwoRcCLyI6fNY2NXfnMHy5DIUsuxaB0LhgByhYqYb_iiX76zWNA/s1600/100_0614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2FJZKx4mNZh72mzbyrQU4S5bCgzRN_FSNpjVzulN-kpazwRGVNSEpZqN2yFUuHpU8ZKdN-0aLpU0O5t9BheebXo4ZwoRcCLyI6fNY2NXfnMHy5DIUsuxaB0LhgByhYqYb_iiX76zWNA/s640/100_0614.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now I'm getting close.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aMs1QZu0v_6Iq5CejQCiDu208dhXGL6QbNKtjCaBfOcRzUE4t0A_rK327NcFYrfjdPxLJA9XfbSd3ZI3nn6JRLS79YnKZyIUAnhKjtY8Gb5gzRHqLWJ7RG0txQ3PMZSZ1jV3t7lnILk/s1600/100_0615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aMs1QZu0v_6Iq5CejQCiDu208dhXGL6QbNKtjCaBfOcRzUE4t0A_rK327NcFYrfjdPxLJA9XfbSd3ZI3nn6JRLS79YnKZyIUAnhKjtY8Gb5gzRHqLWJ7RG0txQ3PMZSZ1jV3t7lnILk/s640/100_0615.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I couldn't get the block in to the spot right in front of the bulb on the shank. I'll have to use a string there. But overall it worked just fine. I still think that finishing with Simichrome will really get this to shine like new. And, the sulfur smell is gone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After going through all of this with the fingernail polisher, I took out my old bottle of Brasso. Yes, the bottle says that it is for brass, copper, stainless, aluminum, etc. All metals. How does it work on ebonite? Very, very good. It contains ammonia (so don't drink it) and a very mild abrasive. The label says to avoid contact with skin and to wash it off of your hands if you get it on yourself. That being said, I've never had any reaction to it. You will see it quickly remove the brown oxidized ebonite, which will stain the polishing clothe (to the point that it can't be washed out). So use a rag. And wash off the mouthpiece before using it (quick rinse in cold water and dry it off). It will not remove scratches, only the brown oxidized layer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To keep it shiny, and prevent it from oxidizing again, I recommend wax. There are lots of food grade waxes, like the black wax used on some cheese (although you might get a funky smell again). I prefer to rub it down with plain old wax paper. It is definitely food grade, but getting harder to find.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After all of this experimentation, I tried Brasso polishing compound. It appears to be a mixture of kerosene and clay. While it isn't anything that you would want to put in your mouth, it sure works. Just make sure to wipe it clean when you are done polishing. I've tried washing with cold soapy water after polishing a mouthpiece and even that can make a dull finish reappear. Now I wipe really good and then use black food grade wax to seal it.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-83376331367600470892018-04-02T19:10:00.001-07:002021-02-20T08:51:54.614-08:00Removing a tooth gouge from a hard rubber mouthpiece<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Just a short blog on tooth gouges. They are quite common on older student pieces. Children, like kittens, have sharp teeth. Sometimes it ruins the piece. More often, it just looks bad. If the mouthpiece is a good vintage blank, and many of them are, we need to get rid of the gouges as part of the refacing project.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Here is a fairly common vintage mouthpiece that is often sold on Ebay as a "Meyer blank." It isn't, but making that claim drives the prices up. Not that this is a bad blank, but it only looks identical to a Meyer on the exterior. The chamber is <i>slightly</i> different. Maybe better? Don't tell a Meyer fan that.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">It cost me $13. Anyway . . .</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYS99HlemRHE_rM78NREtgIKhjp2B_fjDImdOWaGD0V-WDKo2dQ9nlW9VwGYNA50qzqO0oWya0nvsvYgQGAGRBVysjpGuOgaD0TAKacy61FP-CATGOzh1q5m5mpBfh0aaSsloG75AMgsA/s1600/103_0046.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYS99HlemRHE_rM78NREtgIKhjp2B_fjDImdOWaGD0V-WDKo2dQ9nlW9VwGYNA50qzqO0oWya0nvsvYgQGAGRBVysjpGuOgaD0TAKacy61FP-CATGOzh1q5m5mpBfh0aaSsloG75AMgsA/s320/103_0046.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">You can see the teeth marks left by the young weasel, I mean, student. Below is a better look once I have roughed up the beak with a file.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BpJePOb8zPhbdqmSG1LPYEuy7uQIg8dBPVigwdNQIGYLsPxh4Il-EaXGYdLejvnnggwI279ad69gJME6Wl8PAyRaun3RP_I5fjxb8B4m0F-tcg73Musb3U_fl3OXOWBcqPhDQUG3ap8/s1600/103_0047.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BpJePOb8zPhbdqmSG1LPYEuy7uQIg8dBPVigwdNQIGYLsPxh4Il-EaXGYdLejvnnggwI279ad69gJME6Wl8PAyRaun3RP_I5fjxb8B4m0F-tcg73Musb3U_fl3OXOWBcqPhDQUG3ap8/s320/103_0047.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">There are a couple of things to watch for in this process. First, make sure that you have enough thickness to work with. I could tell from the first picture (and the picture on Ebay), that the gouge was cosmetic. It is possible to measure the beak thickness at the gouge with an outside caliper if you are in doubt. Just put one leg tip in the hole and the other inside the chamber. Chances are you will have more than 2 mm, which is plenty of thickness to rework the beak.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The second thing to watch for is the thickness of the tip right at the tip rail. I intend to open up the tip a little as part of the refacing and I will need that thickness. So what I am doing is making a little bit of a "duck bill" shape to the beak. If I use a flat file, it will likely reduce the tip thickness. I have to use a half-round file and make sure to stop my strokes before I get to the tip. I won't end up with a uniform slope, like a door stop, but it doesn't matter. Some vintage pieces have a scoop shaped beak and it doesn't matter. In fact, it can be an improvement.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-m7motDzU6vP0H_Efbg01q3czE0-0sviTRFojCoDc_ZmEgIik8xiBxjpKcc1UIVGKm_GlA1w7CBv0fOHFXvMPJ37McyyqybTCBZ5tR3cAO4LmUdcSxF9iyfCGbB06yoD7eIjnqXJi50/s1600/103_0048.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-m7motDzU6vP0H_Efbg01q3czE0-0sviTRFojCoDc_ZmEgIik8xiBxjpKcc1UIVGKm_GlA1w7CBv0fOHFXvMPJ37McyyqybTCBZ5tR3cAO4LmUdcSxF9iyfCGbB06yoD7eIjnqXJi50/s320/103_0048.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">You can see my half-round file (actually, a rasp) with ebonite in the teeth. The depth of the rasp scratches are about the same as the remaining tooth marks, so it's time to switch to a finer file. As I remove the rasp marks, I will take it down to the depth of the gouge, and that is all I need. I don't need to rasp until the tooth gouge is completely gone and then change to less aggressive filing.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymtEh8_VW34TpVx0DjcuTMDHQlOUohAcuWiA0lVtuDmMUwPfMQ2j2WoZks7hDZBIQCu4my8ApqqXo_t6Gpoz_9R8ia9cm8eYosJgwNt_Jc_yglfxTUUKXkgGmWBmg019JbaEg25fESbw/s1600/103_0049.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymtEh8_VW34TpVx0DjcuTMDHQlOUohAcuWiA0lVtuDmMUwPfMQ2j2WoZks7hDZBIQCu4my8ApqqXo_t6Gpoz_9R8ia9cm8eYosJgwNt_Jc_yglfxTUUKXkgGmWBmg019JbaEg25fESbw/s320/103_0049.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I have now moved to 400 grit paper. If you look closely (click on the picture), you can still see a tiny spot remaining from the deeper of the two gouges. That will disappear when I move on to 600 and 1500 grit paper. Then it is polished and the beak is as good as new. <a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/05/how-mouthpiece-material-matters.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Maybe even better</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Besides cosmetics, there is another good reason to remove tooth gouges. The depth of the gouge shown in the original picture tells us where the prior owner was "locked in" to a playing position. That isn't likely to be the position that we want to be "locked into." In fact, the original player probably didn't want to be locked in to that position. If the player decided to take in more or less mouthpiece, either because of improving his embouchure or just temporarily for a certain sound, he will find that the gouges will take him back to the original position.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Getting rid of gouges can be more than cosmetic.</span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-11049542605568997492018-03-20T11:30:00.001-07:002020-01-16T12:26:55.523-08:00Oh no, I dropped my saxophone mouthpiece!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It happens to everybody sooner or later. I put two mouthpieces in my shirt pocket, one with a cap and one without. Then I picked up a box. It didn't happen because I leaned over. I know that one. It happened because as I lifted the box up against my chest, it pushed a mouthpiece up and out of my pocket.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Guess which one fell out? The one with the protective cap? No, of course not. I heard the distinctive sound of a nice hard rubber mouthpiece clattering across the floor. This blog is just to show you what can happen. It didn't shatter or break. In fact, at first I thought that everything was okay. I get a lot of mouthpieces in that look "good" that really aren't. They have been dropped, or knocked around in a case with other items and the lay and tips may look okay to the naked eye, but under magnification there are issues.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you have read anything about mouthpiece facings, you know that the lay is generally fabricated by measuring in thousandths of an inch. My bouncing mouthpiece messed things up by more than a thousandth of an inch.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid10UbCoZUA92p2Hlsz4Fg-Ad3zWjpuh4Py9X5pDX9XFzPPkrW-lEldNY3bRcw8q-6zJmGTG4_GivW_JdzJGgDJLCUSWfIoeByIkWlK38BpHUNnGPkPvA9TQ75PoczbCq2_GOusU2LckI/s1600/103_0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid10UbCoZUA92p2Hlsz4Fg-Ad3zWjpuh4Py9X5pDX9XFzPPkrW-lEldNY3bRcw8q-6zJmGTG4_GivW_JdzJGgDJLCUSWfIoeByIkWlK38BpHUNnGPkPvA9TQ75PoczbCq2_GOusU2LckI/s640/103_0035.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can see that the tip has been pushed in on the left hand side. It has raised the tip edge up to the point where it won't seal correctly on that side. There is also the same issue on the other side. It looks like, as it bounced on the floor, it came down a few times on the tip.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhST-Jd8uye5iSmw6B7hl_Q-VX1GMc9nSLO8MlzQe-vLFbqeYykhf1GNGpV74gVLbd6zuGkCOcP4LTPVTFVkzfBJGnJ-Zxkksk-OoUsq4Rz1WZyx4rXwYjVTdFkdgxaxr2o2-3vbxNXcTw/s1600/103_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhST-Jd8uye5iSmw6B7hl_Q-VX1GMc9nSLO8MlzQe-vLFbqeYykhf1GNGpV74gVLbd6zuGkCOcP4LTPVTFVkzfBJGnJ-Zxkksk-OoUsq4Rz1WZyx4rXwYjVTdFkdgxaxr2o2-3vbxNXcTw/s640/103_0042.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In fact, it appears to have bounced three times on the tip in order to get these deformations. Left, right, and center right. Another possibility is that it already had one or more of these issues prior to falling out of my pocket. That is why you need to put a mouthpiece cap on even when the mouthpiece is safely in your case.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXS_PfWijSVP8t9sW3RMGkkYCck-mpOqbRq0dXdJ9NL2g2pCuInxSG57E2z_dZBVJcH2XSjBrluZIog_-jm8mpmNjZDamwGXRfRnegm1_ri1lmqS-WkEzcLnO6O424e9U16uGWZN6IYQg/s1600/103_0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXS_PfWijSVP8t9sW3RMGkkYCck-mpOqbRq0dXdJ9NL2g2pCuInxSG57E2z_dZBVJcH2XSjBrluZIog_-jm8mpmNjZDamwGXRfRnegm1_ri1lmqS-WkEzcLnO6O424e9U16uGWZN6IYQg/s1600/103_0036.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But wait! There's more. Hard rubber can dent <i>and fracture.</i> It has a crystalline structure that is soft enough to be dented (like the embossed name on some hard rubber mouthpieces), but if given a hard whack it can also shatter. Just above the deformation on the left tip rail shown above is a light spot. I could see under magnification that this spot is a "chip" of missing material. The way that it was struck on the edge removed some material, much like "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIRdJVt1ryE" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">pressure flaking</span></a>" to make an obsidian arrowhead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">While all of this looks bad, its actually very, very common to find mouthpieces in a similar condition, often with the player never realizing that the tip is damaged. Here is a picture that a friend sent me, asking if this was a manufacturing characteristic of this mouthpiece.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdVxD-rwCeE8yB7Vn8yxvUBvPA5Nfjy_GoGRM8EgYdFFYcQ7xigszaKpaQOg9XFpb0hLla792Xb_3jizljebBO1oQgmsiYrGojrJC9qZ6ZKLrleMSAxJWJyGQsqJcjaRvYTOCzpyyqrE/s1600/thumbnail_Gregory+Master+tip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="814" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdVxD-rwCeE8yB7Vn8yxvUBvPA5Nfjy_GoGRM8EgYdFFYcQ7xigszaKpaQOg9XFpb0hLla792Xb_3jizljebBO1oQgmsiYrGojrJC9qZ6ZKLrleMSAxJWJyGQsqJcjaRvYTOCzpyyqrE/s640/thumbnail_Gregory+Master+tip.jpg" width="488" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nope. It's just a vintage mouthpiece that has lived a long and active life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The deformation ridges can be pressed back in to place by rubbing the piece on a glass surface. It is similar to putting a lay on the piece, but without using any sandpaper. If the distortion is serious (and mine is), then I would probably use 1500 sanding paper and carefully remove them and rework the tip rail. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or, now is a good time to bump up the tip opening a step (or a half step or quarter step). This is the mouthpiece that I was working on in another blog (making a Selmer Airflow from a vintage blank), so I will just rework the entire lay. But when I say "quarter step," I mean that there is nothing special about the common mouthpiece tip opening numbers (5*, 6, 6*) claimed to be in .005 inch increments (.085, .090, .095). A .091" tip opening plays just fine <i>if it fits the lay curvature</i>. Believe me, you won't be able to tell the difference. It requires the same amount of work (or maybe more) to change from .090 to .091 as it does to change to .095. But if you are thrilled with the piece and just want to clean up the minute damage, a .091 tip opening won't cause the sky to fall.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-90881243464357538522018-01-16T11:47:00.002-08:002021-02-20T09:07:52.688-08:00A Vintage Mouthpiece Resuscitation<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I sometimes buy ugly mouthpieces off of Ebay. Ugly mouthpieces, if the seller includes good pictures, sell inexpensively and I don't really care if the tip is chipped or there are scratches in the chamber from using a brush or something that causes this:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpx1XyGukZC7IxCtnhLL1bA5jIvh5CG_1VoaklN97XnUF7BivSAjYmoMTKWtoNUFO7iygH2JC0K3RG_brlRcOM0_b2RK0WeV36Ngt4q4V-aanS3cVPinh_Ms737vdvKWF9E65VbnnMlhI/s1600/100_0366.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpx1XyGukZC7IxCtnhLL1bA5jIvh5CG_1VoaklN97XnUF7BivSAjYmoMTKWtoNUFO7iygH2JC0K3RG_brlRcOM0_b2RK0WeV36Ngt4q4V-aanS3cVPinh_Ms737vdvKWF9E65VbnnMlhI/s640/100_0366.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I don't know what caused this, but it looks like this mouthpiece was repeatedly cleaned with a nail. I had never seen a chamber that was so torn up.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">This mouthpiece was obviously attacked with really course sandpaper.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmgWd5oRNQEBgO_7qxctRjyV2CBnQwskhyphenhyphenVnhRhGhgUMbKl94RiGGL-AR2DLtuXMpK5vAVXaDhkWMZwkumhS6gnoTxTZbKYNcIIzyJnDtgwCgfM08twkMuu95BO6JIKAL0yal2vhE01Y/s1600/100_0361.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmgWd5oRNQEBgO_7qxctRjyV2CBnQwskhyphenhyphenVnhRhGhgUMbKl94RiGGL-AR2DLtuXMpK5vAVXaDhkWMZwkumhS6gnoTxTZbKYNcIIzyJnDtgwCgfM08twkMuu95BO6JIKAL0yal2vhE01Y/s640/100_0361.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Or maybe it was dragged across a cement sidewalk in an attempt to alter the facing curve.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Beginning at the ligature line, a "new" facing curve was rasped on to this Riffault alto mouthpiece. Here is a close up of the "workmanship."</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_FKlXtDOnu9olx6PqOCNArsm4o7DCYB5EltN-LD57OOsHr32MPa-JNoECFc1-qLYSwRqlDSuaSm46CgsrgTgh37pPukZG43us1fO4Mrt74cdCdlWO-O81Pig3mrtUt6u32NtmnHeA-g/s1600/100_0365.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_FKlXtDOnu9olx6PqOCNArsm4o7DCYB5EltN-LD57OOsHr32MPa-JNoECFc1-qLYSwRqlDSuaSm46CgsrgTgh37pPukZG43us1fO4Mrt74cdCdlWO-O81Pig3mrtUt6u32NtmnHeA-g/s640/100_0365.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The table was also violated, and the artisan's spasmodic alteration continues on to the mouthpiece shank.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojtF-Wad0yhy8IOJR879aHbZ6QKn32hHDwIIcuZHQGYmGl7YqT0pQiT9yX5MggAtV1nttWfKIfTygdqeaml0-YZqaurRIKyHgJzcT1j8WAgVTucmjEnc9knjY90nOpBZATnyLPWGgV8A/s1600/100_0362.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojtF-Wad0yhy8IOJR879aHbZ6QKn32hHDwIIcuZHQGYmGl7YqT0pQiT9yX5MggAtV1nttWfKIfTygdqeaml0-YZqaurRIKyHgJzcT1j8WAgVTucmjEnc9knjY90nOpBZATnyLPWGgV8A/s640/100_0362.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I suspect that it was not a person who modified this, but rather, a chimpanzee. None of the pictures on Ebay showed this damage when I purchased it. It was simply a vintage hard rubber alto mouthpiece with a nice brass cap and ligature. I recognized it as a Riffault and spent $25. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Be careful when buying an old vintage mouthpiece as a "carcass" to work on. $25 is okay with a nice ligature and cap. That way, after you put a new lay on the piece, you know that you have a ligature that fits and a cap that protects your new work. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Keeping a cap on a vintage hard rubber piece is very important. Little nicks and dents to the rails and tip will effect how it plays. It also protects it from ultraviolet damage. You can polish off discolored areas with some difficulty. A brown residue will be left on your polishing cloth. Undamaged (black) ebonite will not leave a residue. This should tell us something. Brown discolored ebonite is softer than undamaged ebonite. You might not see sun damage on the rails and tip, but it's there, possibly making the area softer. Keep a cap on it <a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2018/03/oh-no-i-dropped-my-saxophone-mouthpiece.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">as discussed in this blog</span></a>.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">When shopping for a carcass, don't buy something like this!!! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqwLbft3LKGGRmk1CBOrF_xJfyjCjiT5bWYvYDziJwubVXq-nHmM-tNwCNbLvc6s3PkKevspptumTpnEv29I-nfL8EIDdof3MtlPsM3Dyldg4WRzzG45qZLECOMHarFx_SqR-X1rNNNg/s1600/103_0017.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqwLbft3LKGGRmk1CBOrF_xJfyjCjiT5bWYvYDziJwubVXq-nHmM-tNwCNbLvc6s3PkKevspptumTpnEv29I-nfL8EIDdof3MtlPsM3Dyldg4WRzzG45qZLECOMHarFx_SqR-X1rNNNg/s16000/103_0017.JPG" /></a>Yes, Dau-Han bought generic mouthpieces like this one from Riffault. Yes, they are not common (I think that they may have been a small Eastern European distributor). This is not a Dau-Han mouthpiece. Dau-Han stamped their logo on the mouthpieces that they distributed. This is the exact same mouthpiece as my $25 Riffault. Don't pay $300 too much, plus $3 too much on shipping.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Back to my $25 Riffault mouthpiece. The damage to the shank will be hard to correct, but the rest of it doesn't matter that much, as I was intending to reface it anyway. The goofy table and lay will make that a little more difficult at the beginning.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">How goofy is the table and lay? First, I slide my .0015 inch feeler gauge under the mouthpiece while it is face down on my granite bench top. That tells me instantly the approximate length of the lay and whether it is straight. This should be good.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFCqdKhnb5C-JlrlpiqQlRBmeM4xysk5slert8-uKV3ylAQ5dlNVNCk7ADcG8yXk7pBGBqiUin3Fsp15Rdog_wfbBL5LHuVqT9vUq17tCdLe0D1Bc6tEG7qsnjVJ0DrQKQeKAp7z5dYw/s1600/100_0360.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFCqdKhnb5C-JlrlpiqQlRBmeM4xysk5slert8-uKV3ylAQ5dlNVNCk7ADcG8yXk7pBGBqiUin3Fsp15Rdog_wfbBL5LHuVqT9vUq17tCdLe0D1Bc6tEG7qsnjVJ0DrQKQeKAp7z5dYw/s320/100_0360.JPG" width="320" /></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eu tenho um pepino no banco de trabalho!</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; outline: none;"> That's a crooked facing.</span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">As you would expect from the pictures, it is a mess. I've never seen a mouthpiece this bad before. Here goes.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">First I need to flatten the table. Because it is such a mess, I'm going to start with aggressive 220 sandpaper.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQ4mk-bmlzl6w09u64_RTWwQ-zx7hz36eGL_flLllWgPdudhYl1Ln6kWQ5bh3t4wpnenPsmNLu4oeu16SW3K8Kd_N_Wz9AIW8itTwFe7KlW-5t_2hudPHSD7JQvhwWYTE5w63Wv37x_4/s1600/103_0001.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQ4mk-bmlzl6w09u64_RTWwQ-zx7hz36eGL_flLllWgPdudhYl1Ln6kWQ5bh3t4wpnenPsmNLu4oeu16SW3K8Kd_N_Wz9AIW8itTwFe7KlW-5t_2hudPHSD7JQvhwWYTE5w63Wv37x_4/s320/103_0001.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I used the outside calipers to measure the thickness at the back edge of the table and the thickness of the beak. It's not really necessary, but just gives me some figures to work with. As we have already seen from picture #4, the prior owner has ground down the back of the table near the shank just about as far as possible. Still, it is possible to flatten the table.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUibEJJTSFL8IPSXakhN2tlC1S_iSnbacEtJsP1HeT7yIa3EsWXqgJKCAxIxjMJVbbp7L4qWRvsqhoP0wRwDYmT60HkKWaQ9Ogg5gXzxsGxN_w3EzEP_FyQIvGdXfO1CgKGWnrOe_2X_s/s1600/103_0002.JPG" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUibEJJTSFL8IPSXakhN2tlC1S_iSnbacEtJsP1HeT7yIa3EsWXqgJKCAxIxjMJVbbp7L4qWRvsqhoP0wRwDYmT60HkKWaQ9Ogg5gXzxsGxN_w3EzEP_FyQIvGdXfO1CgKGWnrOe_2X_s/s640/103_0002.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here is the table cleaned up and flattened, but look at the "take off point" for the lay curvature! A normal take off point is much further towards the tip, about 1/3 down the window opening.</span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Getting the table flat is not enough. I'm going to have to work the table flat and make a decent "take off point" for my lay. That means the table has to be flat past the window opening (about 1/3 of the window length). That is doable, but when I flattened the table, I ended up with a tip opening of approximately 1.20 mm or .047 inch. That's the smallest Riffault made for alto (<a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/12/riffault-woodwind-mouthpieces-you-have.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Riffault tip openings are shown in this blog</span></a>). This piece started out as a Riffault 3 (1.45 mm) before the horrendous modification. I'm forced to start by going backwards.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8i_ttlJGWU9TR_hGB1viOJgZrDv9FMo9yenSldZxQykm_ZG4x7VtBcnLI2nfpR25PCKpTVzrNO_r5jfgzazZdU8yeyAijwTufKgiuZFwXIdH6vLqqfE5iExrqahAUPcXLhjsLlUYu9is/s1600/103_0003.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8i_ttlJGWU9TR_hGB1viOJgZrDv9FMo9yenSldZxQykm_ZG4x7VtBcnLI2nfpR25PCKpTVzrNO_r5jfgzazZdU8yeyAijwTufKgiuZFwXIdH6vLqqfE5iExrqahAUPcXLhjsLlUYu9is/s640/103_0003.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUibEJJTSFL8IPSXakhN2tlC1S_iSnbacEtJsP1HeT7yIa3EsWXqgJKCAxIxjMJVbbp7L4qWRvsqhoP0wRwDYmT60HkKWaQ9Ogg5gXzxsGxN_w3EzEP_FyQIvGdXfO1CgKGWnrOe_2X_s/s1600/103_0002.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Once the table is flat and long enough, I have to start thinking about the tip. But not the entire tip. Before I open the tip back up to something that is usable, this is a good time to clean up the baffle and chamber. It is a disaster. As are the side rails. Now is the time to clean up the inside and then I can put the lay on and not have to mess with the interior very much. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzUeFmO0TFXjMoAZsX8_TlHt37Km9GhpVicVLzcYZHiziqaCSZTJ6JTssFK2PbDWukUQNy6l_hbfCpK6URso6Et7bYRnmlDT-s3IzL0bnwkWzXW_TDy1EAXV39TGf_0oKJtBMCg36XQoo/s1600/103_0004.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzUeFmO0TFXjMoAZsX8_TlHt37Km9GhpVicVLzcYZHiziqaCSZTJ6JTssFK2PbDWukUQNy6l_hbfCpK6URso6Et7bYRnmlDT-s3IzL0bnwkWzXW_TDy1EAXV39TGf_0oKJtBMCg36XQoo/s320/103_0004.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Here is a purpose made "specialty tool" for cleaning up all of the gouges on the inside. It is a thin strip of waterproof emery paper glued on to an old reed that was split into thirds (old cane reeds are wonderful to have on the workbench. Since I now use synthetic reeds, I'm using up my old cane reeds as sanding tools and glue applicators). </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I use plenty of water so that the paper doesn't load up with dust. Repeated rinsing of the sanding tool tends to loosen the contact cement that I used, but I can generally get by with two of these tool per mouthpiece chamber work. The first one (shown here) is 320 grit and the second finishing tool will be 600 grit. The paper extends past the sides of the split reed, and that allows me to finish the chamber right up to the side rails.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WCbWuIpyTK4t8AvkZDg0qjbjCR3hx1w-dr6vNkfPHVR_PmC44_oLwlyoWYxP2GXJknI2wJGxc_LfJ9Uwde9wIxBbAmMzEqe5OkTenq4cvm8-TmNY8H9U0wN0OD-7qxtnWP-p4mpzw2E/s1600/103_0005.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WCbWuIpyTK4t8AvkZDg0qjbjCR3hx1w-dr6vNkfPHVR_PmC44_oLwlyoWYxP2GXJknI2wJGxc_LfJ9Uwde9wIxBbAmMzEqe5OkTenq4cvm8-TmNY8H9U0wN0OD-7qxtnWP-p4mpzw2E/s320/103_0005.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Here it is with the big gouges polished out of the chamber and the rails cleaned and straightened a little. I still haven't really done anything to the mangled tip rail.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSmc3TI6ijmaEZXEMSs1gCPJseAKyhJd0g9CZ2NyGsb-lArL3DoUK5sMwwxKek55Z9FHBKkcFzYJO-TfBhdMQr9r0x6rgAINnqnJDC1HoCxIuP6oXWgDIAL56cScYBQrdsCPZ4pwhxwA/s1600/103_0006.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSmc3TI6ijmaEZXEMSs1gCPJseAKyhJd0g9CZ2NyGsb-lArL3DoUK5sMwwxKek55Z9FHBKkcFzYJO-TfBhdMQr9r0x6rgAINnqnJDC1HoCxIuP6oXWgDIAL56cScYBQrdsCPZ4pwhxwA/s400/103_0006.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">You may have seen this aspect of mouthpiece refacing in my other blogs (which also show how to measure your progress). What looks like a contour line inside is simply where I used my finger to clear some dust out of the chamber and get this picture of the tip rail. Nothing has been done inside yet other than cleaning up the big scratches. I'm putting on a curve from a vintage Meyer 6.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iGpzfJWG5nfPeYe-SHjMyoWH62rFJ_YIw2904ZxGFpDKxo3xlpu8U2K0BVJBSf4vtLLV4y1-aGF0p0UrohmQfy_fpwgoykwJ1OwaO3nKNAaRnFMruCmhwx4iAjVCduOHp-RLwSmL-Vw/s1600/103_0007.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iGpzfJWG5nfPeYe-SHjMyoWH62rFJ_YIw2904ZxGFpDKxo3xlpu8U2K0BVJBSf4vtLLV4y1-aGF0p0UrohmQfy_fpwgoykwJ1OwaO3nKNAaRnFMruCmhwx4iAjVCduOHp-RLwSmL-Vw/s320/103_0007.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Now that I am closer to getting the curve that I want, I can go back and do a preliminary finish on the baffle and tip rail. Here, I'm keeping the baffle higher than on a vintage Meyer.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7tfCK1TmzCQ2Yv2QAHRKZ9nqt9n_vGI_AjeI_hFZtjwTSQv2RmB_4w_m2J7BznP9McShaetpyaA1s1C5P2BAvQML1xgixtGtzKio7WJX2pJNwwMxNjNZylY6jEnfgZYlNZ9iQkw03uo/s1600/103_0008.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7tfCK1TmzCQ2Yv2QAHRKZ9nqt9n_vGI_AjeI_hFZtjwTSQv2RmB_4w_m2J7BznP9McShaetpyaA1s1C5P2BAvQML1xgixtGtzKio7WJX2pJNwwMxNjNZylY6jEnfgZYlNZ9iQkw03uo/s640/103_0008.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Still working on the lay, I usually have to go back and forth a few times between getting the right lay and reworking the tip rail and baffle. Here, the tip rail is thinner, but I know that I'm still a little bit shy of putting on the final curvature and tip opening.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">A little more finish work on the lay and the tip rail ends up a little wider again and needs some touch up. But I now have the lay that I want and the micro thin tip rail (below) common to vintage Meyers.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Finally, things line up and everything gets polished. There are still a few residual gouges from whatever was done to the inside of the piece (a faint white line on the right hand side), but I'm not going to worry about internal cosmetics too much. A $25 mouthpiece, two hours of labor, and <i>NOW</i> it's worth $1,325. Unfortunately, even cleaned up and playing wonderfully, it's probably only worth $60 on the open market, unless somebody gets a chance to play it first. That's generally how I sell my pieces. Other players try them.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">If you want to try playing something like a vintage Selmer <i>Air-Flow</i>* or Rico <i>Gregory</i>, here is your chance at 1/10th the cost. This Riffault now has more baffle than most vintage pieces but, if I reduced it, there is no going back (other than sticking goop on the inside to create a baffle). I hate sticking epoxy and stuff inside to make a baffle. All you are doing is putting a baffle in a piece that has a lay that you like. Buy a piece with a baffle and put the same lay on it! There is never a reason to have a baffle booger stuck inside of your mouthpiece!!</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I have some other blogs on facing junker mouthpieces. It is surprising how often I find that they are junkers only because of bad facings. Even a <a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2013/12/refacing-saxophone-mouthpiece-hot.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">plastic Selmer <i>Goldentone</i> can make an interesting piece when it has a new facing</span></a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">* I'm referring to an actual Selmer <i>Air-Flow</i>, not the ones often misrepresented as Selmer <i>Air-Flows</i> on the internet. Selmer <i>Air-Flows</i> are actually easy to identify. They are stamped "<i>Air-Flow."</i> How convenient, right? But sellers often claim that models prior to and after the <i>Air-Flow</i> model are also <i>Air-Flows</i><i>.</i> Here is the model that preceded the </span><i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Air-Flow</i><i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">.</i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I don't think that Selmer gave it a name, but it has a wire-banded shank. Maybe a Selmer <i>Wire-Band</i>?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAc9LsjdBpjsGZJEd57Janb6YWDw5Ce-137MS-dSKp1SSrQa1lShTDquQPskJVQK5Q-4X9yEOCHsBx2156biy-pPCrMAtlZF2J5UinUgEkfosI7uVS9u3OdtJ1Nhw4Aal1gEp4UviaCT0/s1600/Not+really+AF.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1200" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAc9LsjdBpjsGZJEd57Janb6YWDw5Ce-137MS-dSKp1SSrQa1lShTDquQPskJVQK5Q-4X9yEOCHsBx2156biy-pPCrMAtlZF2J5UinUgEkfosI7uVS9u3OdtJ1Nhw4Aal1gEp4UviaCT0/s320/Not+really+AF.jpg" width="320" /></a>This is one of the "later" <i>Wire-Band</i> models. A tenor.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DT3uonFHGFvIp-TutR1UAzWTKttA5nbJ1RktUTPSJ_Wx1koem5P3AerYL5CKdvs8kk9boVn1CY-nSzpElTpCufyQbFaEUDrDJl234-onC3b8IIlexhgkkqoMcDlO17FjTNAudC63pRo/s1600/Oldest+not+really+AF+tenor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DT3uonFHGFvIp-TutR1UAzWTKttA5nbJ1RktUTPSJ_Wx1koem5P3AerYL5CKdvs8kk9boVn1CY-nSzpElTpCufyQbFaEUDrDJl234-onC3b8IIlexhgkkqoMcDlO17FjTNAudC63pRo/s400/Oldest+not+really+AF+tenor.jpg" width="300" /></a>Here is an older one with a really generic Selmer stamp. By "old," we are talking 1920's and earlier.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaxPRCDg1FWlGLDF0DpE3EXTjjsHbJXyN9sa2Dkd0Jxum_F4faRMi2KrFtVpK0ZkKc4uQlQi5AdK_TJ-L7DAeXD1ua7HpF7MgB3MPSiZ1reqIjgGrTS2EGhBnzgXNTvqSUCAwdV-eIKQ/s1600/Not+really+AF3+chamber.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="1200" height="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaxPRCDg1FWlGLDF0DpE3EXTjjsHbJXyN9sa2Dkd0Jxum_F4faRMi2KrFtVpK0ZkKc4uQlQi5AdK_TJ-L7DAeXD1ua7HpF7MgB3MPSiZ1reqIjgGrTS2EGhBnzgXNTvqSUCAwdV-eIKQ/s640/Not+really+AF3+chamber.jpg" width="640" /></a>These had giant chambers similar to the largest offered on the Rico <i>Gregory </i>Model A. The baffle work looks suspiciously modern on this piece, but the lay designation on the table is still present, so I don't know if it is original. The lay on a real <i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">Air-Flow</i> was not indicated on the table.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XO0evGHerHeLmUZal3jbqlJxMSEedC7IoEujcgyh1jR6G25sEKoNuSb78GIHgOeZ8-x-jDuUahHE8GNjNzcVAP9eD1anMPXRrBMkaCTAE3S5VcHI5cU5eQeh14AK2D9_11E2QRr3gWY/s1600/tenor+with+band.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1195" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XO0evGHerHeLmUZal3jbqlJxMSEedC7IoEujcgyh1jR6G25sEKoNuSb78GIHgOeZ8-x-jDuUahHE8GNjNzcVAP9eD1anMPXRrBMkaCTAE3S5VcHI5cU5eQeh14AK2D9_11E2QRr3gWY/s640/tenor+with+band.jpg" width="478" /></a>An actual Selmer <i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">Air-Flow</i><i>.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9KTTSuxuTpP_6-YfklYOylzXp0ff1VV066vgYjEgyv7DkTtz6_eexBt6lszbHEF0fyq4nO3gTm9zjDwEj38mu7mSNI3JMb4nyywrVYbCzcw9EPs_pOpTx3XtBugJ9srP02aUkHpHbUU/s1600/Tenor+band2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1195" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9KTTSuxuTpP_6-YfklYOylzXp0ff1VV066vgYjEgyv7DkTtz6_eexBt6lszbHEF0fyq4nO3gTm9zjDwEj38mu7mSNI3JMb4nyywrVYbCzcw9EPs_pOpTx3XtBugJ9srP02aUkHpHbUU/s640/Tenor+band2.jpg" width="478" /></a>The <i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Air-Flow</i> did not have the lay and chamber information on the table. It has a serial number on the side. It also has an M20 facing. These are kind of rare and I don't know if anybody has taken the time to try to determine how that designation compares to the similar Rico Gregory mouthpieces. Did Selmer offer chamber sizes on the <i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Air-Flow</i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">?</span></div>
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How do we know that the above mouthpiece is a real Selmer <i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Air-Flow</i>? Because it says so. Some of the mouthpiece websites discuss the Selmer <i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Air-Flow</i> while showing pictures of the earlier <i>Wire-Band</i> and the later <i>Scroll-Shank</i>, neither of which are correct. The <i>Scroll-Shank </i>does have a similar chamber (smaller than the older <i>Wire-Band</i>) but it is obviously from a different mold and therefore unlikely to have the same chamber plug. The two models share a round or "peashooter" rear chamber, as do many mouthpieces, including the Rico <i>Gregory</i>. In fact, the <i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Air-Flow </i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">disappeared just at the time the strikingly similar Rico <i>Gregory</i> appeared. That is really interesting considering the early 1930's business relationship between Selmer and Roy Maier (later of Rico Products).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8DYSV9OnCJdMH6TLMJy06gCv6uwwkpb-k-ZgzvFtw6B2C-ElTu35Z5yv0LXYQpN1QlgAdbFYtzLga1QbXAeaLBSAsRbtkI12sCkBwr-pvpukyLx1BSEH19Jj-nEESPQazt5EXFerRHQ/s1600/Selmer+scroll+shank.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="573" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8DYSV9OnCJdMH6TLMJy06gCv6uwwkpb-k-ZgzvFtw6B2C-ElTu35Z5yv0LXYQpN1QlgAdbFYtzLga1QbXAeaLBSAsRbtkI12sCkBwr-pvpukyLx1BSEH19Jj-nEESPQazt5EXFerRHQ/s320/Selmer+scroll+shank.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Above is the later "not an </span><i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Air-Flow</i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">". Since it doesn't say </span><i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Air-Flow</i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> anywhere on it, I'm going to call it a <i>Scroll-Shank</i> and leave the model name </span><i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Air-Flow</i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> to those mouthpieces that Selmer designated as </span><i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Air-Flow. </i><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-20549770433009283132018-01-07T09:29:00.010-08:002023-01-15T11:46:30.015-08:00Making Your Own Otto Link Slant Signature Mouthpiece - Part 3<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I am assuming that you have already found your official Otto Link Slant Signature blank, as discussed in <a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/12/making-your-own-otto-link-slant.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Part 1</span></a>. And you have already made your official Otto Link Slant Signature ligature, as discussed in <a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2015/05/making-your-own-vintage-otto-link-tone.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Part 2</span></a>. You probably now have $40-50 invested, so you have already saved about $1,200. You will also need the materials used <a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2013/12/refacing-saxophone-mouthpiece-hot.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">in my blog about refacing a mouthpiece </span></a>(mechanic's ruler, feeler gauge set, sandpaper).</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">First, we start with a butt cut to both open the tip (without yet removing tip material), reduce the table thickness, and make sure that the table is flat. Take a look at this picture and notice that one of the butt cuts on these No Name Early Babbitt (NNEB) blanks lowered the rear of the table such that there is a nick on the shank bulb. It's only cosmetic, but it doesn't look right and I try to avoid this. A really real Link <i>Tone Edge</i> has a shank shape that helps avoid this issue.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKfsDIVAn2pM3tmUrEpFVRB59-eghdid1hQ4A_4yikQn2Mu42915nRiUhUJK1UEYTxR5kKVZZNWiBXW8akj1gesPj1JlsfmsnchWP1lYF-BHaF6NF_Vmfeo9fySAw7sEnB6V3_7xZWEM/s1600/Penzel+003.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKfsDIVAn2pM3tmUrEpFVRB59-eghdid1hQ4A_4yikQn2Mu42915nRiUhUJK1UEYTxR5kKVZZNWiBXW8akj1gesPj1JlsfmsnchWP1lYF-BHaF6NF_Vmfeo9fySAw7sEnB6V3_7xZWEM/s640/Penzel+003.JPG" width="480" /></a>The butt cut on the center mouthpiece was deep enough that the area just prior to the bulb was nicked. It isn't generally necessary to go this deep. The shank shape of a "real" Otto Link Slant Signature makes this issue easier to avoid. Maybe that's why it costs $1,200 more than our homemade Slant Signature.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Here is one way to avoid nicking the shank bulb when doing a butt cut. Wrap the bulb with a couple layers of masking tap. When it gets scuffed from the sandpaper, you have gone as far as possible.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_ubiBJNtPPqdIGoWWyIm3joeRdxKKs_EZRyK9TKesmrw5oQQ2sbVYvbFOVpeJesY6569dd5r0E3OgiPV42cz5WUzfutCyL66JQafI6aesNh_qJFUhI8rSJbfMN0zhcbCLdYG_3QTUvw/s1600/103_0021.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_ubiBJNtPPqdIGoWWyIm3joeRdxKKs_EZRyK9TKesmrw5oQQ2sbVYvbFOVpeJesY6569dd5r0E3OgiPV42cz5WUzfutCyL66JQafI6aesNh_qJFUhI8rSJbfMN0zhcbCLdYG_3QTUvw/s320/103_0021.JPG" width="320" /></a>Getting close to the maximum butt cut.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dqNNHP4w6BtGYTXhqnX7uocDOsynweDzbTch-E1vzdZFyBfjzD9FqbJ2jJbDUDJQCQtA1Nnke1oGLjO7i9e8_b-mdZn84afdpjYD4Z989aGSB9bmxcFe9-bMe3K_TXxnymg9gec_Z4E/s1600/103_0029.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dqNNHP4w6BtGYTXhqnX7uocDOsynweDzbTch-E1vzdZFyBfjzD9FqbJ2jJbDUDJQCQtA1Nnke1oGLjO7i9e8_b-mdZn84afdpjYD4Z989aGSB9bmxcFe9-bMe3K_TXxnymg9gec_Z4E/s640/103_0029.JPG" width="640" /></a>The tip of the mouthpiece hasn't been touched yet. This is a .024 feeler gauge. Based on what I see here, I can work the tip from a .070 to a .095 without ending up with a sharp tip or a radical change in the baffle.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">After modifying the beak thickness (see <a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/12/making-your-own-otto-link-slant.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Part 1</span></a>) and the butt cut, we are ready for our facing curve. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">To make an official Link Slant Signature, we will need the official numbers. This is the most difficult part. In fact, it might be impossible. Not because it is difficult to copy official facing numbers onto our blank. It is difficult because, unfortunately, the facing numbers do not exist. If you go to various websites and look at Otto Link tip openings, you might find some approximate agreement, but that is just the tip openings and not curvature numbers. Unfortunately, there isn't any agreement on exact Link curvatures. </span><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">In fact, there also isn't any real agreement on even the tip openings. What? But, you say, there are tables on the internet that show what a Link #7 tip opening is!! Yes, somebody posted something and others have copied it, and you have an official tip opening. But if you go back and do historical research, you will find advertising copy that says a Link #5 is "open" and nothing more from Link himself. You will also find that there is no agreement in the early measurements on what a Link #5 measures. Official standardized Link tip openings only came about when enough people copied a certain table most often. So tip opening charts are "internet truths."</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">On the table below, Mr. Eric Brand measured the vintage tenor Otto Link Tone Edge #4 as being 1.67 mm (.0657 inches). One of the common charts nowadays shows a tenor Link Tone Edge #4 as .075 inches (1.905 mm). It is really quite a difference. This isn't just a translation error between millimeters and inches. It likely means that the sizes on the side of the vintage mouthpieces only generally indicate the tip opening. Sort of like Link indicated in his advertisements of the era. A #3 was closed, #4 was medium, #5 was open, etc. The assertion that Link tip openings were in increments of 5/1000ths of an inch was made up by somebody other than Mr. Link. Otto probably knew that by stating an exact measurement he would be called out on this one, so he <i>never made the assertions</i> that are now made in every tip opening chart. And he knew, based on his claims of hard rubber "eburnation," that saxophone players can swallow a lot of bologna. <br /></span>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">We could assume that the oldest tip opening and facing numbers that we can find are the most likely to be the "correct" vintage numbers. Many Slant Signatures have been modified or touched up so, if we use the newer numbers, how can we be sure that we are using "real" vintage Slant Signature numbers to make our "real" Slant Signature? </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Here are the oldest numbers that I could find. These are from a 1938 publication written by the famous mouthpiece refacer Mr. Eric Brand. He provided these lay numbers for a Link #3, 4, and 5. At the time, the largest Link tip opening was the #6 "Hawkin's Special" at .090", but that was a <i>huge </i>tip opening that was ridiculously large and beyond what most players need or can handle.* </span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">At the bottom of the page above are the 1938 Brand facing numbers for Link hard rubber mouthpieces. You don't <i>have to use</i> Otto Link numbers on your Slant Signature. In fact, as we will see in a moment, any vintage Link mouthpiece that has been refaced no longer has an actual Link facing or a Link baffle. So the facing numbers shown above for the first Rico mouthpieces (often called <i>M.C. Gregory</i> mouthpieces) and others will work on a NNEB. But be careful if using the numbers shown above. Mr. Brand did not use the feeler gauge thicknesses that are now considered "standard" and there are obvious errors in the lay numbers that he provided.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So what the heck do all those numbers mean? It is all explained in the publication. The bottom number is the tip opening in hundredths of a millimeter. Right away, there is something odd. At the top of the page are the numbers for the Otto Link metal tenor (the vintage <i>Tone Master</i>). At the bottom of the page are the numbers for the Otto Link rubber tenor (the vintage <i>Tone Edge</i>). The tip opening is the bottom number in each column. A <i>Tone Master</i> #5 has a 198 mm (.080 inch) and a <i>Tone Edge</i> #5 is 170 mm (.067 inch). So the table shows a considerable difference in tip openings between a Link metal #5 and a Link rubber #5 mouthpiece. Is the table wrong? Probably.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Below is another table from a 1940 Selmer catalog featuring information on quite a few brands and their tip openings. Let's compare a few. In the chart, the Link rubber 5* has a tip opening of .0729 inches. The Link metal 5* has a tip opening of .0768 inches. Nowhere in the modern tables found on the internet will you find a difference between rubber and metal Link tip openings. And nowhere will you find tip openings going out to an alleged accuracy of four </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">digits, 1/10,000 of an inch</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">. Which tables are wrong? It is probably safe to say "all of them."</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_bAFHOfkvxsK3KUaa3eWJer2Re4Dp8akKVieCHTePFgF5dn85XDNxvnTCZpWWOl9sjTIgEz33Yxjz-5y414S5eUrAnSK8I_OGVzAKx8zH12jEwP06ruJ1E1cz8Y6pqW07brFA5NSQUg/s1600/1940+Link+Selmer+tips.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="388" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_bAFHOfkvxsK3KUaa3eWJer2Re4Dp8akKVieCHTePFgF5dn85XDNxvnTCZpWWOl9sjTIgEz33Yxjz-5y414S5eUrAnSK8I_OGVzAKx8zH12jEwP06ruJ1E1cz8Y6pqW07brFA5NSQUg/s640/1940+Link+Selmer+tips.jpg" width="473" /></a>Visit the <a href="https://www.saxophone.org/museum/publications/id/705" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">saxophone.org museum for this catalog</span></a> at page 63 for a clearer picture.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Working up the columns in the 1938 publication from the tip opening are what we now call "Brand" numbers, named after Mr. Eric Brand. These indicate how far up a glass ruler a particular feeler gauge would slide, <a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2013/11/mapping-woodwind-mouthpiece-to-examine.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">as in this blog</span></a>. We are going to run into more problems using these numbers. Mr. Brand says that you won't need a feeler gauge larger than .050" because you won't have a tip opening much larger. Even on a vintage baritone Link <i>Tone Master </i>mouthpiece (bottom right hand corner), the Brand number for the .050 feeler gauge is the last measurement provided. Also note that although the #4* baritone has a larger tip opening than the #4, every feeler gauge slides in further for the #4 facing. Not likely.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Times have changed. These old tip opening numbers are like having 15" tires on your pickup truck. Nowadays, we need at least 22" wheels. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfArDoTcsbND3jMVZY7YH8pFN7ghVzxHdq5wY2aYQtq-talEcUU0z3JHIzMaJ_0LojFO4NscVfjlFv6XGhMfahGfrLkrFgGVYsOq95LGaeWP8zoMsaCmXrG19P7IPqEybItwhAmKZUYws/s1600/Bigfoot_Monster_Truck.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="800" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfArDoTcsbND3jMVZY7YH8pFN7ghVzxHdq5wY2aYQtq-talEcUU0z3JHIzMaJ_0LojFO4NscVfjlFv6XGhMfahGfrLkrFgGVYsOq95LGaeWP8zoMsaCmXrG19P7IPqEybItwhAmKZUYws/s320/Bigfoot_Monster_Truck.jpg" width="320" /></a>Remember, bigger is better and nothing is too stupid.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">We will have other problems working with these old Brand numbers. Look at the Otto Link "Rubber Tenor" numbers for the 4 and 5 tip in the 1938 publication. A number 4 tip opening is 1.67 mm. A number 5 is 1.70 mm. <i>But the lay numbers given for #4 and #5 tip are identical!</i> That would mean that the only difference is that the Link #5 takes an odd bend only right at the tip (like the baritone 4* numbers). The same oddity occurs in the metal tenor lay numbers, where a 3 tip (.058 inch) and a 4* tip (.066 inch) have the same Brand number for the final (.050 inch) feeler gauge. If you plot these numbers out on a graph, you will see that it is unlikely that they would produce a workable facing curve. Are these numbers wrong? Probably.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I think that we are going to have to resort to another source of Brand numbers for creating our real fake vintage new Otto Link Slant Signature <i>Tone Edge</i>. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">But first, look at the numbers provided above for the Rico tenor in 1938 (Rico mouthpieces were dropped from the 1940 catalog). At the time, these were the <i>M.C. Gregory</i> model mouthpieces (<a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-gregory-mouthpiece-saga-part-iv.html" target="_blank">Mr. Gregory being one of Rico's employee</a>s). Some of the Brand numbers are given as + or -. I would guess that these mean the same as a finish carpenter calling out "Eight feet four and a three eighths inches, <i>strong</i>." Or "A <i>skootch</i> over eight feet four and three eighths inches." For all of the other Brand numbers, "whole numbers" (which are actually .5 millimeter increments) were sufficient. The + and - designations were just to give a little bit more accuracy, and not make believe accuracy like measurements to 1/10,000th of an inch.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">We have to admit that we don't have a clue as to what the Link Slant Signature "Hawkin's Special" numbers are. Mr. Brand supplies curvature lays up to a #5 tip opening with an accuracy of only .5 mm increments. For larger tip openings, we don't really know. I've measured some pieces and they don't agree sufficiently to say exactly what are and are not official "Slant Signature" numbers. And then there are fine old Slant Signatures that have been refaced or touched up over the years. These are always claimed by their owners to have been improved over the original Link facing. There is also the effect of the mouthpiece wearing over time, sometimes from oxidation of the ebonite (<a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2019/12/vintage-saxophone-mouthpiece-rescue-26.html"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I'll link to the blog when written</span></a>).</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">It is certainly possible that a later refacing improved an original vintage Link facing. If you enter the old Brand numbers shown above into a computer spread sheet and produce a graph, you will see that those facing curves (allegedly original) are not perfectly smooth. In fact, some are a little lumpy, which doesn't mean that vintage Link's were intended to be lumpy. It is possible, of course, that a particular "lumpiness" is the trait that distinguishes a Link <i>Tone Edge</i> tenor from say a Rico <i>M.C. Gregory</i> tenor. There are different types of curves, most of them defined by algebraic formulas, but I have not found where "lumpiness" is a trait used by present day mouthpiece facers in describing their goal.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">If you are reading this blog, you probably have access to a computer and, therefore, the ability to generate your own official "Link Slant Signature" numbers. With that in mind, here are some different numbers from the excellent website <a href="https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/MouthpieceWork/info" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">"Mouthpiece Works"</span></a> provided by master mouthpiece facer Keith Bradbury. These numbers comprise a "computer aided" curvature and are given to the nearest 1/10th "Brand number," which would be 1/20th of a millimeter. As we have seen, Mr. Brand did not attempt this accuracy in his 1938 facing numbers. The exception might be the Rico line of mouthpieces for which Mr. Brand had numbers like 34+ and 10-, which would mean a "smidge more" than 34 and a "touch less" than 10. Brand was a well known and respected mouthpiece facer, so maybe that gives us a clue as to just how accurate the facing numbers need to be. Or, maybe, he was holding back on the super-secret numbers. Whatever. The Mouthpiece Works site gives us computer aided measurements in 1/20th of a millimeter instead of a skooch or a smidge.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Here are the numbers from Mouthpiece Works (more facings available to those who join the website). These are for a #6 Slant Signature "Hawkin's Special," which at the time of the early Slant Signature, was the largest Link tip opening at .090 inch. As it turns out, these are basically identical to the measurements that I get from measuring my own original vintage Hawkin's Special. And since our goal is to make a <i>real</i> vintage Otto Link Slant Signature <i>Tone Edge</i>, a #6 tip opening is as big as we can go. If anybody tries to sell you a Slant Signature with a tip opening larger than .090 inch, you now know that the mouthpiece has been ruined (according to Coleman Hawkins and Otto Link).</span><br />
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<td class="xl65" height="17" style="height: 12.5pt; width: 40pt;" width="53">45.0</td>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Instead of the 5 numbers given by Mr. Brand, Mr. Bradbury gives us 9 numbers and a computer graph for interpolation. Those are the numbers that I will use on my vintage NNEB Slant Signature. Starting at the top, after making sure that the table is flat, I create a lay so that the .0015" feeler gauge slides in 22.5 millimeters or a Brand number of 45. That is usually called the length of the facing. The next gauge thickness is .005" inserted to a Brand number of 39.6. A .010" gauge to 34.6. .016" gauge to 30.1. .024" gauge to 25.3.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">If you are using a standard mechanic's set, you may not have the next thickness of .035. Simple enough. That measurement requires the use of two side-by-side blades, the .017 and the .018. Next we need .050, so we add .015 to .017 and .018. Then we need .063, which is again three blades stacked, the .020, .021, and .022. Next we need .078, so we stack four blades, .018, .019, .020, and .021. This is what would be done to come up with larger measurements if you were to go beyond a vintage Slant Signature (which seems to be the thing to do recently).</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Keeping stacked blades as accurate as possible requires cleanliness and careful alignment (<a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2013/11/mapping-woodwind-mouthpiece-to-examine.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">some of which is covered in this blog</span></a>). You can achieve the accuracy of Otto Link and Eric Brand using the vintage mouthpiece facings shown above, but you won't be able to assert that your facing accuracy is to the billionth of a millimeter or 1/10,000 of an inch, as some will claim that they accomplish in their facing work. I'm going to write a blog on how to increase the accuracy of your feeler gauges and (<a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2019/01/modifying-feeler-gauges-for-accuracy.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">when this shows up as a blue hyperlink</span></a>) will link to it in the future.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Depending on the tip opening that we are starting with, our tip rail might become quite wide when putting on the new Link curvature (one reason to start with a butt cut when flattening the table). Below is a narrow tip opening changed to a new curve. I don't worry too much about what the actual tip opening is, in fact as we have seen, it tends to not matter very much, the accuracy of the curvature being way more important.** Any tenor piece that has a nice facing curve and a tip opening between .070 and .120 plays okay for me. (I still have the .135 tip opening shown below and it plays surprisingly easy. A huge tip opening is nothing special or difficult to play if the curvature is correct).</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Reed choice makes a difference, but if the curvature is proper for the tip opening, the only obvious difference that I find between small and large tip openings is that the smaller tip openings can choke closed when I play at volume and the larger tip openings tend to "blat" when played at volume. Some players use harder reeds on small tips to get more "wood" sound and some players play softer reeds on large tip openings to get more "blat." It's the player's choice. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">¡Aye, caramba! Look at that tip rail. This is not one of my DIY Slant Signature projects using a NNEB. I was just messing around taking a vintage .060 tip opening to a .135 tip opening (on a Buffet Crampon mouthpiece). As you can see, it's not just the tip rail that gets wider, the side rails gain width and are further apart. There is a huge amount of chamber work and even exterior shaping required to get this thing back into shape. Yet another reason to not go crazy with your new tip opening. Most vintage NNEB pieces are in the .070 range and going to .090 (Link 6) is all you need (unless you need bragging rights).</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Now, what to do with a sharp tip rail. It really shouldn't look anything like the one shown above and below. Maybe something with about half that width. Even still, you may have reduced the thickness of the tip and created a sharp edge like this.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; white-space: pre-wrap;">Христос на велосипеде</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">!</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; white-space: pre-wrap;"> That's a sharp tip! </span>Keep in mind that this is still my gigantic tip opening change as shown above. Often times, a NNEB has enough material on the tip so that it isn't necessary to reshape the area. It will be thinner, but not necessarily as sharp as this one. This one has to be rounded off.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Here it is rounded off. I've read a few places that this will affect the tuning of the piece because it is now shorter. Ignore those claims. I have actually shortened the above piece by 1.5 mm and I will soon increase the chamber by a tiny amount when I rework the baffle. So it might tune .035 MHz sharper (or flatter). The mouthpiece might have to be placed differently on the cork .4 mm further (or .4 mm less) in order to tune. If you are still worried, <b><i>you should not be reading this blog</i></b>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KTda5NsusW8cYCws06mIihWN9PeZeqUpBGWSMM5vU12vlul3YKo0Ze4vysKasYsvD_cDV9j16HzO5k-lNnvdHuA-I6V1qEqsT4EWSKHRaUND1QoQCijcOYyyVjrXtALVOX59TwEPSIU/s1600/102_0045.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KTda5NsusW8cYCws06mIihWN9PeZeqUpBGWSMM5vU12vlul3YKo0Ze4vysKasYsvD_cDV9j16HzO5k-lNnvdHuA-I6V1qEqsT4EWSKHRaUND1QoQCijcOYyyVjrXtALVOX59TwEPSIU/s640/102_0045.JPG" width="640" /></a>Keep an old reed handy so that you get the shape to fit your choice of reed (although your choice of reed might change after some play testing of your new old real genuine fake vintage Slant Signature). A perfect matching of the reed curvature is not required, but it should conform to both the inside and outside of the tip rail.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7SVlVvHHxbfQBhPLLBr6cJvKwxN7uO9jfzKWRFL0b09I-ZplqE756ztITmRqjIl1Kst0IOkTTIMw1vWWwZhjX1PdsQUieGjjl9LqneOTNz3qen_uxsUENURqWi3TnMXm3dBwpsgHgRw/s1600/100_0030.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7SVlVvHHxbfQBhPLLBr6cJvKwxN7uO9jfzKWRFL0b09I-ZplqE756ztITmRqjIl1Kst0IOkTTIMw1vWWwZhjX1PdsQUieGjjl9LqneOTNz3qen_uxsUENURqWi3TnMXm3dBwpsgHgRw/s640/100_0030.JPG" width="640" /></a>With this huge tip rail, I started with a riffler file to create a baffle while reducing the width of the rail. </div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I have shown my favorite method for finishing the tip rail in other blogs. I use a razor knife like this.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qN7856KfUGtL2B3wG3sZhT6a8XXrJvoP58DCRBJLzPo_oXrAirxHfaafhFonIuRk0q7v6cwxELWJxC8Vpj18uonILedgucT5I_1Tt5TvhDPqFHJrRRwxXJYhropE-x0MAgIgCSSKb14/s1600/102_0056.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qN7856KfUGtL2B3wG3sZhT6a8XXrJvoP58DCRBJLzPo_oXrAirxHfaafhFonIuRk0q7v6cwxELWJxC8Vpj18uonILedgucT5I_1Tt5TvhDPqFHJrRRwxXJYhropE-x0MAgIgCSSKb14/s640/102_0056.JPG" width="640" /></a>Reducing the tip rail width and forming the baffle by scraping side-to-side with a razor knife. Using the right amount of pressure is required to reduce any "chattering," which leaves tiny grooves that have to be cleaned up. It also requires some skill to get the tip and rail intersection correct.</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The vintage Slant Signature has a tiny roll-over baffle. It actually doesn't look like a baffle at all compared with most modern pieces. But they do tend to be more prominent than you will likely find on your stock NNEB. That little extra baffle and the little bit larger tip opening is the secret, <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2014/03/vintage-hard-rubber-mouthpieces-which.html" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">assuming that you know how to eburnate the rubber on your NNEB blank</a></span>. I'm just kidding.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">You will have a little choice in choosing a baffle style after opening the tip. Smoothing out the one I've started above is about all that is required if I am making an official vintage Slant Signature. I simply get the tip rail shaped the way that I want and then scrape so that the flat area that I have made rolls down into the chamber (play testing along the way). If you make the tip opening larger than .090 inches, as in a later Link <i>Tone Edge</i>, then you can make a larger baffle, as was done in the <i>Vibrator</i> piece in <a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/12/making-your-own-otto-link-slant.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Part 1</span></a>. Of course, you could just buy a later <i>Tone Edge</i>.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">In addition to the blanks noted above as starting points for making a Slant Signature, this <a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-acousticut-saxophone-mouthpiece-and.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Acousticut</span></a> also works great. Also this model of Bundy, made by Babbitt using the <a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-stencil-mouthpiece-hoax-part-2.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">alleged "Dukoff/Zimberhoff" blank</span></a> (which might also have the identical "Link" chamber). Because of the Bundy name, these sell for hundreds less than the same chamber on a Dukoff or Link. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl49K8z0oJ9XPs2e-UoOdu-DWkHFDfYuzNjiiqCZOklAVuMzECo3ohqphek_Rc3-fMkJyZSD_h6btaV6JNUegAFcoKqZwV1ux1_-8pELyi5nSkgPo0Jh-RQ27U1dZIQbatWwT67s18dJA/s1600/Bundy2+bab.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="998" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl49K8z0oJ9XPs2e-UoOdu-DWkHFDfYuzNjiiqCZOklAVuMzECo3ohqphek_Rc3-fMkJyZSD_h6btaV6JNUegAFcoKqZwV1ux1_-8pELyi5nSkgPo0Jh-RQ27U1dZIQbatWwT67s18dJA/s320/Bundy2+bab.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShLNq5AOrrZVran_GqFgf6vKz6h6m__mzh5n3GyJQVawEZnxC8X0C8_sfLVSKsr1tgXIZjZKnqdqb4nH8z90uTxi5y3B73OBFwwr4efxZqOFIc4PFXIKDv3BOlD5sQk0NyOdjSqnPQZY/s1600/Bundy3+tip.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="974" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShLNq5AOrrZVran_GqFgf6vKz6h6m__mzh5n3GyJQVawEZnxC8X0C8_sfLVSKsr1tgXIZjZKnqdqb4nH8z90uTxi5y3B73OBFwwr4efxZqOFIc4PFXIKDv3BOlD5sQk0NyOdjSqnPQZY/s320/Bundy3+tip.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Bundy chamber.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Below is a No Name Early Babbitt that does have a name embossed on it. These came standard with the Martin Handcraft up until 1942-43, when Martin changed to a flat sidewall style of chamber for the new Martin Centennial. The Handcrafts tend to be a little more expensive than the NNEB pieces that I showed above just because of the name stamped on them. This one was $41 with shipping. That is the most that I've ever paid for a vintage Link chamber. But, it is very clean and I play a <span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/01/1939-martin-handcraft-tenor-rebuild.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Martin Handcraft</span></a> </span>tenor</span>, so I had to have it for making a real fake official new vintage Otto Link Slant Signature <i>Tone Edge</i> disguised as a Martin Handcraft.*** </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlmsHCN2LjZ9_y0JITOrjDNTmPPI-FgUReZ9bsyCqtOarHuHYUU4L7Pi2w1hZIBj4X_myjpMmiqESBzT8in-dFrLMNDEq0ML-I3kqrwN-CC9dWGQv3EXlSqn6w6kNMO1P9-IptidvQig/s1600/view+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="999" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlmsHCN2LjZ9_y0JITOrjDNTmPPI-FgUReZ9bsyCqtOarHuHYUU4L7Pi2w1hZIBj4X_myjpMmiqESBzT8in-dFrLMNDEq0ML-I3kqrwN-CC9dWGQv3EXlSqn6w6kNMO1P9-IptidvQig/s640/view+3.jpg" width="640" /></a>The Martin shield.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-egCOGNJ5UFZrswYniaPJvspgork1emEAtilrDMvF29csX3t7ASqbn3h37TFI0-gq49LceQ3pwJS1JFnSZaQQ_wH0COMV-SwXYbBPKumAWcXwOVaNU2Snla5dVdfcsM-L0-aJz-Qq2Y/s1600/view+4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="999" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-egCOGNJ5UFZrswYniaPJvspgork1emEAtilrDMvF29csX3t7ASqbn3h37TFI0-gq49LceQ3pwJS1JFnSZaQQ_wH0COMV-SwXYbBPKumAWcXwOVaNU2Snla5dVdfcsM-L0-aJz-Qq2Y/s640/view+4.jpg" width="640" /></a>Tiny baffle.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DVRMJ2sdxF_n0tzXmwWZo30DaEgZFfesOXR6FUq9K9EdgGSf_344Uh3LAqF7Y9LJJstgQQlKLfHOWjTV_Igw3DpzQUSnH1CnK-Y5Li0HNaSYmXTk1Tm_a_0ulWHmh_LagDtJYS2bUNw/s1600/view+5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="999" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DVRMJ2sdxF_n0tzXmwWZo30DaEgZFfesOXR6FUq9K9EdgGSf_344Uh3LAqF7Y9LJJstgQQlKLfHOWjTV_Igw3DpzQUSnH1CnK-Y5Li0HNaSYmXTk1Tm_a_0ulWHmh_LagDtJYS2bUNw/s640/view+5.jpg" width="640" /></a> Tiny #2 tip opening.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcxON2w6dJi4xkE8N8MBw_ON7E_XFLPR0aoL7YtFfklHDg4_N3JOv-sec95f9PfpNjEV26kmo2OoOObAX5nvovE0NPKt-4YXNfgaA_a86_ugXhruDci_tGmp9FxmmNTZfeJ5gfnGSuDk/s1600/103_0020.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcxON2w6dJi4xkE8N8MBw_ON7E_XFLPR0aoL7YtFfklHDg4_N3JOv-sec95f9PfpNjEV26kmo2OoOObAX5nvovE0NPKt-4YXNfgaA_a86_ugXhruDci_tGmp9FxmmNTZfeJ5gfnGSuDk/s640/103_0020.JPG" width="640" /></a>The super secret real vintage Otto Link Slant Signature tone chamber.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwaWMq6TPWMhFnoPpDm1UNjZN-2gOZxO09oUmowokWJGRrgYMaB2TkLCr1VGCXn14zhIEPiQTTgCWgArQ6WdCAV7c73qfD2Va8YNUGnqfAGIK42BYP53w-ikglOinWrOPQIrmMowzD0lo/s1600/103_0018.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwaWMq6TPWMhFnoPpDm1UNjZN-2gOZxO09oUmowokWJGRrgYMaB2TkLCr1VGCXn14zhIEPiQTTgCWgArQ6WdCAV7c73qfD2Va8YNUGnqfAGIK42BYP53w-ikglOinWrOPQIrmMowzD0lo/s640/103_0018.JPG" width="640" /></a>Or maybe this is my super secret Link Slant Signature tone chamber? It is actually the second one, but you have to flip it over and read the embossing to differentiate a Link Slant Signature from the Martin Handcraft shown in the first picture (or the Bundy and many other NNEB mouthpieces.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">With a new facing, I'll have Martin Handcraft on the outside and vintage Otto Link Slant Signature on the inside. The difference right now is that the Martin has a #2 facing. That measures a .058 inch opening with a Brand number lay of 45.5. That is an extremely long lay for such a tiny tip on a tenor mouthpiece!! For comparison, the smallest vintage Link <i>Tone Edge</i> tenor opening (in the 1930's) as shown in the table above was a 3* at .061 inches (later changed to .070 on modern Links) and a lay number of 43. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2LOFHCdssQbG3-PwcRjLhyqRy9iCJovddl6qcaz2XOKLSeIH8q_fkQ63mEP2ZshpSBwbLKvhMaEvMUHasD7W-y8YaTR2SwhCed4iTnNQDfdnginMSgXclnWhf1zDC75hqYxP1qJ-vqQ/s1600/100_0368.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2LOFHCdssQbG3-PwcRjLhyqRy9iCJovddl6qcaz2XOKLSeIH8q_fkQ63mEP2ZshpSBwbLKvhMaEvMUHasD7W-y8YaTR2SwhCed4iTnNQDfdnginMSgXclnWhf1zDC75hqYxP1qJ-vqQ/s640/100_0368.JPG" width="640" /></a>I took careful measurements on the original Martin Handcraft mouthpiece.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Above is a graphic representation of the curve on this old Martin mouthpiece. The yellow line is curve created by the Brand numbers given earlier for a vintage Link #6. The green and blue lines are the left and right rail of my vintage Martin Handcraft carcass. The original lay is too long and, even worse, the curve is too "flat" because too much material has been removed in the middle of the curvature. This is the type of lay that is easy to play at low volume and with little character. Perfect for a beginner. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">There is a problem with the blue and green lines overlapping. That means that the table tips one direction, then at about the .010 feeler gauge they are even, then the lay tips the other direction all the way to the tip. This is definitely going to add "resistance," though not necessarily in a good way. The lay remains steadily "off kilter" for a long way, making the mouthpiece perfectly playable, but maybe uninspiring. Keep in mind that for this mouthpiece (and many, many others) this is the first time it has been subject to such exact measurement. I would be surprised if it received more than 5 minutes of personal attention during the application of the initial lay. I just spent 20 minutes measuring and graphing the lay.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Even with a #3 reed, the Martin Handcraft closed right up as soon as I tried to get any volume. I would need to find a #7 reed to actually play the old Martin #2. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Instead, I'll just turn it into a $41 genuine vintage Otto Link Slant Signature Hawkin's Special <i>Tone Edge</i>. The Martin will require a slight "butt cut" that will both shorten the lay and bring the middle of the curve (usually the .024" and .035" feeler gauges) down enough so that I can copy the facing from my original Slant Signature #6. Since one rail was consistently higher than the other, I also canted the table <i>slightly</i> as I flattened and made my butt cut.</span></div>
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<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFNPZ1fQCeoSnHPb61HNKQr2INV68ZTJcqlOj9h-z9JLEYIuacEwq_qnJqIB93HGB0PnjjaOzEPnBh1gm54rNnuDxZU0iMf4AvBFDGd36QXSnmEE-oI7VIAqeJy0_GGErOPAN3WkqgUA/s1600/103_0019.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFNPZ1fQCeoSnHPb61HNKQr2INV68ZTJcqlOj9h-z9JLEYIuacEwq_qnJqIB93HGB0PnjjaOzEPnBh1gm54rNnuDxZU0iMf4AvBFDGd36QXSnmEE-oI7VIAqeJy0_GGErOPAN3WkqgUA/s640/103_0019.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">They will still look very different on the outside. Notice that the Handcraft has a shorter, and therefore steeper beak. I am not going to modify the thickness of the beak on this piece, so it will always have different playing characteristics even if the lay and chamber are identical. Although the inside shank bore meets the chamber in the same place on both pieces, the Martin has a shorter exterior shank. Therefore it will slide onto the cork differently, i.e., not as far. It will <i>look like it tunes differently based on the cork placement, </i>but actually you will be placing the chamber and tip distance in the identical location. It is the chamber volume and tip distance the tunes, not the exterior length of the shank, i.e., not how it looks on the cork.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCReJ1PvOH4yR_19ZLk85B7GFrc9TQdjc32EpCPrYdTTHOx_tZTbYgr1voSeBdmYoau4MzdMiHPY6c1dvHSZTPe7bRhj_pcmYRcRpmvu_2kGxepSfHYK_t7tVgS1_JdfcE-zc33yFe_0/s1600/100_0607.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCReJ1PvOH4yR_19ZLk85B7GFrc9TQdjc32EpCPrYdTTHOx_tZTbYgr1voSeBdmYoau4MzdMiHPY6c1dvHSZTPe7bRhj_pcmYRcRpmvu_2kGxepSfHYK_t7tVgS1_JdfcE-zc33yFe_0/s640/100_0607.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here is my Martin Handcraft (late 1930's) compared to a vintage Babbitt that <i>does have a name</i>. The Babbitt Artist, although it looks older, is from the mid-1960's when Babbitt first started putting the Babbitt name on its mouthpieces. Again, the Martin has a shorter and therefore steeper beak. The Babbitt Artist beak is longer, thinner, and appears to be identical to the vintage Slant Signature dimensions (except for the shank). For info on how beak shape can have an acoustical effect, <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/05/how-mouthpiece-material-matters.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">check out this blog</span></a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQlnhLlcBadlb5qeGFdLFl_sc9W-0IXyipafw14QC1x8YvY7zfTsssMJBCoPu80EwKkpkmTbVoEkEK3BGDNhYS2fYjgWDVIMn6A922EdEw9BWqCCns-DYVf6DvssniX2_So7DvVuv0Lo/s1600/100_0610.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQlnhLlcBadlb5qeGFdLFl_sc9W-0IXyipafw14QC1x8YvY7zfTsssMJBCoPu80EwKkpkmTbVoEkEK3BGDNhYS2fYjgWDVIMn6A922EdEw9BWqCCns-DYVf6DvssniX2_So7DvVuv0Lo/s640/100_0610.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here they are both opened up a little. I gave the Martin (on the left) a shorter, but more pronounced baffle. I might thin the tip rail a little more, but I like the way that it plays now. It subtones super easy, in fact, that is sort of its default mode when played softly.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The goofy original lay on the Martin Handcraft was just a slight wrinkle in copying the facing from the vintage Link #6 <i>Tone Edge </i>on to the Martin. But it is mainly the chamber shape that interests us. Which makes me wonder. How many different chamber plugs did Babbitt have during this time? Would it make any economic sense for Otto Link to fabricate its own proprietary chamber plug(s) for Babbitt to use when fabricating the Tone Edge blanks for Mr. Link? Babbitt already had on hand what appears to be the identical chamber plug(s). </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Of course, it would not likely be a <i>single</i> Otto Link chamber plug. The present Babbitt website still shows the mold style that it uses (<a href="https://jjbabbitt.com/tour#accordion1Collapse1" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">click on "rubber molding"</span></a>). Its molding process consists of a plate pressing 3 or 4 rubber blanks at a time. Each mouthpiece would have its own chamber plug. Are those 3 or 4 chamber plugs absolutely identical? Probably close, but the fact is that each pressing is unlikely to create 4 <i>identical </i>mouthpieces. Add to that the idiosyncrasies produced by finishing the mouthpiece and it makes sense that players who have the luxury of play testing a selection of the same Link model claim that there are differences and choose a favorite. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Of course, another player might choose a different one. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The present lore is that the "modern" JJ Babbitt Otto Links vary from one to the next. But when have you ever heard a review from a player that comparison tested ten or twelve brand new Link Tone Edges in 1940? Variations from mouthpiece to mouthpiece have likely always existed. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">It is possible that the post-manufacture finish work is the <u style="font-style: italic;">only</u> real difference between the multitude of NNEB blanks and the vintage Otto Link. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;">If we can't detect any significant difference between a NNEB chamber and a vintage Link, was there really a unique "Link Tone Chamber" as claimed in old Link advertising? Or was that just another pile of eburnation?</span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">P.S. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I realize that the vintage Link Slant Signature <i>Tone Edge</i> sell for crazy prices </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">for tenor pieces.</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> For alto, not so much. If you want to really over-spend for a vintage alto mouthpiece, you need to look at old Meyer Brothers mouthpieces, either a 5M or 6M, usually in a medium chamber. Probably somebody famous played a Meyer 5M or 6M. That's all it takes to drive up prices. The theory is that you will also sound like XXX (the famous player) if you only had a mouthpiece that you believe to be an original vintage Meyer 5M or 6M similar to the one allegedly played by XXX. Truth is, if you want to play like XXX, you need to smoke the same cigarettes as XXX. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">Other finishing businesses besides Meyers used the same alto blanks, but they are kind of rare compared to the NNEB style blanks.</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"> Like vintage Link <i>Slant Signature</i> blanks and vintage <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2018/11/making-your-own-vintage-mc-gregory-4a.html">Rico <i>M.C. Gregory</i> blanks</a>, the vintage Meyer Brothers alto blanks are also under the radar and can be inexpensive ($25 to $50). But<a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2018/10/making-your-own-meyer-brothers-6m-alto.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"> that is for another blog</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">If you can't wait for the blog, you can go on Ebay and compete with the 53 bidders for this Meyer alto piece.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEios5YR2pDqUEUa2LudqGuQkexXSRMGZYqHjs18PoScKCZHntGHdIXT1O986Q8VtCK0UvJKCmtXMrfinbwnndRxGsANIBujyWCjMTd3fQBzvFb9I8kKJWG68sgcoBxKBRyGvTeG9FW61Q0/s1600/100_0611.JPG"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEios5YR2pDqUEUa2LudqGuQkexXSRMGZYqHjs18PoScKCZHntGHdIXT1O986Q8VtCK0UvJKCmtXMrfinbwnndRxGsANIBujyWCjMTd3fQBzvFb9I8kKJWG68sgcoBxKBRyGvTeG9FW61Q0/s320/100_0611.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I think that the winning bidder spent $2,200 too much. Hope she now plays like XXX.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHgswQU-A0aRTGBhnw7xwWR-z74dwN5aABiGQbg1kMSpvhCLp17vYTtBcMaX7UYMzjlLh47gDHbgBAWKppr-nsrQf7cG0o2CJbaMf57pwPLUHpc2Vt9qSuGJrgD8gKoT5tttd8W1016w/s1600/103_0055.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHgswQU-A0aRTGBhnw7xwWR-z74dwN5aABiGQbg1kMSpvhCLp17vYTtBcMaX7UYMzjlLh47gDHbgBAWKppr-nsrQf7cG0o2CJbaMf57pwPLUHpc2Vt9qSuGJrgD8gKoT5tttd8W1016w/s640/103_0055.JPG" width="640" /></a>Here is the last Meyer Bros. blank that I bought. I had to compete against three other bidders for a winning bid of $2.50. The shipping cost was kind of high, but I bought it anyway. Now I have to decide whether to put on a 6 or 7 facing.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;">* </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;">It is common for a seller to stamp a vintage Link other than a #6 facing with "H.S." or "Hawkins Special," thereby increasing the value of the old Link by hundreds of dollars. This is even more lucrative than <a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2015/05/making-your-own-vintage-otto-link-tone.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">stamping an A or T on an old ligature to make it an official "Link" ligature</span></a>. But Otto Link advertising only referred to the #6 as the "</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;">Hawkins Special."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">** If you tell a guy that you got a new mouthpiece, the first question you will hear is "what tip opening?" If you tell a gal that you bought a new car, the first question you will hear is "what color." Women get ridiculed about this, but the man's question is just as ridiculous.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">*** I also play a 1942 Martin Centennial tenor. Those mouthpieces, like the Centennial model itself, are not common. Martin started providing a different Babbitt-produced mouthpiece design with the Centennial and on later saxophones, more like a Brilhart design with straight sidewalls. These are not my favorite. It is commonly known as the "Martin 2 Star" mouthpiece, but because only the first two years were stamped "Centennial" on the shank, those pieces are claimed to be rare. The seller was asking $1,000 for this common mouthpiece blank (later reduced to $399 and still didn't sell). I would pass at $50. At $12, I would probably bid because it is the original for my saxophone. But remember, if you have a 1942 automobile, the original tires (even though made with that super-special vintage rubber) are probably not the best for performance.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7OAmQgBWWSsrU7iD7mkzKQW-yifO86WEky9ySY-XXpyaq1UTs0Apb5UA4C3NQq4CSZAV6nfEZ3SyoNUuQv743BAXm-147xC609hKsNm_APLIMWo4TAxNDB0fPFpKtc6Pu1Ephu5ojeQ/s1600/s-l1600.jpg" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7OAmQgBWWSsrU7iD7mkzKQW-yifO86WEky9ySY-XXpyaq1UTs0Apb5UA4C3NQq4CSZAV6nfEZ3SyoNUuQv743BAXm-147xC609hKsNm_APLIMWo4TAxNDB0fPFpKtc6Pu1Ephu5ojeQ/s640/s-l1600.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">You can see the compression mold line down the center of this ebonite piece. Later Martin 2 Star mouthpieces were more "plasticky" and were probably injection molded.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCj-vOdwvLSZHsrZhdBagkwyfEPuCE08phd_7vkXEU7aeL4c0yeu0njsmfIJtxPWjD59uIph8S5g_ph0jjlU4Tm0JBVTV524UmG8YAzxezaUwR8zQ5awGZbixIEVvUbzckKZuYm8apxU/s1600/Martin+2+star+%2528centennial%2529.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1024" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCj-vOdwvLSZHsrZhdBagkwyfEPuCE08phd_7vkXEU7aeL4c0yeu0njsmfIJtxPWjD59uIph8S5g_ph0jjlU4Tm0JBVTV524UmG8YAzxezaUwR8zQ5awGZbixIEVvUbzckKZuYm8apxU/s640/Martin+2+star+%2528centennial%2529.webp" width="640" /></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">The Martin 2 Star straight-sided chamber. Slightly larger than a vintage Brilhart.</span></div>
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<br /></div>gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-79298904877451193232017-12-29T17:16:00.003-08:002019-12-29T16:42:00.311-08:00Making Your Own Otto Link Slant Signature Tenor Mouthpiece - Part 1<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I promised to write this blog about a year ago, but I was distracted and wrote Part 2 first. <a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2015/05/making-your-own-vintage-otto-link-tone.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">In Part 2, we learned how to make an official Link Slant Signature ligature</span></a>. Now we need an official Slant Signature mouthpiece to go with it. As with creating the ligature, we will need a blank, preferably an inexpensive blank. We know where Mr. Link got his blanks. He got them from the JJ Babbitt Company. We might not want to admit that, but it is by far the most likely provider. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As in prior blogs, I am going to proceed using the rule of critical thinking that <a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-vintage-hard-rubber-mouthpiece-hoax.html"><span style="color: blue;">extraordinary </span><span style="color: blue;">claims require extraordinary proof</span></a>. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When we looked for proof that Mr. Link had a special recipe for his vulcanized rubber mouthpieces, we found none. When we looked for proof that Mr. Link vulcanized his own mouthpieces, we found none. When we looked for proof that Mr. Link cast his own metal mouthpieces, we also found nothing. In fact, when we look for proof of manufacturing, we find just the opposite evidence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here is a little background. Otto Link was born in New York on April 12, 1897. Otto registered for the draft August 24, 1918. At the time, h</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">e was working for Alexander Selmer at the main store at 1579 Third Avenue in New York. He may have been involved in instrument repair or even instrument fabrication. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9P7KTsHqjlN6y96H_qJK1vNk_CXq2zS_alDPfOJhBjq1fJERy965Bb89vOCzVY7OfQqJ0pKLMdgHmVpl7BMw30ob3oDgNdKyxLCv3z08nVUYDxc_AAJMwJCBB8GRTCcbasm8elEvQkv4/s1600/Link+WWI+draft+1919+working+for+Selmer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9P7KTsHqjlN6y96H_qJK1vNk_CXq2zS_alDPfOJhBjq1fJERy965Bb89vOCzVY7OfQqJ0pKLMdgHmVpl7BMw30ob3oDgNdKyxLCv3z08nVUYDxc_AAJMwJCBB8GRTCcbasm8elEvQkv4/s1600/Link+WWI+draft+1919+working+for+Selmer.jpg" /></a>The signature that will later appear on his mouthpieces. He is married to Clara Link, although "wife" is in parenthesis. There are <a href="https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=bdJCAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA21" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">two Selmer advertisements on this 1919 magazine page that show Selmer's 1579 Third Avenue address (in the Selmer Building)</span></a><span style="color: blue;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mr. Link enlisted on October 21, 1918. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He was discharged two month's later on December 21, 1918. By 1920, he lists himself on the census as a salesman in the music industry. According to a 1923 advertisement in Music Trades, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Otto Link and Frank Meyer (later of Meyer Brothers mouthpieces) then partnered in an instrument repair shop in New York City. Nothing in the advertisement indicates that they were involved in the manufacture of mouthpieces, only repair of instruments. In the 1925 New York State census, he is living with his aunt and his one year old daughter, Claire, and is employed as an instrument repairman.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the 1930 census, he is living with his wife, Adelaide, which I think is correct, and daughter Claire. He is employed as a "repairman" in New York's musical district. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Again, instrument repair. Not bronze casting and brazing required to produce a metal mouthpiece. Not light industrial needed to machine and manufacture complex mouthpiece molds. Not chemical engineering to develop a unique quality of vulcanized rubber. Not a pipe fitter that can build and operate a steam autoclave for vulcanizing hard rubber mouthpieces. An instrument repair shop. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">By the 1940 census, Mr. Link list himself as involved in the manufacturing of musical items. A mid-1930's advertisement for his shop stated that, in addition to instrument repair, he also performed woodwind mouthpiece modifications.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have seen some posts on the internet that claim that Otto Link worked for the William S. Haynes flute company in Boston in the 1920's. Since I don't consider internet claims evidence, I can say that I have never seen any evidence of that. Documentary evidence shows that in 1918, he was in N.Y. In 1920, he was in N.Y. In 1923, he was in N.Y. In 1925, he was in N.Y. In 1930, he was in N.Y. I'm going to conclude that he didn't work for Haynes in Boston.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I could only find a couple of pictures of Mr. Link in his shop and it consisted of Mr. Link at a work bench surrounded by light milling machinery consistent with the <i>facing </i>of woodwind mouthpieces. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8x7hFSenDW00x4wx3KZoATFPeX9sydXnizWNZkPVmxaLRp9pM9TBaVxkI4ahahkwo4wIRPUhscfFZk0tgAFWr1y16U4yuXbf4PXzrJ2l_ckyNyYX8l_hfjg7MM-9jCNlmBf9cyOBpag/s1600/Otto+Link+catalog+LINK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8x7hFSenDW00x4wx3KZoATFPeX9sydXnizWNZkPVmxaLRp9pM9TBaVxkI4ahahkwo4wIRPUhscfFZk0tgAFWr1y16U4yuXbf4PXzrJ2l_ckyNyYX8l_hfjg7MM-9jCNlmBf9cyOBpag/s640/Otto+Link+catalog+LINK.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVHLgfffh2oln1U19jYK47TTFgeEqiPdygmyTe_8ldvm7eDfgKHJCjyDISiDfjl6KFICt8HCzPYr3zgWwah7z-fgRcXfJtt1wVgxmWT3pALpT3TKhb9BHjlPIo-VomPRwfPSsI-bIfE0/s1600/Otto+Link+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="447" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVHLgfffh2oln1U19jYK47TTFgeEqiPdygmyTe_8ldvm7eDfgKHJCjyDISiDfjl6KFICt8HCzPYr3zgWwah7z-fgRcXfJtt1wVgxmWT3pALpT3TKhb9BHjlPIo-VomPRwfPSsI-bIfE0/s1600/Otto+Link+Photo.jpg" /></a>Facing a blank.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This next picture shows Mr. Link on the set of the PBS show <i>Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood</i>. Otto appears to be in the living room and wearing an official Fred Roger's uniform consisting of a tie and sweater. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivCCA_dpqZfKNVBtTYueQOawczVa0_21y2KD5EQAmSIHUv2BrcZwPcoq5JEaxru5NwtheYuRV3Bwcs4tUuhQrTMeFWr2pgvUN9JZ3nIu_Y5GCv5OjIQKhkBJK7mq4IG66oucIH3VzB3E/s1600/Mister-Rogers-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivCCA_dpqZfKNVBtTYueQOawczVa0_21y2KD5EQAmSIHUv2BrcZwPcoq5JEaxru5NwtheYuRV3Bwcs4tUuhQrTMeFWr2pgvUN9JZ3nIu_Y5GCv5OjIQKhkBJK7mq4IG66oucIH3VzB3E/s320/Mister-Rogers-.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just kidding, the picture really is Mr. Rogers. But none of the pictures of Mr. Link that I could find brings to mind the light industrial manufacturing necessary for the vulcanization of rubber. One can't cast or braze bronze mouthpieces wearing a tie and sweater in an office. Let's look at the rest of his production facility shown at the bottom of this page.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12u2ZrTVm4kUFpCmhCIfQ_gl9qMXdJaqKTMzH9Qarms6X01qfYudchXITs-EGzgMyQxv6mopM861eghI8kd8Y4K4CZq3Wozk-UuK4CrC7gx2BOzFN63Wxq49RR-iNPjS6K1W2ZaSIP9c/s1600/Otto+Link+1940+catalog+page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="613" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12u2ZrTVm4kUFpCmhCIfQ_gl9qMXdJaqKTMzH9Qarms6X01qfYudchXITs-EGzgMyQxv6mopM861eghI8kd8Y4K4CZq3Wozk-UuK4CrC7gx2BOzFN63Wxq49RR-iNPjS6K1W2ZaSIP9c/s640/Otto+Link+1940+catalog+page.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Again, there was no evidence of the fairly heavy manufacturing equipment required for actually producing a vulcanized rubber mouthpiece or the even more elaborate equipment required for casting molten metal to make metal mouthpieces. The Link pictures are consistent with the finishing and facing of blanks sourced from other providers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The address of the above shop, and later Link shops, are readily available on the web. Some of the addresses are even printed on old Otto Link mouthpiece boxes. His various shop addresses also reveal that it was unlikely that actual mouthpiece manufacturing was going on at any of his N.Y. locations. Although I found that some addresses had permits for low pressure steam (for heat), there were no permits for the high pressure heat needed for an autoclave to vulcanize hard rubber mouthpieces. In fact, several of his addresses were in buildings with other musical instrument repair businesses, student music lessons, and even above a restaurant. Those are not the places where the City of New York was going to license a coal-fired steam boiler operated by a licensed engineer (as I believe would have been required for vulcanizing mouthpieces). Nor would the casting of molten metal and the brazing of "bell metal" mouthpieces be allowed above a theater or a deli, which is where Mr. Link had his N.Y. shops. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If somebody comes up with evidence that Mr. Link actually manufactured the mouthpiece <i>blanks</i>, we can change our minds. But in the mean time, we can assume that Mr. Link obtained his blanks elsewhere, probably from JJ Babbitt in Elkhart, Indiana. Why Babbitt? Again, that's just where the evidence leads. Babbitt made, and still makes, blanks for other businesses. Babbitt ended up with the entire production of Otto Link mouthpieces after Mr. Link sold his business (if he sold it). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is a common nomenclature, which we will see is kind of silly, that in approximately 1974 JJ Babbitt begin making Links in-house and those pieces are called "Early Babbitt" Links or "EB" Links. Kind of silly since the evidence is that Babbitt had been producing the Link blanks for decades prior to the "Early Babbitt" pieces. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Truth be told, "Early Babbitt" pieces go back at least to the "Slant Signature" Tone Edge. It is possible that some of the "Eburnated Bar" Link pieces (supposedly machined from rod rubber) were actually molded, as there is no way for us to tell and the idea of "truth in advertising" has never applied to musical instruments or accessories. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As we have seen, for musical instruments and accessories, when the item "sounds fantastic," that is sufficient reason to buy it. When a story about the item "sounds fantastic," that is also reason to buy it. Musicians then repeat the fantastic story to each other, and others buy it. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then as now, an instrument seller can claim whatever it thinks that a potential customer might swallow. A nonsense claim like "a silver-plated ligature adds sparkle to the sound" stills plays today, no pun intended. The ligature purchaser justifies the extra expense by telling</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> other players the fantastic story and a it becomes a "fact." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Regardless of who actually compression molded and cooked the ebonite pieces finished by Mr. Link, the early Link hard rubber piece did have several slightly unique feature when compared to its contemporaries. Although some would like to think that it was a super-special hard rubber recipe, or at least a unique chamber shape, I think that it is actually a couple of exterior features that tend to separate Links from the standard mouthpieces of the era. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Many of saxophone mouthpieces in the 20's and 30's had a rather thick shank with a distinctive bulb on the end. This picture is of a fairly common "Early Babbitt" mouthpiece that is not a Link (on the exterior). I'm going to refer to these pieces as No Name Early Babbitt or NNEB. There were, as we will see, many other finishers of large chamber Babbitt mouthpieces, but calling them all NNEB will save time and space.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSd7oSGDaima7nAQRBkAAam6XDgTDA7fp9uCmjZ0oc6JzVel2omngWMccoPEmdkyhpxFB4iH8-dAuZk-USM-txF2qFKt5qSkfxFb99UBYf17A13BYmCZGpU-P0vL2adSRZ9AmuKRvhXWE/s1600/alto+Conn+or+Buesher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSd7oSGDaima7nAQRBkAAam6XDgTDA7fp9uCmjZ0oc6JzVel2omngWMccoPEmdkyhpxFB4iH8-dAuZk-USM-txF2qFKt5qSkfxFb99UBYf17A13BYmCZGpU-P0vL2adSRZ9AmuKRvhXWE/s640/alto+Conn+or+Buesher.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The bulb on the NNEB might cause us some problems in making a Link. One of the things we probably will want to do is to reduce the thickness of the table. That is one way that vintage Links often differ from their large chamber cousins of the same era. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The second common difference between the vintage Tone Edge and the NNEB is material. If you have read </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/05/how-mouthpiece-material-matters.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">the blog on how mouthpiece material matters</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, you probably know where this is going. We might need to change the <i>thickness</i> of the material (the <i>quality</i> of the material, i.e., the ebonite used by JJ Babbitt for saxophone mouthpiece blanks being the same). Most NNEB pieces have a steep beak, even steeper than is needed for a large chamber zero baffle interior. Look at the above linked blog (at picture #6) and, if your NNEB is thick enough, feel free to drop the shape of the beak. If the beak material thickness is reduced, that gets us closer to a vintage Link Tone Edge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidql1barB_mV6MweLIUxWc1SHVvOcZgy4bRRo2Okk6u_fMc3-2t8qPbyLeMHuDhnME-4rwppZMhM2z5vCPoxuC7SHYE1uSQx6lY6lWnEbwal-YH-9uRTCObLpD8s1M_L7o5lTlYPMlCI/s1600/102_0030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidql1barB_mV6MweLIUxWc1SHVvOcZgy4bRRo2Okk6u_fMc3-2t8qPbyLeMHuDhnME-4rwppZMhM2z5vCPoxuC7SHYE1uSQx6lY6lWnEbwal-YH-9uRTCObLpD8s1M_L7o5lTlYPMlCI/s640/102_0030.JPG" width="640" /></a>It is also a good time to remove tooth gouges. Here is a NNEB beak reduction that almost has the old tooth gouge completely removed (it is the darker spot). After reducing the thickness of the beak, it is even more important that you use a tooth guard. But when purchasing your NNEB, tooth gouges, if not too deep, reduce the price and do not matter when fabricating our Otto Link Slant Signature.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, it is time to go shopping for a NNEB "cadaver" or "carcass" to be modified into an Otto Link Slant Signature. Here is a good one.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61267pf2nHyinp_V5bjyyW2jUcTRKXrIqluXpmcZRgr9DksUQ2UW3TKaEJ3QOXvpUpPYATXBMUJhkZTc7defFdGWMeMtYidbxfdZnz-bIDFOGcAbTwexOedXf8-xofkDBqTit5UH14r0/s1600/no+name+alto+%252430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61267pf2nHyinp_V5bjyyW2jUcTRKXrIqluXpmcZRgr9DksUQ2UW3TKaEJ3QOXvpUpPYATXBMUJhkZTc7defFdGWMeMtYidbxfdZnz-bIDFOGcAbTwexOedXf8-xofkDBqTit5UH14r0/s640/no+name+alto+%252430.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Above is the <i><b>perfect</b></i> candidate for several reasons. First, it has the shank shape that we want. It is a vintage Babbitt with a "waist," i.e., an area that is thinner than the bulb on the end of the shank. Even when the seller doesn't describe the chamber shape, these are the NNEBs that most often have the large "Link" chamber. Second, there is no brand name embossed on it. Most bidders will not bid just because of that reason. Third, the seller claims that it is a "Conn or Buesher" (sic). Many bidders will see that the seller 1) does not know anything about vintage mouthpieces and 2) is willing to make stuff up. That keeps many bidders away. Finally, the mouthpiece has a century's worth of calcified spittle gunk crusted on to the interior, a little tooth gouge on the beak, and a tip rail that is worn and ragged. This mouthpiece is what I call a NNEB POS. <i><b>Perfect</b></i>. Absolutely perfect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is the final attribute (the gross chamber) that is most important to us. When a mouthpiece looks like this one, and the seller takes good pictures, the bid (or at least my bid) isn't likely to go higher than $15. And the fact is, I don't care about the interior gunk, the tooth gouges, or the beat up tip. I'll soak the mouthpiece over night in vinegar, then rinse it with <u>cold</u> water and a drop of <span style="background-color: white; color: blue;"><a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/1-X-BTF-Iodophor-Sanitizer-4-oz/198015517?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=2931&adid=22222222227000000000&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=42423897272&wl4=pla-51320962143&wl5=1027744&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=113500246&wl11=online&wl12=198015517&wl13=&veh=sem" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">sanitizer</span></a></span>, and then something like this to <span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://smartmouth.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">neutralize any sulfur smell</span></a></span>. Now I'm ready to proceed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But first, let's make sure that we are not mistaken in trying to create a real genuine vintage Slant Signature. Are other people doing this? Here is a recent Ebay auction for a vintage large chamber hard rubber mouthpiece, what I have been calling a NNEB. This particular one does have a name. It's called a "Vibrator," a trade name used by the Chiron Co. as we <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2013/11/hippolyte-marius-chiron-vibrator-reeds.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">found out in a prior blog</span></a></span>. Here is one opened up to a Link 8 or .110.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCOcUrmkpYvhJmG4u3cjLak7pLcn-DWel51wwcXGhqIV3asLrUPyK4KbWH-SlQGhR0jZfXBq8JXvDav25oCmNixAGD3igHNYgi__CMoNP8HWmsbxqObmAqvRxgJXSwgB1CnYXyvHSvC8/s1600/Vibrator+chamber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="1024" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCOcUrmkpYvhJmG4u3cjLak7pLcn-DWel51wwcXGhqIV3asLrUPyK4KbWH-SlQGhR0jZfXBq8JXvDav25oCmNixAGD3igHNYgi__CMoNP8HWmsbxqObmAqvRxgJXSwgB1CnYXyvHSvC8/s400/Vibrator+chamber.jpg" width="400" /></a>The large Link Tone Edge chamber and scooped sidewalls.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghf8U5ZF9y_g2HRUVw3tBzD-0pu6kLN1YYzkVZzE1JdyAVr-3TTRVU57Q_EnbFyth24mKdX8lkhM4jnLftSCon0Zjf4P1nnGHAp0nntO0yGV9GWfItNbsu0P_oM9OcSKy8gde1BKVwKYI/s1600/vibrator+baffle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="1024" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghf8U5ZF9y_g2HRUVw3tBzD-0pu6kLN1YYzkVZzE1JdyAVr-3TTRVU57Q_EnbFyth24mKdX8lkhM4jnLftSCon0Zjf4P1nnGHAp0nntO0yGV9GWfItNbsu0P_oM9OcSKy8gde1BKVwKYI/s400/vibrator+baffle.jpg" width="400" /></a>The little Link baffle.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFR5bBheUF2cZf9VaoHtjenYzqBaEbAbkp1MslcXur7R8PPB7shiRr8ovNAGwJfvuitp0grzpBulLRzCidLKzg8io3o-lA3hyphenhyphenS5AoVyB-j-9E9kvaZKI2iBe9TjjPXryGnlpAmpRBXvw/s1600/Vibrator+name.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="1024" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFR5bBheUF2cZf9VaoHtjenYzqBaEbAbkp1MslcXur7R8PPB7shiRr8ovNAGwJfvuitp0grzpBulLRzCidLKzg8io3o-lA3hyphenhyphenS5AoVyB-j-9E9kvaZKI2iBe9TjjPXryGnlpAmpRBXvw/s640/Vibrator+name.jpg" width="640" /></a>The Vibrator name embossed on this Early Babbitt mouthpiece.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLH-0a11d0K032WpkIo5hmBXGd0R3NH-h3YtpElNuGe7K_-gdgKghT6KkuF9o7kZCZcsmzacxL-blKQyOOl41eNLvum8d9FTHRL47GdrE7X2RWtDhY_gNfSK5IIusqSzXhKdsoJddA7w/s1600/Vibrator+wanne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="1024" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLH-0a11d0K032WpkIo5hmBXGd0R3NH-h3YtpElNuGe7K_-gdgKghT6KkuF9o7kZCZcsmzacxL-blKQyOOl41eNLvum8d9FTHRL47GdrE7X2RWtDhY_gNfSK5IIusqSzXhKdsoJddA7w/s640/Vibrator+wanne.jpg" width="640" /></a>The mouthpiece refacer's name embossed on the mouthpiece.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So what? Why would I refer to it as Link Slant Signature? Here is the text from Ebay.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>I have for sale a vintage Vibrator Hard Rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece refaced by Theo Wanne to 8. They are made of very good hard rubber, have some baffle and large chamber with scooped side walls. According to Theo they are the closest thing to Slant Otto Link.</b><b><span style="font-size: large;"> Will ship worldwide.</span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Sakshama</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We can learn a couple of things from this. First, I'm not the only one who thinks that you can make a Link Slant Signature from a NNEB. Other people, with more knowledge about mouthpiece facing that I have, also agree. Second, NNEBs are made with "</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">very good hard rubber</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">." I think that we can extrapolate from that and say that Babbitt mouthpieces are made of "very good hard rubber" (it is called ebonite). Unless we can find some evidence or fabricate some reason why Babbitt would use one rubber recipe for Vibrator pieces and another for Link pieces and another for Penzel Mueller, etc., I think we have to drop our silly notion of super-duper vintage hard rubber used on a particular Babbitt product.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, I didn't get to the end of my fabrication process. Since I already did Part 2 of this blog months ago (regarding <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2015/05/making-your-own-vintage-otto-link-tone.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">making your own honest-to-God Otto Link Slant Signature ligature</span></a></span>), I'm going to have to finish this blog as <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2018/01/making-your-own-otto-link-slant.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Part 3</span></a></span>.</span><br />
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<br />gnome-honeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311114666033402626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3289427606687069434.post-11315228835490441752017-12-29T11:50:00.004-08:002021-02-24T11:47:45.671-08:00Riffault Mouthpieces - Part 3<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I wrote a Part 3 about a year ago concerning Riffault mouthpieces and how often they are miss-identified on the web. After 34 people had viewed it, I went back to add more to the blog and I managed to delete the entire blog! Operator error. I was so discouraged that I left the topic alone for a year. I may try to rewrite the entire thing, but for now I'm just going to concentrate on one area that I found interesting. That is some common and continuing misrepresentations about Gerry Mulligan's mouthpiece.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">You have probably heard that Gerry Mulligan's baritone mouthpiece was a Rico M.C. Gregory brand. You may have read <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2014/01/lester-youngs-mouthpiece-ive-got-one.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">the Stuff Sax blog on Lester Young's mouthpieces</span></a>. Like Mr. Young, Mulligan actually played a variety of mouthpieces during his long career. No surprise and I have no doubt that Mulligan could have played a Rico Gregory at one point, or a Gale brand mouthpiece, but does that mean that is what a baritone player needs to sound like Gerry Mulligan? I don't think so and I'll try to explain why.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">First, we should just look at a few Rico Gregory baritone mouthpieces. These are from various mouthpiece websites.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGmcpZQbNV-mqm_GwfhptiD2onsXRk1ZyZDp6iPL-reKt4PCG82XyubX_U697sCqAYuOj1C2jMPrNb9MBLFyVvwKX-dK7p82h6EMpTBP-JlXP4bVlC52nco96aAF9TkzAoMO3pDwLegQ/s1600/Gregory+baritone+straight+shank.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="573" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGmcpZQbNV-mqm_GwfhptiD2onsXRk1ZyZDp6iPL-reKt4PCG82XyubX_U697sCqAYuOj1C2jMPrNb9MBLFyVvwKX-dK7p82h6EMpTBP-JlXP4bVlC52nco96aAF9TkzAoMO3pDwLegQ/s640/Gregory+baritone+straight+shank.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgBmgAcWmZjHfs5-s2TVC2ET4xqH9YbAUX9seTctsw_6-WQpXWleEjqfbJc9JTuLTzEJUoT-_gWETqUO4G4gEj5X-cnCyzSmBNCUDvtKDzdE0Pn29XVvVq3gGpFNtmgYI3AR5ND4KP5s/s1600/Greg+bari+tapered+shank.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="573" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgBmgAcWmZjHfs5-s2TVC2ET4xqH9YbAUX9seTctsw_6-WQpXWleEjqfbJc9JTuLTzEJUoT-_gWETqUO4G4gEj5X-cnCyzSmBNCUDvtKDzdE0Pn29XVvVq3gGpFNtmgYI3AR5ND4KP5s/s640/Greg+bari+tapered+shank.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzEQgUw7PnqatR70cMEkWQjht2-jztRHvYc8xBkOx_vEBTf8ALwF_AK9pTLpyGDzE4uzwXOu2B8RB1XHMAuQ00upByeWOF9k7CtxNivf8WtO6z2h0tC5u8YSb2nXy2KREpDiqYjMI1BQ/s1600/GaleBari1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="1600" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzEQgUw7PnqatR70cMEkWQjht2-jztRHvYc8xBkOx_vEBTf8ALwF_AK9pTLpyGDzE4uzwXOu2B8RB1XHMAuQ00upByeWOF9k7CtxNivf8WtO6z2h0tC5u8YSb2nXy2KREpDiqYjMI1BQ/s640/GaleBari1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">We should notice a couple of things about these pictures. First, M.C. Gregory baritone pieces varied over the years. Not just the band material and its placement. The actual mold. The first M.C. Gregory piece shown above has a shank that tapers and then goes to a final straight section before the band. The second picture shows a slightly longer and slimmer Gregory piece that has a continuous taper down the entire shank (which is also longer) and a different style of metal band. The third picture isn't really an M.C. Gregory brand. It is a Gale. That picture is from Theo Wanne's website, which states that Gerry Mulligan played a Gale mouthpiece, not an M.C. Gregory. Here is the accompanying picture from <span style="color: blue;">t<a href="https://theowanne.com/knowledge/mouthpiece-museum/mc_gregory-mouthpieces/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">he Wanne website</span></a></span>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdEWWroX326PBNHmbPyU-1ZIwFpU8CZidyCwoIjW4_4WT5OYH_JuOXb7pJ2T8_LQgISZP0OlepDzv7ovE3Jm6oaDQwcIUb4sC0HivLs9Kyii3WPpmL8kuLFD1Fky25lI8UE6sVvPwJBo/s1600/Gerry-Mulligan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdEWWroX326PBNHmbPyU-1ZIwFpU8CZidyCwoIjW4_4WT5OYH_JuOXb7pJ2T8_LQgISZP0OlepDzv7ovE3Jm6oaDQwcIUb4sC0HivLs9Kyii3WPpmL8kuLFD1Fky25lI8UE6sVvPwJBo/s1600/Gerry-Mulligan.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">What does any of this have to do with Riffault mouthpieces? Well, forget for a moment about Gerry Mulligan and his famous M.C. Gregory mouthpiece that was really a Gale mouthpiece. We know that both Gregory and Gale baritone mouthpieces have metal bands on the shank, as shown above. The area where the metal band was added was actually molded into the shank. The cast ebonite had to be thinner where the band was to be placed and then thicker further up the shank to be even with the thickness of the metal band. In other words, a mouthpiece cast in a Gregory or Gale mold <i>had to have a metal shank band.</i></span><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Look at Gerry's mouthpiece pictured above. There is clearly no band. That <b>cannot be</b> a Gregory or a Gale. It looks suspiciously like a Riffault.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XrsHSAuzhsSYMEHGwTnrHQs_myMlSgDsZQOpV7bxc2ponXrcBFtG-Mf-rk34jsO_K9kPa8mQASr9DPgDaH-ppmpvsbTMz8ND3-mxscPaMu6Zefkpp27WWWvkcgSv3xGiD7tR_wnwaS8/s1600/100_0866.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XrsHSAuzhsSYMEHGwTnrHQs_myMlSgDsZQOpV7bxc2ponXrcBFtG-Mf-rk34jsO_K9kPa8mQASr9DPgDaH-ppmpvsbTMz8ND3-mxscPaMu6Zefkpp27WWWvkcgSv3xGiD7tR_wnwaS8/s640/100_0866.JPG" width="640" /></a>A Riffault baritone piece with the thin shank, a "lip" between the shank and the barrel, and no metal band.</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Check out these well known pictures of Gerry at his finest.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPdvsuYsNj7pdWolh8sBFcFEkTBbT_CJ77BFGXf_WbBqO1L7Ov0AomRIAZhAgY-NM5Qg0ntaZ8wKiA0mqR_UpnvACwWMZu7bba9xqqryvKDsZDOC899XV2qLLjkAzTZiv5pEhzbxTR38/s1600/Mulligan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="460" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPdvsuYsNj7pdWolh8sBFcFEkTBbT_CJ77BFGXf_WbBqO1L7Ov0AomRIAZhAgY-NM5Qg0ntaZ8wKiA0mqR_UpnvACwWMZu7bba9xqqryvKDsZDOC899XV2qLLjkAzTZiv5pEhzbxTR38/s640/Mulligan.jpg" width="640" /></a></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">No band on this long shank baritone mouthpiece. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uEGNJYQZqA_BGInE7MR1ONnF8QqukkPOPY0VdD8Wj0R2WSzp-yvHTkWRhraVHFhNAQSJZxNEacuBaVYxUNXXBPmv_XUXv0a8HHHj7OldBdvyhdhn4Acm8YDlEjrWo1l_7H7Cn2c2NZg/s1600/Mulligan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uEGNJYQZqA_BGInE7MR1ONnF8QqukkPOPY0VdD8Wj0R2WSzp-yvHTkWRhraVHFhNAQSJZxNEacuBaVYxUNXXBPmv_XUXv0a8HHHj7OldBdvyhdhn4Acm8YDlEjrWo1l_7H7Cn2c2NZg/s1600/Mulligan.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">No band on this long shank mouthpiece, either.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrkLFkRjhbukdlD3RLuMA75Kb6_4VXTX5UaQAtdjO16SyjwAKzN0tLjMGjgE1MwgRAq827aDBUzErZT-ZuSIT5U1GEGUnUIaw6wJURJp_7aq7vr2elU42DFc4yrMP_e0JZu1RQ3MK2p8/s1600/Mull+hodges.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrkLFkRjhbukdlD3RLuMA75Kb6_4VXTX5UaQAtdjO16SyjwAKzN0tLjMGjgE1MwgRAq827aDBUzErZT-ZuSIT5U1GEGUnUIaw6wJURJp_7aq7vr2elU42DFc4yrMP_e0JZu1RQ3MK2p8/s640/Mull+hodges.jpg" width="640" /></a>What, no shank band again? Was this picture taken during the "he sounds like crap" phase of his career?</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">If you check out Mr. Mulligan's discography, you will see that, where there are pictures that show his mouthpiece, it is not a banded Rico or Gale. When he "meets" Ben Webster, Paul Desmond, etc., he is not recording with a banded Gale mouthpiece. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQC0iMZx9bpzZ02I9vb8Jgt5pRyKvEeFq-oU5mbptAm3_ON_3kKcCmtl9wH10zIRbuPt8dj8KfaMHANJmhUliqqlZ8S2ETz2HsS10gFbzKorciN5KxP9CIsYvlKqkUZcCJGWXwFDq_hpY/s1600/gm-logo-frmHeader001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQC0iMZx9bpzZ02I9vb8Jgt5pRyKvEeFq-oU5mbptAm3_ON_3kKcCmtl9wH10zIRbuPt8dj8KfaMHANJmhUliqqlZ8S2ETz2HsS10gFbzKorciN5KxP9CIsYvlKqkUZcCJGWXwFDq_hpY/s1600/gm-logo-frmHeader001.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A very strange band on this baritone mouthpiece later in his career and, again, not the shank shape of either a Rico Gregory or a later Gale baritone mouthpiece. It does have the three white dots, but that doesn't mean that it is a standard Rico or later Gale mouthpiece, as we will see. And check out the difference in the shank length between this one and the one shown above.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: center;">Maybe he had an Ideal mouthpiece (one of many trade names used on a Riffault stencil) like this one below. Riffault blanks were also used for Gale and Bay mouthpieces. It does have the "lip" between the shank and the barrel like the ones shown above and no metal band. </span></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I have never seen an early picture of Mulligan playing a banded-shank mouthpiece.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWW98DCnKrmnegt1HnzFf48w2vFfYeygZuhtHE5ygnPdCvixUasLVQ9IBA8SoQcwEZLh7kU4oK53mDb7a3MMBygu_9si33LBy3U6b-wCVwbrJ87jGV6c57CtoYYXLh11uYrFV7vq3DEQk/s1600/IDEALbari3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="1170" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWW98DCnKrmnegt1HnzFf48w2vFfYeygZuhtHE5ygnPdCvixUasLVQ9IBA8SoQcwEZLh7kU4oK53mDb7a3MMBygu_9si33LBy3U6b-wCVwbrJ87jGV6c57CtoYYXLh11uYrFV7vq3DEQk/s640/IDEALbari3.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Check out Mr. Mulligan's discography. Most of his recording career was not with a Gale mouthpiece (and apparently never with an M.C. Gregory piece). If you like his recordings, and you think that the mouthpiece makes the player, you don't want a Gale mouthpiece, you just need a mouthpiece with three white dots (I'll show how that was done at the end of the blog). I'm guessing that you would be better off with a stencil from Riffault. Play what Mulligan played when he made his name. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">There is, of course, still some confusion with Gale mouthpieces being conflated with M.C. Gregory mouthpieces. We've seen that in <a href="https://stuffsax.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-gregory-mouthpiece-saga-part-iv.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">the multi-part blog about Rico Products producing Gregory pieces and being temporarily involved with Gale Products</span></a>. But since both brands all had metal shank bands on the baritone pieces, they are clearly <b>not</b> the mouthpiece being played by Mr. Mulligan in most of the pictures shown above.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Judy Beechler Roan has the original M.C. Gregory brand chamber plugs for alto, tenor, and baritone. They are shown below in their cardboard tubes stamped with the Rico diamond and Gregory trademarks. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinz_2BpYK3xXlHHU3L8lfqudJr2KcypZt4fE0BgpdVdUqdY7XPpQ9IyemWntDFxsZ2Ce1dmDrrYrK_29LnXaQukIJZStWkyj5gm57QfkGO5ji6A_yXXacQfVjH0GnKDh6FOuwue_lDCDw/s1600/Beechler%2527s+Gregory+plugs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinz_2BpYK3xXlHHU3L8lfqudJr2KcypZt4fE0BgpdVdUqdY7XPpQ9IyemWntDFxsZ2Ce1dmDrrYrK_29LnXaQukIJZStWkyj5gm57QfkGO5ji6A_yXXacQfVjH0GnKDh6FOuwue_lDCDw/s1600/Beechler%2527s+Gregory+plugs.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Notice that we can see the flat "window" areas of these Gregory size 18 chamber plugs (on the top left and middle right). That is the area that the reed would eventually cover up on a finished mouthpiece. The M.C. Gregory chamber plugs had a threaded hole in that area. The real Gregory molds have not yet been located, so it isn't clear exactly how these plugs were fastened into the mold for compression of the uncured rubber.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Here is a picture of a baritone mold sold as part of the estate of Charles Bay and likely acquired from Cesar Tschudin, a Los Angeles jewelry salesman, who bought some molds and inventory from Gale Products, Inc. when it went out of business in 1949. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhtZPPznFVlNW11DMkNIACd3Qg3WNnEKtN4O-uJ9neeF0oryaPWtX8pfvFfwBUKAUFXoRk6RXARe-gIkwl5j1EGGjnTDWLyZaW2sd2vjkiXgCtjZdFVN7lR9uqOnfu9i-8ruZkVG3-XY/s1600/Looks+similar+to+Gregory.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhtZPPznFVlNW11DMkNIACd3Qg3WNnEKtN4O-uJ9neeF0oryaPWtX8pfvFfwBUKAUFXoRk6RXARe-gIkwl5j1EGGjnTDWLyZaW2sd2vjkiXgCtjZdFVN7lR9uqOnfu9i-8ruZkVG3-XY/s1600/Looks+similar+to+Gregory.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The "ring" on the shank end of the mold creates the shape that will later hold the metal band used on all Gale baritone mouthpieces. It would not be possible to cast a Gale baritone mouthpiece without the indentation.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Notice that the window area of this plug passes out through the mold and is secured in place through machined pin holes. It may be possible to produce a banded Gale baritone mouthpiece with this mold, but the actual M.C. Gregory baritone chamber plugs could not work with this mold. The mold can't produce a Gregory baritone piece because it can't use the Gregory chamber plug (which is in Judy Beechler Roan's attic). And it most certainly could not produce a piece identical to the baritone mouthpiece(s) that Mulligan played most of his career (as we have seen above) because it would <i>have to have a metal band</i> to fill in the void left by the mold. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Here are two pictures of what an"un-banded" Gregory or Gale mouthpiece would look like when it came out of the mold or if the band had fallen off (as happened with this one).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw62IQxanzaD45ORq5B9KfFQXfP6kCdRnsRZ0bqiVQtjiRvv0dvNdgCn0FV80jtR5i3vAaIYuOVqdoiC3-wLpfUegMk0vc41LK4HrwhUJCs6kLO2bMthtKTnT1hgktftr56wf3beeQ5A4/s1600/master+no+ring2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw62IQxanzaD45ORq5B9KfFQXfP6kCdRnsRZ0bqiVQtjiRvv0dvNdgCn0FV80jtR5i3vAaIYuOVqdoiC3-wLpfUegMk0vc41LK4HrwhUJCs6kLO2bMthtKTnT1hgktftr56wf3beeQ5A4/s640/master+no+ring2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJq-dKCQnzwiUcm6cao9vqRPk5QbdRUGx5T9MSobwdE3n7vYK7MAGPgZ5zMFTgLdZWRLb0mgSwJad2PZ2mf5Fox3o72qexpkX-Z4XwCAclqND9Rr5rmx69zpmwcAudBP1Qbu6SCNrQnA/s1600/Master+no+ring.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJq-dKCQnzwiUcm6cao9vqRPk5QbdRUGx5T9MSobwdE3n7vYK7MAGPgZ5zMFTgLdZWRLb0mgSwJad2PZ2mf5Fox3o72qexpkX-Z4XwCAclqND9Rr5rmx69zpmwcAudBP1Qbu6SCNrQnA/s640/Master+no+ring.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The mold forms the indentation that will later receive a thin brass band. You simply cannot have a Gregory or Gale baritone mouthpiece with the shank shape shown in the early Mulligan photos above. If a band were placed on a baritone shank that did not have the mold indentation, it would stand proud of the rest of the shank and also clearly not be a mouthpiece from a Gale or Gregory mold.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">If you look closely at the Mulligan pictures above, it does look like the mouthpieces that he was playing at one point had the three white dots on them like those used on some Gale brand mouthpieces. But not all <i>Gale embossed</i> mouthpieces started out as <i>Gale produced</i> mouthpieces. By that I mean that we know that Gale marketed mouthpiece using blanks obtained from other wholesalers. Here are some Gale mouthpieces made from blanks sourced from Babbitt and Riffault.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UXihqlnhHMejTApQuEiJGJDMUxJZyapq6iFTqKzN0hTUJcm-DbYda9KQQl9nDhGcfHld0c9F1EzvUABR1ub2PybuvbA8w5ipHkALTn9dT1xCKfDL2pS6njgcv1Yvw94Vl1gHwaqnos4/s1600/Gale+Babbit+Bay+estate.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UXihqlnhHMejTApQuEiJGJDMUxJZyapq6iFTqKzN0hTUJcm-DbYda9KQQl9nDhGcfHld0c9F1EzvUABR1ub2PybuvbA8w5ipHkALTn9dT1xCKfDL2pS6njgcv1Yvw94Vl1gHwaqnos4/s1600/Gale+Babbit+Bay+estate.jpg" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><img height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKyZIzcrVaAFq8Q9PXLX8kEa_2bi5IaV39_ttjjOP3stLIkD3Nzv7P6f2yeCcd-vXsCDkUZKC1WOjIWhjN1jWTxzy80EAvdaZNBt4_rSHXcmNv0FqE0o2h6bz7HAtFAiAOk4RbgWuYXRo/s640/9103_573_430.jpg" width="640" /><img height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xDYn1QW-CU6Iybk9LsYAZzy6_BmHF5LYsuUf68Isol0dJsDErtpBqZ2DTxvUl8LwJ3uozFWuW2UfkcVh9Tlj7Op_G3V9d7oZL08_adV8go2mU7DvWxU3YUSw8eR9nPxEwgjljVRd1uI/s640/Charles+Bay+Riffault.jpg" width="478" /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bay/Gale also used Riffault blanks (one actually embossed with Riffault).</span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Below is a Gale branded mouthpiece that was not originally a "Three Dot" being made into a Three Dot. This is from the estate of Charles Bay.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGee4XdUZAnLe33JmIaMeLfhyphenhyphenv4vJ1C1ft4mR3-TtIAaPyys7YxNgEsbVmxTbQn9KyJr-mcRjVpxJDjs-4gWECH7mErFPl2uFluTkXDvZDBAlzs-a-1bSWFH0PlxT4Fo4mn9lSMQ_MQU/s1600/Gale+3+dot+Ebay+estate.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGee4XdUZAnLe33JmIaMeLfhyphenhyphenv4vJ1C1ft4mR3-TtIAaPyys7YxNgEsbVmxTbQn9KyJr-mcRjVpxJDjs-4gWECH7mErFPl2uFluTkXDvZDBAlzs-a-1bSWFH0PlxT4Fo4mn9lSMQ_MQU/s640/Gale+3+dot+Ebay+estate.jpg" width="480" /></a>A Gale 440 being transformed into a Gale Three Dot. Tap three holes and insert a white filler. Thus, a Gale Three Dot baritone mouthpiece can be made from blanks obtained from any manufacturer. The Gale name and three white dots can be added to any maker's blank, as was apparently done for Mr. Mulligan.</div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So what were the blanks used to make Mulligan's mouthpieces shown above? As I said above, it sure looks like a Riffault and doesn't have the metal band used on all Rico Gregory and Gale Products, Inc. baritone mouthpieces. It could be that Mulligan's blank was sourced from Riffault.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Someone who is willing to purchase a piece allegedly pressed from an old Gale mold based on a representation that it is essentially "Mulligan's M.C. Gregory mouthpiece" would likely disagree, despite the fact that Mulligan didn't play a Rico Gregory piece. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">For others, you might want to try a $60 vintage Riffault baritone piece first. That appears to be what Mulligan had. Tapping three holes and filling them with white plastic might be necessary to make it sound authentic. Maybe I'll try that with an old Riffault or Babbitt piece and see if I sound like Gerry.</span><br />
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