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Mouthpieces that work well for American Vintage TenorsI want to share quick and “in a nutshell” answer to a question I get a lot at Saxquest. The following is a question from a customer seeking mouthpiece advice for a good match up on American vintage tenor saxophones. Question: Recently I have been looking into getting a vintage Conn tenor and am curious if my Otto Link hard rubber is going to be a good fit or if I should look into other things. I have heard that it can be more difficult to find a mouthpiece that will play in tune on these older horns. Do you have any insight or recommendations for what to use on the American vintage sax's? Answer: Thank you for your message. An Otto Link is usually a strong choice on a vintage Conn, as well as a Buescher or a Martin. The pieces I have found to play the best are hard rubber pieces with slightly bigger chambers and not a ton of baffle. I personally have more trouble with pieces where the baffle is more extreme. There have also been a ton of players who have used vintage Conn's with metal Otto Links and Dukoffs as well. Keep in mind that in comparison to many of the newer pro saxophones out there, the vintage Conn's tend to be less precise in the intonation department. That being said, the sound on those saxophones is absolutely world class. This is what continues to draw players to still use the horn today even when there is a huge abundance of choices.
Some modern pieces that work well on the older horns are the Vandoren V16, MacSax D Jazz, Aura, and Bob Sheppard Signature. The Saxquest Core and Bridge pieces also work well. I am particularly found of the match up with the Core. It seems to highly enrich the deep free blowing sound already present on a vintage tenor. Those are just a few of the pieces out there that work well. The best advice I can give is to be weary of the big dollar high baffle metal pieces that are out there. They look great and are often very well advertised but do not always agree with the older vintage horns. This information is based on my personal experience and as such might not be the rule for every individual.
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