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Your Baritone Setup

Ed

Founder
Staff member
Administrator
Vito/Yanagisawa 800 Low A
King Tempo Low B flat
Selmer Soloist or S90
Rico Royal Reeds

I've been playing around with a Berg 90/2 but am probably going to stick with the Selmer pieces. I also sometimes will use a Runyon Custom or a Chicago Mouthpieces SJ.
 
What did you change?

I own one and generally like it (I'm going to spend some time with it tonight as I'm going through all of my bari mouthpieces).
 
That's what I figured. Mine has a bit of a hump about 1/4" from the tip that I think could stand being smoothed out.
 
Selmer Mark VI Low Bb
MP: Rico Metalite M5
Ligature: Rovner Light
Reed: Fibracell 2 ?


B&S Medusa Model Low A
MP: Rico Graftonite B5
Ligature: Rovner Dark
Reed: Fibracell 2 ?


I have an amazing 100/2 SMS Berg that I bought new in 2000 at Long & McQuade in Toronto when I was there for a conference. On a whim I went to the store (sans horn and reed of course), and play tested a couple bari pieces with a Rico reed (from them) and a Selmer Series II that they had in stock. Up until that point, I had been using a very fine vintage Berg that belonged to a friend who had hand-picked it from the factory in the 50s or 60s after trying about 20 of them. When I played this new piece, I immediately knew that it was "the one". Somehow, they had accidentally made one as good as their best vintage stuff. When I got it home I couldn't wait to try it out on my VI. It was truly fine. When I do play jazz on my VI, the Berg is the one I use. Tim Price once commented on my bari sound and told me that whatever set-up I was using ( my relacquered VI, Fibracell 2 1/2, and Berg) I should never change it. It had the quintessential bari sound.

The set ups that I listed are the ones I use when I play R&B or blues (which is what I mostly do now-a-days) on bari.

The m/p that came with my Medusa is an amazing Zinner marked with the numbers: BA 63-5. I don't know what their numbering system means, but it is a really nice piece. I use it too when the mood strikes me.

Ahh...Too many m/p's...Not enough time....Can you relate Ed?
 
Yanagisawa B991 (low A)
Classical: Yani #5, Lavoz 2.5, Vandoran Optimum lig
Jazz: Otto Link Super Tone Master (metal) 6*, Vandoren ZZ 3

On a whim a friend of mine, a killer bari player, purchased two Rico Royal GRAFTONITE B7 bari sax mouthpieces for $15. He was blown away. It has a smaller chamber than the Yani rubber piece and is really loud. I prefer the lows on the Yani but the highs are much better on the Rico. I purchased two, one for my grandson and one for my wife as they are easier to mouth than the bigger pieces.
 
Helen said:

Ahh...Too many m/p's...Not enough time....Can you relate Ed?


Oh sure now it's not just Pete giving me grief over having a 100+ mouthpieces :oops:

I've tried about a dozen different bari pieces over the last couple of days. They were spread between two different rooms. At least I'm down to 3 baritones.
 
Ed Svoboda said:
Helen said:

Ahh...Too many m/p's...Not enough time....Can you relate Ed?

Oh sure now it's not just Pete giving me grief over having a 100+ mouthpieces :oops:
Well, I can, if you want :p.
 
I think she did a fine impression of you. Now it would just be gratuitous. :D
 
Ed Svoboda said:
Helen said:

Ahh...Too many m/p's...Not enough time....Can you relate Ed?


Oh sure now it's not just Pete giving me grief over having a 100+ mouthpieces :oops:

I've tried about a dozen different bari pieces over the last couple of days. They were spread between two different rooms. At least I'm down to 3 baritones.


OK, I was driven to count up my mouthpieces...Don't ask me why...It's a sickness I'm sure of it. I only have around 50 (give or take)... :eek: I didn't do an exact count because I would have had to open all of the cases, and that was too much trouble...Too many horns too!!... :emoji_astonished: Another illness? Or just another symptom of the original?

So for now Ed, you're up on me 2:1. But then I don't work them. If I did actually do mouthpiece refacing, I suspect that I'd have just as many, or likely more. :oops:

I'm sure there's a 12 program out there somewhere for us. If not, I think it's about time someone started one. :D
 
I play a Mark VI low A baritone (I have 2, an early one and a late one).

I started on a slant signature Otto Link hard rubber 7. After a couple of years I found a Lawton brass 7*B that I liked. I used that one for quite a while - over 5 years. I've been using a Ponzol M2 120 for 8 years or more. The old Ponzols have a lower baffle that I like on baritone.

I buy a lot of mouthpieces but I don't switch very often. I could still use the Link or the Lawton now and be happy. I place a lot of value on dynamic range. I like to be both the loudest and the softest baritone player in town.
 
That's one of my big things when I am testing mouthpieces. I'm looking for a certain tone and the ability to play all dynamic levels. I'm sure that this attitude is partially due to the fact that I play music that demands this. If I were only playing Rock I suspect it would be a little less important to me.
 
OK. I'll post:

I currently own a 1960-ish Beaugnier-made Vito low A baritone that has appx. 2% lacquer remaining. My mouthpiece is a Sigurd Rascher hard-rubber large chamber with a stock brass ligature and (usually) 3.5 Vandoren reeds. I prefer the long discontinued Modele Jazz.

The baritone I owned prior to this was a new Yamaha YBS-52 (two tone, low A). I supplemented my Rascher with a hard rubber Berg Larsen 110/0 when playing jazz.

Prior to this, I owned a late 1950's Keilwerth-made Bundy to low Bb. Lacquer. Perfect shape, although the neck was relacquered. I had a vintage Geo. Bundy mouthpiece mouthpiece and a long-shank knobby-end Selmer C* hard rubber. While I used the C* and Bundy mouthpiece on occasion, I primarily used the Rascher.
 
I would be Gandalfe's friend he refers to above :). Thanks for the kudos, btw. I'm playing a Yani B990 that I bought just before they went to the 991. I like the keywork and the intonation more than the Selmer I played in the 70s; in particular the intonation gives me one less thing to worry about.

I've been through a *lot* of moutpieces over the past 8 years. I've now come full circle to 1972 and play a vintage Brilhart Level-Air 7*. I have an 8 as well but can't quite get there. I alternate that with a Rico Royal Metallite M9, which has a a lot of volume and yet can maintain an edge at low volume too, which is useful. I also have an M11, but can't quite get there as well :). I also play an Otto Link now and again.
 
I don't own one yet ... so I used to play a school horn ... but they are went from aweful to unplayable so I just "steal" Garrett's Mark VI.
 
I'm seriously digging the Yani Low A and the vintage Selmer Soloist. It's a pretty nice combination.
 
My baritone set up is...

Selmer mk6 low A
Meyer HR medium #7
Meyer lig
Rico Royal #3



The horn serial # is 190,xxx. I bought it new from Charles Ponte in NYC back in 1971. Paid $850.00, a king's ransome back in those days. Probably worth at least $1000.00 today.:-D The horn sold without a mouthpiece, but Ponte threw in a nos Woodwind NY big old hr #4. It was a beautiful piece, never played, but very old. I had been admiring it while closing the deal on the horn. I pointed out a small lacquer defect on the sink drain part of the horn, so he threw in the mouthpiece. I don't think that it would happen that way today.

Another thought is coming into the side of my brain......I scoured music stores for just over a year before I was able to find this horn. I was looking for a new Selmer Paris baritone, preferably a low A, but the low Bb would have filled the bill. No one had either. I searched stores in Philly and NYC, phoned, and walked in, left my phone #. Thinking back to those days, I realise that there really weren't that many baritones of any make to be bought brand new in that year. Not in my area. And I don't believe that it was because of a lack of bari players, I think that it was because of the fact that by 1971, Selmer had just about ruined the competition courtesy of the mk6. I don't remember seeing new Conn, King, Martin, or Buescher bari's during my search. By 1971 these companies weren't much of a factor as far as professional level saxophones were concerned. H. Couf was around, and some players were going there, but the big 4 seemed to be winding down. So Selmer was busy keeping up with alto and tenor demand, and could afford to build baritones when they got around to it.
 
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