Opening a Tip - Part 1 of 4

[@colemanadamson5943]

Fascinating. Good voice tonality. Good speaking rhythm. Good camera work. I am a beginner sax player trying to learn everything. I enjoyed this very much.

[@capricorniaproject3020]

I test played a set of tenor mouthpieces today. The Berg Larsen I started with two decades ago was now unplayable. When there are problems with a mouthpiece the problems may lie in the player's experience, their mouth, their teeth, the horn, the reed or, indeed, the mouthpiece. I sent an original C-Melody mouthpiece to a leading Australian mouthpiece expert with a view to having it refaced. He replied that it was an awful mouthpiece, that he might be able to do "something" with it, but it would be expensive and had I thought of finding modern one. I took his advice and bought a Faxx. It does the job well. A musician in a community band I play in saw videos like this, decided it would be easy and spent a day rendering a $400 metal Selmer totally unplayable. He then turned it over to my friend, a highly qualified repairman, who then asked my advice, which was to turn the job down. My inclination is that, if I have a $400 mouthpiece that I don't like (and I do have one at the moment) I will sell it and spend the money on a mouthpiece that I do like.(or a few cases of New Zealand pinot noir). If I want to try this, and I am tempted, I will use the mouthpieces so kindly supplied for this purpose by the manufacturers of the cheapest saxophones on the market.

[@benjaminfalcone2074]

what strength of sand paper do you use?

[@mojobari79]

15 and 45 microns. I have a separate video about my work surface.

[@benjaminfalcone2074]

@@mojobari79 thx

[@maf9314]

Hi any tips how I can make a tip opening smaller. I have a Mogan 8 for alto and want to make it like a 6*

[@MojoBari]

MAF Look at my videos on Closing a Tip.

[@pitifigola-luthierdearmonicas]

Hello , I wanted to make an inquiry , I have a link master tenor sax numero 4 , and 5 wanted change , few millimeters have to have the opening ? ones would have to iron single curve beginning? will have some video to show me. I am from Argentina . tools have the digital gauge . thx

[@MojoBari]

Piti Figola I am not sure what your question is. I do not understand.

[@pitifigola-luthierdearmonicas]

I want abri one nozzle number 4 and take a 5 , is a master link

[@daonlybg]

Piti, ask your question in Spanish, we can probably figure out what you want to know that way

[@noname24894]

Dear Sir, where can I purchase bite plate for Otto link tenor mouthpiece.

[@carlosmendoza6820]

Try an alto bite plate. They usually fit pretty nicely

[@BeridotSegas]

how much do you charge for the service? thanks...

[@ernietollar]

very interesting too see and have explained, thanks.

[@dgraylive]

Do your still work on mouthpieces?

[@MojoBari]

Yup.

[@dgraylive]

Okay. I was wondering if you might be able to tell me why a mouthpiece can't play low notes from F on down to Bb. I can force the F and E but the lower I go, the more it fights back - down to nothing but harmonics and overtones. No low notes whatsoever. I've tried different strength reeds, adjusting reed/ligature position - softer reeds did better producing a thin very closed sounding notes which was very hard to produce but still no where near a professional or even the regular sound of a tenor sax. It sounded more like a giant mechanical duck or train horn or something. I can't remember ever having a problem like this with a mouthpiece. In the past, that problem occurred but it was the horn. This time, it is definitely the mouthpiece - a new one I just acquired. Any thoughts as to why that would happen? Thanks.

[@MojoBari]

Dorian Gray I would need to measure the facing to see what may be wrong. See if another player can make it work. You may get some ideas from that test.

[@dgraylive]

Thanks for that tip. I took all my playable mouthpieces to a tech who eventually pointed out that this mouthpiece basically doesn't have a tip opening. He put them on the table to show me. I could see the differences very easily. The mouthpiece I'm having trouble with looked basically flat. I think I want to pursue making it playable. I believe it can be a really good mouthpiece. Any tips on how a novice could open the tip some without destroying it?

[@noahdanaj5217]

I have this Soprano sax mouthpiece, and the tips is very fat/big and don't give me that great sound, I'm in Santo Domingo Domiminca Rep. how can I send it to you for you to fix it for me,

[@MojoBari]

Contact me at [e-mail]

[@MojoBari]

My tools come from different sources. There is no one stop place. Music medic has most these days. Finding larger feeler gage sizes is a real hassle. Check out my measuring video where I discuss these. The Yahoo Mouthpiece Work group has a lot of good discussions and resources.

[@YodaMan177]

You are the Batman of instrument modifications when it comes to gadgets.

[@adysaxman77]

Where did you obtain all your tools for measuring the opening of the lay of the mouthpiece etc., or have you made them yourself? Really informative videos by the way.

[@raefblack7906]

I think I mayt have over done it as my piece doesnt play at all.

[@GassedGasMask7]

I'll open YOUR tip!

[@maf9314]

GassedGasMask7 creep!!!!!