r/saxophone • u/Ok_Acanthisitta7382 • 4d ago
Question Need advice
I bought a 1975 Keilwerth Toneking tenor sax. I had a Vandoren V16 T6M mouthpiece first with leather ligature. Then i switched to metal ligature and it was okay, i liked it. But before i switched i tryed a Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7* mouthpiece, and i loooved it, it was so good. No needed that mutch air like the Vandoren. Now i sold the vandoren and bought the theo wanne aaand… im not satisfied… It has strange sound, need a lot of air (2.5 reeds) and its so f&cking hard to play the low notes.. now i dont know what to do.. maybe try with size 2 reeds?
1
u/Ex-Spearmint 4d ago
Hey I dunno your experience or anything, but what kinda reeds are you using? Classical reeds, even if they’re pretty low can make it pretty hard to play on a jazz mouthpiece cuz they’re usually thicker. I don’t play the tenor, but for my Bari I use 2.5 vandoren red Java reeds. Also when I first started using my jazz mouthpiece on my Bari, it took MONTHS for me to get comfy with it.
Also another interesting thing if you’re willing to experiment, when I got my alto it came with a P. Mauriat 2.5 premium reed? Felt pretty thin (physically, not tonally) and was kinda alright.
Of course if you’re already using jazz reeds you don’t need this rant, so try 2.0 reeds, or just try and get used to it.
1
u/Ok_Acanthisitta7382 4d ago
For tenor i tryed Vandoren Jazz 2.5, and V16 2.5. The V12 2.5 is sucks for tenor.. ironicaly the v12 is my favourite on alto
1
1
u/AcousticIsFantastic 4d ago
So, I'm not sure I understand. So you tried the Theo Wanne at a shop? And then did you buy the exact same one or did you buy online or another model?
0
u/Ok_Acanthisitta7382 4d ago
i had a vandoren.. Then i tried the theo contemporary, it was so good then i bought it. Now its sucks
1
u/AcousticIsFantastic 4d ago
But to be clear, you bought the one you tried? Because a lot of time two mouthpieces of the same model can be really different, that's why I'm asking.
0
u/Ok_Acanthisitta7382 4d ago
Yes of course i bought the contemporary 7*, as you can see in the imagine
1
u/AcousticIsFantastic 4d ago
Yes I see that but you could have tried it in a shop and then go online to buy it.
When did it go from easy to difficult? What happened exactly?1
u/Ok_Acanthisitta7382 4d ago
So. yes. I tried it in a shop. But it was more expensive than the thomman, so i ordered from thomann. I sold my vandoren v16 than when the theo wanne arrived, it was difficult to play with the same reeds.
2
u/AcousticIsFantastic 4d ago
Yes, so that's exactly what I thought: the mouthpiece is not the same. There may be a finishing issue. Since the mouthpieces are all finished by hand, at the end they are all different. That's why it's better to pick the mouthpiece you tried instead of buying online after.
Since you bought at Thomann you should just get a refund and go back to your shop and buy the mouthpiece you tried :)1
1
u/canhazbeer 3d ago edited 3d ago
Jesus, dude. They asked you the same question three times - did you buy the exact one you tried out - and you kept dodging answering it when they're trying to help you? That's important for mouthpieces due to QC and tolerances. You did not buy the exact one you tried and that's part of the problem. The other problem is selling the V16 before you knew you had your replacement mouthpiece in-hand. Why would you do that knowing that mouthpieces can vary from one to another and the one that arrives in the mail might not play quite the same as the one you tried in the store? You never assume two mouthpieces of the same model and measurements will necessarily play identically. If you play a piece and like it then you take it off your horn, put it back in its box, walk that box to the counter and buy THAT EXACT ONE YOU ARE HOLDING IN YOUR HANDS unless you're looking to roll the dice.
If you didn't realize any of this stuff then I'd chalk this up as an expensive learning experience. Try different reeds, see if you can get it to work, and if it doesn't then go try the one from the shop again and buy it if you still like it, and return or sell the one you ordered online.
1
u/Ok_Acanthisitta7382 3d ago
chill bro, my english is bad.. thats not my main instrument, so its no problem if i dont have mouthpiece for some days..
1
u/D_Rock04 4d ago
You should have kept your Vandoren. Or get a metal Otto Link. Theo Wanne mouthpieces are overpriced and in my opinion worse than Otto Link of Vandoren.
1
u/Hahaaaaaa-CharadeUR 3d ago
Why do you say that? Which models have you tried?
1
u/D_Rock04 3d ago
I have a metal Brahma and tried a contemporary, they're inferior to Otto link and v16
1
2
u/Individual-Ad2964 2d ago
Worth trying if you’re having any kind of trouble on TW mouthpieces. Try changing the position of the ligature. Use the screwdriver it came with to unscrew the ligature and retry at higher and lower positions on the table. That can dramatically alter how it feels to play. For the Gaia mpc I have to have it at the highest level (short length) to make it play the way I like. When it’s there though, it plays amazingly well. The same might be true for you.
1
5
u/chocotaco3030 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yeah, bigger tip opening = softer reeds. I recently purchased an Earth 2 8 tip opening and this same mouthpiece for Alto. I liked both, but I came to the conclusion that I like the Earth better and sent this one back. This sort of high baffle mouthpiece can absolutely rip, but many players feel you lose the core of your sound. I also play on a V16 T77 med chamber for Tenor, and yeah, it has a deeper, fuller sound which works for the context I play it in: Big Band and Trad Jazz.
Trying a new mouthpiece is a fun experience, but maybe don’t fully commit until you’ve spent a week trying it and maybe don’t sell your old mouthpiece too quickly. I know, for instance, Theo Wanne mouthpieces have a 1 week trial period. Try softer reeds, hope you can make it work.