I have an old 1925 silver plate King Alto that has intonation issues, but the voice of an angel. My old early serial number Mark VI also had challenging intonation issues. Mark VII sounded worse, but played in tune. H.Couf was reasonable, and the Grassi better. My new MacSax classic has the best intonation of any sax I've owned (but I haven't owned that many).

I suppose the manufacturing techniques of saxes in regards to intonation have improved over the years.

The only Link hard rubber mouthpiece I've ever played is a 6 and it gives me a Getz-like tone. But I don't use it because I play a lot of rock and blues (jazz doesn't put enough food on the table).

I use a Link metal (tone master 8 with NY chamber) to get a darker Texas Tenor sound.

In general, the bigger the tip opening and chamber, the darker it will sound, and the softer reed you will need.

The problem with mouthpieces is that you can't easily try them out before buying one. Woodwind & Brasswind used to let you do so years ago (before being purchased by Guitar Center) but you had to pay a sterilization charge if you returned it. I don't know if they still do that or not.

You can find a lot about mouthpieces by going to the Sax On The Web forum http://forum.saxontheweb.net/forum.php but be aware, mouthpieces are almost a fetish item (or worse a religious cult item) among some sax players so expect a very lively discussion if you ask there. If you think PC vs. Mac discussions are lively, you ain't read nothin' yet wink

Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
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