I have posted some new photos of the work I've been doing to a Tenor 
Otto Link 8.  They are in the Photos section under "Link 
Transformation".

The blank started out real bad, but it was good for this job.  It had 
been used for several epoxy baffle trials.  A chisel had been used to 
remove the baffles.  One chisel hit went all the way through the roof 
into the bottom of the bite plate.  The bite plate was cracked and 
had to be replaced.  I used a black acrylic resin for this.  Good 
stuff for this application.  I have a few small voids (bubbles) but 
I'll get better with practice.

I made the window bigger by thinning the rails.  I rotary filed and 
sanded out the chamber some to make it larger and remove some gouges.

For the baffle I used an epoxy with bronze powder in it.  It covered 
the roof gouges real nice.  I was going for a DG Michael Brecker II 
baffle.  After about 45 minutes I was able to get the rough shape of 
the baffle using a flat, slightly curved shaping tool dipped in water.

I still need to put a facing on it before I can tell you how it plays.

I posted a picture of the final baffle I ended up with on this 
piece.  Its a little smaller to fatten up the sound some.  See the 
photos section.

I also posted a couple of sound files in the Files - Tenor Sax 
section.  I made one of the Link and one of my main player Quantum as 
a baseline for comparison.  My tenor chops are a little rusty, but 
they are rusty in both sound files.  I usually sound better than this 
on my Quantum (at least I think I do).

I just used the Windows sound recorder and a cheap clip-on mic 
mounted on a music stand to eliminate key noise.  There is some 
static (like wind noise), I do not know why.

I think it is easy to hear some higher partials in the Link as 
compared to the Q.  Most players like this in a piece.  Its a 
personal preference thing.

What is not captured well in sound recordings is what a player feels 
about the piece.  How is it responding to what he is trying to do 
with it.  To me the Link has a wider range of color (bright, dark) 
and the Quantum has a wider dynamic range and plays more responsive 
to me.  But I have not lived with the Link long term to optimize its 
reed and really get to know the piece.  Nor will I.  The client is 
picking it up tomorrow.

This was a fun project.  I'm sure I'll be doing a few more like this, 
but starting with a better "blank".

Actually both sound files sound good, I can hear the plastic reed in the
sound which also loses a lot of the mid range colour of a reed. They may be
consistant but the loss of the sound colour in the mid range would make it
harder for using in a ambient Jazz setting to my way of thinking.

The Q sounds good, very different to how a Q sounds when I play one on
tenor, it is more controlled for you and less strident. The JVW reface or
tweaked Q I had here was the best Q I have played, more dynamic range and
more colour to the sound.
Later
God Bless
Bootman
Richard Booth
www.bootmanmusic.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Keith Bradbury [mailto:kwbradbury@...]
Sent: Sunday, 3 November 2002 1:43 AM
To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [MouthpieceWork] Re: Link Transformation


I posted a picture of the final baffle I ended up with on this
piece.  Its a little smaller to fatten up the sound some.  See the
photos section.

I also posted a couple of sound files in the Files - Tenor Sax
section.  I made one of the Link and one of my main player Quantum as
a baseline for comparison.  My tenor chops are a little rusty, but
they are rusty in both sound files.  I usually sound better than this
on my Quantum (at least I think I do).

I just used the Windows sound recorder and a cheap clip-on mic
mounted on a music stand to eliminate key noise.  There is some
static (like wind noise), I do not know why.

I think it is easy to hear some higher partials in the Link as
compared to the Q.  Most players like this in a piece.  Its a
personal preference thing.

What is not captured well in sound recordings is what a player feels
about the piece.  How is it responding to what he is trying to do
with it.  To me the Link has a wider range of color (bright, dark)
and the Quantum has a wider dynamic range and plays more responsive
to me.  But I have not lived with the Link long term to optimize its
reed and really get to know the piece.  Nor will I.  The client is
picking it up tomorrow.

This was a fun project.  I'm sure I'll be doing a few more like this,
but starting with a better "blank".





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I now have 6 sound files in the Files-Tenor area.  These take up a 
lot of room so I will eventually have to delete sound files as we 
grow.

I have sound files of the Link with a Fibracell reed and a V16 #3 
Cane reed.

I also have my Quantum with Fibracell and Cane and finally the 
Quantum with a removable baffle inserted played with Fibracell and 
Cane.

I have not listened to these files in detail myself.  I think I will 
find a small difference, but not enough to make me switch back to 
cane.  I basically gave up cane over 20 years ago.