Hello everybody,

I'm a new guy here!  I feel honored to be among a group of such
renowned artists, reed players, and technicians.  My name is Dan.  I
have a Yanagisawa Model 990 tenor that I don't play often enough. 
I've been playing sax since 1963.  Did a rock band gig for three years
while in college.  Then, when I was 31, enlisted in the Army Reserves
as a sax player, and did that for about 9 years, playing the Mark VI
tenor they issued me.  Now I'm back in college (Summer school)and my
music is a hobby.

Here's my problem.  When I bought the Yani' back in '98 at WWBW, I
bought a "Berg Larson 95 O M" hard rubber mouthpiece.  When I got it
home, I tried it out, but went back to the stock factory Yani' MPC for
the community concert band I was playing in.  That's when I noticed
the problem.  The factory MPC started vibrating when I played,...I
mean really buzzing my teeth!  I found the MPC loose on the goose
neck,...it wobbled a bit.  I tried to shim it, but it didn't work out.
 I had to have the neck recorked. I haven't used the Berg Larson since. 

Later, I got out my snap gauges(bore gauges)and dial caliper, did I
mention that I had been a machinist, and found that the Berg Larson
MPC had a tapered bore and the Yani' was a straight bore.  The bore on
the Berg Larson tapered from about .657" down to about .612" at a
depth of about 1.25", and the Yani' is a straight .665" bore.  I
forget the math used to calculate the taper, but you get the idea.

If it were brass or steel, I could figure out feed, speed, and tooling
to rebore the BL MPC, it would be no big deal for me, but I thought
I'd ask here before I screwed up perfectly good $100 plu$ MPC.  I
would appreciate any and all imput on how to rebore the neck fit on
this mouthpiece.  Has anyone here attempted this before?  What will it
do to the sound quality? Should I send out the neck and mouthpiece
together and have this done?  Would I be better off getting a spare
neck just for this mouth piece? 

Now, I tried to search for "neck fit", "tapered bore", "mouthpiece
fit",...but nothing seemed to turn up in my feeble search efforts.  

Thanks in advance for your help.

Dan

I use a sanding drum in a high speed rotary tool to open shank bores.  I
measure with calipers.  I usually do not have the client's neck to test fit
the mouthpiece.  But sometimes they send me one that does fit so I can get
some target numbers.  I also can get target numbers based on where most
mouthpieces are.  Usually, opening it up .010" helps.  

A sanding drum is not real precise, but it gets the job done and I can
blend the surfaces into the pre-existing straight or tapered bore.  Cork is
forgiving if you get the bore in the correct ball park.

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Hi Dan,

If you rebore the BL to be cylindrical (and it you're at it you might as well make it close to the diameter of the Yani) it won't change the sound much, as most of the throat is sealed on the neck cork. There will be a small bit at the back of the throat that will be a bit larger, I suppose, but at worst it will not change the sound much--perhaps just a bit more "body". My guess is that it will hardly be noticeable. I have enlarged a few throats and haven't noticed any significant change in the sound--that is mostly a function of the baffle shape and the chamber.

Different throat sizes between mpcs is always an issue--there doesn't seem to be any standard at all. The elasticity of the cork will, of course, give you some leeway, but past a certain point it is impossible to accomodate two different mpcs on the same cork. If you have the skills to bore out the BL by all means do so. No need to buy a second neck. That's my two cents. 


Toby

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Dan Kowalski 
  To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Monday, June 12, 2006 12:06 PM
  Subject: [MouthpieceWork] New guy with MPC to neck fit,...ah,..er... slight problem!


  Hello everybody,

  I'm a new guy here! I feel honored to be among a group of such
  renowned artists, reed players, and technicians. My name is Dan. I
  have a Yanagisawa Model 990 tenor that I don't play often enough. 
  I've been playing sax since 1963. Did a rock band gig for three years
  while in college. Then, when I was 31, enlisted in the Army Reserves
  as a sax player, and did that for about 9 years, playing the Mark VI
  tenor they issued me. Now I'm back in college (Summer school)and my
  music is a hobby.

  Here's my problem. When I bought the Yani' back in '98 at WWBW, I
  bought a "Berg Larson 95 O M" hard rubber mouthpiece. When I got it
  home, I tried it out, but went back to the stock factory Yani' MPC for
  the community concert band I was playing in. That's when I noticed
  the problem. The factory MPC started vibrating when I played,...I
  mean really buzzing my teeth! I found the MPC loose on the goose
  neck,...it wobbled a bit. I tried to shim it, but it didn't work out.
  I had to have the neck recorked. I haven't used the Berg Larson since. 

  Later, I got out my snap gauges(bore gauges)and dial caliper, did I
  mention that I had been a machinist, and found that the Berg Larson
  MPC had a tapered bore and the Yani' was a straight bore. The bore on
  the Berg Larson tapered from about .657" down to about .612" at a
  depth of about 1.25", and the Yani' is a straight .665" bore. I
  forget the math used to calculate the taper, but you get the idea.

  If it were brass or steel, I could figure out feed, speed, and tooling
  to rebore the BL MPC, it would be no big deal for me, but I thought
  I'd ask here before I screwed up perfectly good $100 plu$ MPC. I
  would appreciate any and all imput on how to rebore the neck fit on
  this mouthpiece. Has anyone here attempted this before? What will it
  do to the sound quality? Should I send out the neck and mouthpiece
  together and have this done? Would I be better off getting a spare
  neck just for this mouth piece? 

  Now, I tried to search for "neck fit", "tapered bore", "mouthpiece
  fit",...but nothing seemed to turn up in my feeble search efforts. 

  Thanks in advance for your help.

  Dan



   

My friend Jim Scimonetti, www.scimonetti.com, does a neck mod the "Scimonetti Corkless Neck".  It uses a series of changable O-rings.  You simply change the O-rings to fit your mouthpiece.

Paul


------- Original Message -------
From    : Dan Kowalski[mailto:DAN_J_KOWALSKI@...]
Sent    : 6/11/2006 10:06:40 PM
To      : MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
Cc      : 
Subject : RE: [MouthpieceWork] New guy with MPC to neck fit,...ah,..er... slight problem!

 Hello everybody,

I'm a new guy here!  I feel honored to be among a group of such
renowned artists, reed players, and technicians.  My name is Dan.  I
have a Yanagisawa Model 990 tenor that I don't play often enough. 
I've been playing sax since 1963.  Did a rock band gig for three years
while in college.  Then, when I was 31, enlisted in the Army Reserves
as a sax player, and did that for about 9 years, playing the Mark VI
tenor they issued me.  Now I'm back in college (Summer school)and my
music is a hobby.

Here's my problem.  When I bought the Yani' back in '98 at WWBW, I
bought a "Berg Larson 95 O M" hard rubber mouthpiece.  When I got it
home, I tried it out, but went back to the stock factory Yani' MPC for
the community concert band I was playing in.  That's when I noticed
the problem.  The factory MPC started vibrating when I played,...I
mean really buzzing my teeth!  I found the MPC loose on the goose
neck,...it wobbled a bit.  I tried to shim it, but it didn't work out.
 I had to have the neck recorked. I haven't used the Berg Larson since. 

Later, I got out my snap gauges(bore gauges)and dial caliper, did I
mention that I had been a machinist, and found that the Berg Larson
MPC had a tapered bore and the Yani' was a straight bore.  The bore on
the Berg Larson tapered from about .657" down to about .612" at a
depth of about 1.25", and the Yani' is a straight .665" bore.  I
forget the math used to calculate the taper, but you get the idea.

If it were brass or steel, I could figure out feed, speed, and tooling
to rebore the BL MPC, it would be no big deal for me, but I thought
I'd ask here before I screwed up perfectly good $100 plu$ MPC.  I
would appreciate any and all imput on how to rebore the neck fit on
this mouthpiece.  Has anyone here attempted this before?  What will it
do to the sound quality? Should I send out the neck and mouthpiece
together and have this done?  Would I be better off getting a spare
neck just for this mouth piece? 

Now, I tried to search for "neck fit", "tapered bore", "mouthpiece
fit",...but nothing seemed to turn up in my feeble search efforts.  

Thanks in advance for your help.

Dan

Hi everybody,

Keith, Toby, and Paul,...I would like to thank you for your
suggestions.  I've got a bunch of school work and a final exam to
study for during the next two weeks, so I really won't be able to try
anything until then.

Keith, I've got one of those rotary drums for my Ryobi (Dremmel type)
tool that you are talking about.  There is also a belt driven lathe
(small) in my mother-in-law's basement.  I'll have to look at my
options tool wise, have to see how I might chuck up the MPC on the
lathe.  Then there is also the drill press.  I've got a full set of
machininst bits.  I'll have to look into it later.

I'll be in touch to let you all know how it goes, when I get more time.

Thanks again, for the help!

Dan