I just completed my first effort at mouthpiece work.  I took a modern
Otto Link soprano mouthpiece and removed the roll-over, as well as
opening the chamber up to full-round (the same way the alto and tenor
chambers are), though with some flatness left in the sidewalls.  In
the process of reaming it out, I messed up the tip with some careless
strokes of the file. Therefore, I flattened the table, evened out the
tip rail to a very narrow state (matching the "ruined" part and
proceeded to put a new facing on it.

I guess I had beginner's luck, because the thing plays pretty nicely,
and a new reed will hold a seal.

The tone it produces is still a bit too hard and focused for my taste,
so I'm wondering where to attack this project next.  I want to reduce
the upper partials and make it sound warmer/more spread.  Should I go
after the sidewalls more or maybe the baffle? Or might a wider tip
rail do some of that for me?

Alan

Alan, be careful about hogging out mouthpieces, particularly sopranos.  If you get the chamber too large it will cause you to have to push the mouthpiece to far onto the cork to tune the middle C (C2, third space C), as the low register tunes by volume.  
   
  The volume of the chamber, or rather, everything past the end of the neckpipe, must equal the missing conical section of the bore.
   
  But then the mouthpiece is too short.  The upper register tunes by length.  So even though you got C2 in tune, C3 will be sharp in relation to C2.
   
  Paul

planosax <awholley@...> wrote:
          I just completed my first effort at mouthpiece work. I took a modern
Otto Link soprano mouthpiece and removed the roll-over, as well as
opening the chamber up to full-round (the same way the alto and tenor
chambers are), though with some flatness left in the sidewalls. In
the process of reaming it out, I messed up the tip with some careless
strokes of the file. Therefore, I flattened the table, evened out the
tip rail to a very narrow state (matching the "ruined" part and
proceeded to put a new facing on it.

I guess I had beginner's luck, because the thing plays pretty nicely,
and a new reed will hold a seal.

The tone it produces is still a bit too hard and focused for my taste,
so I'm wondering where to attack this project next. I want to reduce
the upper partials and make it sound warmer/more spread. Should I go
after the sidewalls more or maybe the baffle? Or might a wider tip
rail do some of that for me?

Alan



         


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