This is a tenor mouthpiece I picked up at a music store a year or two ago. I use to own one about 8 years ago and it was one of my favorite mouthpieces so when I saw this one I grabbed it. Vandoren makes some of the best most consistent pieces out there. This mouthpiece plays a bit like an Otto Link but with more power and focus to the sound. I usually find that most mouthpieces sound much better when I play into a wall. I think it’s because they have a spread fat sound and it gets diffused in the room. So when you play facing a wall the sound bounces directly back at you.
When I play them into a wall the bounce back sound is very focused and centered and I love it. The thing with these Vandorens is that I don’t notice that as much. The sound I hear when I play into an open room is pretty close to the sound I’m hearing when I play into a wall. I think it’s due to the squeezed chamber really focusing and centering the sound. It can’t be too much more focused by playing into a wall it already is. Also, I notice that these mouthpieces usually sound great in a mic. I remember listening to recording of myself and always being happy with the sound from the V16 metal piece. It would just cut right through and be so clear in the monitors.
Listen………
Can you explain to me what ‘focused’ sound exactly is? I have read it many times… and I am still wondering about it…
🙂
A “focused” sound is one that is more compact and concentrated. Certain pieces have fatter more spread sounds and some have a more focused sound. As a comparison my JVW link has a very compact focused sound. My NY link has a bigger more fat sound. T o me it’s comparable to a flashlight with a concentrated focused beam as compared to a flashlight with a broad spread beam. I hope this helps. It’s hard to put into word until you experience it yourself. One isn’t better than the other but it has to do with what you like……..
This almost has Coltrane in the sound (at least on the recording). It’s just a little more… modern?. It doesn’t have that HUGE fatness in the sound, but it has the focus and brightness.
I actually find that coltrane’s sound wasn’t that fat. Kind of down the middle, but very warm.
I think the sound of this V16 is beautiful and rich, I have been looking at a nice jazz session mouthpiece since i started playing – I do have a question that i have noticed that no one ever demonstrates the low end. I always found that getting a rich sound from the bass indicated the tonal qualities of the upper register. If you know of a link with some low end recording please post…
I’m not sure what you mean by the low end. I think I do go down low in most of my clips. At least I try to. Steve
I’m so glad I listened to this clip.
The words I would use for this is that it has just the right amount of edge and character.
What surprises me is that I just got one two days ago and it felt just so-so. I had been playing very different types, so maybe I didn’t give it a chance. –Will work at it more tomorrow.
Your comment about the “wall” is right on. It’s also the basis for that little plastic bell reflector that some sax players (with bad monitors) use to hear themselves.
Hi
I would like to ask what kind of ligature you use with this piece? I use a Francois Louis and wonder whether other ligature provides better results.
I used a Vandoren Optima ligature on it. Ligatures make a slight difference but the FL is a great ligature. Steve
I was looking at Theo Wanne’s mps., and noticed that he also sells a choice of/or all 3 reed holders (I forgot what they call them) that fit under the ligature screw. All are made of different materials and I think contact the reed differently. His testamonials swear that there’s a difference, but I find that hard to believe (or more accurately-hear).
BUT when I got my Vandoren, guess what? It also came with
3 different reed contact/whatevers (although not made from exotic materials-oh well). I’ve only tried one of them so far. I’ve got to get used to the basic mp first.
Nice playing Steve! I’ve been thinking about one of these and now I’d like to try one. The bit you said about playing to a wall and playing to the room rings true.
Thanks for this clip and review, Jef
Kinda surprised too. You sound terrific on all of these pieces you review, this one just grabs my attention the most. Sounds really even and fun to play. Lovely man, lovely!
Here’s a crazy question. I have a T95 and it doesnt seem as bright as the T75. Have you tried the T95 in comparison to the T75? If so did you notice the same?
Yes Bill. I noticed the same. The T95 has a bigger tip opening which makes the baffle seem a little lower in comparison to the T75 I think. The T95 had a bigger more hollow sound to it. The T75 was brighter and more focused sounding for me.
I just purchased a V16 T75 and I am very happy with this mouthpiece. When test playing a bunch of different mouthpieces I found they do play like Otto Links but with a bit more overtone presence. I have a taste for focused, modern sounds with lots of overtone so this is a great mouthpiece for me. Also, it responds wonderfully through-out the full range, and all the various tounguing techniques are easy to do on this mouthpiece. Love it.
That’s great. I played a T75 for a number of years on different gigs. The straight sidewalls give it a very focused sound that projects well and sounded great when played through a mic.
Hi everybody,
I got my T75 years ago in the late 1990ies – and it was sitting on a shelf for a while. Partly because in these years I used a Rovner Ligature (which tends to deaden the sound) and Vandoren V16 reeds (which are on the bright side…). A few years ago a Francois Louis ligature (I still play a wonderful silver handmade soprano mpc of his) and Gonzalez reeds (2 3/4) really totally changed the picture! I now love this mouthpiece becauce of its total control over the whole register (almost 4 octaves). A very thoughtful and smart construction. And yes: it always sounds great when recorded… –
And Steve: thanks for posting your soundclips and reviews! There is so much out there that it’s good to have someone taking care of business…;-)
I noticed that also about the T75. It always sounded great through a mic. Some mouthpiece are really spread sounding and sound best when I play them into a wall because the sound bounces back to my ears and is more focused. The T75 sounded focused and centered when I played it into a room and when I played it into a wall it sounded almost the same to me. Not a big difference. I think the straight side walls and smaller chamber really sharpen and focus the airstream.
Hi Steve. Good to read your comments (and others) and listen to your sound clip! It’s convinced me to experiment more with my own T75. Keep up the good work and valuable input!
Hi Steve!
I want to know what reed do you use with this mpc.
Thanks.
I can’t remember it was usually a Vandoren Java 2 1/2 or 3. I switch back and forth all the time. Lately I have been using Ishimori Woodstone and Rigotti Gold reeds that play great!
I keep coming back to my T75. I think because I want a certain kind of singing brightness without any hardness in the tone. Having been playing the Warburton LA for some time, I have returned to the Vandoren because it plays even more easily and is focused and balanced even when one’s chops are suffering from lack of practice time. This is a mouthpiece which seems to balance all the factors very well, and I find it more tonally flexible and colourful than Steve seems to. One or two tracks on (check the info):
http://soundcloud.com/andy-bowie
I have that mpc for some time now. I stored it away when I came across a Ponzol M1 (and not M2 – I realized that I made some remarks re the Ponzol M2 on this website, and when I got home I found out I was playing M1 and not M2…). The Ponzol was my prime mps for the last two years. I recently purchased a Guardala MBII, and when it arrived two days ago, I pulled out all my metal mps and had a comparizon test to evaluate the sounds of these mpcs. Here is my list of mpcs (all were played on my Selmer Reference 54 tenor, with a #3 Vandoren Java reed:
1. Vandoren V16 T75 – the loudest of them all and nicely centered with good sound (not screeching). Very good for playing with a big-band or in other instances when a loud sound is required.
2. Guardala MBII – loud, clear and nicely centered, yet possessing a fatter sound than the T75 – my favorite mpc for now.
3. Ponzol M1 – Loud but not edgy, sounds too muffled for my taste.
I hope this information is helpful.
Steve, I’ve come back to the T75 again recently. What’s the nearest other piece you have found to it? I like the focus and the brightness (which is not hard), which is down to the narrower chamber, but it still has a Linkish quality. I just have the feeling I could get something even better. Is the Sakshama Florida in the same ballpark? Thanks.
Hi Steve, did you ever get a chance to review for us tenor players the new Vandoren V16 metal mouthpiece that now comes with 3 different size chambers?
Angelo Yodice
Hi Angelo, No, I haven’t reviewed the Vandoren mouthpieces with the new chambers yet. I was hoping to and sent Vandoren an email asking if I could try them for a review but they responded that they don’t send out pieces for people to review…….. Oh well…….
This sounds very clean. I don’t notice any roughness to the sound. I suppose the best way to describe it is… I don’t hear the reed, and no smoke….
I actually prefer a rougher sound than what this gives. Sounds beautiful, and for someone who prefers a clean sound, it would be a great piece. I do prefer a bit more roughness and “smoke” to my sound. I love to hear the reed!
hello neff
vandoren metal sound great
i like coltrane sound
do you know which modern mouthpiece can sound like trane
bari gold tenor ? vandoren v16 metal? or some other mouth? thanks
Danial, I just got a new Vandoren metal T7 medium chamber mouthpiece that has a brighter Trans type sound when I play it. I hope to get a review of it up in the next week. Steve
This sounds just like the Vandoren V16 7* I played when getting my last mouthpiece. I went with the Otto Link STM 7*. I compared them side by side, and the Otto Link was far better. The Vandoren was shinier, more perfect looking, but the Link really had the sound.
Steve,
I really like your reviews, and look forward to your newsletters.
Quick question: What ligature did you use on the V16 T75 mouthpiece you reviewed here? I have one, and am using a Francoise ligature, but don’t really like it that much (the lig).
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Anton
Anton,
I used the V16 Optimum ligature that is built for the V16 metal mouthpieces. It comes with 3 pressure plates that you can experiment with to find the plate you like the best. Steve
Awesome, Steve…thanks. My FL just isn’t cutting the mustard, so up on SOTW for sale it goes. I’ll look for an Optimum and see how I like it.
Cheers,
Anton
Thanks for this review, Steve. Do you recall what reed you used in this recording?
Thanks,
Perry
NEFF I PLAY JUMBO JAVA T45 MIAMI DUKOFF D6
WHAT DIFFERENT BETWEEN JUMBO JAVA AND V16 T75 AND V16 HARD RUBBER T7
ARE THEY PRETTY DIFFERENT ?
JUMBO JAVA T45 V16 T6 AND VANDOREN T75
WHICH ONE IS BRIGHTEST ?
WHICH YOU PREFER TO MAKE COLTRANE SOUND? THANKS
I believe the Jumbo Java is the brightest of those. I tried one once but it was so bright for me that I really didn’t like it. I think the metal V16 Vandoren pieces would probably be the best of those three choices for a Coltrane type of sound. Steve
Hey Steve,
Great sound! I’m an experienced high school classical who’s been playing jazz for quite a while, yet never actually got a jazz setup. I play on a C* mouthpiece with 3 1/2 Vandoren blue box reeds and a Rovner mouthpiece (as classical as it gets), but have been trying out metal mouthpieces recently and have narrowed down to either a V16 T75 or a Lawton B-class 7*.
Do you have any tips on both of these mouthpieces and which one you think would be better for someone who’s new to the metal mouthpiece world, as well as good reed options for either mouthpiece?
Thanks!
Hi, I don’t know how long you have been playing the Selmer C* which has a tip opening of 0.071 inches which is about a # 4 or 4* opening. That being said the V16 T75 tip opening is 0.104 inches or a 7* opening. That’s quite a bit of a leap from a 0.071 to a 0.104, something to consider. The model T75 is not made any longer by Vandoren. They now make a V16 T5 – 0.092 only comes in a large chamber. They also make a T6 – 0.098, T7 – 0.104, T8 – 0.109, T9 – 0.116 inches.
The models T6, T7 8 & T9 give you a choice of having a Small, Medium, or Large chamber.
The Small chamber has a centered sound with projection, the Medium chamber has a deep rounded sound( 50’s ), the Large has a vintage sound( 40’s )!
Sorry, I can’t give you ant information on the Lawton.
Good Luck!
Hi Angelo, you wrote: “… They now make a V16 T5 – 0.092 only comes in a large chamber …”.
Are you sure the Vandoren for metal T5 tenor T6 is tip opening 0.92? I thought it was 0.85 …; even if, after buying it and playing for a week, I realized that I was struggling (normal use 0.81). I had, by eye, the impression that it was wider … or, I thought it was a piece damaged in the table.
Instead it was probably too large for me: can you all confirm that the T5 is 0.92?
Thanks Angelo; you have clarified my doubt! Now I know that I can play safely, probably, with tip opening 0.85!
Thanks.
Kessler’s music has a page that lists the T5 tenor piece as .092, the T6 as .098, the T7 as .104 and the T8 as .109
https://www.kesslerandsons.com/product/vandoren-v16-metal-tenor-sax-mouthpiece/
Thanks Steve for replying back to Giuseppe, I didn’t have time.
Angelo
Thank you so much, Steve; you’re always kind!
Now I understand why I was struggling: among other things, the T5 is also large chamber!
If I can joke I would say that, in the world of MPC, above all non-commercial, there is no respect for minorities who use small-sized tip openings!
Hello Steve, I bought used, for a few euros, a mouthpiece in HR, with written on the back of the MPC, in oblique as for the slant, Vandoren (in italics), below PARIS (in block letters) and, below, at the beginning of the body of the MPC after the shank, T101; the T101 is also written laterally, just to the line between the shank and the beginning of the body.
On the MPC there is no written measure or number of opening, as if it were manufactured in one single opening.
I also noticed, inside, that there are residuals of something that may have been a sort of diaphragm that restricted the beginning of the chamber and that was taken badly.
Can you tell me something about this MPC, its manufacturing date and what kind of opening does it have? Thank you.
No, sorry, I have never heard of a T101 Vandoren mouthpiece………
Yet it exists; if I could I would send a picture. As a form resembles the soloist, shank apart .. Also I, looking on the internet, I find nothing, except a comment on a blog in Italian of a man who said that it is a good MPC and nothing more. How to find news? Maybe I could ask Vandoren … I’m starting to think it’s a rare or ancient piece …
There is no one among the users of the blog that knows anything about it?
Thanks for any notice!
I’ve just done a new search on internet and I find this:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vandoren-paris-t101-tenor-sax-1414759823
But it do not say anything about the MPC!
Now I found this on internet (see string): tip opening 0.75, medium facing, medium chamber. It has more volume than my Meyer 6 (0.81).
http://www.nicolastrefeil.com/vandoren-mouthpieces-museum
From the site (see string) I do not understand what year it was released.
The string now is changed: http://nicolastrefeil.com/mouthpiece-museum
This link doesn’t seem to work for me……
http://nicolastrefeil.com/mouthpiece-museum
http://www.nicolastrefeil.com/vandoren-mouthpieces-museum
I do not understand; May 19 I tried the first string and doesn’t work for me; I I set a new search key and I found the second string; today they both work me … It’s strange!
Ma il Vandoren V 75 is 0.075 tip opening?
I am always fascinated by these mouthpiece reviews. As most of us are, I too continually search for the HOLY GRAIL of mouthpieces. I have used, a metal LINK for years, then went onto a custom Johann Gerber hard rubber, later an Adam Drake rubber son of slant, tried the GIAIA metal. All setup on a tenor Mark VI. Presently, replaying the DRAKE….and like it….But still the HOLY GRAIL thing!!!! Last summer I purchase a CANNONBALL STONE PRO SERIES TENOR. In the case is this Vandoren HARD RUBBER. Looks like there is a colon after the T75. Have you played this piece? If so, what do you think? Looking forward to your view.
Thanks,
Mike Totoro
Mike, I have obviously heard of the Vandoren T75 but I am not sure what that “colon” is? That doesn’t ring a bell as something I have seen. Steve
Hey, Steve! thanks for the review! Can you tell me if this mouthpiece can be universal – play in any genre? at the moment i play select jazz d7m. And I generally like everything except that it is difficult to play pop fusion on it. The mouthpiece lacks sharpness and focus. Can you recommend which mouthpiece to try? I also read your review of his new Tone Edge EB – and wanted to buy it, but after listening to your test, it showed me that there is a nasal tinge in its sound in the second octave and above. Or am I wrong?
Yes, I played a Vandoren T75 tenor sax mouthpiece for a few years on everything from loud pop and funk music to jazz standards. I found it very versatile. The coolest thing about it is that the entrance to the chamber is more squeezed which I always found gave the tone a nice focus that microphones picked up really well.
I didn’t notice that nasal tinge about the new EB Tone Edge. Are you talking about the Connoisseur mouthpiece? I didn’t notice it, but if you hear it, that is what is most important. I find that that nasal quality is usually connected to the reed choice. I get it more with harder reeds so I am curious if you heard it more on a clip with a harder reed, a softer reed, or both? Steve
Yes, Steve. I’m talking about the Connoisseur mouthpiece. It seemed to me that this is more present on Rigotti reeds, although in reality these moments are too rare and not definite enough to worry about it much. I just need a versatile mouthpiece that can play both jazz and fusion. I also have a Nadir Fusion 8 mouthpiece, I really like how it sounds, it’s very similar to Michael Breacker but very hard to match with a reed, which I also heard about Nadir’s MB II mouthpieces. Plus, such an opening (114 if I’m not mistaken) quickly wears out the reeds. I would try MB II but I’m worried that I’ll run into the same problem. Also, despite the above, I was considering buying a Florida 100 anniversary, and in your review it sounds great. But it stops the quality control of JJ babbit, plus I’m worried that even if I come across a good option, I won’t be able to get enough volume out of it. So I don’t know what to do .. it all started with the transition to the yanagisawa t800 tenor, it is very good, but on the YTS 61 with the select jazz d7m mouthpiece, I didn’t think about changing the mouthpiece at all. The YTS 61 played more dry and harsh than the plump and rich sound of the Yanagisawa t800 which I generally like better. But … ))))
That is the struggle. You have to find a mouthpiece that connect you to the horn in the way you want so that you sound the way you want. That’s why I don’t mess with horns or necks too much. A new sax or neck would most likely totally change how every mouthpiece sounds and plays for me.
The one thing I found about the T75 that I didn’t mention is that I found the sound a bit one dimensional. It sounded good on funk and R&B stuff and good on jazz stuff but I always found the sound to be not as rich or interesting as with some other mouthpieces. Good luck on the search.
Hi Steve and Alexander,
I find on the internet this fantastic laboratory in Texas, The One ‘O Clock Lab Band which, in the past, I liked a lot when by chance I found it on the Internet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H586tcoqS54
It seems to me that the fantastic playing and solo, and sound quality, performed in Yesterdays by Brian Clancy on tenor is performed with a Vandoren V 16 T75…
Which in my opinion dispels any doubts about the possibility of use in jazz.
Moreover, Brian is a really nice guy and I think it is possible send him an e-mail for any information…
I contacted him on his e-mail to tell him how much I liked his solo and he kindly replied with lots of study tips and also sending me material to practice!
Very kind and wonderful boy… and wonderful saxophonist!
I hope I was helpful.
Giuseppe.
Hi Steve and Alexanders,
with reference to my other comment, if lawful, I attach from you tube two answers to the question posed in a comment to the video, which seem to confirm that it is a Vandoren V 16.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H586tcoqS54
“… jpaufsc
jpaufsc
6 anni fa
Man, that tenor sound is incredible. Anyone know what mouthpiece he is using?
1
Rispondi
2 risposte
2 risposte
Kind Consciousness
Kind Consciousness
6 anni fa
Looks like a V16?
1
Rispondi
John Varos
John Varos
1 anno fa
Vandoren v16 t6 metal with an optimum ligature…”
——————–
Giuseppe.