It looks like December is “Reso” month here at Neffmusic as I have three reproductions of Otto Link Reso Chamber tenor saxophone mouthpieces sitting on my desk to review this week. I have a GetASax GS RESO tenor saxophone mouthpiece that is a precise replica of a vintage Otto Link Reso Chamber. The GS RESO comes in two versions, and I’ll be reviewing both of them. This review is of the variable tip GS RESO version, that is modeled in different facings. And the next review will be of the GS RESO FG Special tenor sax mouthpiece that comes only in a Freddie Gregory 7* facing. The third tenor sax mouthpiece is a James Bunte ARC reproduction of an Otto Link Joe Allard Reso Chamber tenor saxophone mouthpiece with James Bunte’s own facing curve on it that I have already reviewed.
GetASax GS RESO Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece next to a Vintage Otto Link Reso Chamber
Today, I am reviewing the GetASax GS RESO Model tenor saxophone mouthpiece that is a very precise replica of an Otto Link Reso Chamber tenor saxophone mouthpiece with a 7 Freddie Gregory facing curve applied to it. I have never played an original Otto Link Reso Chamber tenor mouthpiece just because they are so darn expensive ($1500+ dollars) but these new reproductions from GetASax are only $199 which is a great deal for a replica of a world class Otto Link Reso Chamber mouthpiece!
The original Otto Link Reso Chamber tenor saxophone mouthpiece that was the inspiration for the GS RESO model mouthpiece is a 5 tip opening and has JA (Joe Allard) engraved on the table of the mouthpiece. I have been told that the JA refers to a specific facing curve by Joe Allard who taught at the Juilliard School of Music.
To open the GS RESO tenor saxophone mouthpiece tip up to a more modern tip opening, Brian Curry copied a facing curve off of another one of his favorite tenor sax mouthpieces, a Freddie Gregory Mark II 7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece that he has in his extensive mouthpiece collection.
GetASax GS RESO Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece next to a Vintage Otto Link JA Reso Chamber (notice the JA engraved on the table)
The most notable player that I know that played an Otto Link Reso Chamber tenor mouthpiece for many years was Seamus Blake. If you check out any of his recordings from the 1994-2017 time period, I believe those are all on an Otto Link Reso Chamber tenor saxophone mouthpiece. In all of these recordings, Seamus has a very distinctive and personal tenor sound. (I believe Seamus Blake plays on a hard rubber Ted Klum tenor sax mouthpiece now and I heard that he switched after he dropped his old Reso Chamber mouthpiece on a gig and it broke.) *I was informed by Brian Curry that Ben Wendell and Joe Lovano also play Reso Chamber tenor saxophone mouthpieces.
Here is how Brian Curry describes the GetASax GS RESO Model tenor saxophone mouthpiece on his website at GetaSax.com:
“The big idea here is to let you experience the magic of the best mouthpieces I have ever played, for a price that makes them widely accessible for the first time.
This mouthpiece is a very precise copy of an original Otto Link Reso Chamber tenor mouthpiece. It’s medium dark, but not too dark, with moderate focus, and gets punchy without thinning out when pushed. Balanced and responsive, it’s one of the best all-around tenor mouthpieces I’ve played. Even if you normally play brighter pieces, the GS Reso is worth having in your arsenal. It’s ideal for jazz, beautiful on ballads, and can handle burning bebop tenor lines like a champ. The facing is just right. Subtone is effortless, response is quick. Altissimo pops right out. It’s very free blowing and takes air extremely comfortably. The 7 .100″ tip opening is very comfortable. Newer players can easily manage it with a 2.5 reed. And for pros, it slots right in with a Rigotti 3 light to 3.5 medium. (I like the Rigotti 3 light personally.)
The computer model we developed for the Reso is accurate down to .001” compared to my original Reso Chamber. Each mouthpiece gets carefully hand faced, precisely measured, and tested, so that it really is totally right! Bottom line: You get the equivalent of a $1500+ vintage mouthpiece for only $199. People keep saying we should charge more, but the whole idea from the start has been to make the best mouthpieces widely accessible, not to maximize profits. A lot of people have never played a really good mouthpiece. It’s time to change that.
Using cutting-edge tech, we went through over 50 prototypes so that now every one of these sounds like the original.
Finishing:
Each GS Reso gets carefully hand faced and finished before coming to you. This is super important. The magic of a mouthpiece is in the facing. If you buy a generic, mass-produced mouthpiece, chances are the table is not flat and the facing is uneven between the side rails. As a result, the reed vibrates unevenly. It feels stuffy and dead, resistant, and all-around disappointing to play. SO many people have this problem, whether they know it or not. I don’t know how many players I’ve helped to get their first actually good mouthpiece, and all of a sudden playing is fun!
Since we flatten the table, you get an easy reed seal. There are no print lines or marks messing up the facing. It’s smooth and perfect like a boutique mouthpiece. The facing is also finished by hand, which is a BIG plus. I’m really picky about this, so I learned to do it myself so I could be sure these pieces were actually the same as the great facings on the original mouthpieces. Each facing is measured at ten points to make sure that it is even and consistent throughout.
Mouthpiece facings are unforgiving. Small problems can make a big difference in playability. Unlike any other mouthpiece of its kind or anywhere near its price, each one of these GS mouthpieces goes out the door only when it is faced just right. Every one is as good as the best mouthpieces I have played.
I have been collecting mouthpieces seriously for over ten years now, and I have been saving the very best ones over that time. I currently have about 750 pieces, and of those there are about 20 that I think are in that Holy Grail category. Those are the mouthpieces that will be coming out in the GS Mouthpieces line. Keep an eye on this, if you want to put together a collection of the best playing saxophone mouthpieces ever, while keeping costs to a minimum. Each one has a magic of its own, and each one gives you a unique and beautiful tone and response that makes it a joy to play!”-Brian Curry
GetASax GS RESO Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The GetASax GS RESO Model tenor saxophone mouthpiece is made of white biocompatible dental resin. This material is brand new to me and I don’t think I have played a mouthpiece made out of this material before. Here is what Brian Curry at GetASax writes about the material.
“GS Mouthpieces are made of a premium biocompatible dental resin, and printed at an especially high resolution. You don’t see messy print lines everywhere, because the print is so high quality! This dental resin is designed to be in your mouth, so it’s ideal for a mouthpiece.”-Brian Curry
Brian actually asked me if I would make a video of me dropping his GS RESO mouthpiece on a wood or even concrete floor to show how durable it was. Although, he seemed excited about the prospect of me doing this, everything in me said that I can not be a part of such an abhorrent experiment.
In a video call we had, he suddenly chucked one of his GS RESO mouthpieces behind him into the room while we were talking. I think I gasped out loud. He then went back, picked it up and showed me that it was undamaged.
Nevertheless, I have been diligently protecting every mouthpiece I have come in contact with for the last 20 years. It is a habit built into my very nature by this point and I can’t go against my protective instincts! Maybe Brian will make a video of himself doing this, but I will refuse to watch it. There’s enough anxiety in the world with the pandemic going on, I don’t need to watch people dropping saxophone mouthpieces on concrete. That would just push me over the edge……
GetASax GS RESO Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
This GetASax GS RESO Model tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a 7 tip opening which is a .100. Although I am used to 7* tip openings on my mouthpieces, the 7 tip opening of this RESO mouthpiece feels totally comfortable to me.
The facing curve of the GS RESO tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a copy of a Freddie Gregory 7 facing curve that Freddie used on a Freddie Gregory Mark II model tenor saxophone mouthpiece that Brian Curry owns. Brian told me that he loved the facing curve on the FG Mark II and copied it to his Reso mouthpiece exactly to get the 7 tip opening. Each facing is measured at ten points to make sure that it is even and consistent throughout.
The GetASax GS RESO Model tenor saxophone mouthpiece looks great to the eye. The tip, rails and table look even, flat and well crafted. The tip rail is nice and thin, and it’s shape perfectly matches the shape of the saxophone reeds I used on it.
Now, spare me a moment of grumpy old man complaining. The one downside of the GS RESO sax mouthpiece in my mind is the white color. This is just an old man issue of mine, but I find it extremely hard to position a tan colored saxophone reed on a white sax mouthpiece. It’s probably also an issue with me needing reading glasses as I get older, but I had a hard time seeing that white tip rail clearly while trying to place the reed perfectly on the mouthpiece…… Bottom line, it isn’t the end of the world. I just found myself having to find better light and put my reading glasses on……(grumpy complaining over……)
The baffle of the GetASax GS RESO Model tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a low rollover. It is short baffle and looks to be about 1/4 of an inch approximately before it rolls over and descends down at an angle into the large chamber. The floor of the baffle during the decent has a side to side curve to it. Since Brian Curry opened this Reso model up from a 5 tip opening to a 7 tip opening, he took special care in keeping the baffle as much like the original baffle in relation to the tip opening as possible.
The baffle ends at the mouthpiece chamber where it looks like the bottom of the chamber floor is scooped out to be a little lower than the bore. The opening to the mouthpiece chamber looks to be a large sized chamber that is similar in size to a typical hard rubber Otto Link sized chamber. The roof of the mouthpiece chamber under the table is a medium thickness.
The sidewalls are scooped out from where they start near the tip all the way to the chamber where they expand out to round out the chamber. I typically like scooped out sidewalls because they seem to go hand in hand with a fatter more round tenor saxophone tone in my opinion.
GetASax GS RESO Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The diameter and beak profile of the GetASax GS RESO tenor mouthpiece is very close to the diameter and beak profile of a typical hard rubber Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece. All of my ligatures that fit comfortably on hard rubber Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpieces fit on the GS RESO model tenor sax mouthpiece perfectly.
The weight and consistency of the dental resin feels more substantial than the weight of other materials like Delrin mouthpieces I have reviewed in the past. As I hold the GS RESO tenor mouthpiece in my hand, the weight feels similar to a hard rubber saxophone mouthpiece. You can see in the photo below that the weight of the original and reproduction are pretty darn close! *This photo is of the GS RESO FG Special tenor sax mouthpiece.
Weight of a GetASax GS RESO FG Special Model next to an Original Otto Link Reso Chamber-now that is close!
The GetASax GS RESO Model tenor saxophone mouthpiece played really great with the first reed I put on it which was a Roberto’s 2 1/2 hard saxophone reed. The reed played so well, that I didn’t even try another saxophone reed on the GS RESO tenor sax mouthpiece. I was perfectly content with how this reed sounded, responded and performed for me. I actually recorded the sound clips below soon after I put the sax reed on and started playing.
I recorded the sound clips in one take and just played my saxophone for what I thought was a few minutes. When I got done and turned off the recording, I was surprised to find that the recording was 22 minutes long! Whoa, I guess I was enjoying myself! I cut the sound clip down to under 5 minutes so it is more manageable to listen to but I was sad to see much of that 17 extra minutes tossed out.
GetASax GS RESO Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The GetASax GS RESO Model tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a warm balanced tenor saxophone tone that leaned to the darker side on the tenor saxophone tone spectrum. The tone is thick, round and warm in my opinion. Although I would describe it as having a darker tone, it does have some sparkle and brightness to make the tone more vibrant. This is important because I have found that a mouthpiece that is too dark with no brightness, sparkle or highs in the sound will sound pretty dead to me. The GS RESO is not that dark but has some beautiful vibrant textures within the tone that make it captivating to listen to in my opinion.
An interesting point about the GS RESO tenor sax mouthpiece is that I felt like the tone was heavily influenced by my bottom lip. I know this mouthpiece is reported to have a copy of a Freddie Gregory facing curve and I can’t help but smile when I think of the great Freddie Gregory tenor sax mouthpieces I have owned and played in the last 20 years. Freddie was a true artist and I had a few moments playing the GS RESO mouthpiece today where I thought of him. (Freddie Gregory unfortunately passed away in 2014 and is greatly missed in the saxophone world )
Back to the subject, my bottom lip. I felt like the GS RESO’s sound and playability was very influenced by that bottom lip of mine. There was times where I had the most vibrant and resonant sound when suddenly I felt like the tone was inching brighter and edgier. I quickly realized my bottom lip was to blame and after adjusting it to be more loose and free the vibrant and resonant tone I wanted came back quickly. I attribute this to Freddie Gregory’s facing curves as I remember having the same experience on some of his Mark II tenor sax mouthpieces that I owned.
GetASax GS RESO Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The low notes on the GS RESO saxophone mouthpiece were full, thick and robust with a tone that was rich and beautiful. The tone seemed especially warm down low as if the edges of the tone were soft and pillowy. I tend to play with quite a bit of sub-tone down low on the tenor sax but the tone of the low notes sounded so nice and round when playing normally that I didn’t feel the need to sub-tone as much.
The high notes have a round beauty to them that I loved also. At around the 3 minute mark of the first sound clip, I play a repeated line from the bottom of the saxophone to the top of the saxophone and I love the lush tone of the first low note of each line as much as the last beautiful roundness of each high note I end the line with. It’s stuff like that that really makes me love a mouthpiece!
The intonation on the GetASax GS RESO Model tenor saxophone mouthpiece was very good and the RESO mouthpiece was a great match for my Selmer Super Balanced Action tenor saxophone (from the 50’s). I would imagine the GS RESO tenor mouthpiece would be a great match for any vintage tenor saxophone like a Selmer or Conn since it is a reproduction of a vintage tenor saxophone mouthpiece.
The evenness and smoothness of notes throughout the range of the saxophone was nice when playing fast lines. The character and warm tone seemed to blend well as I played faster lines throughout the low, mid and high range of the saxophone. I think you can hear this smoothness in the fast technical lines I play on the sound clips below.
GetASax GS RESO Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The altissimo register of the saxophone was easy to produce on the GetASax GS RESO Model tenor saxophone mouthpiece and the notes were easy to control and manipulate.
Many people send me emails asking for mouthpiece advice on what sax mouthpiece to get for altissimo and this review is a great example that it is not about the saxophone mouthpiece and baffle but about the sax player and his abilities. The GS RESO tenor sax mouthpiece has a short rollover baffle in it but I found the altissimo register very easy to play.
The GS RESO mouthpiece had a good amount of power when pushed but the tone still remained fat and round to my ears. I would say the volume was about 7 when pushed on my 1-10 volume scale. It did get a little bit brighter in tone when pushed but the brightness seemed more like a midrange brightness that a high end brightness if I were to relate it to the effects of EQ on a sound. I think you can hear this clearly in the second sound clip below.
GetASax GS RESO Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
In this second sound clip below, I play louder and with more force and I honestly felt like the GS RESO mouthpiece came to a hard stop for me at about a 7 volume. I couldn’t push the mouthpiece louder than that. I think that is just the nature of the mouthpiece and why you hardly ever see a tenor sax player in a loud Top 40 band playing a Reso Chamber saxophone mouthpiece. (At least I never have…….) A 7 volume level is great for most playing situations but I am just mentioning it for those of you that play in super loud bands and like to push your saxophone to 11! *I will note that there are tons of videos and recordings of Seamus Blake and Ben Wendell playing in pretty loud bands (Kneebody for example) so if they are on Reso Chamber mouthpieces then it is certainly possible…..
I try to give a good range and variety of saxophone sounds and textures in the two sound clips below so that you can hear the GetASax GS RESO Model tenor saxophone mouthpiece perform in different styles. I always feel like the sounds clips speak louder and say way more than all of my ramblings so hopefully the sound clips by themselves will give you a good idea about how this saxophone mouthpiece plays and sounds.
GetASax GS RESO Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
In my opinion, the GetASax GS RESO Model tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a great tenor mouthpiece for those of you looking for a sax mouthpiece with a tone that leans to the round warmer side of the tenor saxophone tone spectrum but has some kick and a little bit of brightness when you push it. It is a great hard rubber jazz mouthpiece that would be incredible for straight ahead jazz playing. It’s lush full tone is also incredible for ballads as I try to demonstrate a bit in the first sound clip below.
If you are interested in the GS RESO Model tenor saxophone mouthpiece you can purchase one from Brian Curry at GetaSax.com. Just click on this link and choose your preferred tip opening in the “choose option” drop down menu next to Facing/Model. The mouthpiece I am reviewing today is a 7 tip opening but Brian offers tip openings from 5-8*. *Special Note: Brian just let me know that they will also be offering an exact copy of the original JA (Joe Allard) 5 Otto Link Reso Chamber for you guys that are always complaining that you can’t find tenor mouthpieces in smaller tip openings! Yeah!!
Brian has said he has about 750 saxophone mouthpieces in his collection and that he would put 20 of those mouthpieces in the “holy grail” category. He is hoping to release reproductions of many of these “holy grail” saxophone mouthpieces in the near future which I am very excited about! Stay tuned…….
If you try a GetASax GS RESO Model tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any thoughts, comments or questions on this review, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve
P.S. I am also working on a review of the GetASax RESO FG Special tenor saxophone mouthpiece that should be out later this week.
GetASax GS RESO Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Roberto’s 2 1/2 Hard Reed-No Effects Added
GetASax GS RESO Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Louder more Bluesy Lines with altissimo-Roberto’s 2 1/2 Hard Reed-No Effects Added
GetASax GS RESO Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-BSS (Boston Sax Shop) 3 Reed-No Effects Added
Wow, great sound!
Thanks Ian!
Wow.Warm and balanced.It has enough edge to fit any style it seems.Overall it’s closer to this Lakey I had and lost 8 years ago, my favorite of all times.It may be better.Im gonna have to try this.Great sound Mr.Neff! Thanks
Magnifique Steve….
Thanks Mario!
Classic, full, versatile sound! I love that technology allows these pieces to be made affordably and can’t wait to see what copies Brian is planning.
I went to visit the GS website and I really appreciate that they build and finish by hand the mouthpieces in all tip openings, from 5 to 8 *.
Thank you, good idea!
Giuseppe.
Great sound Steve!
How would you compare the GS Reso 7 with the Lamberson J7?
Funny you should ask that. I have my Lamberson J7 out and am planning on re-reviewing it after I am done with these GetaSax mouthpieces. I want to review it again because my early review of it was when I was first starting reviews and the review just stinks. It’s like one photo and a paragraph I think. The new review will be much more detailed. Stay tuned…….
Steve, if you re-review the J7 and compare it to a GSReso it’s going to be “Clash of the Titans”. lol.
Hi Steve,
Would you prefer this mouthpiece in a 7* instead of a 7?
Actually, no. It plays so perfect the way it is. It honestly feels like a 7* to me. I can’t tell the difference at all……..I used the same exact Roberto’s 2 1/2 Hard reed on this mouthpiece as I did on the Bunte ARC mouthpiece review and it played just as good on both mouthpieces. I’d be curious to know the differences in the facing curves.
I’m currently playing on a 6* GS Reso, and I was floored by the consistency of its sound across the horn range. It’s also really comfortable to play (that is, the way it sits in my mouth and its resistance are lovely). Are there any ligatures you’d recommend for it? I’ve never owned an Otto Link, but I do have a few different ligatures meant for large hard rubber tenor mouthpieces, and I was shocked that none of them fit! I’m using a Rovner 2R in the meantime, which works fine, but I always worry a Rovner lig dampens the sound.
Sounds Great Steve! I got the 7* and love it. Works great on the 10m. Very full and rich but nice articulation too.
Steve,
Thanks for writing:
“… *Special Note: Brian just let me know that they will also be offering an exact copy of the original JA (Joe Allard) 5 Otto Link Reso Chamber for you guys that are always complaining that you can’t find tenor mouthpieces in smaller tip openings! Yeah!!
Brian has said he has about 750 saxophone mouthpieces in his collection and that he would put 20 of those mouthpieces in the “holy grail” category. He is hoping to release reproductions of many of these “holy grail” saxophone mouthpieces in the near future which I am very excited about! Stay tuned…….”.
I stay tuned also for the other 19 models …
Giuseppe.
Giuseppe, I know you like smaller tip openings so if you get the 5 or 5* Otto Link Reso Chamber copy I would love to hear how it is.
Thanks Steve, I read on the GS website, if I understand correctly in English, that the tip opening 5 is similar to the original 0.081 … just like my Meyer M6M … Perfect! Also because I read that you got along well with the 7 and, generally, if I’m not mistaken, you use the 7 *.
So I should be more comfortable with 5 than with 5 *, probably even a little brighter and with more projection.
But I would also like to listen to the other upcoming models, to understand which one I prefer …
Then there remains the problem of how to pay … since, as I think you know, I don’t use electronic money …
Proposals for the manufacturer, if he reads:
in Italy there is someone who, to sell online, uses to send a pre-marked current account slip (after receiving your address by e-mail),it would be what the gas or electricity companies send to the customer to go to the post office to periodically pay the utilities … perhaps a pre-marked postal order: wouldn’t that be a good idea? You pay the bill as a normal user and, when the seller receives the amount, he sends the mouthpiece. Making a bank transfer, in Italy, with Covid, is a difficult undertaking: you need to make an appointment.
Another proposal that I should ask the producer: given that the price / quality ratio is excellent, why doesn’t he distribute the mouthpieces in stores?
Giuseppe.
I would think that since his price is low to begin with, selling to stores would just cut into his profit all the more and it is easier to just sell them online through his website so there is no middle man.
PS. I combined your last correction with your last post so it is easier to read…..
Thanks, you were right to join the comments, thanks.
I’d rather pay a little more for the mouthpiece but be able to see it, and try out the various sizes and models first …
Now I understand, it’s not 5 that has tip opening 0.081, but you need to select 5JA model on choose an option, instead of 5, as it is written on the GS website: “… If you want an exact copy of the Reso Chamber Joe Allard Facing that we scanned, including the JA stamp on the table and the more rounded tip profile, then select the 5 JA facing. It measures .081 ″ or so and takes air nicely … “.
The price is the same.
There is a problem: I don’t know which sound I would prefer, if the normal model or the Joe Allard model … I should try them or hear them try them out by the same person; I think the 0.001 difference is irrelevant but, if I understand correctly, the Facing and the more rounded tip profile changes; a doubt: the J.A. stamp on the table does not affect the perfect flatness of the table and, in printing, saliva is not collected?
Do I remember well that Joe Allard was an important teacher in teaching the emission and posture and embouchure of the saxophone? The person who helped Michael Brecker when he had problems with his throat due to the too high tip opening he used? My sax teacher did, if I remember correctly, some lessons with Joe Allard or, in any case, he met him, he told me, when he went to study sax in America …
A curiosity: you know that I was born around 6 in the morning of March 29, 1949, which is the same date of birth as Michael Brecker.
Proof that the horoscope is nonsense: he was a milestone and I an amateur …
Brian said he would be willing to send me the 5 JA facing Reso to try. Maybe I will try it i the future and can give you an idea how it plays. Not sure I can play a 5 but it would be interesting to try.
That’s cool about Brecker’s birthday!
Thanks to M. Brian, it would be interesting to compare and test the 5 J.A.
It sounds strange to me that you write “not sure I can play a 5” … You have played a Berg Larsen 14 tip opening and wonder if you can play a 5?
But, in fact, the question you ask yourself is correct: my teacher, who uses an 8, cannot make my mouthpiece sound from the middle notes down … Too tight for him.
So I ask myself if I am better: maybe with difficulty and for a few minutes, but, if I want, I can also play very wide tip openings!
LOL.
I stay tuned for the eventual test of 5 and 5 J.A.
The more I listen to the audio clips of this mouthpiece, the more I find interesting things in the sound that I hadn’t noticed before.
I would not like to say one of my usual stuffs but I also like it because it reminds me a little of the sound of my Meyer which, on high notes, maintains a fat and round sound despite the not large tip opening …
Thanks to Mr. Brian, also for the opportunity offered by the 5 J.A. and my compliments for the excellent idea of reproducing, with a material similar to H. R., classic mouthpieces! And to also produce tip openings from 5.
Thanks for your kind reply and of course, needless to say, everyone has already said it, congratulations to Steve for his beautiful sound and interesting review!
Any indiscretions on the other classic mouthpiece models that will be produced in the future?
Giuseppe.
Sorry, I didn’t communicate that correctly. By writing “not sure I can play a 5” I was thinking “not sure I would enjoy playing a 5.
My experiences have usually been that any mouthpiece I play over .115 or under .100 I do not enjoy playing as much. A really large tip opening usually give me a tone that seems too spread and hollow for my tastes. They usually have a longer facing and the reed seems more sensitive to slight embouchure changes that effect intonation which I also don’t like. Anything less than .100 and I feel like the air I am blowing gets bottle necked and I can’t get the volume I would like or might need in live playing situations.
That being said, I am still curious and interested in playing these mouthpieces outside my comfort zone just because I am curious about them.
I understand what you mean, I think …
I also happened to play in mouthpieces, regardless of the number they reported written (and it is also for this reason that, regardless of the number, I want to try them personally, each piece seems different to me), which seemed voiceless and without any volume, forcing me to blow very softly otherwise the air would choke and the reed could not vibrate due to too much pressure. Then they play, but at very low volume … I think they were with the wrong number or defective.
The mouthpiece I would like should first have a lot of “core” (I hope to use the right terminology in English), centered? and a lot of projection; if this is combined “around” with a kind of “halo” of suffused, blown sound (spread? edge?) even better. I also really like when the sound takes on a nice buzz, I don’t know how it is technically defined in English (buzz?) Is the best.
Instead, I am often not satisfied with my sound: while I play it seems centered and compact: listening to it again it seems very “empty” and subtoned; as if I were playing continuously in subtone; which I actually like to do but not when I don’t want to. Maybe subconsciously I do it without realizing it “fffffff”. Or it’s my wife’s smartphone recorder that isn’t faithful.
Giuseppe.
Hi Steve,
Great review as usual! I believe I got one of the first batches of the GS Reso’s and have truly enjoyed playing it. The mpc is super reed friendly — Vandoren, Legere, BSS and Rigotti no problems. If you want a darker or lighter tone it’s just a reed adjustment away. Also, a BG ligature and Marc Jean fit great. Brian really thought this mpc through, its made from a hard dental resin that to me feels identical to HR (no concerns with chemicals in the rubber) and an unbelievable price point for an FG ReSo mpc (I don’t have $1500 to purchase an original). With an accuracy of .001″ from an original, I couldn’t pass this up! I will agree with you on color but I figured these days mpc’s from a particular company come in green, blue, purple, orange etc. Also, I remember a favorite player shredding a “Let’s Get It On” solo with a white mpc. 🙂
Hi Doug,
Which BG lig fits well? Aside from the Marc Jean, do you know any popular metal ligs that should fit? I was surprised none of my metal ligs for rubber tenor mouthpieces work on the Reso (they’re too small). Clearly I haven’t played an Otto Link like this before.
Austin,
I have a ton of ligatures that fit the GS RESO mouthpiece. I’m really surprised none of your ligatures that fit standard hard rubber tenor sax mouthpiece don’t fit. Just look for a ligature for a standard hard rubber Otto Link tenor mouthpiece. Here’s a few that I have:
-Francois Louis Ultimate
-Vandoren Optimum (But this one is only big enough to slide half way back on the body and can’t all the way back on the body.
-BSS Superlative Ligature
-Generic metal ligatures for hard rubber tenor sax mouthpieces
-Marc Jean ligatures
-Rovner Ligatures
-Getasax has their vintage reproduction 3-band ligatures that are excellent!
-many more that I can’t remember off hand…….
Like I said, anything that is advertised to fit hard rubber Otto Links should fit I think.
Thanks, Steve. I have a few metal ligs that work on my Morgan Jazz but not on the Reso. It’s been a while since I’ve fussed with that gear…
Also, I love your sound in the recordings! Like you, I’m finding the high notes are nice and round and altissimo speaks easily. I’ve never tried Roberto’s Winds reeds; I’ll plan to give them a go.
Austin, the Morgan Jazz has a slimmer profile than most ebonite tenor pieces – it’s similar to a V16 or Ted Klum. The Reso’s are of the “standard” ebonite size for tenor, so as Steve says anything that is designed to fit an HR Otto Link / Selmer will fit perfectly.
Thanks!
Hahaha! Yes, I forgot about that one. Lamberson 7DD I believe. That was when I was still young and could see things within an arms length……..
Thanks for the review Steve. What a great invention this mouthpiece is, for the opportunity to have a historical mouthpiece replicated accurately and so affordably, and the dental compound being so close in density to hard rubber. Bravo to Brian.
The sound is just perfect. Roundness of the low-mid frequency core has a role to stitch the high frequency buzz to the bottom end and make it a nice robust tone profile. One of the best tones I’ve ever heard.
Thanks a lot.
Steve, a lot of the mouthpieces you audition could be your go to piece… but this one does stand out… seams you can go lots of places with great control. I did order one of these in a 7*. Just enough edge that you can cut though when needed… Kind of in the Joshua Redman mode. Really like it!!!
Cool! Did you order the FG Special or the regular 7*? I just did a recording of the FG Special and am working on a review of that one…….
Thanks for all the comments here! I really appreciate all the support and encouragement I’ve gotten on this project. To answer some of the above questions:
Price/distribution: Yes, to keep the price low, and make these widely accessible (which is the goal of GS Mouthpieces) we have to NOT inflate the price to allow for affiliate marketing strategies with their affiliate referral percentages and associated affiliate promo codes, as well as having ‘room’ for dealer wholesale pricing versus retail. If we included all those costs, we would have to charge $299 instead of $199, and then lots of players wouldn’t be able to afford one.
Other models: We have the GS SLANT coming out very soon. It’s an extremely precise copy of the best FL Slant Link tenor piece in my collection, and it is punchier than the RESO while staying full and fat sounding. This will be a real crowd pleaser. It’s exactly the same as the best vintage Slant I’ve played (check the GetASax Youtube channel for a carefully controlled original vs copy A/B demo coming soon)!
After that, we have three more tenor models coming out, as well as two alto and one soprano in the near future. Tenors will be a Link Early Babbitt, FG Mark II, and Dukoff Supersonic / Zimberoff House of Note, which is basically the hard rubber version of a Dukoff Hollywood, and a really phenomenal vintage mouthpiece that you don’t hear a lot about. Altos will be my personal best ever Meyer Bros, same thing MC Gregory Model A, and soprano will start with a really nice vintage Slant soprano.
Wow! That sounds amazing! Can’t wait to try all these. Great job Brian!
Dukoff Hollywood…
Wonderful!
Giuseppe.
That’s great to have all these great mouthpieces affordable. Especially these days with Covid people have lost their jobs and can’t imagine spending 500 to 1000 dollars for a mouthpiece, while having a great playing mouthpiece brings so much joy that we all need to revive our good mood! Really looking forward to the Slant one. I tried Theo Wayne’s Slant when he came to our town for a demo session and while it felt cozy and an easy player but in that busy room with different players testing the mouthpieces I felt I hear warmth of low frequencies and buzz and high frequencies but the core that I used to hear in my 10MFan The Classic that cut through that busy room was missing with Theo’s Slant model. I was telling Theo that I would love to see almost like a hybrid of that Slant and the strong core of 10MFan Classic. I hope your Slant will have more core than Theo’s Slant. ?
Hi Arya,
a question, since you seem to me very experienced in the nomenclature of mouthpieceology and that you have a very good ear: am I wrong if I think that the 10 M Fan Showtime has more “core” than the 10 M Fan The Classic?
By “core”, in English, what do we mean, that the sound is more centered?
And, by “spread”, does it mean that the sound is necessarily brighter or just less centered? Or other?
Thanks in advance,
Giuseppe.
Hi Giuseppe,
The example I gave for a loud and busy room is how you test the core. If a mouthpiece is mostly having a piercing buzz of course it cuts through the loud situation but what you hear is a thin sound (the low-mid frequencies get buried). With Showtime although I haven’t played but by description and baffle shape I suspect that’s the case.
I think of core as being a tight ball of sound. It can be dark, bright or in between. I associate Brecker with a bright core sound and Eric Alexander with a dark core sound. I hear Coltrane and Jerry Bergonzi as having a bright spread sound and Mark Turner as having a dark spread sound. Everyone else I hear as being in a spot inbetween those players I just mentioned. I hear Joshua Redman as having a more centered core sound on the Mood Swing CD where he is playing a metal Link but a more spread sound on recordings after that when he went to a hard rubber Link.
Steve write: “I think of core as being a tight ball of sound …”.
Yes, maybe I have tried something similar: I once tried a relatively old Mark VI, 130 +++, a great instrument.
The essential difference I noticed compared to my Yamaha YTS 62, I guess from the spread sound, was that this mark VI, which I guess had a core sound, gave me a strange feeling in the sound, as if I “heard” the sound come out as something. physically perceptible: like a big cable of celestial butter (I don’t know why I visualized this color) that I could shape by playing. The sound was more “concentrated” than that of my Yamaha, therefore less wide.
I guess this pretty much coincides with the “tight ball of sound” idea.
Giuseppe.
Steve, listening to Eric Alexander on you tube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dIKITfN_VI
I can say that I completely agree with your explanation.
Listening to this, the sound reminds me of the physical sensation I felt tryng the old Mark VI … (I like a lot this sax player that I didn’t know).
Thank you, you are a very good teacher …
Giuseppe.
Giuseppe, Thanks! I think my six all time favorite tenor saxophone recordings for tone are:
1. Joshua Redman-Mood Swing
2. Bob Mintzer-Quality Time
3. Chris Potter-Unspoken
4. Eric Alexander-Man with the Horn
5. Mark Turner-Yam Yam
6. Michael Brecker-Cityscape
These albums all really speak to me for some reason. Different recordings by the same artists don’t hit me like these do so it might have to do with the recording setup as well and the effects on the sound. Steve
Steve, thanks for the answer, which intrigued me and, therefore, I will go on youtube to listen to the six songs. I have the CD Moodswing by Joshua Redman; I don’t find Cityscape in my Brecker records and CDs.
In apologizing for my talkative and compulsive writing, as regards the good saxophonist Eric Alexander, I have to make an errata corrige and apologize to him for having written that I did not know him: in reality, perhaps because of my advanced age, or of the anxiolytic that I have been taking for some time for the problems that have made me stop studying for two years, I had forgotten that, just before I stopped playing, I had done a research on Eric Alexander, from whom I had been pleasantly impressed for the beauty of his sound, because in one of the last methods I was studying with my teacher, a method that now lies dusty on the music stand, it was he who played the tracks of the method CD: some only with the rhythm section and others with the soloist and rhythm section, to listen to or to play together to copy tone, time feel, phrasing, vibrato, articulation, in short, the musical interpretation and then try to reproduce all this on the tracks without soloist. Which, according to my teacher, I was able to do quite well, even if I had problems reading in time with some quick passages.
As far as I can remember the sound Eric had on the method seemed a little brighter than the sound on “Embreaceable you” that I brought back from youtube on my other comment. But two years have passed …
Thanks,
Giuseppe.
Thanks Steve for sharing your favorite tunes for tone.
Since I am a romantic I love ballads and therefore my two favorite songs are “Cityscape” and “Man with a horn” …
The opposite core sounds: bright core and dark core …
Giuseppe.
Glad you like them. I wrote those down as whole CDs that I love, not just the one tune. I am so curious what mouthpiece Chris Potter used on that Unspoken CD as he has a totally different sound than all his other recordings in my opinion. I would love to know…….
Steve, Yes, I figured you were referring to entire albums … and the tone, in particular.
For now, I’ve only listened to something.
Can’t you e-mail Chris Potter asking him what mouthpiece he used on the recording? Will he have a website?
I am wondering now, but I don’t know if the question can make sense since we are dealing in the abstract with two different types of sound, in making a classification from “lighter to darker” sound – as sounds are often generically defined – between :
bright core
dark core;
bright spread
dark spread.
Or:
Bright spread
bright core
dark spread
dark core …?
And the other possible combinations; to make the idea.
My mind is unable to conceive whether a classification between different things is possible, such as adding pears and apples …
That is: is it more “clear”, for example, “dark core” or “bright spread”? Or are they even? Or does it depend on different cases?
Or are “core” and “spread” two different things that cannot be compared but only “perceived” and, if so, is this perception subjective or objective and demonstrable with some equipment?
Thanks,
A greeting.
Giuseppe.
Thanks for the reply to Arya and to Steve: it was as I imagined.
Regarding what Steve tells me, as in the case of the bright or dark core, this confirms my “idea” of not only two existing dimensions (generally in Italy defined as light sound or dark sound) but of more dimensions and sub-dimensions, as in the case of bright core or dark core sound… or bright spread or dark spread sound.
Furthermore, I “perceive” another “dimension” of the sound that I cannot explain rationally and I don’t know if it’s just only a my impression: in addition to what has been said, I perceive a further sub-dimension in each of those sound, a color: Sonny Rollins on “Saxophone Clossus “Album as orange color; Coltrane sometimes black velvet color, in other registrations pearl gray, in others gold color etc.
An example: one day my teacher of sax was testing the difference between his American tenor Mark VI and the French Mark VI of a student, same mouthpiece and reed: the two saxes seemed to me identical in all sound parameters but, the American one it gave me the idea of brown color sound, and the French one of straw yellow color; like the same photo toned in two different colors; as if you “saw” the sound of the American sax through a smoked glass…
Thanks Arya and Steve
Arya and Steve,
returning to the core or spread, bright or dark sound, I would also add the sound projection, as another feature of the same.
So am I wrong to say that a sound can be dark core or bright core, and more or less projected, and bright spread or dark spread, and more or less projected?
I was thinking back to my teacher, and then friend, from the 70s, the very good Larry Dinwuiddie from New York and to the powerful sound of him; hearing him play was almost a mystical experience. I remember that from his mouthpieces (first a metal Berg Larsen 135 tip opening (I don’t know what chamber number it had but strangely it produced a bright sound but which I visualized as velvet black) and then a metal Ottolink 7 * (sound visualized in brown , dark gold)) came out, despite the great width of the sound, this especially with the Ottolink, a sound so projected as to cause a very high volume and a remarkable air displacement. Rico Royal 2 or 2,5 reeds and La Voz Medium (those of the time).
Also I couldn’t tell if the sound was core or spread; in fact, this sound possessed both these characteristics: it strongly projected a central centered “core”, surrounded by a halo, a smoky “spread” aura. Super high volume and wide sound.
So these two characteristics can coexist.
The strong projection allowed him to play, even with the Ottolink, without microphone even with powerful combos with some amplified instruments: his sound always cut and always dominated every instrument, including the powerful drums of Marvin Boogalo Smith (New Jersey?).
Here, this is the sound I would like: great projection, great volume (apart from the risk of complaints from my condominiums), big central core of the sound, centered, but surrounded by a smoky halo spread. I would add a nice buzz of the reed around the sound, which I really like. On the color I am in doubt whether I would prefer a velvet black or a golden orange …
Apart from the human element and the study, it is difficult to say whether there is a mouthpiece more or less suitable for achieving all this together: whether classic or showtime … But let’s try.
I think Larry would have achieved all this with any mouthpiece and on any sax …
Giuseppe.
I am very much enjoying the Freddy Gregory 7* on my TJ Signature Custom, “lush” is a great way to describe it, and it’s very playable. I’ve been using it with a Legere Signature Series 2 reed, and even with my young eyes, trying to line up the clear reed with the white mouthpiece is definitely a bit challenging! Wonderful combination though.
Norman Walsh
April 6, 2021
Based on your review I purchased a GAS Reso. Wow! Worth every penny. I am amazed. Have to get used to it after all these years playing STM 7*. One of my favorite tenor players played a Reso Bud Freeman. Good enough for him, good enough for me.
Hey, I thought I’d go back to this. I just drop my GS RESO and the tip rail completely broke. Be careful. Amazing mouthpiece besides that though. Maybe it was just dropped in the perfectly wrong way…