Today I am reviewing another great tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Phil Engleman at Phil-Tone mouthpieces. I have reviewed quite a few Phil-Tone sax mouthpieces on the site already and am always interested when Phil announces a new Phil-Tone saxophone mouthpiece model.
A couple of months ago he announced that he had a new Phil-Tone tenor sax mouthpiece model called the Rift model. I reviewed the Rift alto saxophone mouthpiece about 8 1/2 years ago and absolutely loved that mouthpiece so was excited to hear the news about the Rift tenor saxophone mouthpiece coming out.
Phil-Tone Rift Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
Here’s a quote from Phil about the new Phil-Tone Rift tenor saxophone mouthpiece from his website:
The Phil-Tone Rift tenor saxophone mouthpiece takes after its alto counterpart. The Rift is a full bodied tenor sax mouthpiece with the power of a high baffled mouthpiece. Unlike high baffle tenor sax mouthpieces, the Rift mouthpiece is easy to control and it does not peel paint. It was designed to meet the demands of performing sax players who need a versatile mouthpiece that will blast through the mix when needed.
The Rift tenor saxophone mouthpiece is only sold directly through Phil-Tone. Each chamber is tweaked individually to get the best tone and power you will find in a hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece. Each Rift tenor mouthpiece is also adjusted to make altissimo a breeze. Don’t let appearances fool you, while it has a bullet baffle it DOES NOT sound like a Berg Larsen tenor saxophone mouthpiece.
In terms of tip size, I generally suggest players go up a half size from the tip opening they would play on an Otto Link style tenor sax mouthpiece.-Phil Engleman
Phil-Tone Rift Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Phil-Tone Rift tenor saxophone mouthpiece I received to review is made of hard rubber. The exterior of the Rift tenor sax mouthpiece is pretty plain looking. The only engraving on it is “Phil-Tone” hand engraved in gold on the top of the body of the mouthpiece and the name “Rift” engraved by hand into the body of the mouthpiece next to the table. The tip opening of 8 (.110) is engraved by hand on the side of the shank of the mouthpiece. It’s body diameter is similar in size to a modern hard rubber Otto Link tenor sax mouthpiece diameter and I used a Vandoren Optimum ligature on it.
At the end of Phil’s description of the Rift tenor sax mouthpiece above, he writes: “In terms of tip size, I generally suggest players go up a half size from the tip opening they would play on an Otto Link style tenor saxophone mouthpiece.” I usually play a 7* tip opening on Otto Link tenor sax mouthpieces and the 8 tip opening he sent feels perfect for me so his advice on tip opening sizes is perfect in my opinion.
Phil-Tone Rift Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Phil-Tone Rift mouthpiece tip rail is very close in shape to all of my tenor sax reeds. The outside edges of the tip rail do extend a little bit farther out than the reed tip width but the mouthpiece and reed performed well when applying the suction test to the mouthpiece.
The table looks flat and the rails look even and thin. The side rails flare out a little bit as they travel towards the tip of the mouthpiece.
I would definitely describe the mouthpiece baffle as a high baffle. The baffle travels at a pretty high height before it reaches a “bullet” chamber. A “bullet” chamber is commonly found in Berg Larsen mouthpieces and describes a chamber that has a bullet shape taken out of the center of the rear of the baffle. The sidewalls are slightly scooped out and look to angle inward slightly as they approach the chamber area.
Phil-Tone Rift Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Phil-Tone Rift tenor saxophone mouthpiece has what I would consider a medium chamber. The chamber looks smaller than a typical hard rubber Otto Link chamber size and the floor of the chamber is raised where the baffle terminates. The chamber floor then angles down smoothly until it is even with the bore of the mouthpiece.
The baffle edge, bullet chamber and chamber floor transition to the bore of the mouthpiece are all really smooth to the touch. Maybe it’s all in my head, but I have always found that mouthpieces with smooth edges to the baffle shape always seem to play less edgy and fatter sounding than similar mouthpieces with sharper edges to the baffle. I’m a big fan of smooth edges………
Phil-Tone Rift Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Phil-Tone Rift tenor saxophone mouthpiece played great with the first reed I put on it which was a SYOS Arcane #3 tenor saxophone reed. It played so well that after about 15-20 minutes of warming up, I decided to record the sound clips below.
I asked Phil about this beak height and he said it was the same beak height as a hard rubber Otto Link mouthpiece. I compared it visually to a couple hard rubber Otto Link mouthpieces I have and it does look very close to a typical hard rubber Otto Link beak to my eyes.
Phil-Tone Rift Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
When I first saw the high baffle on the Phil-Tone Rift tenor sax mouthpiece, I was worried that the 8 tip opening would not be open enough for me with a baffle that high, but the .110 tip opening of the Rift mouthpiece felt very comfortable to me.
The Rift tenor sax mouthpiece had a tone that I would describe as meaty, husky and thick. I heard the sound as having a mid-range boost that made the tone tough and weighty sounding.
At softer volumes, the Rift had a thick and focused tone that was a lot warmer than I was expecting and when I pushed more air through the mouthpiece the tone seemed to become much more focused and brighter. Although, the tone does become brighter when pushed it still retains that thick, fat and beefy tone.
The altissimo register of the saxophone was incredibly easy to play. Although I can play the altissimo range of the saxophone on every tenor mouthpiece I review, there are tenor mouthpieces that make the altissimo range feel so much easier. This is definitely one of those mouthpieces. I felt like I could play a lot of ideas and lines up there much easier than on other mouthpieces and the “less stable” altissimo notes felt much more stable and solid to me.
The low notes are big and full sounding and sub-toned beautifully. At first, the higher baffle seemed to make these notes a bit more challenging to jump to, but once I figured out the best “voicing” of these low notes in combination with the high baffle they really popped out nicely.
Phil-Tone Rift Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Phil-Tone Rift tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a nice smoothness and evenness throughout the range of the horn. I believe the intonation was very good although I didn’t check a tuner after I tuned up initially. I didn’t notice any notes that stuck out as out of tune or much sharper than usual for me. Intonation would be a concern when playing on a mouthpiece with as high a baffle as this one but I didn’t notice anything strange with intonation while playing. * On listening back to the sound clips I did notice a few times where my high G and high A were sharper than usual. This kind of sharpness is easily remedied by becoming aware of it and adjusting my voicing for those notes. Keep in mind that I only played this mouthpiece for about 20 minutes before recording. That sharpness at times is common with my Selmer SBA tenor saxophone and high baffled tenor sax mouthpieces.
Since the Phil-Tone Rift mouthpiece has so much potential for volume and power, I decided to record it at different playing levels to highlight how it can sound while playing at different volumes. I recorded separate clips at soft, medium soft, medium and loud volumes. I have also included photos of the waveform of each sound clip via the program Amadeus Pro so you can visually see the volume difference of each clip.
I think these separate sound clips at different playing volumes are important because some listeners might make the mistake of writing the Rift tenor mouthpiece off as a high baffled “paint peeler” of a mouthpiece when it is much more versatile than that.
Phil-Tone Rift Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Phil-Tone Rift tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a great mouthpiece for those of you who value power without sacrificing thickness and depth of tone. Many tenor sax mouthpieces that are built for power lose some richness of tone, thickness and a fat full sound especially in the upper register and altissimo range of the saxophone. The husky and thick sound of the Rift tenor mouthpiece would make it a great choice for Rock n’ Roll, funk, pop and I think even jazz music once you learn to control the unbridled power of the Rift. Listen to the clips below and decided for yourself if it might be a good mouthpiece choice for yourself.
If you like the clips below and the Phil-Tone Rift tenor saxophone mouthpiece interests you, contact Phil Engleman via his website at Phil-tone.com. Phil is very knowledgeable about sax mouthpieces and will answer any questions you might have about the Rift or any of his other mouthpiece models. Thanks for letting me try the Rift tenor saxophone mouthpiece Phil!
If you have played or end up playing a Phil-Tone Rift tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments about this review, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve
1.) Phil-Tone Rift Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-SYOS Arcane #3 Reed-Soft Volume
This is the softest clip. I blew less air and rolled out more of my bottom lip to get more of a sub-tone effect on this clip. I also played quite a few jazz lines and melodies. At the very end of the clip, I play a C Major scale into the altissimo range and it sounds pretty locked in to me. You can hear some of the untapped brightness underneath the surface of the tone but I tried to keep the tone warmer throughout the clip.
2.) Phil-Tone Rift Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-SYOS Arcane #3 Reed-Soft Medium Volume
The second clip is with a little bit more air and I would describe it as medium soft. The increased air starts to transform the foo foo sub-tone sound of the first clip into a more solid focused mass of tone.
3.) Phil-Tone Rift Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-SYOS Arcane #3 Reed-Medium Volume
The third clip is at a medium volume with less roll-out of the bottom lip. You can hear the increased brightness, focus and edge to the tone.
4.) Phil-Tone Rift Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-SYOS Arcane #3 Reed-Loud Volume
The fourth clip is what I call 80% air. I am playing at 80%. This is the volume I would normally play on a loud gig if I had to wail on a solo. I like being comfortable at that 80% so when needed, I can have 20% more to add for emergency situations.
5.) Phil-Tone Rift Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-SYOS Arcane #3 Reed-Loud Volume-Reverb Added
The last clip is the same as the fourth clip but I added some reverb to the clip so you can hear what the Phil-Tone Rift tenor sax mouthpiece might sound like with reverb added.
Excellent review of a great sounding mouthpiece, thanks. How does this compare with the Theo Wanne Lakshmi?
Bruce, Totally different mouthpieces. The Rift has a ton of power and volume when pushed as well as brightness. For me the Lakshmi is more like an Otto Link in concept (although very different than a Link but still in that neighborhood of sound). The Lakshmi doesn’t have that crazy super charged volume of the Rift and doesn’t get near as bright when pushed. It also has more of a spread and beautiful sound compared to the focus of the Rift. The Lakshmi wouldn’t be my first choice for R&R, funk and pop stuff. That is more the Rift’s wheel house I think.
Thank you, very helpful. I’m so tempted to add it. Currently playing Otto Link (refaced Florida ‘60s old friend) and Guardala (Brecker King). The former tunes well and mild- mannered with nice jazz sound, but takes work on the altissimo. The latter (a 9) has a broad spectrum and screams altissimo, thus great on R&B gigs (rarely play now) but has tuning cliches and more volume than needed for dinner jazz, clubs, and jams. I’m thinking the Lakshmi #8 gold plate, despite the cost.
What a great sounding piece! I remember you liking the alto Rift, so I bought one. Ended up not playing much alto so I sold, but always liked it. This tenor version though sounds wonderful and you sound very comfortable on it, especially considering the short amount of warm up time. Very nice!
It sounds/you sound fantastic on that one Steve! I can see that Phil is insisting that the Rift is not Berg-like, but I wonder how you would match it up against some of the neo-Bergs you’ve tried. For example, the Drake Christlieb, the UK Special, and the Ted Klum New London?
I don’t think I have tried a UK Special? I’m not sure what that is. I also haven’t tried the Ted Klum New London model. The one I tried was just called the London model. I think the New London is different but I’m not sure of that. The London model was a lot brighter and louder than the Rift if my memory is correct. As far as the comparison to the Drake Pete Christlieb model, the baffle on the Rift is a bit higher than I remember the Christlieb baffle being. I believe the the Rift is brighter than the Drake Christlieb if my memory serves me correctly. I don’t remember much more than that about how it played as it was ten years ago. I remember I really dug the Drake Christlieb model and it is one of the mouthpieces I regret not hanging on to. You’ll have to listen to the sound clips and see if you can hear any difference in sound between the two. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
Not at all…please don’t apologize!!! Your mouthpiece reviews and tutorials are amazing! The UK Special is Retro Revival’s Berg copy. I play on a vintage Ponzol MP. It has a high-ish wedge baffle and a large chamber–unlike his more recent models–so it’s probably in the same basic ball park as these ones. I have a Berg, but not a vintage one with the bullet shape. Your review of the Christlieb piece really knocked me out–also the Rift. I’m going to be getting a new tenor this spring–a Yanagisawa TWO10–my first real investment in a modern horn. feeling like one of these might be a perfect match! Cheers!!!
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the excellent review. You sound killing on the Rift.
I also tested the Rift few week ago and I found it quite versatile.
Concerning the comparison between the Rift and the TK London precision: I have owned the 2 at the same time and the TK (7*) is darker for me, with more “positive” resistance to it …
Sounds great! Playing-wise, how does it feel compared the to Getasax Freddie Gregory Mark II copy? Is it easier to get loud without straining? I’m play the Getasax FG Mark II copy and love it but I’m getting more calls for non-jazz gigs that have me pushing my volume and tone limits on the Mark II.
The Rift is a totally different mouthpiece than the GS Freddie Gregory Mark II. The Mark II in my mind is like a amped up Otto Link Slant kind of mouthpiece but with more of a baffle to give it more brightness and some more power. The Rift is totally different than that. It has way more power than the Mark II. I would say it is more like a Freddie Gregory Mark IV but with even more power and focus to the tone. I think it would do very well in a louder setting but like Phil describes, it isn’t a “paint peeler”. It can get loud and be powerful but still retains a nice thick tone. When I think of “paint peeler”, I think of a mouthpiece that is way too bright, edgy and piercing to the ears. The Rift has a balance to it and thank goodness is not a paint peeler. Hope this helps.
Steve,
The Rift seems to be in the ballpark of a Theo Wanne Gaia 3 HR sound wise. Listening to your clips the Rift seems to have more core and the Gaia more hollow. Do you feel that way playing them. Could you say what mouthpiece you have played that is the most like the Rift.
KK
The Rift doesn’t remind me of the Theo Wanne Gaia 3 at all, the Rift is much more powerful. I think it most reminds me of some RPC pieces I have played with that bullet chamber. I was most reminded of this one I think https://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2019/11/rpc-gold-series-110b-ultem-tenor-saxophone-mouthpiece-review/ although this RPC has a lower beak profile than the Rift and the Rift baffle is higher than on this RPC mouthpiece. Of course, the RPC is no longer being made because Ron has passed away.
I purchased an 8 Rift and after taking a month to get comfortable, including trying different reed strengths (BSS from 2.5-3.5 and returning to 3s), it’s the piece I’ve been using for all of my gigs that aren’t in smaller/quieter spaces – I keep the Getasax FG MK2 for quieter jazz gigs when I need to step back in the room and spread my sound more.
So far, I’ve played rock, funk, r&b, reggae, house, lounge and heavier jazz with the Rift and while I haven’t hit the thick tone from Steve’s recorded examples(yet), I’m getting closer. It’s responsive, dynamic and once I realized how much I could dial back my airflow (A goal of my purchase was to eliminate headaches I was getting after long gigs), I’ve found it a very comfortable piece for long gigs and I’m always excited to play it. Altissimo is easier and I’m exploring some wilder things with overtones and fx pedals.
I haven’t tried the Rift with other reeds but feel like the heavier core sound of the BSS reeds compliment its core focus.
One thing I noticed with the Rift is that any leaks/loose action on the horn make a big impact – more so than with the Getasax FG MK2 so I had to do a lot of maintenance to get it speaking well.
All in all, I’m stoked with my purchase – it’s fantastic.
Steve,
Which 10m fan mouthpiece would you think would be the closest to the Rift for comparison purposes. I have played most of those.
KK
The Rift isn’t like any of the 10mFan mouthpieces. The baffle is much higher and a totally different design. It blows totally different and ramps up the volume in a different way because of that higher baffle. I have an old 10mFan Boss model that has a high long baffle that is sort of comparable in power but I think the bullet chamber of the Rift takes much of the edge and some of the brightness out of the tone that I get with the 10mFan Boss.
Steve – those 5 sound clips were very comprehensive (IMHO) and the Rift is now on my short-list – so thanks for that.
FWIW – adore the Intrepid alto piece
Hassles (Melbourne)
Thank you for this review, Steve. I’ve been on the fence about getting this mouthpiece and your review is what pushed me past that tipping point (just like your review of the Alto Rift prompted me to get that piece!) As far as my tastes go, I’ve never felt that the same make, let alone the same model mouthpiece, were simultaneously my top choice on both alto and tenor, but now I’m “double Rifting” and couldn’t be more satisfied.
While the Alto Rift’s and Tenor Rift’s internal designs are quite different, to me they share some fundamental characteristics. They both are:
Easy to play – so effortless and forgiving from top to bottom, with no warbles, chirps, squeaks, belches, etc…
The most versatile pieces I’ve played to date (tone, dynamics, articulation)
In short – zero frustration & maximum enjoyment!
Hi Steve. I am very accustomed to playing Link style tenor mouthpieces and I really love them but I was looking for a piece that offers more projection and volume while still retaining a full, rich tone. I have to say that I am very pleased with my decision to try the Rift tenor mouthpiece. The tone remains full and thick at all volume levels. This piece is right at home in R&B and Funk but I believe that it could work well in a jazz setting too. Definitely versatile. I am playing on a 0.115 tip opening which feels perfect for me. I also feel that this piece plays and sounds better using slightly harder reeds. And best of all, this set up does not feel like a lot of work to play! Just a really nice piece.
That’s great to hear, Russell. I’m glad you like it and thanks for sharing your impressions here. Steve
Thanks for this review, Steve, it inspired me to buy a tenor Rift. Now, after playing on it for several weeks I can honestly say this is the best mouthpiece I’ve ever played, I’ve never been happier and can play almost anything on it. Cheers.
Out of interest, Steve, how does the Rift compare to the 10Mfan Chameleon?
Hi Justin, I can’t really compare them to each other because I played them so far apart. Honestly, to compare them now, I would have to go to my reviews of both of those mouthpieces, look at the photos to compare the physical characteristics and then listen to the sound clips side by side to see what I can notice about any differences in sound characteristics I hear. I would suggest doing that. I don’t recall any major differences in playability between the mouthpieces. They both both played great for me. Steve
Yes, Randy Cosby here. After reading and hearing the Phil-Tone tenor mouthpiece l am totally interested in purchasing one, 8 or 9 tip opening price range please
Hi Randy,
You will have to contact Phil-Tone mouthpieces to purchase one. I don’t sell mouthpieces but just review them. Steve