When I tried it a month later, holy smokes! That piece was absolutely amazing. I played that piece for several years, never once feeling the need or even desire to look at other sax mouthpieces. I emailed Jon and relayed the entire experience to him. He was so thrilled that I had taken the time to try the piece again. He wrote on about how many players didn’t spend enough time with a piece before deciding they don’t like something about it. He seemed genuinely pleased at my becoming comfortable with the piece he did for me.

A few years after Jon’s passing, the piece hit the stage floor at church, breaking the tip into little fragments. I probably looked as if I were about to cry. I still have the piece in a drawer. I’ve since spent far too much money looking for a piece I like anywhere near as well.