This is a Vandoren V16 A5M that I bought from Dave Valdez in Portland. Dave had Brian Powell reface the mouthpiece to a .080 and put a very long facing curve on it (23mm) that matched a Slant Link that has been Dave’s main piece forever. The reason I bought this piece was because I heard a bootleg recording of Dave playing in some club and he had a killer alto sound and style. Dave and I went to Berklee together back in the ’80′s. I like this piece a lot!!
It’s a little bright but has a nice fat sound to it. The longer facing curve makes the sound fatter and bigger. I also believes it adds to how expressive you can be with the mouthpiece since any slight variation in your embouchure will move the reed much more than on a shorter facing curve. Brian Powell told me that a 23mm facing curve for alto is really long and not a typical curve that players like. I like it though. It’s plays very different than other alto mouthpieces I have played. Check it out!
Stupid question, but which mouthpiece patches are you using? Never seen some so thin….hunting for the mouthpiece patch that’ll feel like real mpc..
Try FAM mouthpiece patches look them up on ebay
To me this sounds kinda close to the Theo Wanne Kali HR and the Ishimoro Super custom. Slightly brighter but very warm. I bet this would be alot cheaper than either of those so its got my interest. Do you know how much the refacing would cost? Thanks. I currently have a JJ Classic 6 and i like it but want something a little more warm and singing.