Steve Neff Music Blog » Phil-tone

Phil-Tone Eqinox and Eclipse Tenor Saxophone Mouthpieces

steve — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 04:41:43 +0000

Today I am reviewing the Phil-Tone Equinox tenor saxophone mouthpiece. I’m also including a sound clip and comparison to the Phil-Tone Eclipse mouthpiece. I reviewed the Eclipse over two years ago on this site when it was just called the Phil-Tone. Here is that review.

The Phil-Tone mouthpieces are made by Phil Engleman. Phil has been making and refacing mouthpieces for a number of years now. I have had him reface a couple of mouthpieces for me and a number of my students play his mouthpieces.

Phil-Tone Equinox Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Phil-Tone Equinox and Eclipse mouthpieces both look great. Phil always does excellent work on his mouthpieces. The table, tip and rails look perfect. The tips line up perfectly with the reeds I used. The engraving and logo is nothing fancy but it does the job. The Equinox has a slightly higher and longer rollover baffle in comparison to the Eclipse mouthpiece. Also, the Equinox’s baffle declines straight down evenly to the back of the chamber. The Eclipse has more of a scooped out chamber to it. This makes the Eclipses chamber larger than the Eqinox chamber. They both have curved sidewalls and both have chamber and baffle work that looks great.

Phil-Tone Equinox Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here is a description of the Equinox mouthpiece from the Phil-Tone website:

“Twice a year our planet spins upon its axis at a point where neither pole is inclined towards the sun. This balance and equilibrium is expressed in the Phil-Tone Equinox. This mouthpiece shines in a broad variety of musical situations. It is especially suited for the tenor player looking to add some focus to their sound, while still maintaining a big, warm, vibrant tone. Subtle sophistication and comfort exist in its focused core. The highs and lows are rich and singing while the mids carry through its even range. With clarity and definition, the altissimo is exceptionally resonant. Articulation is quick, easy, and precise. If you are looking for complexity, focus, and resonance in all registers, look no further than the Equinox.”

As you would expect because of the higher rollover baffle and smaller chamber the Equinox had a brighter sound than the Eclipse. It was very focused sounding and had a nice buzz to the sound. It was very easy to play around the horn. The intonation was great and it had a lot of power when you pushed it. The sub-tone was nice down low. The tone seemed drier to me than the Eclipse. You can hear the difference when you listen to the sound clips.

Phil-Tone Equinox Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Eclipse was close to the brightness of the Equinox but it seemed to have a fatter and wetter tone to me. More spread sounding. To put these words in perspective…….the Equinox reminded me more of a Coltrane type sound. A tight dry core to the sound that leaned to the brighter side. I think you can hear these differences when you listen to the clips. The Eclipse sounded fatter and more spread tone wise. One isn’t better than the other, which one you like is a matter of personal choice. They both played great!

Here is what Phil says about the Eclipse mouthpiece on the Phil-Tone website:

“When the moon moves across the sun, the earth is enveloped in a sweeping darkness lit by a powerful, illuminating edge. For a brief moment in time both light and shadow become one. It is in that spirit that the Phil-Tone Eclipse is crafted. It is a powerful mouthpiece with a rich, medium-dark core that has roundness and warmth, but with a scintillating brightness at its edge. This powerfully resonant piece can carry you through ballads or your loudest gigs. It will take all the air you can give it without breaking up or losing its warm focus, and has an unparalleled dynamic range. The highs sing out with rich harmonics, and the low end is broad and expansive. The Eclipse allows the player to shape their tone with ease of play and unparalleled richness. Discover your own sound with the most robust tenor piece in the Phil-Tone lineup.”

Phil-Tone Eclipse Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

These mouthpieces are very reasonably priced. Right now, I have 4 of my students playing on Phil-Tone mouthpieces and refaces. If you like the Phil-Tone Equinox or Eclipse sound clips then visit Phil Engleman’s website and check one out for yourself! (or maybe both………) http://www.phil-tone.com/.

My ratings above are only for the Equinox mouthpiece as I have rated the Eclipse in a past review. Let me know what you think in the comments below. If you have the Equinox yourself and want to review it, feel free to do so below with the comments and stars. Thanks, Steve

Phil-Tone Equinox Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Phil-Tone Eclipse Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Phil-Tone Solstice Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

steve — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 03:03:05 +0000

This is a Phil-Tone Solstice alto saxophone mouthpiece. It used to be called the “West Coast” model but is now called the Solstice. It has a .076 tip opening. I have reviewed Phil Engleman’s mouthpieces before and every one has been excellent! Phil has just come out with a new website and a few new mouthpiece models that I will review in the next few days.

Phil-Tone Solstice Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Phil-Tone Solstice alto mouthpiece looks great right out of the box. The table, tip and rails look perfect. The engraving and logo is nothing fancy but it does the job. It has a slight rollover baffle the declines into what I would consider a small to medium chamber. The side walls are straight and not scooped like many Meyer type mouthpieces are. The baffles rollover is right near the tip and very slight. It does it’s job and then gets out of the way.

Here is a description of the mouthpiece from the Phil-Tone website:

“A solstice signals the change in the seasons, just as this mouthpiece marks a departure from the traditional jazz alto setup. The Solstice harkens to the days of the ”West Coast” school of sound, made famous by such greats as Art Pepper, Lee Konitz, and Paul Desmond. The sounds and styles of these greats inspired the creation of this mouthpiece. The Solstice has a rich core and a full harmonic palate, while also possessing a lively and lyrical quality. There have been several modern attempts to approach the West Coast sound but the majority leave the player with a stuffy, dull, and resistant piece. The Solstice plays open, full, and with ease. Its ringing, centered tone provides a unique avenue towards expression and opens the door to new possibilities. From flowing bossa novas, to the jazz quartet standards, to a beautiful, lyrical, emotional ballad…the Solstice does it all..”

Phil-Tone Solstice Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

I really enjoyed this mouthpieces a lot. I didn’t read the description on Phil’s site before I played it but the first thing I thought when I played it was “Paul Desmond”. I actually went into “Take 5″ on the clip. Later when I went to his site and read that it was modeled after a west coast Paul Desmond type vibe I smiled. Phil did a great job with this.

The tone is light and on the brighter side. It does indeed lean towards that Paul Desmond type sound. When I played it I felt like I should be smoking a cigarette and drinking a Martini (I’ve seen pictures of Desmond doing this). The tone has a dryness to it just like you associate with that west coast sound. The intonation was great and the sound was nice and even throughout the range of the horn. I did feel that if I pushed the air too much it would get too bright and edgy for my tastes. It reminded me of how a Selmer Soloist blows. If you play soft,medium and loud it is beautiful but if you push it too super loud it can get really bright. You have to really push it to the max to hear that though. To be honest, if you are in to that west coast Paul Desmond sound you probably wouldn’t push it like that anyways…………..

This mouthpiece doesn’t get as big and fat sounding as some other alto mouthpieces I have played but it does what it does really well. To put it in perspective, I have played other mouthpieces that have reminded me of a Cannonball type sound. Big, fat and loud. Imagine Cannonball playing next to Desmond………….. One isn’t better than the other. They are just different. What you like and want to sound like depends on your personal preferences and tastes.

I have played hundreds of alto mouthpieces and this is the closest to a Desmond sound I have ever come. Well done Phil!

These mouthpieces are very reasonably priced. Right now, I have 4 of my students playing on Phil’s pieces. If you like the Phil-Tone Solstice alto saxophone sound then visit Phil Engleman’s website and check one out for yourself! http://www.phil-tone.com/.

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve

Phil-Tone Solstice Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

Phil-Tone Otto Link Tenor Mouthpiece

steve — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:57:23 +0000

I received this from Phil as part of a trial that he is doing to promote his mouthpieces. This is a modern hard rubber Otto Link that Phil Engleman has refaced and made much improved. The mouthpiece plays great compared to other modern Otto Links that I have played. Many of the modern ones I have played have sounded tubby or dead. This mouthpiece has a nice dark sound to it that is very even through out the range of the saxophone. It doesn’t have the volume that I normally like in a piece but I think that might be because I’m use to blowing a .110 tip and this is .105. Phil does great work and I would feel great recommending these pieces to my students who need a hard rubber link that plays well. For this recording I’m playing a blues solo I wrote for a lesson I did on the “Triad Pair Blues” . You can check out the lesson here.Listen………

Phil-Tone Tenor Mouthpiece

steve — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:52:01 +0000

I received my Phil-Tone tenor saxophone mouthpiece from Philip Engleman. Phil is known as Sigmund451 on SOTW. (Sax on the Web) I opened the package and put the reed I had been playing on my hard rubber Otto Link on it and it played great right from the start. I was very impressed with the way it responded. It was right up there with my hard rubber Otto Links that Brian Powell did for me. On SOTW a few people had said that they felt resistance when they played it. I didn’t notice that at all. I loved the way it responded. Because it’s a .101 opening and I’m used to playing at .110 it felt small for me but that is to be expected. I’d be very interested in trying a piece like this at a ,110 opening. It has a higher rollover baffle and a medium chamber(my links are a tiny bit larger) so the sound is a tad brighter and more focused I think. Although, it’s at ,101 I was surprised by how much power it can muster when pushed. Also when you hold back a little it can get a nice lush sound to it. I think Phil did a great job with this. The first cut is a mellow rhythm changes. The second cut is more of a loud R&B vibe. I had to do it in my garage because I kept distorting the recording in my studio.(Phil can be contacted at: sigmund451@hotmail.com ). Listen………

Rhythm Changes Clip

Funky Clip

Phil-Tone .078 Alto Mouthpiece

steve — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:46:50 +0000

I received my Phil-Tone alto mouthpiece from Philip Engleman. Phil is known as Sigmund451 on SOTW (that’s Sax on the Web). I was impressed with the mouthpiece just like I was with his tenor piece. I just slapped a reed on it and it played great. It has some nice volume to it and a great lead alto type sound. One of those pieces with a big full sound with loads of power when pushed.

It reminds me of a Meyer type piece with more power to it. I’ve played piece like this before but I always felt like they were too bright. This Phil-tone mouthpiece isn’t in my opinion. Check out the recording and let me know what you think. Great job Phil. I’ll probably be ordering one soon. (Phil can be contacted at: sigmund451@hotmail.com ). Listen………