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You are here: Home / Reviews / Mouthpiece Reviews / Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews / Tenor Low Baffle Reviews / Vandoren V16 Hard Rubber T6

Vandoren V16 Hard Rubber T6

May 13, 2009 by Steve 24 Comments

This is a Vandoren  tenor sax mouthpiece I picked up in a local music store for a student of mine. I tried a  Vandoren T7 and this  Vandoren T6 and I liked this T6 quite a bit more on my tenor.  It has a long roll over baffle that continues right down into the chamber.  The chamber looks smaller to me than a hard rubber  otto link so it gives it a bit more focus and pop to the sound.

This T6 plays very well with a nice crisp sound to it.  I have heard some people say that these new V16’s are similar to old slant signature hard rubber links.  This one has a nice middle of the road sound. You can play softer and get a bit darker and mellower sound for those tenor ballads or if you lay into it you can get a pretty bright and loud sound for the wailin’  rock tenor solos.  Vandoren mouthpieces have always been one of the more consistent brands out there. I’ve never played a bad Vandoren. I think my student is really going to love this piece. It’s a great step up from his Yamaha 4C he has now.  Let me know what you think.  Listen………

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Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: tenor mouthpiece, Vandoren T6

Steve

About Steve

Steve Neff has been playing and teaching saxophone and jazz improvisation around the New England area for over 30 years. He is the author of many best selling jazz improvisation methods as well as founding the popular jazz video lesson site Neffmusic.com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Avatarrudyrude says

    July 22, 2009 at 9:08 pm

    It does have a very nice sound, do they have any for the alto

    Reply
  2. AvatarNeal - Saxophone says

    July 31, 2009 at 4:19 am

    Hey Steve and commenter,
    I have a T9 and an A8- so yes it is available for alto (T stands for tenor, A stands for alto in their system).

    I really like the sound. The only problem with the narrower tip openings seemed to be a lack of volume- but that’s only an issue if you play with loud groups.

    Reply
  3. AvatarEgil Furre says

    August 3, 2009 at 5:50 pm

    Nice sound! Does the T7 and T8 (that Kirk Whalum plays) have the same long roll over baffle?

    Reply
    • stevesteve says

      August 26, 2009 at 8:43 am

      I played a T7 that I didn’t care for at all. It didn’t have a nice core sound to me. All mouthpieces are different though so I might try another T7 that is amazing. I have learned not to judge a mouthpiece line on one mouthpiece that I tried.

      Reply
  4. AvatarNate says

    January 16, 2010 at 9:38 am

    wow, nice tone. What reed / reed size are you using here? 🙂

    Reply
    • stevesteve says

      January 16, 2010 at 11:58 am

      I was using a Java 3 on that mouthpiece. I sold it to a student of mine and he sounds pretty darn good on it!

      Reply
  5. AvatarPJ *Jazz Man* Azzopardi says

    October 18, 2011 at 11:53 am

    I’m going down to Long and MqQuade today to pick up this mouthpiece, lets hope I make somethin’ out of it!!!

    Reply
  6. AvatarJessie says

    November 8, 2011 at 6:38 am

    I like the overall sound of this. Steve is spot on about it being mellow or bright edgy whichever the player wants. Altissimo notes are also easy on this piece, it just pops out.

    Reply
  7. AvatarMike Teagan says

    January 14, 2012 at 7:13 pm

    Funnily enough I just tried a T7 and a T6 today and was surprised to find the T7 much smoother, with a fuller core.. whereas the T6 seemed empty. But that’s just what Steve was saying.. right?

    Reply
    • stevesteve says

      January 14, 2012 at 10:37 pm

      I think I said I liked the T6 better compared to the T7 that I tried………………

      Reply
  8. AvatarMike Teagan says

    January 17, 2012 at 7:09 pm

    What I meant is that each mouthpiece is different, especially these V16s that are hand finished. The T6 lacked pop for me whereas the T7 I tried was full of itself.
    Thanks for you help Steve.

    Reply
  9. AvatarTony says

    July 31, 2012 at 6:04 am

    Nice sound Steve…Thanks for the review and helpful information.
    Tony

    Reply
  10. AvatarEric says

    July 16, 2013 at 9:10 pm

    What kind of ligature do you use for this?

    Reply
    • stevesteve says

      July 16, 2013 at 10:07 pm

      I use a Vandoren Optimum ligature.

      Reply
  11. AvatarAndrew says

    July 8, 2016 at 12:45 pm

    Nice sound Steve I think I’ll try a V16 T6

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      July 10, 2016 at 9:41 pm

      Andrew, That’s great! Come back and let us know what you think after you play it. Steve

      Reply
  12. AvatarFederico says

    July 10, 2016 at 8:39 am

    Hello I’d like to listen to V16 T7 as well for a comparison… is it possible?

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      July 10, 2016 at 9:38 pm

      Hi Federico,
      I have no plans to review the Vandoren V16 T7 at the present time. Sorry. Steve

      Reply
  13. AvatarAlisson says

    November 7, 2017 at 9:05 am

    Good Sound! I’m interested in a V16 T8, you know if is easy start play a Low Bb/B using subtone with this mouthipiece?

    Reply
  14. AvatarKevin Goodall says

    November 17, 2017 at 3:09 am

    Hi
    I have a V16 T8 and I was pleasantly surprised how free blowing it was I use a Vandoren Lig with 2.5 ZZ Reeds. I also have a V16 Metal 6 the 40s large chamber. its very powerful for a 6

    Vandoren Mouthpieces are beautifully made. there are so many models its best to find a shop were you can try a few but if you have to buy blind then the V16 rubber T8 is a great mouthpiece. I am now wondering what a V16 T9 would be like. !!

    Reply
  15. AvatarEdward Spillane says

    November 16, 2018 at 2:49 am

    Yeah I use the V16 T7 piece with a Francois Louis Ultimate, V16 3 reeds and it works great. For me it produces a very rich, focused, and resonant sound which is what I like. I think the long baffle helps quite a bit with altissimo as well. The low notes subtone and speak well on this piece. I think it’s dynamicly flexible too with good air support.

    Reply
  16. AvatarBob says

    May 19, 2019 at 8:50 am

    Interesting how these pieces are always referred to as a good student piece even though they are played by numerous high profile professionals. In fact I don’t think there is another mouthpiece out there that is played by so many pros. Sure, there are tons of pros that play Links but most don’t play a current production model.

    Reply
  17. AvatarDaniel Garcia says

    June 25, 2020 at 9:49 pm

    Hi Steve
    When you say that this mouthpiece will be good for a student, I think that it is not a proper piece for a professional. However there are many professionals using this piece. I would like your opinion on this. I love your work and I always follow your tests.

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      June 25, 2020 at 11:12 pm

      Daniel, I’m saying it’s good for a student because it is more affordable than many pieces out there and it also plays quite well. The combination of those two things make it a great piece to play for a high school student. Steve

      Reply

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