I thought I would put up a comparison clip of 3 metal STM Florida Otto Link tenor mouthpieces that I have. The first one is a Florida Link 7*(no USA) that was refaced by someone. If I had to bet money on it I would say it’s Theo Wannes work. It looks just like other Theo Wanne mouthpieces I have had and the tip rail has that characteristic thinness and curve that Theo puts on his pieces. It blows like it has a shorter facing to me. The other two are a 5 and a 8 that Brian Powell refaced to .105.
They both have substantial baffles in them which gives them some extra power and brightness. the 5 is my favorite to play in my garage with an echo. It reminds me of my Jon Van Wie Otto Link with a baffle in it. Recording it with the microtrack it sounds a bit bright but I think in a recording studio with some reverb it would sound killer. I’ve been playing these 3 mouthpieces for the last week trying to decide which one to keep and which ones to sell. Let me know if you hear a difference in the recordings and have an opinion.
Listen………
Florida Link 7* no USA (refaced by Theo Wanne?)
Florida Link 5 (refaced to .105 by Brian Powell)
Florida Link 8 (refaced to .105 by Brian Powell)
I like the 5 the best, then the 8 and Wanne 3rd. The 5 has that little extra edge if you need it but you are able to mellow out easily. It all depends how the respond and play.
I love the Wanne most… love that dessert dry sound and the great (though way too short) solo you play there!!!
The “Theo” had the best core to it. 3D sound. The others sounded much thinner and lacked depth. No comparison to me. #1.
They all sound good… but I really like the 1st clip. It’s got a great core to it and a depth that the refaced 5 didn’t seem to have. The refaced 8 sounded better than many links I’ve heard, but still sounded thinner to me than the 1st one.
Just curious… which did you decide to keep?
I still have the 8 florida link although I had Brian Powell close it to 7*. I have the no USA link also but I tried to put a baffle in it and I can’t get it just right yet. I sold the brighter 5.
Yes, the no USA 7* has a less generic sound that sets it apart from the other two. I’m in the process of getting my no USA STM 6* refaced by Ted Klum after having it worked on by another refacer who did not get the curve right. It came back hard to play with a spread sound, so I hope Ted can bring it to where it’s supposed to be. Which is a matter of personal taste.
Your playing is superb!
Hey Steve,can I ask you,if the 7* No USA sat not as tight on the neck cork as the other two links,and did that same piece have a wider beak too?
That piece has a more vintage tone than the other two pieces,I don’t know if it felt more comfortable though lol!
Cheers,Col.
I still have that piece. It’s the same tightness as my other florida link in that clip. The beak is very similar also. Doesn’t look or feel any wider. It did have a more vintage sound that is for sure. It was a bit too dark for me so I put a baffle in it (big mistake). I ended up send it to Erik G to fix the baffle I tried to put in. It plays great but is too bright now. I actually emailed Erik today and asked him what I should use to file the baffle down just a little bit. It originally had a beautiful sound but I always felt like it was too dark for me. Some of that could be because of my hearing loss though………Anyways, I tried to sell it a few times and no one bought it so I finally decided to mess with it. Strangely enough, after I messed with it I started getting all these offers for it from my site………..Oh well. I still hope to get it to a place where it is perfect for me. I’m going to start slowly sanding the baffle down until I think it is perfect. You live and you learn.
Hi Steve
I really liked the refaced 8. You sounded most comfortable on that one. Not reaching for notes and it had a full robust sound. You could really lay back or wail on it. I have a mojo refaced 7* that had a long fairly high arched baffle in it. The more I play it the more I want to sand down the baffle. Now it’s more of a low flat baffle that just raises the floor a little. It really feels like its dialed in now. I really need to stay focused on one piece and shed. It’s so easy to get distracted by all the different flavored out there.
Hi hear you Dave! I feel the same way. A couple of times a year I need to take a break from the mouthpiece carousel because I feel like I’m starting to lose it. I have a few mouthpieces like your link that I feel like the baffle could come down a little………..