This is a new hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Aaron Drake. Aaron has started a new series of mouthpieces called the “Masters” series where he copies the favorite mouthpieces of the great players alive today. So far, he has made mouthpieces for Dave Liebman, Jerry Bergonzi and Pete Christlieb.
I have been a fan of Pete Christlieb’s since around 8th grade. That was the year that my parents took me out to California on vacation. They happened to take me to the “Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson and that was the first time I heard Christlieb play. I was just getting into the saxophone at that time but I still knew this guy was smokin”. Later at Ithaca college, Pete Christlieb was the guest artist one semester. I got to play in the big band behind him and I remember being in awe of how much this guy could swing. (I still have that concert on cassette tape but haven’t listened to it since that day because I don’t have a cassette player anymore……)
I remember at that time learning that he played on an old Berg Larsen. He had a huge sound. It filled up the room and was big and powerful. I remember thinking at the time, that I had never heard a tenor player be as expressive as Mr. Christlieb was. He was scooping and bending notes all over the place……….. (It was around this time that I bought my first tenor saxophone……..I had only played alto until this time)
When I heard that Drake mouthpieces was making a copy of Pete Christlieb’s mouthpiece I wanted to try one immediately……………….
Drake Pete Christieb Tenor Mouthpiece
This is what the Drake website says about the Christlieb model:
Pete Christlieb MASTER SERIES Tenor Mouthpiece
This model is based on the very same “Bullet Chamber” design that Pete Christlieb has played for over 50 years. The specially calibrated baffle is contoured to create an “aliveness” to the sound that is even through all the registers. The addition of the long silver plated banding on the shank helps to focus the core vibrational frequencies and generates greater projection.
“For a guy who has played on the same mouthpiece for 54 years, my new Aaron Drake recreation is incredibly accurate. The .120” is my favorite.”
– Pete Christlieb
Drake Pete Christieb Tenor Mouthpiece
The mouthpiece looks great. The baffle is a medium height Berg type baffle with the scooped bullet chamber in it. The mouthpiece has a thinner profile to it than I am used to, but it’s easy to get used to it. It is a very lightweight mouthpiece. The silver banding on it gives it a little bit more weight but I think if it didn’t have that it would blow away in the wind……… The bite plate area has a bit of a duckbill shape to it. I imagine that Mr. Christlieb’s original Berg has a shape similar to this one. The rails, tip, table and baffle all look perfect.
Drake Pete Christieb Tenor Mouthpiece
The Drake Pete Christlieb mouthpiece played great from the get go. It has a similar vibe and feel to it as some other great Berg’s I have played through the years. It is very powerful and the scooped out baffle gives it a thick hearty tone that really carries. You can hear in the beginning of the recording how thick it sounds. It also has loads of power when you push it. At times during the recording I found myself “growling” and going for more of a blues tenor sound. The mouthpiece was very smooth and even from note to note and was easy and smooth to play fast on. The last phrase of the clip was about as fast as I’ve ever heard myself play…………The altissimo was very easy to get in comparison to many other “Link” type pieces. It was fun to play up there on this mouthpiece.
Drake Pete Christieb Tenor Mouthpiece
If you like the Drake Pete Christlieb sound you can check them out on the Drake website for more information.
Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve
Drake Pete Christieb Tenor Mouthpiece
Nice Steve!
That has to be one of my favourites of your reviews.. really fat and expressive. The listener can hear how easily that played for you and how much you enjoyed it! Lovely playing as always:)
You sound very good on it, and I’m chomping at the bit to get mine! Of course, it is impossible to judge a mpce by hearing someone else play it, unless that player also posts the same routine on other mpces. Then you can judge it to some extent but still only in the relative sense. Hearing you play yours and Pete play his, and knowing that I have always played mpces of this general type, I have high hopes for it. As Paul said, it is obvious that you liked it very much and it inspired you to go where the mpce was leading you, which is certainly the mark of a great mpce. Thanks very much for the great review1
I was very surprised by the sound you got on the low end of this piece. Most impressive.
Hi Steve,
I love your voice on this mpc very much! Thanks for your review! I know you also own an RPC 120B high baffle mpc you mentioned that you use alot on Blues gigs, could you plx let me know: which one is more easy/free blowing? (I think my rpc has some resistance there that I do not like sometimes when I want to play soft on some occassion…); which one is warmer is sound? Thanks! nick
I had a RPC115B Nick. I ended up selling it because it felt too open for me. I would say the Drake is warmer than how I remember the RPC playing. The RPC could get a lot louder and brighter when you pushed it though. Steve
Very nice sound! What tip opening was it?
Is it true that in a high buffle piece like this you
can go to a larger tip than usual?
Pan, That was a .110 tip opening. Yes, I usually feel like I want to go to a bigger tip with a high baffle piece. I usually prefer .105-.110 with link type mouthpieces. With high baffles I tend to prefer around .115.
Steve,
I have listened to all of your reviews and I think this is one of the best ones. You sounded great on it. Makes it very tempting to get one! What Berg baffle would you compare it to?
Hi Bob, I’m not sure? I have played a few Bergs but I would have to see them side by side to compare. I do have a clip of a HR Berg I did for tenor somewhere on the site……….
I noticed Christlieb’s name gets misspelled, lacking the L after T.
Terrific piece – both your blog and Drake’s masterful creation. Pete deservedly chose to play the original for over 50 years to become a modern legend. I love playing this mouthpiece too!
I bought a 110 and it’s so versatile that it is now the only mouthpiece that I use for all styles of music. I used to play a 1950’s 100/0 Berg but I always found it too bright and hated practicing on it. This has all the things that I like about the old Berg but it’s way better and I find it easier to shape my own sound on it (I use Vandoren ZZ reeds on it). I highly recommend the 110 if you normally play a 7*, it really is a truly remarkable product..
Steve,
Many years ago I bought a mouthpiece from Pete Christlieb when he was casting around to get his piece made by someone. I am so glad he found Aaron Drake. You sound legendary on Drake’s Christlieb. One of your best ever. Do you recall what reed & strength were you using?
Hi Jason,
I don’t remember the reed strength but I usually say in the review or at the beginning of the recording. Thanks, Steve
Thanks Steve and thanks too, for your work with everything saxophone.
You sold me at 2:20… ; > ) I am really liking mine so far. The more time I spend the better. I find Vandoren V16s sound the best for me. I use 3s, with a little work they match up great. I agree that it is a light weight piece. A concern at first, but no longer. Thanks Steve.
hello Steve, I’m very interested every mouthpieces review from your site, i have plan to buy new MP for my tenor, I’m very like guardala sound especially MbII Gold From Your Review in August 13, 2009, that its not Nadir made right?
than I’ve listen Drake Pete C now, and sound very nice.. now I’ m very confused for chose MBII or Drake Pete. actually i play Rock, Metal and Blues with speed melody and many altissimo and i play with electric intrument with many distorsi FX. can you give me advice for this?
thx before…
Dex
Dex, Yes, that is not a Nadir MBII. It is one of the ones from WWBW. I’m not sure if WWBW still makes them or not. As far as the differences I would say the MBII is brighter. The Drake is fatter sounding. My personal tastes leans more towards the Pete Christlieb mouthpiece as I like the ability to play darker and fatter when I want. Another mouthpiece is this range is the Pilgrimage. I would say that is closer to the Christlieb mouthpiece. Many times I find the MBI and MBII to be a bit thin in the palm keys for me. The MBII is brighter though so if you find you have to cut through the mix that extra brightness can be helpful in that regard. Steve
Hello Steve. I`m Borja Baixauli, sax player from Spain ( http://www.borjabaixauli.com ). I`m interested on this mouthpiece. I have a problem with overbite and I think that a short facing can help me. This mouthpiece have a short facing?
I would like to know if this mouthpiece is more smaller than other. With my overbite I play more confortable with a smaller mouthpieces because ,
So I have to open my mouth a little. So Otto link is unconfortable for me because it has a long facing and it`s very big for my mouth.
thanks, and congratulations for your work
Hi Borja,
I believe the bite is thinner than an Otto Link from what I remember. I have no idea on the facing length as I didn’t ask about that and don’t remember. You should ask Aaron Drake about that. Steve
Hi Borja –
Well, your comment (which I just saw) is five (5) years old, but anyway, I have TMJ (jaw problems) and I asked Aaron if he could make the facing curve on my Pete Christleib mouthpiece LONGER for me (which I need because otherwise, my jaw hurts), which he graciously did.
So, if you are still in the hunt for a mouthpiece, ask Aaron if he can make a shorter facing curve for you.
Best,
– Jeff Newton
That’s interesting to read. I don’t have TMJ that I know of but every once in a while I play a mouthpiece that seems to bother my jaw in some way. I have always found that strange and never knew the cause of it.
I only discovered this recently when a college classmate who had the same Frank Wells Berg re-do developed TMJ (he was ahead of me in school and I didn’t know this at the time, which was late 1970s). He’s the sax prof at Augusta, Georgia (yep, that one, near the Masters). We compared our Berg Frank Wells, and both have the SHORT facing curve (Berg made short and medium for these models; this is all online somewhere…). So, as a brave test, I found an old Berg with the MEDIUM facing curve and ….. no jaw pain! (with a 120 tip, no less). Whereas with the SHORT facing curve, it literally caused me TMJ overnight – one day I’d never heard of it, the next day I could hardly open my mouth! TMJ is no joke – it’s potentially career-ending, but can be managed. I say, if you have any jaw pain, try a long facing curve. I think this helps because the pain is caused by the pressure point location – if the curve is short, the pressure “hits” right where the mandible meets the temple. It’s a small area! BTW, I got the medium curve Berg from a player-dentist, who of course was also interested in my experiment.
I’ve had the the Pete Christleib tenor mouthpiece for a couple of years now, and I really like it. I use it on my late model Mark VI tenor (211xxx, 1973), which I bought new.
I just bought a wonderful Rampone tenor, which actually has a bigger bore than a Conn. One reviewer of the Rampone line thought that it matched up better with large chambered mouthpieces. So, this PC Drake is a Berg copy with the bullet chamber, but what size is this chamber considered to be? Obviously, it’s not a “toilet paper roll” tube chamber like a link, but I’m just curious as to it’s size. It sounds fine with the Rampone, but inquiring minds want to know.
Thanks to all that respond!
Unfortunately, I had to send that mouthpiece back to Aaron Drake and all I have to go on is my memory. That was back in the day when I didn’t take as many detailed photos as I do now. I seem to remember it as having a medium chamber but it’s hard to tell with that bullet chamber. Maybe ask Aaron what he thinks it is and let us know. Thanks, Steve