KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Today, I am reviewing another tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by a young mouthpiece maker, refacer and saxophone player from Russia named Kirill Poudavoff.  Kirill is a great young tenor sax player that is in his fourth semester at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Kirill sent me four examples of his tenor saxophone mouthpieces made of plastic after I asked if I could perhaps try out his mouthpiece work.  I have already reviewed the KPoudavoff Double Ring 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece and the KPoudavoff Florida 7* tenor mouthpiece.  Today, I will be reviewing the KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece which is a copy of a Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece from the late 40’s-50’s.  I have never played a Dukoff Hollywood tenor saxophone mouthpiece so I am very excited to try out this KPoudavoff copy of this iconic (thanks to Dexter) tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here is some information about Dukoff Hollywood tenor saxophone mouthpieces as well as the Zimberoff model Dukoff Hollywood mouthpieces from Theo Wanne’s mouthpiece museum page:

“Dexter Gordon played on a Conn 10m and a Dukoff BD Hollywood tenor saxophone mouthpiece during the Blue Note era until the mid-sixties. There has always been a huge debate about which model BD Dukoff tenor sax mouthpiece Dexter Gordon played, the 1945 medium chamber or the 1949 large chamber model.  I know there was a 1949 Dukoff BD Hollywood tenor sax mouthpiece stamped “DG Special” on the side with a 6* tip opening. This might have been a ‘Dexter Gordon’ Special model, so I suspect he played on this model.  About 100 of these blanks were sold to Zimberoff -House of Note, who produced a mouthpiece under their own name. Some of these had the model name Vibra Metal.”-Theo Wanne

Theo’s page where this quote is from also says there were only 200 1949 BD Hollywoods made (same blank as the Zimberoffs), and then only 100 Zimberoff Hollywoods made.  That is only 300 Dukoff Hollywood Zimberoff style tenor saxophone mouthpieces in total.  I would love confirmation of this fact if any of you out there have more information on the subject…….  If true, those numbers make the Dukoff Zimberoff Hollywood pretty darn rare.

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece in Solid Silver

Here is also a post from SOTW (Sax on the Web) by Doc Tenney about the Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood tenor saxophone mouthpieces:

“The Zimberoff tenor saxophone mouthpieces are actually “stencil” mouthpieces in that the “real” ones were made by Dukoff and marked “Zimberoff House of Music” with five 5-pointed stars in a circular pattern on the top of the barrel. The actual blank is a one-piece cast brass “B.D.” series Dukoff with a rather unusual and very sophisticated baffle design that has a very distinctive longitudinal concavity or trough running from just behind the tip rail into the back chamber. Many of us refer to any Dukoff having these particular features as a “Zimberoff” even though they are not “stenciled” with the Zimberoff markings. I have had several of these through my shop recently. The “voice” is just as smooth as the original very early “stubby” models and has much more color complexity than any of the later “B.D.” 2-piece models with no loss of center. For many players, including myself, the Dukoff Hollywood Zimberoff model is the most preferred of the California Dukoff designs. Fortunately,  I have two of my own!”-Doc Tenney

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

If you haven’t heard of Kirill Poudavoff yet, check him out in the video at the bottom of this review.  Kirill sounds more like Dexter Gordon than any other tenor sax player I have heard, which is very cool!

I would also like to add how refreshing it is to hear a young person like Kirill Poudavoff,  playing long notes and melodies while improvising.  I was listening to Kirill the other day, and like Dexter, he just played one note and held it for like 4-6 beats before continuing on with his idea.  I think it was a video from Wally’s in Boston.   I saw some Berklee students in the audience who looked totally confused and shocked as they thought, “Wait, you can play long notes when improvising?”.  I love long notes and you don’t hear a lot of young guys doing that.  For that matter, you don’t hear very many old guys doing it.  (If you don’t know what I am talking about, go listen to some Dexter Gordon………)

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece in Solid Silver

When I asked Kirill if I could try out some of his saxophone mouthpiece work, I had no idea that he would send me four tenor saxophone mouthpieces to check out. Here is what he sent me:

• KPoudavoff Double Ring 7*- copy of an Otto Link 7* Florida Double Ring Super Tone Master
• KPoudavoff Florida 7*- copy of an Otto Link 7* Florida Super Tone Master
• KPoudavoff Zimberoff  Hollywood 7*- copy of a Dukoff Hollywood Zimberoff model
• KPoudavoff Zimberoff Hollywood 6* (Dexter’s Curve)- copy of a Dukoff Hollywood Zimberoff  (with Dexter Gordon’s 6* facing curve on it)

I will be reviewing all of these tenor saxophone mouthpieces separately, one after the other, so you can get a complete sense of Kirill Poudavoff’s work.

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece in Solid Silver

First, I have to start with the disclaimer that Kirill Poudavoff told me that he doesn’t make these plastic tenor saxophone mouthpiece models any longer.  Right now, at the time of this review,  he is only making the tenor mouthpiece models listed above in solid silver for 750 dollars each.  I have posted a few photos of the tenor mouthpieces in metal throughout this review so that you can see how the mouthpieces look in solid silver as well.

That being said, Kirill did say that these four plastic tenor saxophone mouthpieces were a good representation of his work and played similarly to the solid silver versions of these mouthpieces.

The four KPoudavoff  tenor saxophone mouthpieces I received look to have the same outward size (diameter and length), shape and contours of the Otto Link and Dukoff Hollywood tenor saxophone mouthpieces they are copies of.

The KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a similar engraving and lines on the shank as an original Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood tenor mouthpiece but instead of having “Zimberoff Hollywood” engraved on the shank, it has “KPoudavoff Hollywood” engraved on the shank.   The tip opening of 7* is engraved on the corner of the body to the right of the table.

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

On initial examination, you can see the sanding marks on the plastic material of the mouthpiece where Kirill sanded the table and worked on the baffle area of the mouthpiece.  Although the sanding marks look rough, the baffle area and table feel very smooth to the touch.

I know these sanding marks will bother some of you,  but I am not bothered in the least.  In my mind, they don’t matter to me. What matters the most to me, is how the mouthpiece plays.  I have played some horrendous looking mouthpieces over the years that played phenomenally, so I don’t necessarily care how perfect a mouthpiece looks on the inside or outside.   I have also tried mouthpieces that looked absolutely stunning and perfect to the eye, that didn’t play well at all for me.  The lesson learned: Don’t judge a mouthpiece until you play it.

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece in Solid Silver

The point I am trying to make, is that Kirill worked on and sent me four examples of his work for free because I asked to try out his work.  I believe Kirill’s main focus is making a mouthpiece true to the original version while also making a mouthpiece that plays great.  The cosmetic stuff is not as important.  Don’t let these plastic samples sway you from what’s most important,  how do these KPoudavoff tenor saxophone mouthpieces play?

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Looking past all the sanding marks, the KPoudavoff  Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece looks to have relatively even side rails. The tip rail looks well made but Kirill warned me that this particular mouthpiece was made from an old blank and the curve of the tip rail doesn’t exactly match the curve of the tenor saxophone reeds.  Regardless of this fact,  all the tenor saxophone reeds I tried on this mouthpiece sealed well when using the suction test.

Just like Doc Tenney described in his quote above,  you can see “a very distinctive longitudinal concavity or trough running from just behind the tip rail into the back chamber.”  I have reviewed other tenor sax mouthpieces which I described as having a side to side curve of the baffle but I think the Dukoff Hollywood Zimberoff mouthpiece is unique in design because the side to side curve of the baffle starts much closer to the tip rail of the mouthpiece than other mouthpieces I have reviewed.

I asked Kirill Poudavoff if both the 7* and 6* Hollywood tenor mouthpieces he sent were copies of Zimberoff Hollywoods and what the difference between a Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood and a non-Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood was and he wrote, “Yes, both are copied from a Zimberoff Hollywood. Zimberoff Hollywood mouthpieces typically are the same as Dukoff Hollywood blanks, but have higher baffles”.

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece in Solid Silver

The sidewalls of the KPoudavoff Hollywood mouthpiece are scooped out nicely and the roof of the chamber underneath the table is nice and thin.  The chamber is what I would consider an extra large chamber in that it looks to be larger than a typical modern Otto Link or Florida Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece chamber.  The floor of the Dukoff Hollywood looks a bit deeper to me than on a Florida Otto Link tenor sax mouthpiece.  The chamber of the KPoudavoff Zimberoff mouthpiece looks closer in size to the chamber of a modern NY Otto Link model tenor saxophone mouthpiece which I also consider to have an extra large chamber.

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece played great with Rigotti Gold saxophone reeds between the 2 1/2 medium strength to the 3 strong strength for me. The KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* tenor sax mouthpiece is not an altered “Hollywood” or a “Hollywood” on steroids. Kirill Poudavoff has expressed his goal of making these tenor sax mouthpieces as close to the originals as he can possibly get them.  This is an admirable goal and refreshing to hear from a young up and coming mouthpiece craftsman.

*For the record,  as I wrote earlier, I have never owned or played an original Dukoff Hollywood tenor saxophone mouthpiece up until this point in my life so I have no way to compare this mouthpiece to an original Dukoff Hollywood Zimberoff tenor saxophone mouthpiece like I did for the KPoudavoff Double Ring and Florida mouthpiece reviews.

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece in Solid Silver

The KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood tenor saxophone mouthpiece played great for me.  The intonation on the KPoudavoff Hollywood tenor saxophone mouthpiece was excellent on my Selmer Super Balanced Action (SBA) tenor saxophone.   I believe it was even better than the KPoudavoff Double Ring and Florida tenor sax mouthpieces because the extra larger chamber and scoop in the run of the baffle into the chamber seemed to bring down the typically sharp middle range of my Selmer SBA tenor saxophone. The low notes were thick and full sounding and sub-toned beautifully and the altissimo range of the saxophone popped out nicely.

The KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood tenor saxophone mouthpiece was very even and smooth throughout the range of the saxophone and the fast lines sounded great.  In comparison to the KPoudavoff Double Ring tenor mouthpiece, which seemed like it had more of a warm smoothness within those fast lines and the Florida tenor mouthpiece that seemed to have more of an aggressive and crisp sound, the KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood had more of a fatness to the tone.  I think the tone was brighter than the KPoudavoff Double Ring and more along the lines of the Florida brightness of tone (not quite as bright as the Florida).  Where the KPoudavoff Florida tenor sax mouthpiece was more focused in tone, the Hollywood mouthpiece seemed to have a much fatter and a more spread tone while still having a nice focused core to the sound.

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I really dig a fatter tenor saxophone tone, so I absolutely loved that aspect of the tone with the Kpoudavoff Hollywood Zimberoff tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  I have always marveled at the fat and thick tenor saxophone tone of Dexter Gordon on his recordings.  It just sounded so huge and wide like he was filling up every corner of the room with his immense sound.

That being said, I believe I have more work to do with the KPoudavoff Hollywood tenor sax mouthpiece.  The extra large chamber and unique baffle shape makes me think that there are unexplored regions of sound to be discovered with this mouthpiece.  That kind of exploration and discovery can only come with time and familiarity with a sax mouthpiece and although I have spent a few days with the KPoudavoff Zimberoff Hollywood mouthpiece,  I believe spending a few months with this mouthpiece would really prove even more worthwhile as I get used to this unique mouthpiece design and how to get the most out of it.

I’ve included three sound clips of the KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  The first one is with a Rigotti Gold 3 medium tenor saxophone reed.  I loved this reed because of the thick, rich, solid core and character you can hear in the tone.  The upper register had a nice brightness while still retaining that fatness of tone.  You can also hear more brightness and edge in the tone when I push the volume of the mouthpiece.

The second sound clip is with the same Rigotti Gold 3 medium tenor saxophone reed.  I play the melody of “When I Fall in Love” with a little bit of reverb added so you can hear how the mouthpiece might sound in a more lively room or with reverb added to the mix. I’m not a big fan of excessive reverb so I tried to add “just enough” reverb  to sound good without over doing it.

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

In the last sound clip, I am using a softer 2 1/2 medium Rigotti Gold tenor saxophone reed.  I personally like the sound of the harder reed a bit more as it seems like the tone is thicker and has more of an interesting character to the sound.  There is enough difference between these sound clips in tone and response that I thought it was important to include all three clips, especially since some listeners like the sound of softer reeds and some like the sound of harder reeds.

In my opinion, the KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a great tenor saxophone mouthpiece for those looking for a mouthpiece that is similar if not exact to a vintage Dukoff Hollywood Zimberoff tenor sax mouthpiece. (This is purely based on my confidence in Kirill’s knowledge and work as well as the fact that the Double Ring and Florida models were so close in design to the originals)  Although, I have not personally tried a Dukoff Hollywood tenor sax mouthpiece, I have had multiple communications with Kirill about this model and he seems very knowledgeable about these mouthpieces.

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

If you like the sound and look of the KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Kirill Poudavoff, you can order one from Kirill himself by contacting him via his email at kpoudavoff@gmail.com.

Thanks again to Kirill Poudavoff for sending me these four great tenor saxophone mouthpieces to play and review here on my site. After my sound clips below,  is a video of Kirill soloing over “Days of Wine and Roses” with his metal KPoudavoff Dukoff Hollywood Zimberoff tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  Make sure you check that video out as well!

If you are lucky enough to play a KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments about this review, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks,   Steve

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review – Rigotti Gold 3 Medium Reed

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review – Rigotti Gold 3 Medium Reed-When I Fall in Love with Reverb

KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 7* Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review – Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Medium Reed

Kirill Poudavoff playing “Days of Wine and Roses” on his Dukoff Zimberoff Hollywood Metal Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece (he is also accompanying himself on piano)