As I say in that old review, that J7 Lamberson is a very versatile mouthpiece for me. \u00a0I’ve played tons of jazz gigs on that piece plus lots of dance sets. \u00a0Looking at it, you wouldn’t think it could cut a loud dance set but I could get enough highs and edge out of it to make it\u00a0work. \u00a0Here’s a clip of the old J7<\/a> with a loud wedding band.<\/p>\n Lamberson J7 1920 Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n A few weeks ago, I heard from a friend that Fred Lamberson had a few J7’s he had just made ready to be bought. \u00a0 I immediately jumped on that as I loved mine so much I wanted to try some more. \u00a0As Fred and I exchanged emails, he said he was experimenting with a new hard rubber for him called “1920” hard rubber. \u00a0He was still feeling it out but he said it seemed darker and more resonant than the old hard rubber he had been previously using. \u00a0I was immediately interested as my old Lamberson seems to really like soft 2 1\/2 reeds and tends to get a bit\u00a0bright when pushed. \u00a0 I was hoping to find something with the same texture and character of tone but slightly<\/span> darker\u00a0so I ordered a 1920 J7 to try out. \u00a0Fred cranked out the 1920 J7 and I got it a couple of weeks later.<\/p>\n Lamberson J7 1920 Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n I immediately opened the package when I received it. \u00a0The mouthpiece looked great and had that same hard rubber smell all his hard rubber pieces do. (I love that smell…….)<\/p>\n Many times the chambers on Lamberson mouthpieces have signs of being worked on. \u00a0You can usually see scratch marks and sanding marks where Mr. Lamberson had been working on them. \u00a0I don’t mind this as it is the way a sax mouthpiece plays that is important to me. \u00a0My original J7 mouthpiece has marks all inside it and the chamber is not perfectly round but it plays incredibly well and is one of my favorite pieces so who cares!<\/p>\n The truth be told, \u00a0I kind of like the idea of each mouthpiece being different and unique. \u00a0We live in a world these days where everything is CNC produced to a cookie cutter mold and a perfect design replicated a thousand times……There is nothing wrong with that but there is something about owning a mouthpiece that is unique and individual. \u00a0A mouthpiece that is the\u00a0only one like it in the world! \u00a0That is kind of cool. \u00a0Fred Lamberson has high standards from what I can tell after playing so many of his sax mouthpieces but I get the distinct impression that each of his mouthpiece is a unique creation in it’s own right.<\/p>\n It makes me wonder if Mr. Lamberson works on a piece, plays it, works on it, plays it, etc…..and at some point plays it and says “That is perfect! \u00a0That is what this hard rubber was meant to be! \u00a0I’m not going to touch it anymore.”<\/p>\n Lamberson J7 1920 Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n Although there are signs of work inside the chamber, the outside of the mouthpiece looks\u00a0perfect. \u00a0Beautifully made and perfectly engraved. \u00a0The tip, rails and table are\u00a0perfect.<\/p>\n My original J7 sax mouthpiece plays well with Vandoren Java 2 1\/2 reeds so I tried one of those on this new J7 mouthpiece\u00a0but it was way too soft. \u00a0I started trying different Rigotti Gold\u00a0reeds\u00a0on it and ended up with a 3 Light that was perfect. \u00a0That is what I am playing on in the sound clip below.<\/p>\n Lamberson J7 1920 Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n This piece plays very DARK for me. \u00a0If Batman,\u00a0Darth Vader or Sauron played saxophone, I’m pretty sure this is the mouthpiece they would use. (Sorry,,,,,,,,nerd reference to Dark Knight, Dark Side of the Force and Dark Lord) \u00a0I don’t know if it is the 1920 hard rubber or the design of this specific mouthpiece but it is about as dark a piece as I\u00a0have played. \u00a0Even up high in the range of the saxophone and into the altissimo the piece still stayed dark, full and vibrant.<\/p>\n Lamberson J7 1920 Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n The sound is very even throughout the range of the horn and\u00a0the intonation is very good. \u00a0I could get\u00a0pretty loud with the volume although\u00a0I think the lack of higher partials in the sound make the loudness less cutting\u00a0to my ear and the tone more subdued. It still sounds rich and textured to me in the sound clip though.<\/p>\n Lamberson J7 1920 Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the number one \u00a0questions I get asked by seekers of new mouthpieces is “Steve, I’m looking for a super dark mouthpiece, what do you suggest?” \u00a0This Lamberson J7 1920 is definitely in that category. \u00a0That being said, a mouthpiece with this kind of dark lush tone probably isn’t the best choice for a loud rock\u00a0band but if you are into a\u00a0darker jazz\u00a0type sound (think Mark Turner\/Seamus Blake) this might be a good choice for you. \u00a0 If the sound clip below interests you, you can contact Fred Lamberson through his website at www.lambersonmouthpieces.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2016\/J71920Top.JPG\")
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