{"id":44916,"date":"2017-07-06T00:36:44","date_gmt":"2017-07-06T04:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/?p=44916"},"modified":"2022-11-16T15:27:21","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T20:27:21","slug":"10mfan-black-widow-tenor-saxophone-mouthpiece-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/10mfan-black-widow-tenor-saxophone-mouthpiece-review\/","title":{"rendered":"10mFan Black Widow Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mark Sepinuck, 10mFan as he is known in the saxophone world, came out with a line of tenor saxophone mouthpieces a few years ago that have been very popular with saxophone players. \u00a0Mark, created a very detailed three category system of tenor sax mouthpieces and he designed\u00a0 what he considered to be the best tenor sax mouthpieces in each of those three categories. \u00a0These mouthpieces were the Merlot, the Robusto and the Boss. \u00a0I won’t go into the categories but Mark has a detailed description on his site at 10mFan.com<\/a> if you want more information.<\/p>\n

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10mFan Black Widow Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mark announced a new mouthpiece to his three category system back in May ’17 and after reading his\u00a0description\u00a0I was excited to try it out. Here’s the description of the Black Widow in Mark’s own words:<\/p>\n

“So many players love the Merlot model because it is warm and open blowing. It has the lowest baffle height of any of my pieces and gets a huge warm and open sound. Others who want more punch and bite than that, will love The Robusto model. The Robusto is a killer all-around player, but definitely leans more for the jazz player who wants some extra fatness and punch. It wasn’t designed to be a “pop” piece, but it has plenty of power to be used in a huge variety of settings. It has a longer, moderate baffle height and is incredibly well balanced. Others who seek much more power and available brights for more pop, funk, R&B, etc…have enjoyed my high baffle Boss model.<\/em><\/p>\n

SO WHERE DOES THIS\u00a0BLACK<\/span>\u00a0WIDOW<\/span>\u00a0FIT IN???\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Well, many have asked me to make another powerful piece option with a less high, more moderate height baffle than the Boss has, that could cross over both the all-around and powerful piece categories VERY well.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

A piece the jazz guys could use more easily than The Boss, and a piece that the powerful playing guys will love too. Thats what THE\u00a0BLACK<\/span>\u00a0WIDOW<\/span>\u00a0does. \u00a0<\/em>The pop guys love the Boss with the high baffle, but those pieces are not for everybody….jazz guys can have a harder time with higher baffle pieces when coming from a lower or moderate height baffle piece. I understand that, and that describes the tons of requests I have had for this new design.<\/em>
\nIt has become clear that many players want a “cross-over” category piece that is different from the other models. Something easily used for jazz stuff AND for guys playing commercial pop, blues, smooth jazz, rock, and funk type of stuff too.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The\u00a0BLACK<\/span>\u00a0WIDOW<\/span>\u00a0will be loved by jazz players looking for a powerful piece that can be used for straight ahead stuff+++, and also the more commercial players looking for another design option for a powerful piece with a longer and more moderate baffle height design than The BOSS HR. The baffle goes to the chamber and makes this piece incredibly versatile.<\/em>
\nThis describes this new piece perfectly.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

That is the description I read that got me excited. \u00a0Coming from a background where I played weddings and corporate gigs for many\u00a0years, when someone mentions a great “cross-over” or “all round” mouthpiece I get excited. \u00a0 I remember in the mid 90’s searching for a sax mouthpiece that would do it all. \u00a0I wanted to sound great and authentic on the jazz dinner sets and cocktail hour and then be able to let it rip on the dance set without having to change mouthpieces.<\/p>\n

I remember hearing tons of other sax players in many of those other function rooms over the years and I can’t tell you how many times I heard a sax player\u00a0with an Otto Link that I could barely hear on the dance set. \u00a0Other times, \u00a0I would hear a sax player\u00a0on a Dukoff or Guardala playing on a dinner set or cocktail hour and it just sounded too\u00a0bright and edgy. \u00a0Those guys needed a “cross-over” all round sax mouthpiece in my opinion………<\/p>\n

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10mFan Black Widow Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mark was nice enough to send me a sample Black Widow in a 8* tip opening to try out. \u00a0For those who follow my mouthpiece reviews, I generally like to stay around the 7*-8* range for tenor saxophone mouthpieces. \u00a0I was afraid the 8* tip on the Black Widow would be too big \u00a0but it ended up being perfect for me. The larger tip combined with the long baffle was a perfect combination for me.<\/p>\n

The 10mFan Black Widow saxophone mouthpiece looks very similar to the rest of the other 10mFan hard rubber sax mouthpieces I wrote about\u00a0above. \u00a0It has the signature three white lines on the shank which I think is a great marketing idea. \u00a0You can spot these three lines from pretty far away and know what mouthpiece brand a player is using……..genius!<\/p>\n

The mouthpiece has Black Widow engraved in white on the top as well as 10mFan in cursive engraving. \u00a0When you look at the table side of the mouthpiece the table looks flat and smooth and the rails and tip look even and perfect.<\/p>\n

The baffle is where you see the difference between the Black Widow, the Robusto and the Boss. \u00a0The Black Widow has a lower initial baffle than the\u00a0Boss but that baffle is much longer and\u00a0continues at a steady angle towards the chamber where it terminates in a scooped out curve. As I look at the Black Widow, Robusto and Boss side by side, it looks like the Robusto has the biggest entrance to the chamber, then the Boss and the Black Widow has the\u00a0smallest entrance to the chamber of the three mouthpieces.<\/p>\n

My experience with these smaller entrances is that they can boost the power, focus and brightness of a mouthpiece dramatically. (I have played Selmer Soloist’s with hardly any baffle in them that were surprisingly powerful and bright because of their chamber entrance size)<\/p>\n

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10mFan Black Widow Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I first played the Black Widow I was taken aback by how big the sound was. \u00a0The 8* tip required more air than I am used to pushing through my 7* mouthpieces but man, when you push it, the power is there. \u00a0I put on a funky groove in D minor and started soloing to it and thought the Black Widow sounded terrific. \u00a0It had a big fat tone coupled with great volume and a nice blend of highs in the tone.<\/p>\n

Honestly, my big concern with the Black Widow was that it would be too mid-range sounding for me. \u00a0 I have played other pieces with a similar baffle profile that I thought sounded too mid-range and lacked the sparkle of the highs in the sound. In my opinion, these highs make the tone brighter and help to cut through the mix when playing with a lot of mid-range instruments. \u00a0Mark, being a working musician, really dialed the Black Widow in in this regard. \u00a0To me, it is a great blend of the brights and power with a fat robust sound full of character. \u00a0Well done Mark!<\/p>\n

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10mFan Black Widow Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n

In comparison to the Robusto, I would say the Black Widow\u00a0is brighter and much more powerful when pushed. \u00a0The Black Widow\u00a0is less bright compared to the Boss but in my opinion it can head to head with the power of the Boss. If you combined the Robusto and the Boss to create something in between those two mouthpieces it would be the Black Widow in my opinion. \u00a0I think this lies right in the middle and that was probably Mark’s intention when he called it a great “cross-over’ mouthpiece.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0played the Black Widow for\u00a0about a month and used it while practicing, jammin’ to tunes and on Skype lessons all month. \u00a0I found I preferred a Rigotti Gold 2 1\/2 Strong the best on the 8*. \u00a0A slightly stiffer Rigotti 3 Light reed worked well also but I like the ease of play with the 2 1\/2 strong and that is what I used on the sample clip.<\/p>\n

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10mFan Black Widow Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n

I included a dry recording with no effects so you hear the raw sound. \u00a0One thing I have to disclose first is that I tried recording this at\u00a0my normal level of gain for the mic but the Black Widow was still\u00a0going above the threshold into the red. \u00a0I had to turn the gain down a couple of notches from most mouthpieces I have reviewed on here so keep that in mind. (It’s much louder than the recording portrays……)<\/p>\n

From the opening notes and the descending chromatics down, I just found the Black Widow to have a thick and robust sound. \u00a0I hear a focus in the sound that gives it a strong solid core to each note. \u00a0At 1:19 I play a few altissimo notes and you can hear how the Black Widow brightens up and projects for me. \u00a0I think you can hear it at 1:30 also. \u00a0At 2:30 I think you can hear how smooth the range of the sax is as I play faster lines.<\/p>\n

The intonation was great on the Black Widow also. \u00a0I’m not judging this from a tuner but rather on how easy it was for me to lock it in while soloing over that D minor funk groove. \u00a0It just felt at home and every note fit into place.<\/p>\n

The one thing that I am not sure can be conveyed by the recording is the power and big sound of the Black Widow. \u00a0I’m listening to the clip now and think it sounds great but I’m just hearing this recorded sound coming out of my little computer speakers. \u00a0When I played the Black Widow in my office and downstairs in my garage the sound just seemed gigantic to me. \u00a0That’s the kind of thing you have to experience live I think…………<\/p>\n

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10mFan Black Widow Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think Mark Sepinuck at 10mFan did a great job with the Black Widow. \u00a0Mark is great with his descriptions of his mouthpieces and I feel like he nailed this one. \u00a0Well done! \u00a0If you are interested in a Black Widow tenor saxophone mouthpiece contact Mark Sepinuck at 10mfan.com<\/a>. \u00a0Mark is a great guy and he can answer any questions you might have about his mouthpieces\u2026….<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2017\/BlackWidow1.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

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10mFan Black Widow Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Dry Recording<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nhttps:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2017\/BWReverb1.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

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10mFan Black Widow Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Recording with Reverb<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I received the sample mouthpiece mentioned above for free in the hope that I would try it and perhaps review it on my blog. Regardless, I only review mouthpieces that I enjoy playing and believe will be good for other saxophone players to try also. Steve<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mark Sepinuck, 10mFan as he is known in the saxophone world, came out with a line of tenor saxophone mouthpieces a few years ago that have been very popular with saxophone players. \u00a0Mark, created a very detailed three category system of tenor sax mouthpieces and he designed\u00a0 what he considered to be the best tenor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":44923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[487,1119,1120,45],"tags":[1086,1619,129,1088,658,117,265],"class_list":{"0":"post-44916","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mouthpiece-reviews","8":"category-tenor-high-baffle-reviews","9":"category-tenor-medium-baffle-reviews","10":"category-tenor-mouthpieces","11":"tag-10mfan","12":"tag-black-widow","13":"tag-hard-rubber","14":"tag-mark-sepinuck","15":"tag-review","16":"tag-sax-mouthpiece","17":"tag-tenor-saxophone","18":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}