Florida production Double Ring, originally 6 now .100 (7). Somewhat focused, colorful, complex, and organic sounding. This one is quite powerful and fast.
Category Archives: Vintage Mouthpiece Tips
Archetype .110- the sensitive giant (SOLD- but you can order one)
This piece was an experiment and a challenge. Someone had expressed desire for a .110 and I had a blank that might suit that. I wanted to try it. Normally the earlier large chamber Links are not always the best candidate for a large tip size. They tend to play more compact on smaller sizes, but since this is a new species I wanted to gamble. I set this piece up at .110 with a facing I have had success with before at this size, a great wise old man of a facing. Well this piece came out shockingly great. Although a .110 it sounds much the same as the smaller examples and feels like a .100, which means it is easy to play and efficient. I am not usually comfortable at this size.
View this post on Instagram
This piece is already sold but the experiment has shown that this turns out very well. Those of you who want this Quad Ring vibe but play at larger sizes can consider. We know it works.
View this post on Instagram
Archetype W20-04 .103 Special (on hold)
This piece arrives at a .103 tip size with a special setup; slightly short custom facing and WT style shorter high baffle. The special facing quite successfully captures the compressed focus of .095 (6*) at .103. The WT style baffle offers in your face presence while also not crowding the venting of mid and high end with a longer baffle. For a larger chamber (early Link style) .103 this is very compact, yet has a facing “spring” resistance producing a piece that plays very fat AND very fast.
Archetype W20-03 .100 Fresh out of the Bardo
Wonderful Link 7 tip size, hand finished and beautiful. Quad ring is experiencing multidimensional soul division. This piece plays fat and takes a lot of air as we would expect from a 7, which is the upper end of what these were designed for. Fat, with a shimmering edge. Facing is slightly short for speed and crisp response, already away to the first pre-order!
View this post on Instagram
Otto Link FL Double Ring 9 *Original* Restoration Study
Case Study in Vintage Otto Link Find & Restoration:
Here we have an excellent original surviving example of a Florida production Otto Link ‘double ring’ 9 facing. This is probably a somewhat later model double ring as it has rhodium or nickel plate. The early models had gold plate (which wore off rather easily). The nickel or rhodium does not wear off as easily but when it does it leaves scars in the brass as we see here. We will document the process of restoration as a study for those considering sourcing vintage mouthpieces from the wild world of mouthpiece unknowns.
Selmer MK VI #85000 EU Satin Silver Engraved Massive horn, ONLY ONE!
This is an amazing rarity; 1960 Mark VI tenor, the exact serial 85000, made in celebratory satin “sable” (sand finish) silver plate and glass accents, an expensive special order option. This horn lived an active life and does show wear indicating just how great it was (is). I have done many special restoration projects on this horn, soldered the bow to body, resoldered the failed neck receiver, replaced most of the worn pearls and then finally a vast overhaul. It originally came to me with black ‘roo pads’ in it, and plenty of key slop. I did many special jobs on the horn but resisted taking those pads out since they were not old, but the horn always lacked some resonance, sort of a deflating kind of feeling rather than the power we might hope for in 85k. I finally did surrender and did a whole job on it with my treated pads and special setup. Now it is blasting, bright and powerful as expected. Moral of the story- please don’t use roo pads. They suck.
Aside from that, this is just that amazing actual 85k tenor the only one with the perfect number (HAH!) and it plays every bit as amazing as we imagine. I did somewhat of a silver polish on this after I allowed it to turn black over several years and it was already a lot of work. I will just let it go black I guess from here on in. I took a quick set of pics before it turns totally black again.
Excellent Early Berg Larsen Type (mixed?) Font Tenor 105
Here we have a very nice find, early Berg Larsen 105/1/M. This piece has the original denim table milling marks and a wonderful delicately finished tip rail and baffle quite likely faced by Berg Larsen himself. This is the style all the early ones are done in, by, I think, himself. Unusually this piece actually measures right at .105 on my tools. The slant signature Bergs and pieces near that time period usually measure exactly as stamped but slightly later ones (like this should be) trend .005 smaller. This one is accurate to the stamp, no idea why.
The font on the shank seems to have SOME of earlier serif font. I believe someone has replaced the biteplate with a modern marbled rubber. I see no evidence of any other work done. This piece plays rather huge and fat. It is pretty accurate for a #1 baffle being brilliant while also not excessively bright or at all shrill.
There are many of destroyed, later model, etc Berg Larsens to be found but the Serif Font denim table originals are few and far between now.
Otto Link Slant Signature (not FL) original mint 5*
Beautiful clean facing original, measures at .075. This has a wonderful large, lush, and crisp sound.
Otto Link Double Ring NY .100 Marinated & Excellent Rarity
Here we have a very rare and wonderful tenor piece; Otto Link NY double ring with the outlandishly long biteplate. Who’s idea was the long biteplate?! That long biteplate is the reason these pieces are the least common to be opened up to large sizes (or any sizes) by ambitious refacers. Of course that can be a good thing, meaning there are still some originals left out there, or at least some pieces that are not huge sizes. it is pretty common for people to mess them up or just tear them all open to huge sizes because currently only a few people know how to play 5-6 facings like the old days when these were made.
I very careful restored and optimized this to .100 (7) from the original dinged up 5 and it’s really quite a player. Slightly darker and wider than a FL double ring, it has a beautiful complex tone and an ease of play that is extremely satisfying. Good luck finding early (New York) double rings that are not totally destroyed or play in any kind of near decent way. This is definitely among the best!
King Silversonic Gold Plate Tenor 382k Project
Here we have a truly rare find, a King SIlversonic with original gold plated body, neck and keys and gold inlay on the engraving. These were custom ordered from King back in the day and we know of one other in existence. Finding this was just a happy accident. These pics are as found-