Here we have a family of 4 beautiful old original Florida no USA slant links, (Oops I see one USA FL there too, uh oh!). These are Authentic pieces, not fakes, and they are not questionable.  After the explosion of eastern European fake hard runner Links hit the internet I stopped trying to promote these pieces and just let the internet-weary warriors come to me to find the originals.  Well here they are anyhow.

This group left to right is 6(USA), 5*, 6* and 7. I have definitely played them all but they have been here for a while and I don’t remember what each one does exactly, but for the serious buyers who want to know about particular pieces I would be happy to test again.

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Guardala (handmade I guess) Michael Brecker original.  This piece is exactly what is should be and apparently in as-born condition other than plating.  Those of you who are looking for these know what you are looking at here.  Here it sits until someone snatches it in a predatory fashion.

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Florida double ring 6; I received this in slightly humiliated condition as can be seen by the random marks on the piece.  Someone was letting this bump around a bit, some nicks on the body and rails.  Someone of low skill had been at the tip rail of these piece so it was a non player, but the facing was not touched.

I have re-established the proper tip rail and trued parts of the original facing curve that were off. (The majority of Links from this period will have somewhere between poor to horrible facings that all need some kind of help.  The likelihood of finding one with a great facing is low, but occasional.) I have polished the table a bit, and generally cleaned this up while optimizing the original facing configuration.

The result is that it now plays and has a wonderful thick complex sound. The baffle is not shy at all, but the piece has NOT been opened nor ‘brightened’ beyond original setup. The original facing approach on this one is a slightly longer one so it will work better with just a slightly harder reed. That could be changed but I did not want to alter.

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Florida no USA early model 7.  This is the very early very high baffle model, a big hump baffle that really offsets the bigger chamber complexity with a blasting bright cut to the sound. This piece was 100% original, with all the normal wear from a great piece that was played accordingly much.  I have given the dirty and worn table a bit of a polish to true up the facing break, and re-defined the tip rail that had become thick due to decades of reed slapping fun.  That is the sheen you can see in the pics; brand new tip rail and polished table, all purely for function and no change to tip size or facing curve etc.

It is as close to absolute original as one can get with one of the great pieces like this.  Unless they have lived under a rock for 60 years the great ones have been played to wear and need some gentle cleaning up.  Otherwise this is the original thing at a 7 and measuring accurately. It’s got all the right sizzle and power for this model.

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Florida USA Link 7 all original.  Shows only a bit of plating corrosion at the baffle area and some light scratching likely from cleaning.  This piece plays quite well, lively and balanced, not stuffy or sluggish, a very nice example of this period.

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Early Babbitt link 7 all original; table, facing, tip baffle etc.  Measures accurately, has a rather large shelf baffle and plays very well.  Tone is rich and colored with enough brightness and as focused as these are preferred for.

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Here is a super rarity; early FL (no USA) Serial Numbered Mint original alto piece.  The serialed FL are together with the double rings considered the best of the FL metal Links. From my perspective they are nearly the same as the FL double ring, but with a touch more baffle brightness and airspeed.  This is variable, of course.  Sometimes they are brighter, sometimes they are indistinguishable from double rings in terms of how they play.

An alto model, in mint condition is a rarity as well.  This piece appears to have barely been played, if at all.  It has a beautiful rail/baffle/tip finish.  TIME CAPSULE!

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Very nice later FL (USA) 7*.  Most of the plating is intact.  It’s a big player with fatness, loudness and crisp edge as these later ones with the step baffle are known for.

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A fast responding double ring that is on the bright side with a lot of color and ringing clarity. This piece was originally 6* and now just a touch larger.  It came to be with an old setup but sort of substandard response and really good prospects. Someone had it replated with a base of heavy silver and then some rather sturdy gold.  Much is still left but we have two-tone on the table due to leveling.

This piece has a rather significant baffle, medium length rollover, with a very nice traditional Link style tip &  rail finish; it has quite an expansive bounce to the sound and is a very fast piece. I love this size, .095-.098.  Only this range responds a particular way.

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This is a very special custom ‘marinated’ restoration. Right at .095 it has a somewhat short special facing and a short baffle.   These NY double rings tend to be slightly fatter in response than FL models as the chamber is bigger.  This setup harnesses the rich sound but adds some focus faster airspeed and a rather intense buzz.  Not many are going to do what this piece does.

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