Original stainless steel berg from the 1950’s. Denim table, type font stamp, all correct. Hard to find piece in excellent shape!
Category Archives: Vintage Mouthpieces (for sale AND sold)
Otto Link Mid/late Florida 6 Excellent Playing Crisp Original Tenor
This piece was received in a trade and belonged to a NYC pro tenorman who bought it from Dave Guardala way back when. The table, facing, tip, baffle are all original. The biteplate was replaced by Guardala and done nicely. Out of many original vintage FL Links this one plays exceptionally well I think the tip size is around a 6* (have to go measure again) and this thing really really plays. It has a dark core like Links do, but it also has that long flat baffle of the this period and delivers a shockingly crisp, immediate and clear response. I have to say this one is rather aggressive and extremely fun to play.
This is one of the best Links I have actually ever played in this size. Buyer beware… of confusion and addiction to this Link!
Otto Link Slant Signature Original 7 Gig-Treasure Tenor Mouthpiece
This is an original 7 Slant Link from the early FL period, Excellent! I got this from the original owner who bought it in the 1950’s and used it for many years on gigs. No wonder why, this piece plays beautifully! It has kind of a chocolate tone, very rich, yet with an unexpected amount of bright given that these do not have a whole lot of baffle. However, that brightness, they did it with the facing and the chamber!
This piece plays so nicely, and it is exceedingly comfortable to blow. It is very rare to find not only an original 7, but one that plays so well. Please not the beautiful original milling markings on the table and the original tip rail and baffle! The biteplate area had some bite indentation that I filled and covered with a patch, it is a non-issue. The piece also has some cosmetic scratches which affect nothing. Any piece that plays THIS GREAT will certainly have such wear, and normally people just never let them go because the great ones are rare.
Otto Link FL Double Ring 6 .097 “masterpiece” Killer!
This is a recent restoration I did of an Otto Link ‘double ring’ tenor piece that I found in very worn condition. I have reconstructed the biteplate and protected it with a patch. I completely treated the table, tip, baffle and facing. I did use a specific facing on this piece making it play pretty much exactly like some of the best original early FL and double ring Links I have had. Wow, that was quite a success. One of the best DR’s I have ever done, this one also labeled “masterpiece”. Originally a 6, this is now a .097 so a slightly big 6*.
This has a very fine tip rail and a significant baffle in the original style of these pieces. The tone is lyrical, vocal, warm with a slight buzz and nearly perfect amount of resistance.
Otto Link FL Double Ring 7 “marinated” Super smooth Gig piece
This is an Otto Link “double ring” tenor piece that I set up and personally used on many gigs over the years. It has a very balanced response with the characteristic warm and lyrical vocal sound these are known for. This one is faced at .100 close to it’s original size. It is very comfortable to play and has a truly wonderful tone. I have kept it for many years as evidence of its excellence. This is also why I labeled it “masterpiece”.
Vintage Saxophone and Mouthpiece Currently For Sale
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For availability of vintage saxophones and mouthpieces in stock please see the above link: “Vintage Saxophones & Mouthpieces For Sale”. That will show current offerings, sold and on hold offerings, as well as up and coming “in-shop” projects. Please feel free to ask about future offerings. Additionally there are many items that ARE NOT listed on the for sale page that are packed away, not operational yet, or just not fit into the schedule to list. Early inquiry is a good way to beat the crowd to get the special item you have been searching for. Thanks!
Otto Link Early FL Slant Signature 4* Big sound, shocking!!
This piece is shocking, such great quality. This is an original early slant 4* size, untouched and plays beautifully. What can I say? it is just great, I was totally surprised. I played this with a Lavoz Medium and it just blasts, has a huge complex sound and is a joy to play. This is a great piece any way you look at it, does not need super hard reed, just a wonderful sound and very easy to play! Wow, all I can say!
Otto Link Tone Edge Slant Signature “Marinated” .100 Tenor Blaster
Here we have an Otto Link slant signature tenor mouthpiece, no USA, mid-period FL. This was originally stamped 6*. It had a poorly done reface on it and a small hole drilled for a pickup. The hole has been perfectly filled and the facing baffle and tip restored to optimal and period-authentic specifications.
This has been set up with a late FL/EB style long shelf baffle, and a very springy low curve style facing replicated from a wonderfully playing loud and aggressive 7* original metal no USA Link I recently had here. The result is that this piece plays very powerfully and authoritatively, which you can hear on the video. Though it is not overly bright or in any way shrill it has impressive projection and can handle any amount of air thrown at it and respond with yet more power.
The tip size is .100, maybe .101, but on my tools it shows .100 at the back of the tip rail. The table is flat and excellent and rails, facing tip all level and optimal, just a thrill to play. This is an excellent model period right on the transition between the early FL to the late FL blank design. This one particularly has a very high floor as well which is part of the fun. Great fun player, do not miss!
Otto Link Early FL no USA 7 “Marinated” Universe of Tone!
This here is a very special mouthpiece. It came to me a somewhat worn FL no USA 7 Otto Link. It was obviously a phenomenal player. Some of these, the great ones you can tell they are the special ones because they have been just played so much that the tip rail has no longer any definition, worn right into the baffle. These are the pieces that old time roots players played into the dirt. These folks KNEW when they had a good one.
When I saw the worn baffle on this piece I knew it was one of those; a certain type of Otto Link that plays effortlessly with a complexity and range that most others cannot approach. This type of FL Link is not so easily found. I’ve played a few over the years, a friend of mine has an original 10 that feels as easy as a 7 to play and it is the same model as this with the same kind of dedicated playing wear.
In this case this was so worn it needed a reset. The biteplate had a massive valley worn into it. I’ve replaced that with a new and beautiful hard rubber biteplate. The table, facing, tip, rails, baffle have all been recreated from zero in specifically the authentic style and finish of this model period of Otto Link. There are many people who can reface a mouthpiece, but not too many taking this approach. This piece is a very good example of how good they can be.
I have not bothered to address the outer cosmetic wear on the mouthpiece. If that is more important to you it is not hard to have it done, I have put my efforts into the function of the mouthpiece. In that area it excels with a very complex sound, a lot of warmth and a rare smoothness and definition throughout the range of the horn.
Tip opening is exactly .100 on my tools. It plays with the original character it should have but a LOT easier to play than most originals will. This piece is for the real player, or the one who wants to up their game with a hand crafted prime vintage universe of tone.
Otto Link Florida no USA 7* Original Excellent Tenor
This is an original vintage Florida no USA 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece. As is visible a lot of the original gold plating is still intact with some peeling on the table. The tip, baffle and rails are in excellent condition. This piece plays with a lot of power and fatness. The tip measures at approximately .106 on my tools. Plays very big, not excessively bright and not dark either on a 2.5 reed anyhow. It’s got a lot of clarity and partly owing to that later style no USA baffle that is a bit flatter and longer.
