Best old hard rubber, these play rather bright and crisp on tenor in medium chamber with a very special complexity and focus. This one is in beautiful original facing and condition.
Otto Link Tonemaster Marinated Masterpiece .097
This is a wonderful player, “Bluetrane” period Otto Link Tonemaster restored to a tip size of .097. I would classify this as a chocolate butter rich complex tone. It has more clarity and projection than an original Tonemaster by a large measure, but is also not a super bright modern vibe at all. It is very much accurate to the aesthetic of the original Tonemasters but extremely clear and brilliant with a true facing making it very reed friendly and not stuffy in any way.
For modern mouthpieces this would be considered dark I guess, but for a vintage Link this is probably in the middle tonally, and for a Tonemaster it might be just a bit bright and shimmery- still not a bright piece. It is very organic and flexible. It’s a joy to play this one, no effort was spared in making it the best it could possibly be without hyping or altering the inherent character.
Obviously not a whole lot of plating left on this one. Biteplate shows some use (because it really was always just an inherently great piece) but the biteplate is functional and I will leave it. Will work fine with or without a patch.
Otto Link Tonemaster Original 4, very nice condition
Here we have a very pretty old early NY Otto Link Tonemaster, original facing 4. This still has some good gold plating on it, and also some wear. it has been played, has a few nicks and dings etc but has survived pretty well. The tip size measures for me close to the .070 one would expect. Such nicely crafted old pieces. Interestingly this one has some very significant rollover baffle for an early Tonemaster.
Otto Link NY Tonemaster original J.A. (Joe Allard) facing SET
Here we have a beautiful original example of a rather rare custom facing original Otto Link Tonemaster, Joe Allard facing with cap and lig. This facing is very clean, and undamaged nor altered. Much gold plating is left, but as we can see this has been played in the past, just well taken care of. Shows some normal cosmetic wear.
Tip measures at around 0.070 on my tools with a relatively thick tip if someone were to want to increase the size. As it is with the suitable reed it plays and sounds truly beautifully. I would say it has an excellent combination of fat, complex and detailed bright.
This is the later version or what some call “improved” Tonemaster, with I think I slightly smaller chamber and higher floor, they tend to be a bit more powerful and centered than the early models. This is exactly the ‘Bluetrane’ model that we see on the album cover.
Otto Link FL no/USA Original 3* Youface!
Here is an all original 3* early FL with a wonderful longer high baffle. Face this any way you like, or play it with a harder reed. It is in very nice condition.
Otto Link Early Babbitt STM 5* Original Exc. Player
This piece plays GREAT! All original!
Otto Link FL no USA 5* original
Original 5* no USA FL Link, this piece is an excellent player, all original, minor blemishes. It is a very enjoyable piece.
Otto Link Tonemaster .100 “Marinated”
Beautiful fresh restoration on an old Tonemaster Link. Originally 4*, seen some miles on it so time for a spa treatment for this one. Now open to .100 with a nice smooth baffle and larger chamber. Beautifully balanced rich player, lovely hand contoured rails in original style.
Otto Link Double Ring Florida 10 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Rarity
Here is a wonderful Otto Link ‘double ring’ FL tenor piece at the facing size of 10 which was a special order from all indicators. This piece came from the collection of a retired working pro from times past. It has lived quite a bit and showed some legitimate wear to the facing, some dings and cosmetic blemishes, and the outer surface appeared to have been polished or buffed to some degree such that there was no plating left. It required a complete rebuild.
It has been resurfaced, refaced, balanced and trued with a re-contoured tip rail and all the other good stuff. The result is excellent at a .112 tip size on my tools. Normally FL double rings at larger tip markings are not as large as later models, so an original 9* can be just a .105. So a FL 10 at .112 is a very respectable finish.
Marked 10 on one side and serial #Y100 on the other, the markings are slightly faded but all original. This FL DR model can vary in baffle architecture but this one has a pretty generous one. I’ve put a facing on it that I stole off of a friends wonderful FL 10 Link that played very easy. The response is quite big, husky even, with quite a volume. I am not usually comfortable on pieces this big so I was out of my element, but there is a lot of depth, yet with clarity and ease given the size. It feels like it has a lot of dark resonance but when I listened back it sounded edgy. Overall this is a big piece with the right qualities.
These sizes in double ring are near impossible to find so I thought it waas definitely worth saving. Video coming soon.
Otto Link FL no USA Short Shank (early) High Baffle 7 original nr MINT!!
Super rare and desirable Otto Link Early Florida ‘shorty’ stamped 7 for tenor. The actual tip size measures for me at around .104-.105 so it’s really an original 7*. The shank on these is shorter than all the other FL models. The baffle is rather huge by FL Link standard. It is nearly brand new in condition, a little depression on the biteplate because this mouthpiece is really so great it was definitely played, but al the gold plate is present, looks excellent.
This piece is really pretty bright for a Link, nimble and speaks very well. What can I say? I enjoyed it very much.
