Music Performance, Worship Leading, Saxophones, Things to Think About, More

Visit our Sites
Jump to the School of the Rock Home Page CreekDontRise.com Home Page Jump to our articles about music
Visit our Classic Train Songs Page View articles and other resources supporting independent Christian musicians.
Click to visit Paul's Music Page

It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 5:08 am


Note: Because we manage multiple music sites with some overlapping content, we have divided the discussion topics between the sites' discussion forums, depending on which site has the greater emphasis on a topic.

The discussion forums on this page relate to such topics as:

  • Vintage Saxophones
  • Contemporary Christian Music
  • Christian Living
  • Worship Leading
  • Bible Interpretation

Other Music topics, including acoustic instruments, music performance, music careers, songwriting, and train songs are discussed on the CreekDontRise.com discussion forum.

To join the discussions on this page, please use the SchoolOfTheRock.com forum signup page.
To visit the discussion forums on the CreekDontRise.com page, please click here.
To join the discussions on the CreekDontRise.com page, please use the CreekDontrise.com forum signup page.
Our Momma Don't 'Low newsletter includes music topics from all of our music web pages. Click here for more information.
To contact Paul offline, please use our SchoolOfTheRock.com contact page.

However you get in touch, we'll be very glad to hear from you - Paul Click to see Paul's music home page Click to contact Paul through this page. Click to see Paul's music page on Facebook Click to sign up for this discussion forum. Click to hear Paul's music on SoundCloud. Click to see Paul's music blog page Click to learn about our Momma Don't Low Newsletter. Click to see Paul's YouTube Channel. Click to see Paul's Twitter Page

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 1 post ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Fri Nov 04, 2022 9:12 am 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Thu May 15, 2014 6:03 pm
Posts: 214
Years ago, I had a "restored" Buescher-built C Melody stencil (with "Lyon and Healy" on the bell. I could never get it to sound right, no matter what kind of mouthpiece I tried. The original Buescher mouthpiece was wide-open, no baffling or other enhancement, and it made it sound like something between an bass clarinet and a foghorn. Other mouthpieces I tried gave only about a 50% improvement. I finally sold the horn because I couldn't really use it for any of the purposes I bought it for. (Playing with a church worship band, playing with carolers, etc.)

Last month, I saw another Buescher-built C Melody stencil in a thrift shop for $100. It had replacement pads and almost all of its finish, so I could tell it had been taken care of. How can you pass that up?

It came with a Steve Broadus mouthpiece that MIGHT be a C Melody mouthpiece, but I couldn't test it because the opening is so big it wouldn't stay on the cork. It also had a 1920s-era Buescher alto mouthpiece that wouldn't go on the cork far enough to play in tune.

I tried it with a Selmer S-80 alto mouthpiece, and it played fine, considering the age of the horn and the fact that the pads are probably 50-60 years old. But it still had the "stuffy" feeling.

After researching several mouthpieces that would cost 3-4x as much as the horn, I pulled the trigger on a $47 plastic mouthpiece from ebay seller Randy Soreson, AKA GoCatMusic. Randy doesn't allow returns, but he also promised it would make my horn sound better, so I figured I could always claim false advertising. It DID make my horn sound better. In fact, it made it sound like a saxophone. Which gives me hope for the horn. Too bad I didn't try something like this back when I had the other horn.

TBH, the GoCatMusic mouthpiece only plays in tune when its pushed all the way up to the octave key pad. And the inner edge of the cork end is fairly sharp, which would cause problems with a newer, fatter cork. So even if I keep using it, some work on that end might be justified.

Morgan now makes a range of C melody mouthpieces, which I may try once this horn is cleaned up and serviced. But at least I know it's worth cleaning up and servicing.

Attachment:
buescher_built_wurlizer_c_melody_800.jpg
buescher_built_wurlizer_c_melody_800.jpg [ 183.81 KiB | Viewed 59005 times ]


Attachment:
sax_mouthpieces_incl_c_melody_800.jpg
sax_mouthpieces_incl_c_melody_800.jpg [ 118.07 KiB | Viewed 59005 times ]


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 1 post ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron


To join the discussions on this page, please use the SchoolOfTheRock.com forum signup page.

To contact Paul offline, please use our SchoolOfTheRock.com contact page.

Paul Race playing his Longneck guitar. Click to go to Paul's music home page.A Note from Paul: Whatever else you get out of our pages, I hope you have a blessed day and figure out how to be a blessing to those around you as well.

And please stay in touch!

    - Paul Race Click to see Paul's music home page Click to contact Paul through this page. Click to see Paul's music page on Facebook Click to sign up for this discussion forum. Click to hear Paul's music on SoundCloud. Click to see Paul's music blog page Click to learn about our Momma Don't Low Newsletter. Click to see Paul's YouTube Channel. Click to see Paul's Twitter Page



All material, illustrations, and content of this web site is copyrighted © 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006,
2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 by Paul D. Race. All rights reserved.




Musician's Friend Stupid Deal of the Day



Visit related pages and affiliated sites:
- Music -
Heartland-inspired music, history, and acoustic instrument tips.
Best-loved railroad songs and the stories behind them.
School Of the Rock Discussion Forums:  Saxophones, Christian Music, Worship, Things to Think About, and More. Creek Don't Rise Discussion Groups, Acoustic Instruments, Careers, Songwriting, Performance, More The Independent Christian Musician. Check out our article on finding good used guitars.
Carols of many countries, including music, lyrics, and the story behind the songs. X and Y-generation Christians take Contemporary Christian music, including worship, for granted, but the first generation of Contemporary Christian musicians faced strong, and often bitter resistance. Different kinds of music call for different kinds of banjos.  Just trying to steer you in the right direction. New, used, or vintage - tips for whatever your needs and preferences. Wax recordings from the early 1900s, mostly collected by George Nelson.  Download them all for a 'period' album. Explains the various kinds of acoustic guitar and what to look for in each.
Look to Riverboat Music buyers' guide for descriptions of musical instruments by people who play musical instruments. Learn 5-string banjo at your own speed, with many examples and user-friendly explanations. Explains the various kinds of banjos and what each is good for. Learn more about our newsletter for roots-based and acoustic music. Folks with Bb or Eb instruments can contribute to worship services, but the WAY they do depends on the way the worship leader approaches the music. A page devoted to some of Paul's own music endeavors.
With a few tools and an hour or two of work, you can make your guitar, banjo, or mandolin much more responsive.  Instruments with movable bridges can have better-than-new intonation as well. Musings about music-related subjects on SchoolOfTheRock.com Explains why Bluegrass pickers look for certain features. Contact Paul through this site's Contact page. Check out Paul's music page on Facebook. Jump to the School of the Rock Home Page



Click to trains that commemorate your team!

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group