I get to touch players lives all over the world with what I do, and I LOVE that!!!!!!!!!!!
HAND FINISHING: When I started with Brian Powell and Erik Greiffenhagen, we got together and we agreed on a group of specific facings for every mouthpiece model in all of the tip openings. These were the tip openings that we felt absolutely maximized how each piece played. We discussed how to finish the pieces so that the two of them would be doing the same exact facing numbers and the same finishing work as one other. This was INCREDIBLY important to me because I didn’t want them to finish pieces their own way, I wanted them to finish pieces the SAME way as one another, so that the pieces were consistent from one to the next. They have a PDF of all of the facing curves for all of the different sizes in all of the different models…..so they are BOTH on the same exact page. That was imperative to me when I started with both of them. Having known them and their work for decades, I always felt that Brian finished pieces for people with a little more punch, and Erik finished pieces for people with a more traditional feel. So, when we started with my 10MFAN pieces together, we all got together on how to make everything CONSISTENT so that they were finishing the pieces in the same exact manner in terms of how they worked on the tip rails, the side rails, the baffles, and of course, making sure the tables were flat. This way, when I get pieces back from Brian, they play the same as the ones I get them back from Erik. We are working together as a TEAM, to bring you guys what I consider the most consistent pieces in the marketplace. I could take ten pieces that Brian sends me, and 10 of the same model that Erik sends me, and put them on a table and play them back to back, and not be able to tell differences between the work or playability from the work of these two guys. THAT was truly the goal from the very beginning, and that’s how it will stay. It’s all about consistency here. Erik and Brian agreed on how to finish the pieces the same and it’s been a joyous endeavor for me. I design the mouthpieces, and they work as a team to make sure that the pieces are incredibly consistent from one to the next, and that’s how it is. I couldn’t be more proud of how we are doing it here. If someone normally prefers one of these guys to the other with any personal refacing pieces they’ve sent them, you won’t see those difference in their work with my 10MFAN mouthpiece line, because of what I just discussed.
DAVE POLLACK
BEAKS:We experimented with beak angles of varying degrees (between 16 and 21 degrees), different widths, and overall shapes. The beaks are super comfortable for me. I prefer playing my mouthpieces more towards the front of the beak. I don’t feel the need to take in loads of mouthpiece, myself. The tenor pieces are full-sized… more similar to a Link or pieces like that. Great detail has gone into making these beaks just right.
TABLES:
All of the tables on my tenor mouthpieces are longer than the reed on my 10MFANTM tenor mouthpieces. This was done so that you can easily line a reed up and see that it’s perfectly aligned top to bottom and side to side. Also, the entire reed can vibrate on the table and be held down by the ligature. Dexter Gordon used to keep the ligature far back. I bet he would have loved to have tried my mouthpieces with the ligature all the way on the butt end of the reed. The tables on my mouthpieces are the perfect width, flat, and very reed friendly. Great detail has gone into these pieces to make sure that the tables match the reed contour precisely.
Please make sure when you put your reed on, that the tip of the reed matches up with the tip rail of your mouthpiece, and that the bottom of the reed is perfectly centered on the table.
The longer tables show alot of care and thought because it makes perfect sense. The table is where the whole reed lies—- If you’re a 6 foot tall person, would sleeping on a 4 foot long bed be optimal for you??? We do not buff the table, rails, or inside of the mouthpiece because once they are hand-finished, they are perfect, and we leave them that way. You will see the hand-finishing marks on purpose. Our primary concern is that the table is perfectly flat, not that its shiny and glowing after a buffing. Never ever hit the table with a buffing wheel….that’s a good recipe for disaster.
LIGATURES:
I have heard the numerous complaints about many modern hard rubber tenor mouthpieces having ligature issues. People are complaining that many modern mouthpieces are a little too small to fit regular tenor ligatures properly— so a lot of people have had to resort to buying expensive modern ligatures to accommodate this.
Who signed up for that???
All of my mouthpieces are made from scratch, so I’ve made sure that the bodies and tapers are just right to fit an abundance of ordinary ligatures. My mouthpieces are precision machined for accuracy and designed to be very ligature friendly. I am not including a ligature with my mouthpieces because I feel strongly that players have ligatures they prefer to use, and I don’t want you to judge my mouthpieces with any ligature I could include. For me, ligatures make a big difference, so use what you find works best for your needs- so be sure to try different ligs so you can get the perfect set-up for yourself.
***Ligatures for my 10mfan hard rubber tenor mouthpieces: 99.9% of the ligatures out there designed to fit full sized hard rubber mouthpieces like a full sized Link tenor size, will fit mine beautifully. The 2-screw ligs, Rico H, Vandoren M/O, BG, Bonade, Rovner Platinum, Francois Louis, Ishimori ligs that fit Selmer, Silverstein, Absolute lig from Italy, Oleg ligs, Marc Jean, and tons more.
The only ligature I have found a little tight on my HR tenor saxophone models, and because of that I don’t recommend that for my tenor mouthpieces, is the Vandoren Optimum ligature. BUT, they work great on my alto mouthpieces
Ligatures that work for the GENERATION ll Robusto tenor metals: Otto Link ligs, Selmer 404, Rover platinum P-3ML, Rico H, BG L24LJ, Silverstein, etc, etc…
FACING CURVES:
Brian Powell and Erik Greiffenhagen are doing fantastic hand finishing on my Gen ll mouthpiece models, and we are using a set of facing curves that provide great control over the curve rate. This provides real accuracy among all my mouthpieces, while giving the right amount of resistance with each of my designs. These mouthpieces are incredibly efficient!
TIP RAILS:
Brian Powell and Erik Greiffenhagen are making the tip rails right where they should be. They are on the thinner side, and are the right width to make it easy for everyone to line up the reed. The tip rails are handcrafted for accuracy of articulation and attack. I want the right response from my mouthpieces so players feel they have the right feel with each design.
FRONTAL RAIL:
The height of the front rail has been perfectly calibrated for precise attacks.
SIDE RAILS:
The side rails are beautifully done on all of my 10MFAN mouthpieces for harmonic profile and response. Perfect width. Great adjustments have been made to all of my models to make the playing experience exemplary!!
CHAMBERS:
Each of my 10MFANTM mouthpieces have the right size chamber to help each design do what its designed to do. Thats what its all about. Some people don’t want a chamber so large that the sound doesn’t center, and others don’t want a chamber too small that they can’t manipulate the timbre. The medium large round chamber has proven itself to be the perfect size for my hard rubber Robusto model, and I use a unique oval type med-large chamber on my model called The Classic and Showtime models. The Chameleon model is smaller in comparison to the other models. The chamber and baffle configurations are different on my tenor models to provide you with the desired goal for each of the mouthpiece models. For my alto models, my Daddy-O and Showboat alto models have a medium chamber, and my Alto Madness model has a larger, deep chamber.
CONSISTENCY:
Brian Powell and Erik Greiffenhagen do all my hand work for me, so needless to say, ALL the pieces play perfectly top to bottom. They are the best in the business. All of my mouthpieces are thoroughly play-tested before I send them out. 100% of the mouthpieces I sell play as they were designed. NO DUDS, NO MEDIOCRITY!
The wonderful thing about these mouthpieces is that they are amazingly consistent from one piece to the next. Brian Powell and I both play test extensively every single mouthpiece I sell, so I know for a fact, that they will be perfect when bought. EVERY mouthpiece is ridiculously consistent from one to the next. This is great news if a friend of yours tries your 7* and wants one for themselves —- they can have the confidence that when they receive their 7*, it will play just like yours. It’s also great news and truly a relief to know that if you drop or lose your mouthpiece and wonder if you’ll ever get another one as good as that one—-the answer is YES, YOU WILL!!! These mouthpiece designs are saved on the computer, cut by CNC precision machined for complete accuracy, and hand finished one at a time.
BAFFLES:
My different models have different height, shape, and length baffles which provide a high degree of control and accuracy. The length and angle of the baffle provides different sonic character that will suit an individual players’ style or preference. *** Leaving texture on the baffle is more desirable than polishing it for me, because of the way the air interacts with the textured surface. You can see the hand finishing marks there for a reason. The textures of the baffles have been optimized to enhance the intended performance of the mouthpieces. We will also not buff or polish the tables of the mouthpieces, because after they are each hand-finished, and won’t mess anything up after the hand finishing has the pieces in their perfect place. No reason to mess with perfection.
All the important details have been addressed thoroughly. Nothing has been left out in terms of making these mouthpieces play fantastic
TIP OPENING SIZES:
HR TENOR TIP OPENINGS: We offer 6-9 tip openings in most of the HR tenor models. The Chameleon is a higher rollover baffle, so we start that at a 7 tip.
Example of the tip opening measurements:
TENOR:
6** = .098 (this replaces the 6* and 7, and is perfect for the player that loves both of those tip openings).
7* = .105
7** = .108 ( This replaces the 8, as it is just so popular. PERFECT for both the 7* and 8 tip players).
8* = .115
ALTO TIP OPENING SIZES:
5 = .072 6 = .078 7 = .084 8 = .090
PHAROAH SANDERS
ENDORSERS:
I take a humble and honest approach to selling my 10MFAN mouthpieces.
Please don’t buy mouthpieces because your favorite player has his/her name associated with my mouthpieces. Do you really want to listen to someone tell you how great a mouthpiece is when they are under contract and getting paid to do so?????? That’s complete BS to me….SO I DON’T DO IT.
NO ONE IS UNDER CONTRACT OR PAID TO USE MY MOUTHPIECES—-NO ONE!
The players who play my mouthpieces are playing the exact stock mouthpieces that everyone else is buying, and loving them as-is without visit after visit for special adjustments. It’s all there in the designs, and everyone gets the exact same treatment here.
For me, whats most important is the SOUND!!!
Players use my 10MFANTM mouthpieces because they want to, because it gives them the best sound for themselves……just like you.
All the players who enjoy my mouthpieces are part of the 10MFAN “Fan Club”. That’s the most honest endorsement a mouthpiece maker can have. My website has audios and videos of players playing my 10MFANTM mouthpieces so you can hear for yourselves how these many players sound and hear how flexible they are from one player to another. Players don’t sound the same on my mouthpieces because of the fantastic designs, and I am incredibly proud of this! These videos and audios are solely to educate you and help you with your mouthpiece choice. I want you to buy my mouthpieces because they will play as great for you as they do for the guys in my audios/videos. These are great players who will show you the flexibility in sound within each of my mouthpiece models. You will hear the rich, complex core sound and flexibility in each piece in the videos/audios. The players sounds in the audios and videos will tell you what you need to know.
Many heavyweight pros have already thanked me for my approach to having endorsers, and have expressed to me that this is an extremely refreshing approach for them. Watch the videos and listen to the audios, and then decide what piece/pieces you want for yourself. I’m taking an “old school” approach here by letting my mouthpieces do all the talking. Check out the video and audios section—new ones will be added all the time. If you need to contact me because you have questions, I am always here, and more than happy to help. Your questions will always be answered within 24 hours.
PETE FLUCK
THE FUN FACTOR:
I personally haven’t been able put down my 10MFANTM mouthpieces because they are just so much fun for me to play. All are voiced just right, and they have met all my goals in each of the 3 categories. They just get better and better for me as a player, as time goes on. They are incredibly reed friendly, and just a joy for me to play. The altissimo are as easy as can be and they sound like a true extension of the saxophone…not thin and edgy!. When mouthpieces are designed this well, the “fun factor” is alive and vibrant. These simply make me happy when I play them. I am practicing much more these days, since I made these mouthpieces. I can’t help you play Cherokee at 300 BPM in all 12 keys, but I can make sure that any frustration you will endure, will not come from your mouthpiece.
ANDREW GOULD
DELIVERY TIME, SHIPPING, AND OVERSEAS FEES:
I have hundreds of mouthpieces in inventory all the time, so contact me and I’ll let you know if your mouthpiece choice is here in stock. If I don’t happen to have your size and model here at the time you order, it will be completed in a 3 week time period from when you place your order. Most likely I will have your piece here in stock. I use USPS Priority mail for shipping. All buyers outside the United States are responsible for any taxes, duties, fees they get charged by their country. I ship everything US priority mail, but if you want USPS Express mail, I can get you a total for that and you just have to request that and pay what that costs. I just try to save my clients money by going Priority mail.
SIMON HARDING
HOW DO MY MOUTHPIECES MATCH UP WITH DIFFERENT SAXOPHONES:
I have tried my mouthpieces on loads of modern saxophones, as well as vintage saxophones like Selmer, King, Buescher, Conn, SML, Couf, Martin, Weltklang, ETC…. . They don’t have any issues matching up well with any of these horns.
GIULIO CARMASSI
FOLLOW YOUR JOURNEY, YOUR WAY:
For me, my mouthpieces are the absolute best playing pieces available in each of the 3 categories I have set up……I say this with the utmost pride. I wouldn’t be releasing them if I felt any different. The beauty about all of our journeys is that they are truly our own. There are other mouthpieces available in the marketplace that play well, and if you personally enjoy someone else’s pieces, then you should be playing those. We are all different and we like different sounds and feels. You need to find what works “best” for you. That’s all that matters. If you want to try original designs that truly nail my 3 categories, I encourage you to give mine a try.
RAY GELATO
THE JOURNEY IS YOUR OWN AND ONLY YOU MAKE YOUR CHOICES.
For me, my personal journey for finding the best hard rubber tenor mouthpieces for myself became very frustrating.I had sold the best vintage mouthpieces available for 3 decades and always felt like I was “almost” there, but never 100% satisfied. Nothing in the marketplace was truly 100% satisfying for me, and no perfectly refaced or original vintage mouthpiece accommodated ALL my needs because of the same old design limitations. So I designed and made what I consider to be the perfect playing hard rubber mouthpieces to finally end my personal search. A incredible amount of time has gone into designs and prototyping.
DAVE O’HIGGINS
CLEANING YOUR MOUTHPIECE:
When you clean your hard rubber or Ultem 10MFAN mouthpiece, make sure you keep soap and water away from the paint, or else you might run into trouble. A little cool water with a non abrasive soap on a piece of a soft towel will be fine on the beak, table, and on the inside of the mouthpiece. What I do, is just pull a wet soft towel though the inside of the piece, and then I wipe clean the beak and table, while staying away from all painted areas.
JAY THOMAS
If you have any other questions, contact me directly at my email address: [email protected]
Or you can contact me here at my 10MFAN website. I always welcome anyone who wants to talk shop or has any questions. I have been in this business for 35+ years as a professional player, educator, mouthpiece vendor, and mouthpiece designer— and I LOVE what I do!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can help you out, so feel free to contact me.
