THE 10MFAN “OCTAGON SERIES”
Hand-finished by Brian Powell and Erik Greiffenhagen
🛑🛑🛑
The most revolutionary and proprietary saxophone mouthpiece chamber design in the marketplace!
I have been passionately working on this concept design for a very long time, and it is with the availability of 3-D technology, that I was able to make this dream come true. I am so thrilled to be able to finally release it to the public. I feel that my original design hard rubber mouthpieces are the finest available in the marketplace, and I wanted to be able to offer more different original mouthpiece designs for less money as an option for players who can’t afford the hard rubber versions. 3-D technology allowed me to be able to do this octagon chamber with chamber panels design, and I needed to be able to do this in a way where the mouthpieces are above and beyond what’s already being offered out there using 3-D technology.
First off, my pieces are all original designs that offer my proprietary octagon chamber with chamber panels. 2nd, these pieces have REAL weight to them! They actually weigh slightly MORE than my German bar stock hard rubber mouthpieces! I have searched out materials, and have ended up with this incredible polymer that is so incredibly strong and it’s very resonant! That was super important to me. 3rd, they are hand finished by two of the best and most respected refacers out there; Mr. Brian Powell and Mr. Erik Greiffenhagen! That was super important to me, because the mouthpieces play properly that way….plain and simple! The tables are flat, and the rails are symmetrical and measure properly. The pieces are hand worked so that the pieces play their best. We do not grind away at manufacturing lines on the inside floor of the mouthpiece because there is no need to remove more material, when the pieces play as I intended, after they are hand finished. So many mouthpiece companies out there who don’t do any hand finishing. My belief is to do it the right way. Next, is the price. You cannot find original design mouthpieces with this octagon chamber and chamber panels that are hand finished by Brian and Erik, ANYWHERE ELSE. I didn’t want to take advantage of this and make the price reflective of this, but I wanted everyone to know what goes into these and still be able to offer them for only $249 each. This way players have the choice between my German bar stock hard rubber designs at $450 each or the Octagon Series designs for $249 each. It’s a nice price difference so that players will be comfortable, as both options are fantastic.
I am BEYOND proud and excited to finally announce the brand new revolutionary design 10mfan “Octagon Series” to all of you!
If you know anything about mouthpiece design, most of the magic happens at the chamber. That’s why all of my German barstock 10MFAN hard rubber mouthpieces play different than any of the vintage mouthpieces. They don’t blow like a Link or a Berg or a Meyer or anything, because of the internal designs, including the completely unique 1-of-a-kind chambers. There’s a lot going on here. 😃…. and that’s why the pieces sound and blow like 10MFAN mouthpieces, and NOTHING else.
I wanted to take that further with these octagon chamber pieces, and do a super unique chamber design with a totally different shape, size, and added “chamber panels”, that have never been attempted before in the mouthpiece world.
These are mouthpieces using state of the art 3-D technology for the designs….no shortcuts!
These mouthpieces have real weight, a truly unique octagon chamber with “chamber panels” all around on the inside of the chamber, and are 100% infill, so they are stable. This proprietary design concept has never been done in the mouthpiece world, and it continues to carry on with my 10MFAN design commitment to innovation over imitation.
I have tried many different shapes with the chambers and the octagon chamber was a dream come true. Those of us who got to try these designs here with both a normal round chamber and octagon chamber felt the same exact way too. The octagon chamber with “chamber panels” sounded phenomenal with added clarity and speed. The totally unique chamber and chamber panels give the throat a squeeze like nothing else in the marketplace, ever before. The combination of the sound bouncing off of the “chamber panels”, how the air interacts with the chamber, the size and shape of the chamber, the totally unique “squeeze” throat….using 3-D technology has allowed me to make this internal design.
I design mouthpieces and I know when something plays great and when the designs work great…..and these two pieces both play great and the designs work fantastic!!!!
I’ve tried many different chamber designs, one being this octagon design with the chamber panels, and this one played GREAT….THAT’S IT!
When Brian Powell worked on the first pieces, he called me up and said he loves the clarity and the blow.
I’ve been wanting to make this announcement for so long and finally the first two pieces are being made as we speak.
There is one alto model and one tenor model to start.
MORE ORIGINAL DESIGN models coming over time.
THERE ARE 2 MODELS TO BEGIN WITH, AND THIS IS THE CONCEPT FOR THE FIRST ALTO AND TENOR MOUTHPIECES:
“FULL, CLASSIC SOUNDING, FOCUSSED, WITH REALLY GOOD POWER…. KEEPING THE SOUND RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE PLAYER”.
I have had a lot of requests from players, to put out something thats got “a real focus” where the sound is directly in front of you without getting spread.
So I have decided to start with that concept for these first 2 mouthpieces.
Here are the first two models:
ALTO MODEL: “FIREBALL”
A great alto mouthpiece for today’s player! Listen to Geoff Vidal on his! The vintage alto guys will love this piece, because it is a great alto mouthpiece with a very low rollover baffle that has that classic alto sound… but with nice punch available, and great altissimo. It is focussed and not intended to be a fatter, more spread sounding alto piece. The sound of this piece will go straight in front of you right back to the back of the room! It has the right of amount of resistance for a mouthpiece design like this.
For those of you on Meyer or Link style pieces, who want more focus, you will love how this piece plays. It’s got a ton of depth and color, a solid core, and it stays incredibly stable even as you push it. A rock-solid core and very balanced sound. It’s so much fun to play! It’s just a great straightahead alto mouthpiece that will appeal to tons of players. That was the first design I wanted to start with.
The vintage Meyer and Brilhart players will LOVE this, but it’s really going to please players who are using a TON of different alto mouthpieces.
I will put out a fatter sounding alto piece and a brighter sounding alto pieces also. I will have many different options for players to choose from, and this is the warmer option first. This “FIREBALL” mouthpiece has a low baffle. It just plays great for straight ahead jazz!
TENOR MODEL: “CABERNET”
This 1st Octagon Series tenor mouthpiece was designed for a straight ahead classic tenor sound with focus, depth, and good power! Anthony Church is a great player who uses this for his pop gigs. It gives him the warmth and punch and because of the way he blows, he can get much more out of this piece than the average player.
For the rest of us mortals, 😃, this piece is going to give you a medium tone color, full, and classic, powerful, focussed straight ahead sound. It is not a piece designed for brightness. A great straight ahead piece!! The next tenor mouthpiece I make, will have more brights and more power and more freedom to the blow. This Cabernet has a super classic tenor sound. More power than a real vintage Slant, but not as fat sounding.
That’s what making innovative original designs is all about. Because of that focus of the Cabernet, the intonation is locked in. If you want less resistance, just go to a softer reed. If you need more, just go to a stiffer reed.
Think Joe Henderson, Bob Berg, Pharoah Sanders, Coltrane, focus! It’s incredibly heartwarming to be able to put out this piece because it is so different from all my 10MFAN hard rubber mouthpieces. This piece is more focussed…. and for me, with really good power and body with almost no baffle.
There are lots of “fat sounding” tenor pieces out there, and my hard rubber 10MFAN mouthpieces certainly fit in that category, but I’ve been asked by many players over the years to put out something that has much more FOCUS, where the sound stays right in front of the player, and doesn’t get spread…..but still with a really big sound available! That’s what the Cabernet is all about. Players have also asked me for a piece with a little more resistance than my hr mouthpieces, so I’ve put that all into this mouthpiece design.
The Cabernet won’t be wide sounding as a Slant or a Reso Chamber, because that’s NOT what I wanted here. I wanted more FOCUS with this piece, as so many players have asked me for a piece like that, but also with power and a very flexible medium timbre, to be accessible for many playing situations. This is different from anything I’ve put out, or ANYTHING OUT THERE, and I’m very excited about it. This piece has almost no baffle that allows for so much beauty in the sound, but still with plenty of presence and sparkle to carry that beautiful, rich classic tenor sound.
The vintage Link players who wish their sound had more focus to it rather than spread, will LOVE this piece. The sound stays right in front of you! This mouthpiece is going to please players who are using a whole TON of different straight ahead tenor mouthpieces. This piece just KILLS! Just listen to the videos that continue to come in, that I am putting up on my website. You can hear for yourself how the piece sounds.
I will be adding to the 10MFAN Octagon Series with many different models, and they will ALL have the octagon chambers with chamber panels.
The most fun part for me is that all of these Octagon Series pieces will be different designs than my German bar stock hard rubber designs. It just allows me to try so many new and exciting ideas I’ve wanted to experiment with. We have the technology and ability today to go beyond vintage designs with current mouthpiece making. I will continue with that commitment with my Octagon Series mouthpieces.
BAFFLES:
I’m starting off with these 2 low rollover baffle designs for everyone to enjoy. If you are a powerful player, I will be putting out pieces you will love, with rollover and step baffle designs, that will appeal to everyone. The designs of these mouthpieces are so unique on the outside and inside and I can’t wait for you to see the way the sidewalls and floor go into the chamber with the “chamber panels”. It’s never been done before in the mouthpiece world, and these two models are just INCREDIBLE, and I could not be happier!
These first 2 models were designed for something very specific, and I am so incredibly proud of both of these ORIGINAL DESIGNS!!!
DESIGNS:
The design of the outside and inside of the mouthpieces are completely original. They have a very modern look to them.
If you like vintage mouthpiece copies, there are dozens of those for you to choose from.
As always, here at 10MFAN mouthpieces, I am not interested in making copies of the vintage pieces. I want to offer today’s players modern, fresh, and unique mouthpiece design options to choose from, beyond what we’ve seen with the vintage mouthpieces.
With these two pieces I had a specific goal in mind for both, and I’ve achieved that! I do that with all of my mouthpieces. I design for sound.
A lot of straight ahead mouthpieces being made today miss the color and flexibility that comes from having just the right amount to push against. This piece nails it.
HAND FINISHING:
Hand finishing is VERY VERY VERY important to me! It assures flat tables and proper facing curves. The great Brian Powell and Erik Greiffenhagen do ALL of the hand finishing for my current 10MFAN mouthpieces, and that continues with the Octagon Series. The tables will be flat and the facing curves will measure properly. These pieces aren’t polished or painted. They are a bright green polymer that’s food safe and incredibly strong. The rails and tables and baffles are perfect. We do not grind off material just for a visual with these pieces, when the pieces play fantastic after the table, rails, and baffle are hand finished.
SOUND:
The problem with many plastic mouthpieces, is they just don’t have the resonance that I want as a player, and many sound so thin. I tried a ton of different material options. I’m well aware of baffles, chambers, floor heights, and other variables so I could make a low baffle, open piece for the Octagon Series had that depth and resonance we seek as players. I am proud to say I’ve achieved that with these designs. The sound is rich, resonant, and has tons of depth and color. But remember, these first two pieces for me are the med-warm options. I will offer other options that will have much more punch, brights, and freedom in the blow, but the medium warm side is what I’ve started with here. There will be a proper balance of low’s, mid’s, and high’s in each model, according to the desired goal that I am reaching for.
TIP SIZES:
ALTO:
5—–.072
6—- .078
7—- .084
8—- .090
TENOR:
6*—– .095
7———-.100
7*—– .105
8———-.110
8*—— .115
9*——— .125
LIGATURES:
The Octagon Series will use standard ligatures, so the choices will be over abundant for all the players out there.
The alto piece will use ligatures that fit hr Meyer-type pieces, and the tenor piece will use ligatures that fit hr Link-type pieces.
NEW MODELS IN THE WORKS:
I am looking forward to doing new designs, and other models will be released over time.
COLORS:
I started off originally with a matte black color in a different material, but over time through much trial and error, I found a super hard food safe plastic polymer that I was MUCH happier with, so we have switched these Octagon Series mouthpieces to the bright green color in this hard, food safe polymer.
PRICE:
So let’s get to the price. I have heard from tons of players that they wish I had some mouthpieces to offer that would be less than my $450 hard rubber mouthpieces. Using plastic allows me to accomplish this for all of you. Engineering the Octagon Series, and all the time and effort involved in this, has been quite an expense, but opting for this polymer and the way in which these pieces are made, allows me to offer the Octagon Series at a lower price, so that players all over the world can get into them comfortably.
These hand finished, original design, innovative polymer mouthpieces will be priced at ONLY $249 plus shipping.
A fantastic value in the mouthpiece world. All original designs, hand-finished by the best in the business, available at an incredibly low price, with my revolutionary octagon chamber with chamber panels. Nothing else in the mouthpiece marketplace to compare these with. Best of all, these mouthpieces play FANTASTIC. I am truly proud of my 10mfan Octagon Series and can’t wait for players to get
I do offer trials in the U.S. if you buy the mouthpieces from me directly off my website at the full retail price. But there are no returns or trials on my Octagon Series pieces or hard rubber pieces purchased from eBay sales or anywhere else. No returns from annyone buying from outside of the United States. You can check my return policy for all the information on that. My U.S. trial and return policy for the Octagon Series pieces is at the bottom of the trial and return page.
Thank you, Mark