Soprano Planet Open Sky SL Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
Description
Today, I am excited to be reviewing the new Soprano Planet Open Sky SL soprano saxophone mouthpiece released by Joe Giardullo at Soprano Planet. SL stands for Steve Lacy and this soprano sax mouthpiece is modeled after Steve Lacy’s personal mouthpiece that Joe Giardullo had for about a year after Steve Lacy’s death. Of course, Steve Lacy’s soprano sax mouthpiece was a 12 tip opening (.096) and most soprano player’s probably could not handle that large of a tip opening so Joe made his Open Sky SL soprano saxophone mouthpiece with a .075 tip opening which is much more manageable for most players.
I have to admit that for whatever reason, I have not listened to much Steve Lacy in my 50+ years of living so I am not only curious to check out the Open Sky SL soprano saxophone mouthpiece but some Steve Lacy recordings as well (I’m playing Steve Lacy “Soprano Sax” from 1958 and Gil Evans & Ten “Just One of Those Things” as I type this review……).
Soprano Planet Open Sky SL Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
Here is an email I received from Joe Giardullo explaining the Open Sky SL (Steve Lacy) soprano saxophone mouthpiece concept:
“The new mouthpiece, which I call the Open Sky SL (after Steve Lacy) is designed with no baffle at all. That means the chamber shape rules completely. The chamber is medium. It has a similar throat as Steve Lacy’s mouthpiece, which was a kind of race-track oval.
The short story is this: I’ve finally nailed down the real source of the short lived Otto Link Tone Edge model mouthpiece that Steve Lacy played. Turns out, there are four great soprano mouthpiece designs all made from the same blank, which was produced by Riffault. Of course, the Riffault soprano saxophone mouthpieces, and all the stencils, were made from that blank. As was the rare Brilhart ARB soprano sax mouthpiece, the old Beechler soprano sax mouthpiece (20 years ago and earlier) and the short-lived Otto Link Tone Edge soprano mouthpiece that Steve Lacy played.
That gave me the idea for producing the Open Sky-SL soprano saxophone mouthpiece. I wanted to stay away from a huge tip, because there are still too many players that think tip size is so significant, which it really isn’t. I made a few prototypes and .075 produced all the aspects that made Steve Lacy’s soprano saxophone mouthpiece so amazing, only instead of requiring # 1 1/2 reeds, this .075 played with ease on # 2 1/2 and even # 2 reeds.
The aspect that gives it the complete flexibility that Steve Lacy’s mouthpiece had is the complete lack of a baffle, which was what Steve’s mouthpiece had as well. Not even a hint of a baffle. It plays dark or bright or anywhere in between, according to what the player needs. It centers the tone back in the throat/oral cavity of the player, so there is quick and smooth transitions always available.”-Joe Giardullo
Soprano Planet Open Sky SL Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Soprano Planet Open Sky SL soprano saxophone mouthpiece came well packaged with a ligature, cap and two Marca soprano sax reeds that Joe felt played well on the Open Sky SL soprano sax mouthpiece. The reeds were size 2 and 2 1/2 but felt too soft for my tastes on the Open Sky SL soprano saxophone mouthpiece. In retrospect, as I type this and listen to Steve Lacy playing in the background, I realize that using the softer reeds would probably have given me a sound that is closer to Steve Lacy’s soprano sax sound as he sounds like he is using a soft reed in the recordings I am listening to.
The ligature looks a lot like a Brancher ligature and I really dug this ligature on the Open Sky SL mouthpiece. I asked Joe what it was and this was his response:
“I stumbled on that ligature at a music confab in France years ago. It looks like the one sold by Brancher. But when I compared them in terms of sound, I liked this ligature better. The plate is slightly smaller and has a different pattern in terms of interacting with the reed. I have no idea why ligatures do what they do, but I am convinced that it has to do with sympathetic resonance with the vibrating reed/ligature/mouthpiece combination.
It’s like when you strike a tuning fork and just hold it in your fingers, the sound is barely audible. But, anchor the end on a table or hard surface and the sound explodes in volume and resonance. Even if you hold the fork to a sheet of paper held in mid-air, the sound gets louder and fuller. So, that’s my guess on the ligature: they certainly can make a difference, for better or, sometimes, for worse.
But, I liked that one and started importing them for my mouthpieces.”-Joe Giardullo
Soprano Planet Open Sky SL Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece with Ligature
Here is a description of the Soprano Planet Open Sky SL soprano saxophone mouthpiece from the Soprano Planet website:
“The OPEN SKY SL soprano saxophone mouthpiece is an absolute amazing mouthpiece with NO BAFFLE at all, just like the legendary mouthpiece that inspired its creation: the mouthpiece played by the great Steve Lacy. There is no baffle! The mouthpiece opens up directly into the medium chamber and ends with a “racetrack” shaped throat, like Steve Lacy’s mouthpiece. You’ll be amazed when you play it.
The new OPEN SKY SL soprano sax mouthpiece is a working man’s version of the legendary mouthpiece played by Steve Lacy. It has all the qualities that made that mouthpiece so special and it’s been produced for soprano players that want the freedom, flexibility, feel and sound world that we love about Steve Lacy’s sound and spirit.
Here is a part of an email from a player in Great Britain. I think he nailed the thing that makes the OPEN SKY SL a powerful and utterly unique soprano mouthpiece:
“My surprise with this mouthpiece is that it is both fat and focused at the same time…it has a rich fat tone but also is incisive with lots of bite…It has edge and volume when needed and a fat velvety tone too! – best of both together. It is exceptional.”
Recent discoveries led me to recognize that I could use my OPEN SKY 2 blank as a basis for this new piece, allowing me to design the ultimate chamber shape and size, things that made Steve Lacy’s mouthpiece so special. I played Steve Lacy’s mouthpiece many times and had it in my possession for almost a year after he passed in 2004. I knew it well then and I know it well now.
But, with a # 12 tip opening, that legendary mouthpiece would pose a lot of challenges for most players. As you know, it takes much more skill to play very light reeds well than it does to play firmer reeds. Steve played on # 1 1/2 and even # 1 reeds at times.
With the OPEN SKY SL soprano saxophone mouthpiece, I was able to bring the tip opening down a lot so that the mouthpiece would play with moderate strength reeds.
I am currently making this mouthpiece with a .075 tip, which is about a #9 tip, and it plays easily with # 2 1/2 reeds. The intonation is solid throughout the range of the horn, the altissimo is quick and singing, it subtones with ease and it is flexible in terms of sound and texture.
Like Steve Lacy’s mouthpiece, there is no baffle at all. It’s one of the things that makes this piece sing as it does. The same air delivery that plays the lowest notes will play the highest notes with no workarounds requires. Like a lyric soprano singer, it’s all one, perfect continuum, from bottom to top.”-Joe Giardullo
Soprano Planet Open Sky SL Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Soprano Planet Open Sky SL soprano saxophone mouthpiece is made of quality hard rubber (ebonite). It comes in one tip opening of .075 which is about a 9 tip for soprano saxophone mouthpieces. The Soprano Planet Open Sky SL soprano saxophone mouthpiece has “Open Sky SL” and “Soprano Planet” labeled on the top of the mouthpiece. I don’t see any tip opening markings or any other markings on the mouthpiece.
The table looks flat and even. The side rails look fairly even although the left rail has a bit of a waver to the inside line of the left rail. The tip rail is a bit unev
United States
