Level Air Designed by Art Brilhart Meta Tenor Sax Mouthpiece

• #1

I recently bought a 60s vintage tenor sax. Someone in the family who sold information technology played alto and at that place are some alto reeds in the case. The horn came with three mouthpieces - one is clearly the original tenor and the 2nd is clearly a basic alto mpc.

The third mouthpiece is a stainless steel Brilhart. It is labelled "Designed by Arnold Brilhart" and "10772 four" which I believe is the serial number and tip opening. I'm pretty sure it is an old Level Air.

The mouthpiece fits the tenor neck, but it is very narrow. It will take a tenor reed and play OK, but it is so narrow that a tenor reed sticks out well beyond the track. Interestingly, an alto reed fits perfectly and plays well, just the mouthpiece is fashion too large to fit an alto neck - information technology literally falls off.

The first question is whether it is a tenor mpc or is there something missing to make information technology fit an alto?

If information technology is intended every bit a tenor mpc, did Brilhart intend the former Level Airs to use an alto or tenor reed?

I don't see whatsoever reason not to use an alto reed, just it just seems odd.

• #three

Some pics and measurements would be helpful.

Years ago I had a Brihart Level Air. They were a very distinctive mouthpiece with a bright tone. I'thou pretty sure I just used tenor reeds on mine, but I do dimly remember them sticking out a bit over the sides. I'd tend to apply whatever reed fits best. If an alto reed plays well, use that.

Incidentally, the serieal number on these mouthpieces acts as a date code, showing your to exist made in 1972.

Here are pictures of the mouthpiece with a tenor reed and an alto reed. Not the best pictures, but you tin meet that the tenor reeds sticks out across the border of the mouthpiece and the alto reed (although not perfectly centered) doesn't quite come up to the edges.

I've been playing the horn using tenor reeds and information technology works fine. It probably seals confronting the runway better than an alto reed. It would be too simple to have all my horns use the same reeds.

• #vii

I had a couple of Level Airs in the 80s, handed on to me by friends. I played the alto one a lot and I still have it although it really needs a re-face. The original lig broke and they are a grunter to detect a suitable lig for because of the outer shape.

The tenor one I played less because it was never equally skillful to play as the alto, in fact I found information technology quite stuffy and used a classical reed on it to become some response and border, but that made it tend to squeak. If I had known then what I know now I would have had it re-faced.

But both pieces are skinny and the reeds overhang as a matter of course.

The reason I liked them (apart from Sanborn'southward use) was because in that location was no other mouthpiece autonomously from the Beechlers and ARB metallic pieces (Arnold R Brillhart) that could produce such a heavy heart to the audio but with adept funky border. None of the the other modern high baffle pieces get it quite right IMO apart from mayhap Theo Wanne'southward Mantra - which is now discontinued and perhaps the Retro Revival 'Eric Marienthal' mouthpiece - clip here

BTW, according to the Beechler site, a #iv tenor piece could exist somewhere in the .080"/.085" range, which is what we would call a 5*/half-dozen tip opening, so not very open up, but not as closed as you lot might imagine.

• #ix

The first baritone saxophone I owned was a "The Martin" that I bought in near 1996 from Michael White's store in Ealing. He permit me try various mouthpieces with it and a Brilhart Level Air was by far the best match, bringing out a big sound but with surprising flexibility.

I liked that mouthpiece then much that I bought second paw (original, not the Selmer ones) tenor and alto Level Air pieces and used them for a while. Information technology always surprised me how flexible and quite warm they sounded, because that pace baffle made me call up it would be all edgy, screeching brightness.

I had the tenor Level Air refaced and tidied up by Freddie Gregory who charged me quite a lot, I think considering it was made of stainless steel and tough to piece of work on.

I would have bought a Level Air for soprano had ane ever been made. I was looking at the ARB (Arnold Ross Brilhart) models made afterwards by Beechler to almost the same design, but they told me that the ARB soprano was actually unlike internally and basically similar their Beechler metal model.

The baritone piece was new and came with the original ligature, cap and box merely the alto and tenor pieces I bought from Bob Ackerman in New York and he supplied them with generic cloth ligatures that did the task.

I don't retrieve any problems with the fit of reeds on whatsoever of my Level Air pieces but I did actually like them.

Rhys

• #11

I've longed for 1 for years. As I've mentioned before, I've just always come across a #v - fashion too small for me. Didn't Chris Hunter besides have 1? British altoist with that Sanborn thing in his sound but with more than Bebop in his fingers. Expert player. The only player that I know who uses an ARB is Scott Garland. I've read that the ARB's don't sound anything similar the Level Air, but Scott does on the ARB. He'due south actually got that audio. Then once more, he'd probably be able to produce that sound on quite a few 'pieces. Frequently, a sure setup 'helps' though, and the less you take to fight to produce whatsoever colour is in your head the amend.

The ARBs are not quite the aforementioned equally the LevelAir information technology'southward truthful, but in lieu of anything else, they are about the closest you're going to get.

Was the Level Air metal on the soft side? Why a re-face?

The facing had been messed with by i of it's previous owners. Information technology had get what refacers call a 'weak' facing, not optimum, and too piece of cake to accident. This meant that I had to employ a reed that was too soft in gild to go the correct (for me) amount of edge: with the correct strength reed it was to dark.

• #13

You lucky boy!

Yous're welcome to borrow any of my Level Air pieces which are just sitting in shoeboxes at the moment.

Rhys

• #15

That's far too dangerous Rhys if I like them

I've got quite a lot of my instruments and mouthpieces out on long term loan. The trouble is keeping rail of them all !

Rhys

• #20

Oh blimey... which alto pieces have y'all got?

Alto: marked 121080 and 4*
Tenor: marked 31572 and vii*
Baritone: marked 121378 and half dozen*

The alto tip opening looks past comparison with other alto mouthpieces to be approximately 0.075" (75 m') and similar to a Lawton 6star. That feels roughly how it blows.

Rhys

crabillranduce.blogspot.com

Source: https://cafesaxophone.com/threads/brilhart-level-air-what-reeds.27368/

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