Please email or call me
(570-350-5843) for the current status.-Ken
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Why Saxscape?
"The tenor sax has always seemed to me to be the hardest sax
to get a good mouthpiece for. It seemed like there was always a
tradeoff: A piece that responded and projected great, but had a
paint-peeler tone; A piece with great tone but sounded like you
were playing into a mattress; or a Link with a wedge added, which
projected better but didn't have the Link sound anymore. After putting
some thought and experimentation into the problem (along with hundreds
of prototypes), I've finally achieved a consistent line of mouthpieces
that respond quickly, have great projection and dynamic range, and
last but not least, great tone.
"I
had a lot of feedback from a lot of great musicians who taught me
much about tone production as a performing musician myself, and
what they wanted in a mouthpiece..... All these concepts came together
in this project that I'm calling Saxscape Mouthpieces."
-Ken Barry
Visit Ken's MySpace
page for upcoming gigs and stuff...
Retail price: $250
SAXSCAPE ENDORSERS:
Ken
Gioffre (NF 108 and Downtown
Studio 108 Pro Series mouthpieces) -- Currently touring with
Smokey Robinson. Ken has recorded for the Sony, Universal, Blue
Note-Manhattan, MCA, Denon, and Sire labels. He has also performed
and recorded for the ABC, NBC, CBS, A&E, HBO, ESPN, and BET
television networks.
"I recently met with Ken Barry of Saxscape and played several
models of his mouthpieces. All were outstanding. I found them to
be extremely consistent and of the highest quality. Each one played
with ease while possessing color and character. Ken is a quiet gentleman
who lets his mouthpieces speak for themselves. I highly recommend
that you let them speak for you as well. You will find that you
do more than just play a Saxscape mouthpiece, you create."
Glenn
Cashman (NF 108 Pro Series mouthpiece)
-- Currently Director of Jazz Studies at Colgate University in New
York. Glenn has released CD's featuring Kenny Barron and Tom Ranier,
and he has performed or recorded with Claudio Roditi, Gary Foster,
Jeff Clayton, and Rob McConnell.
"Hands down the NF 108 is the best mouthpiece I've tried,
and I've tried them all."
Jimmy
Greene: Saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Jimmy Greene
has emerged as a positive young presence in the creative music world.
His solo recordings, True Life Stories (Criss Cross), Forever (Criss
Cross), Brand New World (RCA Victor) and Introducing Jimmy Greene
(Criss Cross) have been met with much critical acclaim.
"I believe that sound is the single most identifiable attribute
of a saxophonist’s playing, and the right mouthpiece setup
is vital in the creation of that sound. While playing the Saxscape
mouthpiece, simply put, I am able to achieve the sound I hear in
my head. Ken Barry has come up with a great design, and I have been
thrilled with my Saxscape Uptown Xtra Dark. The mouthpiece gives
me the deep, dark sound I always imagined, without sacrificing clarity,
projection, or response. Thanks, Ken, for your hard work and dedication
to the sound of the saxophone. I look forward to playing Saxscape
mouthpieces for years to come."
Check out Saxscape
auctions currently on eBay -- get an authentic Saxscape for
a great deal!
Pro Series: Why .108" (7*)? This opening
has proven over and over to be the most popular tip opening among
pro players -- Dave Guardala set that as the optimum opening for
his pieces, and many current players are using this tip opening
on their pieces, from bright to dark.... I've personally found it
to be the friendliest one for the most reeds I've tried with all
the styles of pieces.
Downtown
Studio: for bright playing, great for blues, rock, R&B,
soul, smooth jazz and fusion. It has a high baffle, with a slight
rollover like a Dukoff, but a larger chamber for fatter upper end
and great low end response.
Uptown
KB (AKA Uptown Dark): A fat Link sound, but with great projection and quick
response. This one is the most Link-like in terms of fatness of
sound and overtones. This is Ken Barry's personal piece for the
concept he's going after (the fat Link sound, without a lot of edge).
Uptown
NF: A fat Link sound but with more edge than the Dark. Designed
in collaboration with Nick Franciosa, who used to work for Dave
Guardala testing and approving the horns that were sent out to Mike
Brecker, Branford Marsalis, and Tom Scott. Nick played the very
best Guardala pieces while working with Dave, and owns the piece
that Brecker played
while recording the "Tales from the Hudson" CD. Nick now
plays the NF 108 for all his gigs, ranging from
straight ahead piano-quartet jazz, to heavy rock and blues, and
keeps the old Guardalas as museum pieces. He previously studied
privately with Bob Berg and Steve Grossman.
Please contact me at saxscape@gmail.com
or 570-350-5843 to see what I have in stock, available to ship immediately.
Depending on what you are interested in, and what is ready to be
machined, I will accept an order with shipping time about 3-4 weeks.
Once I get more of the programming worked out for the CNC,
then I should be able to deliver pieces in a shorter timeframe.
RETURN/EXCHANGE POLICY
Currently I only offer exchanges for adjustments on a piece, or
a different model of mouthpiece. If it seems like it just won't
work out for whatever reason, I will work with you on a refund repayment
plan. As the business grows (more than the one-man shop that it
is now), I will be offering full refunds, but for now the costs
of leasing equipment and other overhead make it difficult to provide
full refunds in a timely manner. The investments so far have been
in furthering the technical aspects of the pieces and making sure
each one is of the highest playing quality. I will work with you
as best I can to get you the best possible mouthpiece, and I hope
to become a full service retailer in the near future.