"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. You will find that you do more than just play a Saxscape
mouthpiece, you create." -- 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.
"After
a pretty grueling year of mouthpiece searching, I finally found a little slice
of heaven. Ken Barry has put together mouthpieces that achieve what I think
mouthpiece designers have been trying unsuccessfully to do over the last few
years. Mouthpieces with just the right amount of resistance, darkness, sheen,
flexibility, accurate pitch, ergonomic comfort and vibe. On top of that he offers
a variety of models that help you really tweak your search for your unique sound.
Available in a palette of colors based on classics but brought to new heights.
He is not only a master craftsmen , he is a saxophonist that possesses a world
class tone himself. You can't beat that. He is coming from an insiders view.
Don't just take my word for it. Get a hold of one right away, he keeps them
totally affordable. You'll be tempted to buy a few, I promise.... "Bob
Franceschini, on the Uptown NF.108 Slim Profile. Bob is a monster on the
NYC and world tour scene, having played with Mike Stern, Dave Weckl, Anthony
Jackson, and many others.
"...It's a killer!! Just what I needed... It seems to give me the best of all worlds. Loads of projection, a small amount of edge, and VERY fat! Nice. Given the situations that I find myself playing, I find it is a very versatile mouthpiece. I have never played an original Metal Florida Link, but if they are anything like this I can see why they fetch a small fortune on eBay. Mind you, with the NF, who needs to spend a bunch of cash on an old piece. Thanks again." Paul Mason, British musician, on the Uptown NF .108
"Ken, It was a good call. The piece has all of the good qualities
of the Guardala Crescent, with NONE of the drawbacks. The altissimo
is smooth and easy. Either warm and full or nasty and biting depending
on how you approach it. The low end is warm and round and dark, but
will bark at you if you want it to. The middle of the horn is big and
full and lush with just a ton of center. I think I'll keep it. :-) Sweet
piece man, enjoy your future success." -- Joe Drzewiecki, on the
Uptown .108
"Ken, I had a chance to play a gig with the new Red River. That's
the real test. It worked GREAT.
It had a sonorous, rich sound when playing ballads. What a pleasure
to drop down to the low tones. It cut through the drums and keyboard
on those "let loose tunes". The sound felt clear, strong and
articulated thoughout. I could push the sound as much as I needed to
and the intonation and timbre never faultered. Best of all, my horn
played effortlessly. It's clear this didn't come off some assembly line.
Wow!" -- Charlie Mark on the Red River .112
"Hi Ken, The Mouthpiece has arrived.! I am absolutelly fascinated with it. I think I had played with so good mouthpiece never before. The sound is big and with a lot of projection and very easy to play through all the horn register (altissimo are easier). In fact all my expectations has been overtaken and your recomendation in terms of tip opening and tone has been execellent. I hope you will continue making so great mouthpieces and wish you a big success. All the best, Miguel" -- Miguel Alvarez, on the Uptown Semi Dark .102 opening
"Ken, All I can say is WOW! Didn't realize I spent four hours playing after it just came in the mail. This Uptown Dark mouthpiece has everything I could want in a mouthpiece and more. The Uptown Dark out performs all my current tenor mouthpieces and plays better than two sought after tone edge links I once owned The sound is very link like but maybe even more complex. It's warm, round, fat, has a dark rich core from low B-flat up into the palms. Dynamically it's very flexible, I can acquire a Getzinsh lushness as well as a more focused tenor sound with ease and they would both project. Beautiful subtone and foo-fooing is resonant. My VI could usually talk, but now it sings. When I first had the opportunity to try your Uptown Dark, I definately knew the piece spoke clearly and had much potential and now I couldn't be happier with it. It's an amazing player surpassing my expectations which were set high to begin with." -- Joey Whitney on the Uptown Dark .100
"Ken has really captured the essence of the great vintage pieces and coupled them with a great level of response, flexibility and projection needed by the modern player. The Saxscape Uptown .106 gives me all of the core and heart of the best vintage pieces but also gives me the response, flexibility and projection that I need for all styles of playing." -- Chel Illingworth, Berklee School of Music graduate, Boston area musician; February 2006
"I just REALLY like the bigger sound of the .110 piece you sent me -- I can compete better with other guys I play with...and I just really like the sound. ...you really DO stand by your products. And, your products are amoung the very best... they rock! (can use that quote if you want...it's true!). Looking forward to your alto mouthpiece -- whew! Gonna be good, I'm sure!" James Lynch, on the Downtown model, .110 opening
"Just a quick note to say thanks for a great mouthpiece. I was one of the lucky ones to win it off ebay (Uptown 7*). A great sound. Just been round to a friends house and spent a few hours going over some of his tunes, Piano and Tenor, and the sounds sits perfectly. I will be using it on a soul gig this weekend, and although not as loud as my S**** (Which will be going onto EBay soon!) should sound a lot better. I'll let you know how I get on. I find it a very versatile mouthpiece, which I find getting the Altissimo register much easer than any other mouthpiece that I have used." Paul Mason, on the Uptown .108 tip opening
"The [Uptown] Mouthpiece is very well balanced and is a true storyteller. What I mean, I can play ballads with high dynamic and expression range without effort. But it also has a lot of power to play fast pieces and "loud" pieces but it has this overall warmth I've been looking for. What I mean its a leader but it is not flashy or sharp if I playing very loud on it... The playability is also so that I can not notice a difference between the R** and the Uptown model.... Thank you for making this wonderful mouthpiece for me." -- Peter Berlau on the Uptown model, .116 opening
"I received the two Tenor Mouthpieces that you made for me. Tonight I had a chance to play the “Downtown” . Ken... this piece amazes me. This is one of the top pieces I have ever played. The price was more than fair, the workmanship is outstanding, the sound it everything I have been looking for... I think that I can now put many of my mouthpieces on EBay. Yours Ken will be my favorite. You will not see this mouthpiece on EBay that I can promise. " -- Frederick Goldring on the Downtown model, .112 opening
"I'm thrilled with my Saxscape (Downtown) mouthpiece. I was seeking a fuller, thicker sound without sacrificing brightness and found it. The result is a mouthpiece that is extremely versatile- mellow and cool or cutting and edgy when needed, and always easy to control. Ken responded to my inquiries and customized a mouthpiece for me quickly. After trying many other mouthpieces on the market, I got the service and the sound I was looking for." -- Neil Eggert on the Downtown model, .100 opening
"The Uptown model that I purchased from you has immediately become my main mouthpiece for straight ahead playing. It has all the fantastic qualities of a slant sig link…fatness, great intonation, lushness… with more projection, and superb articulation. It's also quite reed friendly. It was a pleasure to work with a craftsman that was so kind and accommodating to my needs. Can't wait for the alto pieces to come out. " -- Jerry Laboranti, on the Uptown model, .115 opening
"Just wanted to get back to you on the piece. It's been a few weeks and I've really been digging it. It definitely adds a lot more focus to my sound, yet has a warm, fat bottom end and thick top end." -- Raghav Chari, on the Uptown model, .105 opening
"... It´s a great mouthpiece. I had a lot of gigs within
the last two weeks and I had the opportunity to play it in different
situations: On a Jazzgig (Standard playing...), on a TV-show with a
"kind of Jazz-Rock" -band, Bigband, Studiogig and so on. It
is very versatile and I could do everything I wanted. The sound is very
flexible, the mpc can play very soft and very loud and I never lose
the control, I´m really amazed!!" -- Jörg Kaufmann,
professional musician in Germany; numerous TV, recording, concert credits;
on the Uptown, .130 opening
"Just a note to tell you that I really, really like the .104"
Uptown Dark you sent me. I must say, I wouldn't liken it as much to
a modern Link as an "Early Babbitt." And then it has something
else, too, that's all it's own and very, very good. Excellent work-I
would HIGHLY recommend your mouthpieces to any serious tenor player
that is on the "quest" for the ideal piece." -- Jon Goforth,
Seattle area professional musician, on the Uptown Dark .104 opening
"BINGO....I love it!!!! I've been playing it nonstop since it arrived. You're a genious. I love this facing. Great sound, nice articulation, reed friendly. Most 2.5 reeds work on it. I love both of them. I'll call you in a month or two. I might want another one. Might want a Hudson!!!!! Enjoy the reeds. You're the BEST!!! Arnie" -- Arnie Krakowsky, graduate of Berklee School of Music, Boston area professional musician; on the Uptown .110 opening