Laskey Alessi Signature...?
Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2023 3:13 pm
Well, I must regrettably say that unlike the Greg Black Alessi Signatures that I have been playing and performing on for 20 years, the newest Alessi signature from Laskey really did not really impress me at all. But, I suppose it is simply that his original design is still, for me my ultimate match. It also makes sense that as Mr. Alessi's embouchure has matured and changed slightly over the years that his current ultimate design may not be quite the same as it was 20 years ago. I do note that ALL of the 3 rim diameters in this newest line are actually smaller than the Black versions of old. Of course the 67 is certainly still huge in terms of what most mere mortals would ever consider as suitable for symphonic principal. The backbore and throat on all three is also larger by quite a bit.
However, I had a really bad experience with the eBay distributor that I elected to purchase from, so bad in fact that it has led me to wonder if he is mixing in factory 2nds, or even rejects, into his stock. The piece I received was physically rough to the touch inside the cup, and one can not only feel the rough machining cut marks, but they are clearly visible even to the eye. I was a prototype machinist at one point in my life for about 5 years, and so I know exactly what I was seeing. This was NOT the fine finish cut and polished surface of a high end custom mouthpiece. Not at all. Not the proper finish cut of ANY mouthpiece I had ever seen.
This distributor has apparently has tens of thousand of happy customers and close to a 100% 5-star rating. He also has a 'No Returns' policy; yet, the workmanship was so bad, and so evident even in the photos I sent him that he immediately approved a full refund.
Well, I didn't like the feel of it anyway, so no great loss. Somehow the combination of smaller inner rim dia, and much larger backbore and throat just wasn't right for me. The original Black/Alessi Signature is simply the perfect piece for me. I performed the Grondahl Concerto on the 3.5m, and a few years later, after eventually changing to the 5M, the Rota Concerto on the 5M. Both these pieces were, and still are, phenomenal for me.
I guess the moral of this little story is that, 1) It isn't always possible to improve on something; sometimes you just plain get it perfect the first time around. And, 2) If at all possible, never order a custom piece (or custom anything) from anywhere other than the actual factory or person making it.
Anyway, thanks to the comments of someone here on another thread post, I learned that the original Black/Alessi pieces might still be available from Greg Black.
So, after this huge let down experience with Laskey, I called Mr. Black and was really happy to find that even now, 20 years later, he still answers the phone and was able to confirm that the 'New York' line are indeed those same pieces.
For me it is really comforting to know that these incredible pieces are still available for mortals everywhere.
(I would show you guys the photos of this reject piece, but I don't think simply adding them to this post is possible here on this forum.)
However, I had a really bad experience with the eBay distributor that I elected to purchase from, so bad in fact that it has led me to wonder if he is mixing in factory 2nds, or even rejects, into his stock. The piece I received was physically rough to the touch inside the cup, and one can not only feel the rough machining cut marks, but they are clearly visible even to the eye. I was a prototype machinist at one point in my life for about 5 years, and so I know exactly what I was seeing. This was NOT the fine finish cut and polished surface of a high end custom mouthpiece. Not at all. Not the proper finish cut of ANY mouthpiece I had ever seen.
This distributor has apparently has tens of thousand of happy customers and close to a 100% 5-star rating. He also has a 'No Returns' policy; yet, the workmanship was so bad, and so evident even in the photos I sent him that he immediately approved a full refund.
Well, I didn't like the feel of it anyway, so no great loss. Somehow the combination of smaller inner rim dia, and much larger backbore and throat just wasn't right for me. The original Black/Alessi Signature is simply the perfect piece for me. I performed the Grondahl Concerto on the 3.5m, and a few years later, after eventually changing to the 5M, the Rota Concerto on the 5M. Both these pieces were, and still are, phenomenal for me.
I guess the moral of this little story is that, 1) It isn't always possible to improve on something; sometimes you just plain get it perfect the first time around. And, 2) If at all possible, never order a custom piece (or custom anything) from anywhere other than the actual factory or person making it.
Anyway, thanks to the comments of someone here on another thread post, I learned that the original Black/Alessi pieces might still be available from Greg Black.
So, after this huge let down experience with Laskey, I called Mr. Black and was really happy to find that even now, 20 years later, he still answers the phone and was able to confirm that the 'New York' line are indeed those same pieces.
For me it is really comforting to know that these incredible pieces are still available for mortals everywhere.
(I would show you guys the photos of this reject piece, but I don't think simply adding them to this post is possible here on this forum.)
Seemed like a very reputable distributor; but, without actually knowing the place first hand, anything is possible I guess. or, one with a bad finish just got past their QC I guess.