After getting used to a bigger chamber and a broader dynamic range (compared to my trusty Riffault), I started really enjoying the new qualities of the piece. A bigger, fatter, smoother and rounder sound with a lot of colour. My Mark VI clone by Yanagisawa produced a kind of power i was not expecting from it. Surprisingly it matched my alto setup in many ways. I play SML Gold Medal with Ed Pillinger’s NYC piece (also large chamber). That thing sounds huge!!! And so similarly S440 unleashed the power and opened up a tone palette of my Yani quite noticeably. One of a very minor critic points i’ve had with the Riffault was that “altissimo”, or should I say “sopranissimo” 🙂 sounded just a little bit thin. Not much, it still sounded nice and sweet, but the dynamic would physically drop down in a similar way like a sound of a violin or a trumpet does in the upper most range. The 440 pulls out that register quite nicely and smooths out that drop on the palm keys. It’s a very pleasing experience to play the mouthpiece and while i still prefer Riffault for a classical music when i play it, which is objectively easier to do on a smaller mouthpiece, I feel a lot of potential with everything else on a S440. All the other aspects are exceptional on both mouthpieces. Articulation precise and easy. Intonation – no questions. Thank you again for your excellent craftsmanship.
