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SopranoPlanet
Model: Rue Lapis
Sax: soprano
Material: hard rubber
Chamber: medium
Baffle: medium
Description: The ‘Rue Lapis’ is a custom design mouthpiece, introduced in 2009. It has a slightly greater mass and different exterior profile than the Via Coro with a round chamber, similar to that of an Otto Link Tone Edge mouthpiece, but with a higher beak/biteplate profile.
SopranoPlanet specializes in making mouthpieces for soprano and sopranino saxophones. Joe Giardullo has been a soprano sax specialist for most of his 45 year performing career. After working with Steve Lacy late in his career and having played and studied Lacy’s famous Otto Link 12 mouthpiece, Joe began a quest to have a mouthpiece that played like Steve’s piece. That ultimately led to making his own pieces, then pieces for friends and then, to the creation of SopranoPlanet in 2009.
SopranoPlanet does custom work on all brands of hard rubber mouthpieces, currently produces 2 custom models from custom blanks (‘via Coro’ and ‘rue Lapis’), and makes a custom mouthpiece (‘OPEN SKY’) using a modern Otto Link Tone Edge mouthpiece. The ‘OPEN SKY’ is modeled, in many important respects, on that famous Lacy mouthpiece.
With extensive personal experience with virtually (but not) all makes and models of soprano saxophones, Joe is able to guide a player in getting the mouthpiece that will perform best on a particular horn and meet the players’ requirements.
“It turns out that, after all these years, I know a lot about soprano saxophones and now about soprano mouthpieces and how the two interact. I’m guided by the Buddhist saying: Great Faith; Great Doubt; Great Effort. That goes into every piece I do.” -- Joe Giardullo
Model: Via Coro
Sax: soprano
Material: hard rubber
Chamber: medium
Baffle: medium
Description: Like all SopranoPlanet mouthpieces, the ‘Via Coro’ is hand finished. It features a ‘modern’ profile and a round chamber.
Model: Open Sky
Sax: soprano
Material: hard rubber
Chamber: medium
Baffle: medium
Description: The ‘Open Sky’ is made from an Otto Link Tone Edge hard rubber mouthpiece. It is inspired by the mouthpiece that Steve Lacy played and is intended for players who prefer large tip openings in the range 0.08-0.11”.