Today, I am reviewing the work of a young mouthpiece maker, refacer and great saxophone player from Russia named Kirill Poudavoff. Kirill is a great young tenor sax player that is in his fourth semester at Berklee College of music in Boston.
If you haven’t heard Kirill Poudavoff yet, check him out in the video at the bottom of this review. Kirill sounds more like Dexter Gordon than any other tenor sax player I have heard, which is very cool!
Kirill sent me four examples of his tenor saxophone mouthpieces made of plastic after I asked if I could perhaps try out his mouthpiece work. Today, I will be reviewing the KPoudavoff Double Ring 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece which is a copy of an Otto Link Florida Double Ring Super Tone Master tenor saxophone mouthpiece from the 50’s.
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
When I asked Kirill if I could try out some of his mouthpiece work, I had no idea that he would send me four tenor sax mouthpieces to check out. Here is what he sent me:
- KPoudavoff Double Ring 7*- copy of an Otto Link 7* Florida Double Ring Super Tone Master
- KPoudavoff Florida 7*- copy of an Otto Link 7* Florida Super Tone Master
- KPoudavoff Zimberoff Hollywood 7*- copy of a Dukoff Hollywood Zimberoff model
- KPoudavoff Zimberoff Hollywood 6* (Dexter’s Curve)- copy of a Dukoff Hollywood Zimberoff (with Dexter Gordon’s 6* facing curve on it)
I will be reviewing all of these mouthpieces separately, one after the other so you can get a complete sense of Kirill Poudavoff’s work.
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece in Solid Silver
First, I have to start with the disclaimer that Kirill Poudavoff told me that he doesn’t make these plastic tenor saxophone mouthpiece models any longer. Right now, at the time of this review, he is only making the tenor mouthpiece models listed above in solid silver for 750 dollars each. I have posted a few photos of the tenor mouthpieces in metal throughout this review so that you can see how the mouthpieces look in solid silver as well.
That being said, Kirill did say that these four tenor saxophone mouthpieces were a good representation of his work and played similarly to the solid silver versions of these mouthpieces.
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The four KPoudavoff tenor saxophone mouthpieces I received look to have the same outward size (diameter and length), shape and contours of the Otto Link and Dukoff Hollywood tenor saxophone mouthpieces they are copies of.
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece in Silver and Brass
The KPoudavoff Double Ring and Florida models have the Otto Link ridge on top and the lines on the shank that match those Otto Link models. The ridge on the top of the mouthpiece has “KPoudavoff” engraved into it instead of “Otto Link”. The tip opening of 7* is engraved on the corner of the body to the right of the table just like it is on an original Otto Link Florida Double Ring tenor saxophone mouthpiece.
Next to the 7* engraving are the initials WT. These initials were on some vintage Otto Links and from what I understand, they meant that Wolfe Tannenbaum (aka Wolfe Tayne) had put his special facing curve on the mouthpiece. I asked if the facing curve was a WT facing curve and Kirill said that it was not. He included the WT initials just because he thought it was cool looking. The facing curve of this 7* Double Ring tenor saxophone mouthpiece is at traditional factory standards for an Otto Link Double Ring tenor sax mouthpiece.
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
On initial examination, you can see the sanding marks on the plastic material of the mouthpiece where Kirill sanded the table and worked on the baffle area of the mouthpiece. Although the sanding marks look rough, the baffle area and table feel very smooth to the touch.
I know these sanding marks will bother some of you but I am not bothered in the least. In my mind, they don’t matter to me. What matters the most to me, is how the mouthpiece plays. I have played some horrendous looking mouthpieces over the years that played phenomenally, so I don’t necessarily care how perfect a mouthpiece looks on the inside or outside. I have also tried mouthpieces that looked absolutely stunning and perfect to the eye, that didn’t play well at all for me.
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece in Solid Silver
The point I am trying to make, is that Kirill worked on and sent me four examples of his work for free because I asked to try out his work. I believe Kirill’s main focus is making a mouthpiece true to the original version while also making a mouthpiece that plays great. The cosmetic stuff is not as important. Don’t let these plastic samples sway you from what’s most important, how do these KPoudavoff tenor saxophone mouthpieces play?
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
Looking past all the sanding marks, the KPoudavoff Double Ring tenor sax mouthpiece looks to have relatively even side rails similar to an Otto Link mouthpiece. The tip rail looks well made and the curve matches fairly closely to my Rigotti Gold tenor saxophone reeds. All the reeds I tried on the mouthpiece sealed well when using the suction test.
The KPoudavoff Double Ring tenor mouthpiece played great with Rigotti Gold saxophone reeds between the 2 1/2 medium strength to the 3 strong strength for me.
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The KPoudavoff Double Ring tenor sax mouthpiece is not an altered “Double Ring” or a “Double Ring” on steroids, Kirill Poudavoff has expressed his goal of making these mouthpiece as close to the originals as he can possibly get them. This is an admirable goal and refreshing to hear from a young up and coming mouthpiece craftsman.
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The KPoudavoff Double Ring played great for me and not surprisingly, like a terrific metal Otto Link mouthpiece. I do have an Otto Link Double Ring here in my collection and the KPoudavoff model looks very similar in the size and shape of the chamber. The point where the baffle rolls over is also similar to my Otto Link Double Ring as well although my Otto Link Double Ring’s baffle rollover is lopsided where the KPoudavoff is even and balanced.
My Otto Link Double Ring chamber floor looks to be slightly higher at the beginning of the chamber than the KPoudavoff chamber floor which looks to be scooped out closer to the beginning of the mouthpiece chamber.
Writing all this, just acknowledges the fact that if you were to get ten original Otto Link Double Ring mouthpieces and line them up side by side, you would probably get these same variations between the ten mouthpieces. Every Otto Link I have owned, whether vintage or new, has had variations between them. It is what it is. I think that is why it is so exciting to try one that is amazing! You might try out a bunch that are just OK or even bad but when you try one that is amazing, it is the best feeling in the world.
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The KPoudavoff Double Ring tenor sax mouthpiece had a thick, round and rich tone that I would associate with a great playing Otto Link Super Tone Master type of sound. It wasn’t at all tubby or too spread sounding like some modern metal Otto Link Super Tone Master mouthpieces can be.
For me, a great Otto Link tenor sax mouthpiece has a balance between a fat, round sound full of character and warmth with a nice core to the sound. Usually, the tone of these Otto Link “Super” Tone Master mouthpieces sits in a neutral position between dark and bright with some mouthpieces leaning to the darker and warmer side and some leaning to the brighter side. I found this KPoudavoff Double Ring to lean to the darker and warmer side for me.
The intonation on the KPoudavoff Double Ring tenor mouthpiece was excellent on my Selmer Super Balanced Action (SBA) tenor saxophone. The low notes were thick and full sounding and sub-toned beautifully.
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The KPoudavoff Double Ring tenor sax mouthpiece was very even and smooth throughout the range of the saxophone and the fast lines sounded great.
The articulation was clean and crisp when playing fast jazz lines with jazz articulation and the lines were incredibly smooth and flowing which I really loved.
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
I’ve included two sound clips of the KPoudavoff Double Ring tenor saxophone mouthpiece for you to check out. The first one is with a Rigotti Gold 3 medium tenor saxophone reed. I loved this reed because of the richness and character you can hear in the tone.
The second sound clip is with a softer Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 medium saxophone reed. This reed seemed to give me a fatter sound that I also dug. There is enough difference between these sound clips in tone and response that I thought it was important to include both clips, especially since some listeners like the sound of softer reeds and some like the sound of harder reeds.
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
In my opinion, the KPoudavoff Double Ring tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a great tenor saxophone mouthpiece for those looking for a mouthpiece that is similar if not exact to a vintage Otto Link Florida Double Ring “Super” Tone Master tenor saxophone mouthpiece. It has a full sound that leans to a darker and warmer tenor saxophone sound and has that classic tenor sound reminiscent of Dexter Gordon, Hank Mobley, Johnny Griffin, etc….. I would imagine with a harder reed and more air you could also get a brighter Coltrane kind of sound out of it.
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
Like an Otto Link “Super” Tone Master, the KPoudavoff has a neutral tenor sound that can be manipulated and shaped to the sound the player hears in their head. If your sound concept is brighter, like Coltrane, you can go that way with the KPoudavoff Double Ring mouthpiece. If you like a fatter sound like Dexter Gordon, you can go in that direction with this mouthpiece. The great advantage to Otto Link style tenor saxophone mouthpieces is that they allow you the freedom to shape and mold your own sound just the way you want it.
I wouldn’t choose to use the KPoudavoff Double Ring tenor saxophone mouthpiece on a loud Top 40 kind of gig because I don’t think it delivers enough volume and brightness for that type of gig but the KPoudavoff Double Ring mouthpiece would be right at home on a straight ahead jazz gig.
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
If you like the sound and look of the KPoudavoff Double Ring tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Kirill Poudavoff, you can order one from Kirill himself by contacting him via his email at kpoudavoff@gmail.com.
If you are lucky enough to play a KPoudavoff Double Ring tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments about this review, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review – Rigotti Gold 3 Medium Reed
KPoudavoff Florida Double Ring Otto Link Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review – Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Medium Reed
Kirill Poudavoff playing his Florida Double Ring Otto Link Metal Copy Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece