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maynard-46 Heavyweight Member
Joined: 25 Oct 2002 Posts: 1846 Location: GEORGIA
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 5:05 pm Post subject: Zotolla mouthpieces |
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Quote: | Yeah many time i saw my dad bring out the homemade wine when a musician couldn't decide on a model |
Lol!!! Been there, done that with your Dad too, Glenn!!!
What about Wally Ballou...do you remember him??? He and I worked with Danny Stiles quite a bit and did the Club Bonet (sp?) in Jersey a few times.
Butch _________________ TRUMPE: YAMAHA Lacq. "Shew Gen II" / Legends .585 "CatMaster" Top / KT "RT#1" BB / Reeves #4.75 Sleeve.
FLUGELHORN: ADAMS Custom "F1" / Legends .585 "CatMaster" FL. |
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Brian Moon Heavyweight Member
Joined: 05 Sep 2004 Posts: 2785 Location: Detroit
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 5:21 pm Post subject: |
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VetPsychWars wrote: | Hi, Glenn. Nice to "meet" you.
You might be overreacting a little. There are lots of things that work that have explanations that aren't really right. That doesn't mean the people trying to make the explanations aren't sincere, wonderful people.
Tom |
Now what in the world are you saying Tom? He absolutely didn't overreact.
The patent is long gone. Anyone can make these mouthpieces under their own name. I have one. I don't like the V cup on mine. Are they all V cups? _________________ Either is fine. My chops always feel great
ObamaCare, a massive government takeover, a measure destroying jobs and the economy, a law designed to enslave the American people, an instrument of tyranny in the hands of criminal elitists. |
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glennzottola Regular Member
Joined: 04 Aug 2011 Posts: 23
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 5:40 pm Post subject: |
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Yes I do remember Wally ! Wow club Benet brings me back and I worked there with Danny. Poor Danny |
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VetPsychWars Heavyweight Member
Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 7196 Location: Greenfield WI
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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Brian Moon wrote: | VetPsychWars wrote: | Hi, Glenn. Nice to "meet" you.
You might be overreacting a little. There are lots of things that work that have explanations that aren't really right. That doesn't mean the people trying to make the explanations aren't sincere, wonderful people.
Tom |
Now what in the world are you saying Tom? He absolutely didn't overreact.
The patent is long gone. Anyone can make these mouthpieces under their own name. I have one. I don't like the V cup on mine. Are they all V cups? |
Brian, I was talking about the perceived attack on his father's integrity.
Nothing more.
Tom
(I might react the same way.) _________________ 1950 Buescher Lightweight 400 Trumpet
1949 Buescher 400 Trumpet
1939 Buescher 400 Cornet
GR65M, GR65 Cor #1 |
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glennzottola Regular Member
Joined: 04 Aug 2011 Posts: 23
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 6:18 pm Post subject: |
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let me help clarify this and the "attack" on my dad with the ridiculous data from this unknown repairman. As i mentioned my dad was a master machinist and engineer and anyone who visited him at his shop would see that. I watched him work for months on his tools and arbors for his back bore design and he was very fussy about dimensions etc. As i mentioned mouthpieces were a labor of love and his real income came from doing work for companies like IBM which were very strick regarding quality. I am a bit of a tool and die maker myself as my dad taught me so i am talking about his knowlege from the inside. None of this has to do with personal taste on mouthpieces or back boreetc. but what Hickman was relayed from that repairman by was so gross and off the mark i had to say something. I am glad it was pointed out it was 7 years ago but no less ignorant and inapropriate. Glenn |
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glennzottola Regular Member
Joined: 04 Aug 2011 Posts: 23
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plankowner110 Heavyweight Member
Joined: 12 Jun 2003 Posts: 3628
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 7:21 pm Post subject: |
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Glenn,
I really enjoyed this video of you and Suzanne Somers. Thanks for posting. BTW, which model Zottola do you play?
Bill _________________ C. G. Conn 60B Super Connstellation
Getzen 800S Eterna cornet |
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glennzottola Regular Member
Joined: 04 Aug 2011 Posts: 23
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 7:44 pm Post subject: |
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hi Bill ! Basically it is my dads 62C mouthpiece but it has a special backbore he was experimenting with in 79. I liked it a lot because it was more open and it gave the mouthpiece less resistance even though the diameter and cup was on the smaller side. That allowed me to pump as much air as I wanted through the horn. On some of my albums i play totally different than on this tune and the mouthpiece adjusts. I am a brass and reed doubler and i endorse instruments like that red trumpet and I have been offered a deal on a Glenn Zottola mouthpiece and if I do that I will use this mouthpiece as I have played it for over 30 years exclusively. Glenn |
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Brian Moon Heavyweight Member
Joined: 05 Sep 2004 Posts: 2785 Location: Detroit
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 7:48 pm Post subject: |
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very nice! The backbore sounds clean like I thought it would. _________________ Either is fine. My chops always feel great
ObamaCare, a massive government takeover, a measure destroying jobs and the economy, a law designed to enslave the American people, an instrument of tyranny in the hands of criminal elitists. |
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glennzottola Regular Member
Joined: 04 Aug 2011 Posts: 23
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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Absolutely and if I get a moment I will put another track on there from one of my albums so can hear what I am talking about. My approach to equipment is a little different. Most players like one signature sound. Maybe because I am double I like my equipment to shift with my mood. Glenn |
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glennzottola Regular Member
Joined: 04 Aug 2011 Posts: 23
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 9:13 pm Post subject: |
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Bill - this is from an album i did in the 80s before my mom and dad passed. The tune is "i can't give you anything but love" and was a tribute to both of them. I am playing alto sax and trumpet on this cut and using the Zottola mouthpiece as discussed. It allows me to adjust the "blow" to get different qualities to the sound depending on my mood.
Glenn Zottola
http://youtu.be/8Il15Oj2C9Y |
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maynard-46 Heavyweight Member
Joined: 25 Oct 2002 Posts: 1846 Location: GEORGIA
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:19 am Post subject: zottola mouthpieces |
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Glenn!
Damn...NICE playing on both!!!! Wally told me you were the real deal!! What TV show was that clip from???
BTW...I bet Mom and Dad had a tear in their eye at first listen to "I Can't Give You"!!! Good for them and good for you!!!
Butch _________________ TRUMPE: YAMAHA Lacq. "Shew Gen II" / Legends .585 "CatMaster" Top / KT "RT#1" BB / Reeves #4.75 Sleeve.
FLUGELHORN: ADAMS Custom "F1" / Legends .585 "CatMaster" FL. |
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glennzottola Regular Member
Joined: 04 Aug 2011 Posts: 23
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:43 am Post subject: |
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thanks Butch ! Suzaane Somers had a daytim talk show at universal studios and i was with her 9 years and we had a ball see link below. Yeah my mom and dad loved it and they taught me all those standards. Also my dads original instructions on playing jazz never left me even when i got into different kinds of music later "just embellish the melody like Louie". Glenn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPFc0RhBAok&feature=email |
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pepperdean Heavyweight Member
Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Posts: 650 Location: Johnson City, Texas
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 12:14 pm Post subject: |
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As I read the "attack" on Frank Zottola, I was shocked. What a crock. Here's my story:
In 1975, after several phone conversations, Frank invited me to visit him in Port Chester and plans were made. Upon arriving at his house, we were warmly welcomed. We sat down for some lunch and home-made wine. What a lovely meal and start to our visit. I had met Frank's son, Bobby ( maybe at Carmine Caruso's studio) and we listened to some Caruso interval exercises being played as we ate. It was Glenn practicing in another part of the house.
When we went into the shop, we were amazed at the creativity of Frank Zottola from the way he designed his cutting tools to cut and shape the step backbore. This was an achievement of great tool design and desire for quality control. He was truly an inventive gentleman.
Our idea was to create a small mouthpiece that had comfort and a big feel. We worked with the basic 62E design and sloped the rim 6 degrees from outside to in. This softened the bite and gave the small piece a big feel on the lips. The rim was slightly undercut which provided cup volume for a very shallow piece. This was a great mouthpiece for lead playing. We made several, each one .001 longer that the previous. Somehow, we settled on 3.375 for the length within +/- .003 inches. This quality control was unheard of in those days.
This post prompted me to pick up one of these pieces and give it a blow. Wow, is it comfortable on the lips. Makes me want to go back to playing mostly lead work.
The diagram of the day's work says I also ordered a 62D and 62C. Wish I knew where they were.
Glenn, good to hear from you. Hope all is well.
Alan |
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glennzottola Regular Member
Joined: 04 Aug 2011 Posts: 23
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 1:12 pm Post subject: |
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great story Al and thank you !!
Glenn
p.s. by the Carmine was another great human being and i brought him to the house to meet my dad and they really hit it off italian style. |
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lipshurt Heavyweight Member
Joined: 24 Feb 2008 Posts: 2642 Location: vista ca
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 1:15 pm Post subject: |
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pepperdean wrote: |
Our idea was to create a small mouthpiece that had comfort and a big feel. We worked with the basic 62E design and sloped the rim 6 degrees from outside to in. This softened the bite and gave the small piece a big feel on the lips. The rim was slightly undercut which provided cup volume for a very shallow piece. This was a great mouthpiece for lead playing. We made several, each one .001 longer that the previous. Somehow, we settled on 3.375 for the length within +/- .003 inches. This quality control was unheard of in those days.
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WOW, that whole things sounds a bit weird to me. Making several pieces and varying the total length by .001? But then only having a tolerance of within .003? That does not add up. Those number make no sense. Even if there were a reason to make a bunch of pieces with a total length .001 longer the previous, that would require a tolerance of a half-thousandth, or .0005,, and then you could end up with two pieces the exact same length.
Plus quality control of .003 has been around since something like the 1800's. (maybe even the 1700's!) In the 1960's tool and die guys routinely worked to .0005.
I could see a repair tech who new his way around mouthpieces telling mr Hickman that story. before I made my first backbore reamer, I made a backbore that was stepped by inserting every other numbered and lettered drill bit into a backbore i want to emulate and then marking how far it went in. Then I ran all those bits into a blank and ended up with a stepped backbore the same basic size as the piece i was copying. Guess what? It played great. About as good as any other backbore, but maybe or maybe not better. I would not be a bit surprised if every other mouthpiece maker who figures things out by themselves tried that first just to see what would happen. If that backbore played great, then you could make a stepped reamer, which would be quite a bit easier than making a curved reamer, and going with it. No doubt about it though, a stepped backbore is way easier to make than a curved one.
I am sure that Mr. Zottola could make a curved one of course cuz it's just not that hard. But the repair tech was just kind of stating the obvious when he said that the stepped backbore was easier to make than a curved one. He needs to be cut some slack too maybe. _________________ Mouthpiece Maker
vintage Trumpet design enthusiast
www.meeuwsenmouthpieces.com
www.youtube.com/lipshurt |
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maynard-46 Heavyweight Member
Joined: 25 Oct 2002 Posts: 1846 Location: GEORGIA
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 2:14 pm Post subject: zottola mouthpieces |
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Ah...geez...here we go again! There's ALWAYS one, Glenn!
Butch _________________ TRUMPE: YAMAHA Lacq. "Shew Gen II" / Legends .585 "CatMaster" Top / KT "RT#1" BB / Reeves #4.75 Sleeve.
FLUGELHORN: ADAMS Custom "F1" / Legends .585 "CatMaster" FL. |
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glennzottola Regular Member
Joined: 04 Aug 2011 Posts: 23
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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well Butch you know how the trumpet world is we are all crazy I was never into equipment on trumpet or saxophone maybe from seeing these guys come to my dad with boxes of mouthpiece I have played the same mouthpieces for 40 years on both sax and trumpet and once i find something i like i stick with it. Regarding this recent post you would have to be there and see the way my dad worked. He spent a lot of time making all his tools and all his backbore reemers were all one piece. I saw him machine those step back bore reemers from scratch and believe me those steps were subtle and not easy to do. Glenn |
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GordonH Heavyweight Member
Joined: 16 Nov 2002 Posts: 2895 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 11:54 pm Post subject: |
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When I started playing in big bands there were two camps:
The Jet-Tone guys
The Zottola guys
The Zottola guys were generally the ones who played the big lyrical solos. They all had a big sound. These mouthpieces were sold mainly by Bill Lewington and they sell for quite high prices second hand over here. I saw a 62A recently which is much deeper. |
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plp Heavyweight Member
Joined: 11 Feb 2003 Posts: 7023 Location: South Alabama
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 9:01 am Post subject: |
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Wow, very nice and tight, and the scenery wasn't bad, either...
I never knew Ms. Somers had those kind of pipes, thanks for posting.
I go the opposite direction from most of the Zottolas I've tried, to a small diameter, deep cup, open backbore cornet mouthpiece. That's just me, doesn't mean I don't hang on to several of your dad's mouthpieces in my collection. _________________ Since all other motives—fame, money, power, even honor—are thrown out the window the moment I pick up that instrument..... I play because I love doing it, even when the results are disappointing. In short, I do it to do it.” Wayne Booth |
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