New Otto Link Florida Babbitt

New Otto Link Florida Babbitt

Otto Link moved once again in 1974 to Elkhart, Indiana when it was bought out by J.J. Babbitt where it remains today. The result was the vintage 'Early Babbitt' Super Tone Master mouthpieces. These are considered to be the last great vintage mouthpieces that were manufactured by Otto Link. To the naked eye these mouthpieces seem almost identical to current production STMs, but they are actually very different.

Otto

Otto Link mouthpieces moved from Florida to Elkhart, Indiana in 1973. The company (JJ Babbitt) was founded by Mr Jessie James Babbitt and his family in 1919 and is still family owned and operated. Pictured are members of the founding family of JJ Babbitt in front of the manufacturing site for Otto Link, Meyer and other mouthpieces. In 1955 the Otto Link company moved from New York to Pompano Beach, Florida. The easiest noticeable difference in the mouthpieces is the New York stamp that used to be on the shank was removed. There were some things that crossed over in the transition, but eventually clear difference. This mouthpiece was made by CE Winds and was a prototype for a copy of the Early Babbitt / Florida blank Otto Link blank straight signature hard rubber piece that is so popular with professional tenor players world wide. They nailed a very exact copy of a link that was in their possession and had. Introducing the FL (Florida) Otto Link for tenor saxophone, in celebration of the 100th anniversary. Developed over several years, the new FL Otto Link is a superb blend of professional musician input and skilled jj Babbitt craftsmanship.

Florida

Charecteristics of Early Babbitt Super Tone Masters:

  • Tight fit on neck explained below
  • Larger facing stamp
Florida

The facing stamp changed to a much larger font on the 'Early Babbitt' models in comparison to the 'Florida' vintage pieces. These mouthpieces also had a smaller bore design in comparison to the 'Florida' vintage Super Tone Masters. Because of this there is a noticeable difference in the way 'Early Babbitt' and 'Florida' vintage mouthpieces fit on necks. 'Early Babbitt' mouthpieces are always quite a bit more snug on the neck than 'Florida' STMs.

The baffle changed once again to more of a step baffle, producing a brighter sound, with even more projection. 'Early Babbitt' Otto Links are often considered by many players to be kind of the unsung heroes of the vintage Link family. If you can find a really good 'Early Babbitt' it might be better than a lot of 'Florida' and 'New York' vintage pieces.

Florida

Otto Link also changed their ligatures once again, making the top screw much larger.

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Otto Link moved once again in 1974 to Elkhart, Indiana when it was bought out by J.J. Babbitt where it remains today. The result was the vintage 'Early Babbitt' Super Tone Master mouthpieces. These are considered to be the last great vintage mouthpieces that were manufactured by Otto ... [more]

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