Lawton's Own Description of the Plain Model

Leaflet 1967: Round tone chamber for unrestricted air flow. Standard (brilliant)


Leaflet approx. 1978: Round tone chamber for unrestricted air flow. Plain numbers: Brilliant tone, slightly less edge.


Leaflet approx. 1989: Round tone chamber for unrestricted air flow. Plain numbers: Large chamber big darker tone.


Leaflet approx. 1990: Round tone chamber for unrestricted air flow. Plain numbers: Large chamber, low baffle. For big darker tone. Ideally suited for Orchestral, Classical and Jazz playing.

Lawton Soprano 6 (ebonite)

Timeline of Changes to Plain & Model B

From 1967 the tenor mouthpiece was offered in two types of tone chamber, the A (standard) and the B with more brightness/edge. The baritone and alto had the standard chamber design.

The B model proved to be more popular and so in the late 60s / early 70s Lawton standardised all three sizes (alto, tenor, baritone) on the popular design which became the new “Plain”.

In 1973 Lawton produced a design with more edge still and this became the “new” B model (tenor first and then alto and baritone a couple of months later), as Geoff said: “with what I consider to possess the maximum edge that I would wish to incorporate into my mouthpieces.”

In 1984 the design of the “Plain” models was changed by using “a slightly lower baffle” and “opening the throat a trifle to give a slightly fuller, darker sound”. This made for a greater difference in sound between the Plain and the B or BB models. The throat modification was also said to help intonation on the soprano.

Lawton Tenor 7

Notes

  1. Slight baffle sloping down into a medium-large chamber with slightly rounded-out sidewalls. Transition into the chamber is sometimes a very smoothed-off bullet shape.

  2. Throat only slightly narrower than bore and somewhat oval in shape.

Lawton Baritone 7 (silver plated)

Lawton Alto 6 STAR (silver plated bronze)