Johannes Gerber Special Modification to Berg Larsen 105/2 SMS (28/2/2008)

This special service will cost you $350-00 for bronze and $400-00 for stainless steel.

I received this Berg Larsen 105/2 SMS to reface, and as you can see in this photo, it was in need of a tremendous amount of work. With the rails as skew and thick as they were, I recommended my JG Special modification for Berg Larsens. This procedure includes machining of the chamber and my full reface and tip opening change, because this 105/2 had a tip opening of only 0.096".

This procedure is a real challenge because stainless steel is extremely hard to work with when using small files and other abrasives. It requires patience, patience and more patience.

Look at the machine marks on the side rails, and see how the inside edge of the right rail was filed at an angle to most likely remove a bur.

The tip did not match a reed's shape remotely, and together with the convex table, this mouthpiece was sadly just not working.

After mounting the mouthpiece in a specially made tilting vice and carefully setting it up, it was time to machine the chamber to at least resemble 2 uniform side rails. These thinner rails mean nothing if the table is leaking, but once the table is reconstructed; the thin rails ensure faster response and a fuller sound.

The chamber is now symmetric with uniform side rails.

This thick part at the end of the window is a very good starting point to create a smooth transition from the chamber into the bore. Now some serious carving of the throat area starts.

After hours of precise filing of the baffle and tip rail, reconstruction of the facing and table using the most accurate Mitutoyo digital measuring tools, the mouthpiece has a new character and a beautiful balanced sound, with the best response you can imagine from a mouthpiece.