The answer is simple. After observing our players over a long period of time, we have come to the conclusion that it is best for almost everyone to aim for an intonation somewhere in between the two. The new second generation mouthpiece can best be described as a "forgiving plus model. We think you will like it.

More detailed explanation
If you are familiar with the first generation of mouthpieces, you know that they were offered in two versions, the Standard and the Plus Model. This allowed players to choose intonation and how to target the lower and higher registers according to their preferences.

This is an attempt to perfectly address the concerns of all players, regardless of their technique and especially their physical tension.
After three years of feedback from our customers and our own constant performance testing and research, we have figured out that there is a "sweet spot" that provides an optimal blowing experience for almost everyone.

This sweet spot is what leads you to where the notes of the harmonic series (especially the octaves) are in perfect harmony, while at the same time giving you the freedom to easily move the pitch up or down by ±7 cents.
...For example, if you are playing the third scale of a chord and would prefer to play it a little lower...
...or when you need to match the (slightly dubious) intonation of a fellow player for an ensemble. ......

This flexibility is very important.
The standard model mouthpiece included a slight handicap to make it more familiar to players who are "used to the traditional compressed intonation and do not want to change their playing style.
The Plus model, on the other hand, is set up to aim (or "push", as it were) for much lower pitches in the upper register. It encourages an excellent approach regardless of body tension or alignment, but at the cost of sounding "sharp" more often than not if you are not careful.

The second generation mouthpiece has been redesigned to be a perfect middle ground between these two configurations and is best described as a "forgiving plus model. It is easy to play and flexible enough to allow free control of the sound.
The new intonation settings have been extensively play-tested with players of all levels, and the results are unmistakable.
Both beginners and advanced players experienced excellent intonation in real playing with this mouthpiece. That's why we were confident enough to narrow it down to a single intonation setting. We are confident that the second generation LOTUS mouthpiece will enable you to play with better pitch balance than ever before.

At this time, we do not offer custom rims or copies. It may become feasible in the future, but time and cost considerations preclude us from dedicating ourselves to it at this time.
We encourage you to try the mouthpiece as is. If you still think it would be better to change the shape of the rim, please feel free to let us know. If many of you have the same request, we will be able to propose a solution.
*Compared to the 1st generation, the XL & L cups have a slightly better rim bite by changing the contour of the rim.

We do not offer custom throat sizes at this time. Maybe the throat size is not right for you? We recommend that you try the default first before deciding that it is. There are multiple parameters that determine how comfortable a mouthpiece is to blow, and throat is only one of them.
The shape of the front and back of the throat
Throat length
Shape of back bore in general
Gap between mouthpiece and instrument
etc., all of these affect the resistance and air flow.
We have done a tremendous amount of play testing with players ranging from superheroes to beginners. After confirming the best feel and sound for players of all levels, we determined the exact shape calculated and the perfect balance in each cup.
There are always exceptions, of course, but to maintain reasonable production and affordability during our development phase, we need to focus on the 99% of people who will find the feel and performance of these designs absolutely irresistible.
Rest assured, LOTUS mouthpieces do not have extremely large throats and will not take your breath away. Even if you are uncomfortable with the size of the throat, we are confident that you will like it after trying it for a while.

Our flugelhorn mouthpieces use a large shank (Yamaha shank).
We hope to offer more shanks in the future. We are planning to offer two types of shanks, Small (Buck) and French (Kennon) shanks, but we would like to give priority to the production of these shanks depending on the number of requests we receive.

Using the 4th valve is very easy: the rotary is more comfortable than the 4th piston, and the use of your left thumb will soon become second nature.

To practice, start by blowing a scale study of your choice. Try to blow in the range of the pedal. Choose an easy pattern and repeat it over and over again to get used to it. Also, bridge the pedal register with other registers. Try playing long scales and arpeggios from bottom to top and top to bottom. This is a great exercise, and the more notes you play, the more fun it will be.

As for musical repertoire, you can find endless inspiration from pieces written for clarinet and cello. They have many wonderful concertos and sonatas. For jazz players, the alto saxophone can play every note in its range. And you can cover many of the tenor saxophone's registers, too.

Jazz players are great to start with alto saxophone solos. Alto sax solos are usually in your normal range, except for the addition of pedal F, E, and Eb. The Charlie Parker Omni-Book is a great place to start. And don't forget to check out the tenor sax solos!

Our mouthpieces are just like an electrical outlet, just plug it in! You'll feel the upgrade right away. But here are some tips to help you not only get 100% of your mouthpiece's potential, but also play it better.