Mouthpieces Affordable alto mouthpieces

[RMorgan]

Hi folks,

How are you?

Well, I´m looking forward to buy a new alto mouthpiece, but I don´t have much money to invest right now.

Do you have any recommendation of an affordable mouthpiece for alto?

I´m looking for something dark/natural; I´m not really a fan of bright tones.

I´m playing my recently overhauled Harwood Professional, which is a Buescher Stencil, from around 1920. So, I don´t want a mouthpiece that adds too much color to its tone; I just want something that plays well and keeps the instrument´s tone as close to natural as possible.

Thanks in advance,

Raf.

Ps: If some of you have a nice alto mouthpiece for sale for a good price, feel free to send me a private message.

 

[Clivey]

Hi folks,

How are you?

Well, I´m looking forward to buy a new alto mouthpiece, but I don´t have much money to invest right now.

Do you have any recommendation of an affordable mouthpiece for alto?

I´m looking for something dark/natural; I´m not really a fan of bright tones.

I´m playing my recently overhauled Harwood Professional, which is a Buescher Stencil, from around 1920. So, I don´t want a mouthpiece that adds too much color to its tone; I just want something that plays well and keeps the instrument´s tone as close to natural as possible.

Thanks in advance,

Raf.

Ps: If some of you have a nice alto mouthpiece for sale for a good price, feel free to send me a private message.

I `m not a Mp guy but I just got a Graftonite A5 tenor piece to muck about with and it`s a nice dark piece with a larger chamber which seems to be what you need on vintage horns from what I read on the internet.

It cost me less than $20 dollars shipped from the USA to the UK thats V. good for a Rico branded MP.

 

[RMorgan]

Thanks Clivey,

I´ll check the Graftone. They´re pretty cheap indeed.

How about those Brilhard Ebolin, ever played one? A friend is offering me one for cheap, a n4, to be exact.

Cheers,

Raf.

 

[kevgermany]

Graftonites were designed by the same Brilhart... Also the Metalites. The Graftonites and metalites are good value and play well. The ebolins I've not tried, but and old Personaline W (tonalin) was the sweetest sounding mouthpiece I tried on alto. I'd try the ebolin. It's not so much what other people think, it's what suits you.

 

[TomMapfumo]

If you are after a Rico Graftonite then they are available in the UK for little money (£14.40) - http://www.rapidreeds.com/rico-alto-saxophone-mouthpiece-graftonite. I recently did a comparison of a Rico Graftonite B5 with a Bari Esprit II (£14.00) and the Windcraft (£14.30) and the Bari was an easy winner in my opinion. Amongst others they are available at Ackerman's Music - Bari Esprit Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece. The Windcraft is available at Dawkes - http://www.dawkes.co.uk/accessories/windcraft+alto+sax+mouthpiece%2c+student+plastic+-amw401.html I would also highly recommend a Clark Fobes Debut mouthpiece, which I could easily send you on a free trial. It is personally hand finished by Clark himself and has a good sound. PM me if you would like a trial.

But if you want a decent dark sound then get the Bari Esprit II with a Rovner Dark ligature and some Rico Hemke reeds.
Kind regards
Tom

 

[altissimo]

Give the Brlhart Ebolin a go and see how it plays on your sax. Or you could try a Runyon 22

 

[Colin the Bear]

I tried the rico graftonite but was tempted by the metalite and am very pleased with tone and playability. I got mine from Thomann.

 

[RMorgan]

I tried the rico graftonite but was tempted by the metalite and am very pleased with tone and playability. I got mine from Thomann.

Hey mate,

I got myself a metalite a couple of days ago but really didn´t like it.

Its tone is too bright for my taste, too much projection as well. It made my alto sound too artificial.

For now, my preferred mouthpiece for my alto is a cheap "woodwind company vito II". Really nice, natural tone and very easy to play.

Cheers,

Raf.

 

[Jazzaferri]

You might see if you can find a decent old Selmer Elkhart ..... Definitely goes with more of the old school sound and unlike the tenor versions which are trea expensive they are still reasonably priced.

 

[RMorgan]

Hey guys,

How about the Bari Rubber? Does anyone here has ever played one of them?

The Bari Esprit is considerably cheaper and I´ve heard many good things about it, so is the Bari Rubber any better? Is it worth the price?

By the way, is there any big difference between the Esprit I and II?

Cheers,

Raf.

 

[zannad]

Hey guys,

How about the Bari Rubber? Does anyone here has ever played one of them?

The Bari Esprit is considerably cheaper and I´ve heard many good things about it, so is the Bari Rubber any better? Is it worth the price?

By the way, is there any big difference between the Esprit I and II?

Cheers,

Raf.

It's refreshing to see a bit of diversification in here - several names made and no one mentioned the ubiquitous Meyer for Altos?! (Alleluyah!)

Never tried those Bari's but apparently they do a good job on Sopranos (so I'm going to try one of these with my newly bought Rampone & Cazzani sop).

Tried a couple of Ebolin for both Alto and Tenor...not much really - just middle of the road and easy to blow - but in all honestly the Graftonites offer the same at a better price and also offer more uniformity in their markings - an Ebolin 3 might have the same tip opening and facing of an Ebolin 5 (very random indeed).
The Metalites (among my favourites) are the off roads of the affordable bunch...I dare to state that in many ways these might be the off roads of the whole pack as these are really unique - even more blazoned pieces can't compete in versatility dynamic volume offered by the Metalites (but I'm not an expert on hyper priced mouthpieces...so, at a price there might be better options out there).
Bambers offer a better alternative to the Ebolin or Graftonites in my opinion - dark and surprisingly smooth and warm...but difficult to find (these were sold cheaply from a shop in the USA until recently) - if you google a bit you might still find some bargains out there - still people are starting to realize how good these are and prices might be on the rise by now.
The Jody Jazz Classic it's very versatile might not be that affordable but if you check the second hand market there might be some good deals...
The Vandorens too can be found at affordable prices in the second hand market - I have several Java's and V16 - they all deliver the goods...very clean and reliable stuff - apparently the best stock pieces in the market for consistency (unlike the Meyers).