Mouthpieces Alto mouthpiece advice needed

young_col · Feb 1, 2009

Before OG puts the black spot on you Simon, let me say that you don't want to go to Croydon if you can help it, but do make an exception for Myall's shop (which is strictly South Croydon)! And it it is about a cold as Mars today as well.

Don't know where you are in Herts Lloyd, but I often do the journey from here (near the top of the M23) to Potters bar or Hatfield in about 1hr20 outside the rush hour on a good day (but 3hrs once on a bad day!) - it's pretty well equidistant East or West round the M25, about 65 miles. I could give you directions for a back route to Myall's in about 15 mins from here or the Croydon crew could no doubt provide safe passage!

Like Simon says, they are very enthusiastic but if you want to try mpcs they will give you a few and just let you get on with it in a practice room. I bought my Selmer Soloist C* there after a lot of trying out including a Meyer and Otto Link and some others (I forget which!).
Colin

Lockjaw · Feb 1, 2009

Sorry BTW - I forgot they have a London shop now! I was thinking of the original site which from memory was on a farm near Uckfield. Is it still there?

One time I had to be in Crawley early morning and thought 'it's only down the road, I'll pop in'. Very foolish. Before I made it back home the wife had declared me missing, remarried and had several more kids. Even worse, I had to cancel any mumber of gigs.

But I bought a great horn.

sax_starved · Feb 1, 2009

Not sure where I got Croydon from. Of course I meant Crowborough, which is East Sussex and nearly in Normandy. I may take a trip to Myatt's in Hitchin, which isn't too far from me and they seem to have a better range. In any case I think I may have reviewed my shortlist for the alto:

Selmer Soloist
Otto Link
Yanigasawa
Jody Jazz HR

The problem is I can't find anybody locally who stocks the Jody Jazz along with the others I want to try.

I'm probably going to leave the tenor for now as I have spent a couple of hours on my trusty Yamaha 5C and it sounded pretty good (for me). Then again..

young_col · Feb 1, 2009

Ah, Simon, that's because Jonathan Myall's good shop is in Croydon, but sax co is indeed in Crowborough - as you say, nearly in France, but that nice Nachoman and his colleagues will look after you well. Huge sax stock and accessories. And they do have a London shop.
Colin

sax_starved · Feb 1, 2009

Thanks Colin, but who's Simon?

Lockjaw · Feb 2, 2009

That would be me.

phil_edwards · Feb 2, 2009

Lockjaw wrote:
Sorry BTW - I forgot they have a London shop now! I was thinking of the original site which from memory was on a farm near Uckfield. Is it still there?

Well, the farms still there :laugh: but not the sax shop. Was a great place I always thought, but too right, not exactly a "just pop over there" from Crawley sort of location.

Phil (in Uckfield, which is nicely close to Crowborough, and absolutely nowhere near Normandy, thank you)

GJ77 · Feb 2, 2009

I played a Meyer 5m for nearly 20 years on alto (bought it new in 1990), and despite trying several others, couldn't find anything as good. However, I recently bought a Pillinger LA6*M and it's truly superb.

Nicely free blowing with a great variety of sounds easily achieved. It just does everything that I want it to.

old_git · Feb 2, 2009

Phil,
Reconsider please. Normandy is a village near Aldershot and therefore much nearer than you suggested. 😡

Glen,
Is that Pillinger the PPA under another name? 😉

young_col · Feb 2, 2009

....me replying to both Simon and Lloyd at the same time!

GJ77 · Feb 2, 2009

Who knows what the PPA will be like? But if this is a typical example of Ed's work it'll be good.

Just that little bit brighter than a Meyer, or the Pillinger NYA that I was sent on approval at the same time. Altissimo register pops out so easily, as do low end sub-tones. Seriously...try one.

I was going to get a PPA but I'm just far too impatient.

jonf · Feb 2, 2009

Sax Starved wrote:
I may take a trip to Myatt's in Hitchin, which isn't too far from me and they seem to have a better range.

I'd give them a call before travelling. This is a quote from their web site

"Note: We only have in stock a small selection of the listed instruments so please check before making a special journey!"

Don't know if that applies to mouthpieces too, but you might want to check first.

sax_starved · Feb 2, 2009

Thanks for your advice. The Phillinger is a bit more expensive then I wanted to pay; looking to keep it under the ?100 mark as I am sure there are good mouthpieces at this price for my standard. It's all a bit daunting, so I think I'll just mosey on down to a shop and blow a few.

justin_chune · Feb 2, 2009

Over time, practice will mellow your tone. You seem to have a very fine mouthpiece in your Yamaha 5c, so why bother changing?

However, none of the mouthpieces on your list will break the bank, and having two playable mouthpieces is a good thing. The Selmer C* is their popular alto piece. Don't forget to try the Yamaha 4c. 🙂

Good luck with your choice.

Jim.

sax_starved · Feb 2, 2009

Justin Chune wrote:
Over time, practice will mellow your tone. You seem to have a very fine mouthpiece in your Yamaha 5c, so why bother changing?

Good luck with your choice.

Jim.

Sorry Jim, may have misled you. My son and I share a TJ Revolution Horn. He uses a Yamaha 6C mpc and I use a Rico Graftonite B5. I borrowed his Yam recently and found it much easier to blow compared to the Graftonite, which seems very restrictive by comparison. So I want to upgrade my Rico and may as well go to something a little better than a student mouthpiece.

My preferred instrument is my BW Bronze tenor (which he is prohibited from touching on pain of death!), and on this I do use a Yamaha 5C mouthpiece, which I am staying with at the moment.

justin_chune · Feb 2, 2009

Och, let your laddie play the BW tenor, he's only young once. 🙂

The Yamaha 4c is their best seller for the the alto and might impress you as much as the 5c and 6c do, and save you a little dosh.

I'm sure that any of the mouthpieces on your list will do the job and give you years of pleasure.

Jim.

Bobby G · Feb 2, 2009

JonF wrote:

Sax Starved wrote:
I may take a trip to Myatt's in Hitchin, which isn't too far from me and they seem to have a better range.

Read more…

I'd give them a call before travelling. This is a quote from their web site

"Note: We only have in stock a small selection of the listed instruments so please check before making a special journey!"

Don't know if that applies to mouthpieces too, but you might want to check first.

Myatt's do usually have a fair few mouthpieces in. Did you get to your appointment with all this snow Lloyd?

Lockjaw · Feb 2, 2009

Just seen your tagline Bob - hadn't appreciated you were a devotee of Karl Marx!

Great quote though. He has a few more thoughts which are pretty pertinent in the current environment... but you're not going to get me started on discussions re. the inevitable decline of the global economy into barbarism...

'Cos that won't happen, will it?

[Apologies for the severe digression from topic!] >:)