Mouthpieces Kanee Mouthpiece Pass-Around - Tenor pieces reviews

[nigeld]

Kanee Tenor Mouthpieces - Nigel's Impressions

My experience: Amateur - 4 years
My current mouthpiece is an Aizen LS 7*

There are three tenor mouthpieces in the Kanee pass-around:
Florida 6* Medium Chamber
Florida 8* Large Chamber
Studio 7 Large Chamber

Caveat: I am a relatively inexperienced amateur, and I didn't try these mouthpieces for very long, so my impressions are not well-founded. But as I see it, part of the point of a pass-around like this is to get impressions from people with various levels of ability.

I found all three to be very easy to play - no sqeaking or other problems. They are not fussy - I could just put them on the sax and blow. In fact they were a little easier to play than my normal Aizen mouthpiece. And I was able to use the same reed strength for all three. Of course I expect that I would be able to get more out of them with experience, but I didn't feel that I needed to spend a lot of time to get started.

I tried the Florida 6* Medium Chamber first, and it is too bright for my taste. Some people may like it, but I want more body in the low notes. However I didn't play it for long enough to get the best out of it - I could hear that I was beginning to get a bit more body and depth as I played it more.

Then I tried the Studio 7 Large Chamber. This is a bright buzzy mouthpiece with a pronounced baffle. I didn't like it, but this is not in any way a criticism of the mouthpiece. It is presumably designed to produce a bright tone with good projection, and it is not what I am looking for. Other people will probably love it, but I can't really say much more because I don't play that sort of mouthpiece.

So at this point I was feeling a bit disappointed, but then I tried the Florida 8* Large Chamber, and it is great!
I had expected that this mouthpiece would be too wide for me to play comfortably, but it was fine, and it produces a big warm sound, with a bit of edge. It is louder and has more projection than my normal mouthpiece and it was great fun to play. If I wanted to play solos in a band and be heard, then this would be a good mouthpiece for that. But it can also produce rich, quiet low tones - it is equally capable loud or soft. This is not a mouthpiece I would choose for blending in a quartet, but I thoroughly enjoyed playing it. At the price it is a steal - it would be worth it for twice as much.

I tried various reeds with the Florida 8*, and my favourite by far was Vandoren Java Green. This is what I play normally. A D'Addario Select Jazz reed that sounds fine on my normal mouthpiece seemed rather uninteresting on the Kanee. But it felt too hard for the 8* tip opening, and I didn't have a softer one to hand, so that was not really a fair test.

 

[nigeld]

It would be interesting if anyone in the Kanee pass-around has a D’Addario tenor mouthpiece and could compare it with the Kanee.
I suspect the Kanee would do well in the comparison.

 

[Keep Blowing]

Kanee Tenor Mouthpieces - Nigel's Impressions

My experience: Amateur - 4 years
My current mouthpiece is an Aizen LS 7*

There are three tenor mouthpieces in the Kanee pass-around:
Florida 6* Medium Chamber
Florida 8* Large Chamber
Studio 7 Large Chamber

Caveat: I am a relatively inexperienced amateur, and I didn't try these mouthpieces for very long, so my impressions are not well-founded. But as I see it, part of the point of a pass-around like this is to get impressions from people with various levels of ability.

I found all three to be very easy to play - no sqeaking or other problems. They are not fussy - I could just put them on the sax and blow. In fact they were a little easier to play than my normal Aizen mouthpiece. And I was able to use the same reed strength for all three. Of course I expect that I would be able to get more out of them with experience, but I didn't feel that I needed to spend a lot of time to get started.

I tried the Florida 6* Medium Chamber first, and it is too bright for my taste. Some people may like it, but I want more body in the low notes. However I didn't play it for long enough to get the best out of it - I could hear that I was beginning to get a bit more body and depth as I played it more.

Then I tried the Studio 7 Large Chamber. This is a bright buzzy mouthpiece with a pronounced baffle. I didn't like it, but this is not in any way a criticism of the mouthpiece. It is presumably designed to produce a bright tone with good projection, and it is just not what I am looking for. Other people will probably love it, but I can't really say much more because I don't play that sort of mouthpiece.

So at this point I was feeling a bit disappointed, but then I tried the Florida 8* Large Chamber, and it is great!
I had expected that this mouthpiece would be too wide for me to play comfortably, but it was fine, and it produces a big warm sound, with a bit of edge. It is louder and has more projection than my normal mouthpiece and it was great fun to play. If I wanted to play solos in a band and be heard, then this would be a good mouthpiece for that. But it can also produce rich, quiet low tones - it is equally capable loud or soft. This is not a mouthpiece I would choose for blending in a quartet, but I thoroughly enjoyed playing it. At the price it is a steal - it would be worth it for twice as much.

I tried various reeds with the Florida 8*, and my favourite by far was Vandoren Java Green. This is what I play normally. A D'Addario Select Jazz reed that sounds fine on my normal mouthpiece seemed rather uninteresting on the Kanee. But it felt too hard for the 8* tip opening, and I didn't have a softer one to hand, so that was not really a fair test.

Thanks for the feedback it is very much appreciated.... My favourite of the three is the Florida Medium Chamber, its great for sub-toning, I am a naturally non - bright player and this gives me a bit of a lift.. I use Rico Royal 3 or La Voz Medium hard , I have never got one with Vandoren Reeds but I really must try some different ones. It will be interesting to see what other reeds people are using and how they work with the Kanee Mouthpieces. When I first tried the Studio it was a bit of a surprise how bright and buzzy it was, after a while I really got to like it.

 

[nigeld]

Thanks for the feedback it is very much appreciated.... My favourite of the three is the Florida Medium Chamber, its great for sub-toning, I am a naturally non - bright player and this gives me a bit of a lift.. I use Rico Royal 3 or La Voz Medium hard , I have never got one with Vandoren Reeds but I really must try some different ones. It will be interesting to see what other reeds people are using and how they work with the Kanee Mouthpieces. When I first tried the Studio it was a bit of a surprise how bright and buzzy it was, after a while I really got to like it.

Yes, for the people who want this sort of buzzy mouthpiece, the Kanee Studio is one to try. I think it will suit a lot of players.

I can see why you would like the medium chamber Florida. Personally I go for dark, so the large chamber 8 was the one for me, but if someone wants a lighter tone then the 6 would be good. A 7 or 7* might suit me as well.

 

[JazzMatt]

My take on things:

Experience: Amateur player. Been playing just less than 2 years
Sax: Trevor James SR
Current Mouthpiece: Morgan 6MLL (Now known as the Florida), which has a 0.090" tip opening
Reed: La Voz Medium

Studio 7
Found it a nice easy blow and the increase in tip opening from my usual m/p was imperceptible. However, with it being a high baffle piece it really was bright, too bright for my liking. There was a definite edge to the sound too and could really be pushed. I can see how this would really be useful for certain gigs, but it doesn't lend itself to the sound concept I want to achieve.

There is a nice roundness to the core when you lay back but it doesn't take much to tip it into a really brash piece.

Florida 8*M
This had a nice balanced sound, not too bright, but not too dark - it's ballpark to my current m/p. It has a nice core sound, but it did not quite have the overall fullness of tone I get from my Morgan - though it is a third of the price. It did blend well when played in a section too. It was an easy play from top to bottom, despite it being quite a bit more open than my Morgan, it did not feel as big a stretch as I imagined it would be, although there were a few squeaks I put this down to it being a more open tip and they certainly subsided after a while, once I got used to the piece. When pushed it certainly comes alive but still maintains a more mellow core.

As an aside, this one was my dad's favourite; he prefers a more mellow tone as the bright tones play havoc with his hearing aid!

If you were dabbling with a mouthpiece with a larger tip opening this would be a good, cost effective, solution.

Florida 6*M
Easier to play than the 8*, being closer to my current set up. However, it was very much brighter than the 8*, but still had a real warmth to the core of the tone. Pushing it you can really brighten it up, conversely when laying back it 'mellows out'.

No squeaks on this one and it was a very easy, and comfortable, play up and down the register with some very nice subtones.

As this is pretty close to my current set up, with regards to tip opening, it compares quite well. However, it lacked a certain something for me, similar to the 8*. It does its job well without giving you that 'wow' factor you get with certain mouthpieces.

The fact we all look for something different in our sound concept and we all have differing physiology means there will always be the need for a smorgasbord of pieces.

It was a very interesting exercise and appreciate the opportunity to try these out. It has, however, solidified my view that I did buy the right one, for now, when I got the Morgan. It gives me the sound I want and feels a bit better made.

 

[sax panther]

Horn - Trevor James SR
Reed used - Plasticover 3
Usual mouthpieces - Guardala Studio and Berg 110/2

Hi

Had a quick play of these tenor pieces and made some very quick recordings - nothing fancy, just noodling around on whatever came to mind. Soundcloud links are hopefully embedded in the reviews - first time I've tried it! They're not great recordings, and I'm not a good saxophonist, but hopefully the recordings give you a feel for the different sound of each mouthpiece.

Would have ideally liked to take these to a few different band rehearsals instead of just playing in the spare room, or done a proper recording of a tune with a backing track, but there's a big queue so I'll keep the pass around moving!

Studio 7 - Large Chamber

This is my cup of tea. I'm a bright player, and I'm required to be noisy in most of the gigs I do. In a comparison against my Guardala Studio, it probably lacked a bit of volume and fatness, and was a bit less bright (some would say that's a good thing)...but this costs 20% of what the Guardala does and gives me 90% of what the Guardala offers. Probably a bit easier to play too, in the lower register. It's naturally a punchy piece but you can get mellow on it if you back off. I'm not going to sell my guardala and replace with one of these, but I'd be quite happy gigging on one, and if you're a player who occasionally would like to have access to an edgier mouthpiece for certain gigs, and doesn't want to spend a fortune, then this should be on your list of things to try. Would be interesting to try one in a slightly bigger tip size, closer to what I'm used to.

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Florida 6*

Wasn't massively keen on this one - nothing wrong with it, just seemed a bit lifeless to me. I didn't spend too much time on this one. Ideally I'd have had a harder reed to test this out with.

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Florida 8

Not the kind of piece I usually play on, but this was fun, and had a nice fat sound. Big contrast with the studio. Makes you want to just play laid back stuff and enjoy the sound - lush and warm. I imagine this would be great in a jazz quartet where you're taking the lead, or perhaps a big band.

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So in summary, there are two pieces here that I really liked. The other piece I tested recently and liked was the D'addario jazz select D7M, which sound and feel wise for me sits between the studio and the florida 8. When you think that I could buy both of these pieces and a box of 10 reeds for £200, I think these are really good value.

 

[trimmy]

Good summary and a good sound on all three

Not the kind of piece I usually play on,

Well maybe you should

 

[sax panther]

Good summary and a good sound on all three


Well maybe you should

you charmer

 

[Jeanette]

@sax panther that Florida 8 suits you

Jx

 

[sax panther]

can anyone smell GAS?

 

[saxyjt]

can anyone smell GAS?

All the way to France!

 

[David Dorning]

Testing 6 pieces was quite a challenge on a busy weekend! Not enough time but here are my impressions.

The tenor pieces were all easy to blow with a ZZ 2.5. The 8* was noticeably darker than the others, fuller and less raspy on the bell notes. Having recently upgraded my tenor I am currently finding a lot more power at the bottom end, and whereas the 6* and 7 seemed to supercharge it, the 8* helped to control it. The 8* also sounded much better at the top end than the 7 or 6*, with a fuller tone right up to high F# (my Buescher doesn’t have a high F# key but that is an easy altissimo to hit). I found altissimo high G, which is much more of a challenge, easier (or less difficult) with them all than my regular Yani HR5. They were all dynamically responsive. The 8* was my favourite at both top and bottom ends.

The alto pieces were all comfortable to play with a ZZ 2.5 reed. The NY6 felt very similar to my current Jody Jazz HR5 piece which I’m quite happy with. The Studio 8 piece felt a bit brighter to me than the NY8 and of the three I preferred it, although that could just be because it was a bit more different from my usual piece than any of the others. I didn’t feel any of them was any better than my JJ, but neither was any of them noticeably more difficult to play.

Thanks for the opportunity to try them!

 

[Keep Blowing]

Testing 6 pieces was quite a challenge on a busy weekend! Not enough time but here are my impressions.

The tenor pieces were all easy to blow with a ZZ 2.5. The 8* was noticeably darker than the others, fuller and less raspy on the bell notes. Having recently upgraded my tenor I am currently finding a lot more power at the bottom end, and whereas the 6* and 7 seemed to supercharge it, the 8* helped to control it. The 8* also sounded much better at the top end than the 7 or 6*, with a fuller tone right up to high F# (my Buescher doesn’t have a high F# key but that is an easy altissimo to hit). I found altissimo high G, which is much more of a challenge, easier (or less difficult) with them all than my regular Yani HR5. They were all dynamically responsive. The 8* was my favourite at both top and bottom ends.

The alto pieces were all comfortable to play with a ZZ 2.5 reed. The NY6 felt very similar to my current Jody Jazz HR5 piece which I’m quite happy with. The Studio 8 piece felt a bit brighter to me than the NY8 and of the three I preferred it, although that could just be because it was a bit more different from my usual piece than any of the others. I didn’t feel any of them was any better than my JJ, but neither was any of them noticeably more difficult to play.

Thanks for the opportunity to try them!

You are very welcome and thanks for your feedback. Anyone else on the Pass-Around please keep the Mouthpieces as long as you need , I don't want you to feel rushed.

Keep Blowin'
Russ

 

[MMM]

Similar to the alto pieces, all of them looked well finished. One small criticism: I noticed was that not all of them ( I forget which) had the table/rail the same width as my reeds (i.e.: the table was wider than the reed).

Play tested using "well used" Legere Studio 2.25 and newish Legere Signature 2.25

Florida 6* Medium Chamber: nice easy blow, but this felt a bit "ordinary" to me, didn't grab me at all, sorry! Maybe in a wider facing?

Florida 8* Large Chamber: this was much more satisfying to blow, I've never played a Slant Link (which I think inspires this model) but have been playing a Vandoren V16 T7 (which is inspired by the Link) for a while and this compares well (maybe I would've preferred a 7/7*, as the 8 facing sometimes felt like hard work). It gave me that nice hard bop "tenor" sound (yes, I know, it would wouldn't it!)

Studio 7 Large Chamber: now this I really enjoyed! Plenty of volume, but also very controllable, backs off easily and can be played quietly too. I have recently acquired a D'Addario D7M which I think can be compared to this. I would say there is little between them, but (maybe because I am more used to the D7M) I felt the D7M to have more depth and tonal qualities. I would be very happy playing the Studio and if I had tried it before the D7M, I would have probably gone for it!

As well as testing with the two reeds, I also tested using both a "BG" soft ligature and a metal Vandoren Optimum: these had an effect on the tone as much as the reeds. The Optimum with the Studio reed were brightest setup, BG Ligature with the "Signature" reed the darkest. So even more permutations to the tone: granted not massive, but still quite discernible and changed also the response of the mouthpiece.

Thank you for letting me try these pieces, it is always good to compare new equipment with what one is used to and hear the differences in sound and capabilities.

In summary, all 3 very valid mouthpieces and certainly worth more than their price tag. For anyone who is mouthpiece shopping on a modest budget, these are well worth considering..
Cheers, M.

 

[Keep Blowing]

Similar to the alto pieces, all of them looked well finished. One small criticism: I noticed was that not all of them ( I forget which) had the table/rail the same width as my reeds (i.e.: the table was wider than the reed).

Play tested using "well used" Legere Studio 2.25 and newish Legere Signature 2.25

Florida 6* Medium Chamber: nice easy blow, but this felt a bit "ordinary" to me, didn't grab me at all, sorry! Maybe in a wider facing?

Florida 8* Large Chamber: this was much more satisfying to blow, I've never played a Slant Link (which I think inspires this model) but have been playing a Vandoren V16 T7 (which is inspired by the Link) for a while and this compares well (maybe I would've preferred a 7/7*, as the 8 facing sometimes felt like hard work). It gave me that nice hard bop "tenor" sound (yes, I know, it would wouldn't it!)

Studio 7 Large Chamber: now this I really enjoyed! Plenty of volume, but also very controllable, backs off easily and can be played quietly too. I have recently acquired a D'Addario D7M which I think can be compared to this. I would say there is little between them, but (maybe because I am more used to the D7M) I felt the D7M to have more depth and tonal qualities. I would be very happy playing the Studio and if I had tried it before the D7M, I would have probably gone for it!

As well as testing with the two reeds, I also tested using both a "BG" soft ligature and a metal Vandoren Optimum: these had an effect on the tone as much as the reeds. The Optimum with the Studio reed were brightest setup, BG Ligature with the "Signature" reed the darkest. So even more permutations to the tone: granted not massive, but still quite discernible and changed also the response of the mouthpiece.

Thank you for letting me try these pieces, it is always good to compare new equipment with what one is used to and hear the differences in sound and capabilities.

In summary, all 3 very valid mouthpieces and certainly worth more than their price tag. For anyone who is mouthpiece shopping on a modest budget, these are well worth considering..
Cheers, M.

Thank you very much for the reviews, it is very much appreciated!

Regards
Russ

 

[Halfers]

Horn: Yamaha YTS 280
Playing: 9 Months
Usual Mouthpiece: Yamaha 4C

My only experience of playing another mouthpiece is my teachers Otto Link and a Vandoren V16 T6, which I bought 4 Months ago. I don't like the sound I make on the Vandoren (too bright and brash and it's uncomfortable in my mouth). I fell victim to GAS and it didn't pay off!

The Pass Around box landed on my doorstep just as I was going out for a lesson, so I took the pieces with me to get some feedback from my Teacher. Pretty quickly, I found that the Florida 6 and Studio 7 were just too bright for me. They blew well and felt comfortable to play, but they were as bright, if not brighter than the sound I get from the Vandoren V16.

The 8* Florida produced a huge sound. A bit too big at first. My Teacher was concerned that the opening is huge for a newbie and I had a bit of a play before swapping back to my 4C for the rest of my lesson.

I decided to have another play yesterday and I found the Florida 6 and Studio 7 to still be too bright for me, even having swapped reeds around.

After a bit of a warm up, The Florida 8* started to produce a really nice sound. According to the website, this mouthpiece has a 0.115 inch opening, which is twice that of my 4C. However, it doesn't feel huge in the mouth. In fact it feels more comfortable than the Vandoren v16, which has a considerably smaller opening.

I like the sound I get from this. It's nice and warm without the brashness I get from the V16. Low notes are punchy and the highs pop out. Articulation is easy and I didn't find the large opening had any negative impact on my embouchure. I swapped a few reeds. A Vandoren ZZ 3 was too hard. A Alexander Superial 2 was too soft. A Vandoren Java 2 was a bit buzzy (could get some interesting noises out of this when I started pushing it). Best reed for me was a Vandoren Traditional 2.5. My newbie attempts at growling and overtones, bending notes etc produced good results.

I can't speak from a great deal of experience of playing different mouth pieces, but I can say that the Florida 8* allowed me, for the first time to feel like I was expressing myself, rather than just playing. It's a lot more versatile than the Yam 4C and I found it great fun to play. I'd be interested in trying out the 6* or 7 pieces as I feel in the long run, these might be a better choice, if they produced the same sound as the 8* does.
I'm going to have another play around tomorrow. Thanks for the opportunity

 

[kevgermany]

My Teacher was concerned that the opening is huge for a newbie and I had a bit of a play before swapping back to my 4C for the rest of my lesson.

There are some people who find wider tips easier when they start. I didn't really get going well until I moved larger, some of the other members also. Play what works.

 

[saxyjt]

The 8* Florida produced a huge sound. A bit too big at first. My Teacher was concerned that the opening is huge for a newbie and I had a bit of a play before swapping back to my 4C for the rest of my lesson.

Did your teacher try them?

Mine wouldn't touch them. She's very classical in her sound concept, not adventurous at all when it comes to gear and she frowns everytime I show up with a new mouthpiece. Yesterday I came with a white Brilhart Tonalin, so she spotted the 'loony' immediately! And was scared to hear what came out of it... But that's a relatively closed one and despite the small baffle I added with bluetack it's far from being a screamer.

But I'll definitely bring the Kanees when I get them. Starting with the brightest, just to have a bit of fun!

A few years ago, I surprised her with a Meyer G on Alto and it was hilarious...

She's young and very nice, but soooo conservative when it comes to saxophone sound and gear.

 

[Halfers]

Did your teacher try them?

No, he didn't try them. It was more a time thing, rather than him being averse to looking at new gear. We spent 20 minutes of the hour lesson changing the mouthpieces over. Also, his teaching room is very sound reflective, so he encouraged me to play them at home in a different environment and spend some time with them.

 

[Targa]

Did your teacher try them?

Mine wouldn't touch them. She's very classical in her sound concept, not adventurous at all when it comes to gear and she frowns everytime I show up with a new mouthpiece. Yesterday I came with a white Brilhart Tonalin, so she spotted the 'loony' immediately! And was scared to hear what came out of it... But that's a relatively closed one and despite the small baffle I added with bluetack it's far from being a screamer.

But I'll definitely bring the Kanees when I get them. Starting with the brightest, just to have a bit of fun!

A few years ago, I surprised her with a Meyer G on Alto and it was hilarious...

She's young and very nice, but soooo conservative when it comes to saxophone sound and gear.

Ask her to close her eyes while you try a new mouthpiece so that she isn't influenced by the look of it, then blow a kazoo and a swanee whistle.