Mouthpieces Mouthpiece request and advice.

navarro · Nov 25, 2013

Evening all, over the past few months I have been using a Sharkbite metal alto 6 mouthpiece lower end of the price range. I feel very comfortable with this but I would like to purchase a better quality mouthpiece my budget is about Max £125.00 I have been looking at a Bari alto metal 5 which is in the price range. I need advice. Thanks in advance. Regards N.

Chris · Nov 25, 2013

For what it's worth Nav why don't you go to 'Howarths' or 'Sax.co.uk' take your horn with you and go try some out. No doubt you'll get some good recommendations from around here. So that would give you a good starting point to try..

Chris..

Colin the Bear · Nov 25, 2013

Sharkbite have a good reputation among owners. The price of a mouthpiece is irrelevant. If it suits you and offers playability and sound it's priceless. Make sure you don't chuck the sharkbite out for an inferior more expensive fashion icon with poor sound and face ache. Give everything a good blow before you buy unless you're buying second hand to try and resell.

navarro · Nov 26, 2013

Chris said:
For what it's worth Nav why don't you go to 'Howarths' or 'Sax.co.uk' take your horn with you and go try some out. No doubt you'll get some good recommendations from around here. So that would give you a good starting point to try..

Chris..

Thanks Chris I tried sax uk london shop but they were all in the 2 to 3 hundred price bracket. I have yet to try Howarth. Many thanks. N.

navarro · Nov 26, 2013

Colin the Bear said:
Sharkbite have a good reputation among owners. The price of a mouthpiece is irrelevant. If it suits you and offers playability and sound it's priceless. Make sure you don't chuck the sharkbite out for an inferior more expensive fashion icon with poor sound and face ache. Give everything a good blow before you buy unless you're buying second hand to try and resell.

Thanks Bear, good common sense advice one tends to be drawn in by the marketing blurbs. Regds. N.

Andrew Sanders · Nov 26, 2013

Hi Nav,
Do try the Eugene Rousseau mouthpieces. They are quite affordable.

I am using a Studio Jazz presently and it is a nice piece.

Pete has soundclips of the JDX on the Taming the Saxophone part of the site and seems quite impressed with it.

I think you can pick them up for well under a ton.

Andy

navarro · Nov 27, 2013

Andrew Sanders said:
Hi Nav,
Do try the Eugene Rousseau mouthpieces. They are quite affordable.

I am using a Studio Jazz presently and it is a nice piece.

Pete has soundclips of the JDX on the Taming the Saxophone part of the site and seems quite impressed with it.

I think you can pick them up for well under a ton.

Andy

Hi Andy, thanks I will give them a bash. Regds., N.

Jack · Dec 3, 2013

rico Makes a good cheap mp. I have had the best luck with Otto Link 6* metal, though.

DavidUK · Dec 4, 2013

I've been reading up on mouthpieces and looking at reviews of all sorts but I won't be buying any over £100 based on this research as I've now firmly formed the opinion that it's a lottery. It's OK buying a Sharkbite for £25 or a Bari Esprit for £15 but when you decide to go "upmarket" you can't afford to make mistakes and just shove it in a drawer if you don't like it. You have to get to a good retailer and try them out, as has been suggested. By the way, my research has lead me to hanker after a PPT mouthpiece for Tenor but these are unavailable for Alto for some strange reason?

trimmy · Dec 4, 2013

DavidUK said:
but these are unavailable for Alto for some strange reason?

This is due to bad negligence from that nice Mr Thomas :'(
Us alto players need to rebel !!

DavidUK · Dec 4, 2013

trimmy said:
This is due to bad negligence from that nice Mr Thomas :'(
Us alto players need to rebel !!

What, no practical reason you mean? I'm guessing this Mr Thomas doesn't have an interest in Alto saxes? Would I be correct?

Ivan · Dec 4, 2013

DavidUK said:
What, no practical reason you mean? I'm guessing this Mr Thomas doesn't have an interest in Alto saxes? Would I be correct?

Provocation

DavidUK · Dec 4, 2013

Ivan said:
Provocation

Enough?

Greg Strange · Dec 4, 2013

From the words of Mr. Thomas himself...

"Why no Alto PPT?
There are currently no plans for an alto mouthpiece. The soprano, tenor and baritone mouthpieces were developed purely for myself, not as a commercial venture, because I could not find any existing production mouthpieces that would perform the way I wanted. I could find great sounding mouthpieces but they were not versatile enough for the music I was commissioned to produce so I set about creating something. As I can find plenty of good alto mouthpieces that I like, including Selmer Soloist, RPC, Jody Jazz, Brancher and many others, it has not been a priority for me to “reinvent the wheel”, especially as PPT mouthpieces are completely non-profit making, I would find it difficult to find the time. One day…"

Greg S.

P.S. Pete's mouthpiece of choice for alto is a RPC.

DavidUK · Dec 4, 2013

Greg Strange said:
From the words of Mr. Thomas himself...

"Why no Alto PPT?
There are currently no plans for an alto mouthpiece. The soprano, tenor and baritone mouthpieces were developed purely for myself, not as a commercial venture, because I could not find any existing production mouthpieces that would perform the way I wanted. I could find great sounding mouthpieces but they were not versatile enough for the music I was commissioned to produce so I set about creating something. As I can find plenty of good alto mouthpieces that I like, including Selmer Soloist, RPC, Jody Jazz, Brancher and many others, it has not been a priority for me to “reinvent the wheel”, especially as PPT mouthpieces are completely non-profit making, I would find it difficult to find the time. One day…"

Greg S.

P.S. Pete's mouthpiece of choice for alto is a RPC.

Re. your "PS" I was about to ask whether Pete could offer a favoured Alto MP alongside his own and add any profits into the fund? Is he missing a money raising trick here?

kevgermany · Dec 4, 2013

Thanks Greg, was going to do the same thing until I saw you'd saved me the time.

trimmy · Dec 4, 2013

DavidUK said:
Re. your "PS" I was about to ask whether Pete could offer a favoured Alto MP alongside his own

Pete's alto shootout

http://tamingthesaxophone.com/saxophone-alto-mouthpiece-comparison

Greg Strange · Dec 4, 2013

kevgermany said:
Thanks Greg, was going to do the same thing until I saw you'd saved me the time.

No problems Kev.

I have a feeling if Pete starts offering a PPT alto piece based on a RPC, Ron Coelho may get a bit upset...could be trademark, copyright or patent issues

Greg S.

P.S. For people who don't know Ron Coelho is the guy who makes RPC mouthpieces.

Greg Strange · Dec 4, 2013

trimmy said:
Pete's alto shootout
http://tamingthesaxophone.com/saxophone-alto-mouthpiece-comparison

Good call. Plenty of good alto pieces around at reasonable prices...Meyer, Beechler, E. Rousseau, Otto Link, etc...to suit different playing styles and horns.

Greg S.

Lelly · Dec 9, 2013

OK, stupid question time: How does a metal mouthpiece differ playing wise from a plastic one? All of mine are plastic yet i see other players with the metal versions and I have been curious.

Lx