Mouthpieces Needing a setup for my new tenor... where to start?!

[WyvernStunt]

Hello everyone,

I've read these forums for a while now but only just thought of joining because I have reached a crucial stage in my saxophonist timeline- I've decided to switch from alto to tenor.

I've been playing my school's tenor for about a year in various bands, and I much prefer it to my Alto. It was actually less expensive but I feel that I can just do more with the tone, and that my embouchure is more suited to it. So since I picked up a tenor, my alto's been gathering dust (The TJ Revolution II) so I'm selling that. Just to ask as a side question- is eBay a good idea? Or would I get more interest on another site?
Anyway, with the money from that and my savings I’m going to buy a tenor. But I have no idea which setup to get. The school tenor is some sort of Earlham, to my knowledge it was purchased for about £600-700. With it I've been using Vandoren 2.5 reeds, and I have no clue about the mpc/lig- it’s just the stock ones.

Now, I won't bore you with the 'which sax should I get' talk, because I'll just go and try them out. I'm aiming for something around £700-£800. (Although feel free to suggest anything if anything comes to mind!) But I do want to ask which kind of mpc or reeds I should try out, because there are so many types, I fear that even if I try them out all day I will not cover half the shop.

I don't know if I count as beginner or intermediate, but as I learned piano first (still learnning it) I've managed to pick up sax relatively easily, and I can play pieces around grade 6 standard. Maybe 7, It's a bit of a guess. I play more classical music than Jazz, but I have a tendancy to dabble, so I wouldn't want to get a setup which limits me too much. My budget for a mpc would be about £80, but below would be preferable- and with reeds, as long as they're not £5 a piece, i'll be fine. I was thinking maybe a Yamaha 5c or 6c? I could do more with the budget but I'm not familiar with many other cheap brands. Reeds, I'd ordinarily just stick with Vandoren 2.5s for the same reason. But are there any other cheapish brands I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance,

Dan 😀

 

[BigMartin]

My sugestion would be to do it on two stages.

1. Find an instrument you like after trying some out on the mouthpiece/reeeds you're currently using (assuming you can keep borrowing the mp for a while).

2. When you're used to the new instrument, start looking for a mouthpiece.

Other wise there are too many variables to deal with at once.

 

[Justin Chune]

If I were starting out I think I'd buy a Bauhaus Walstein. There's an owners club on this forum so you can read about them there.

No need to spend a fortune on a mouthpiece either. The Yamaha 4c/5c and the Clarke Fobes Debut are popular with teachers and there's a bunch of other low cost options out there. I'm sure there will be someone along in a minute to tell you what those are.

I prefer tenor and baritone saxes over tha alto as well. However, it does no harm to play both. Enjoy whatever you get.

Jim.

 

[WyvernStunt]

Thank you everyone! I was thinking of the Bauhaus Walstein TS-PD because my local-ish shop stocks them and they're within my price range. I'll definately go and try it out when I have the chance.

 

[TomMapfumo]

Hi There!

I'd certainly encourage you to go for a BW sax - absolutely brilliant for under £1000. The Clark Fobes Debut is particularly good for classical - recommended with Vandoren Traditional Blue reeds. Look at http://www.clarkwfobes.com/saxophone.html . Howarth is the only UK stockist and they are £36 - hand finished! The Marca Superiere are also excellent classical reeds.

Good luck!
Tom

 

[WyvernStunt]

Thank you very much Tom! And I've noticed the bronze BWs are a bit more expensive, is it worth it? I'm not one to get a plain gold sax anyway to be honest, so whatever you say i'll probably end up getting the bronze, but does it make an audible difference to the tone or anything? 🙂

 

[dexdex]

Thank you very much Tom! And I've noticed the bronze BWs are a bit more expensive, is it worth it? I'm not one to get a plain gold sax anyway to be honest, so whatever you say i'll probably end up getting the bronze, but does it make an audible difference to the tone or anything? 🙂

Don't know specifically the BW horns. I did play Yanagisawa's different tenors (brass vs bronze vs solid silver). I'm not sure how far the audience will hear a difference, but the response of the horns was different. I still have a doubt how to describe it in words (even more en anglais....), and also wether the differences came from the metal, or were simply the differences you get from horn to horn, even in the same model and finish. The bronze was the least responsive, the silver the most.
But again, with BW it might be a different story. Try them, or have them played by someone experienced.

 

[kevgermany]

Thank you very much Tom! And I've noticed the bronze BWs are a bit more expensive, is it worth it? I'm not one to get a plain gold sax anyway to be honest, so whatever you say i'll probably end up getting the bronze, but does it make an audible difference to the tone or anything? 🙂

Word of warning. Theoretically the material the sax is made of makes no difference. However many players swear it does make a difference. It's been argued to death and there's still no clear winner. You're likely to get both opinions posted.

Bronze is harder than brass, so will dent less easily, but it may (not sure) affect how difficult it is to get dents out if you do get some. I'd suggest playing a couple and seeing which feels better in your hands. And if you must have bling, how about the Silver/Gold M2?

 

[TomMapfumo]

What Kev says above is spot on. I have 2 bronze saxes and think that they are very nice looking indeed!

 

[WyvernStunt]

Ah ok, thanks very much. And just to throw something else into the mix.. what do you all think or know of Jupiter? 🙂

 

[TomMapfumo]

They're OK, but I would get a BW if I was making the choice...........

 

[Pyrografix]

Hi,

I don't have huge experience of many other sax makes but my allegiance is def with BW- does what it says in reviews!

Cheers,

Amanda

 

[Pete Thomas]

Ah ok, thanks very much. And just to throw something else into the mix.. what do you all think or know of Jupiter? 🙂

Jupiter were among the very first of the new generation of good quality Asian horns, and so made a big splash when they were introduced. My experience is that they are kind of "resting on their laurels" and have not kept up with the more recent Taiwan instruments such as P.Mauriat and especially bauhaus.

 

[WyvernStunt]

Thank you very much everyone! My next free day is this friday, so I'll go up and test some saxes out. And just one more question, one that I may not be able to answer even after playing- Is the upgrade from TS-P to TS-PD (for example) a big step up, and is it worth £95? All I can find that is different is a 'shoulderless point screw and redesigned pillar-rod mechanism'. Have any of you tried out both the normal and Action Improved versions and drew any comparisons?
Thank you all so much for your answers
Dan

 

[TomMapfumo]

Hi Dan!

My BW sopranos are the Normal (curved) and the Action Improved (straight). I prefer the Action Improved version but both are playable and have a good sound. I hope you enjkoy Friday!

Tom

 

[WyvernStunt]

Okay, I went up today and after trying out some some TJs and BWs, immediately fell in love with the BW Bronze Tenor Sax! I actually found that the best combo for me was an Otto mouthpiece and some softer reeds, even if I am more of a classical player. But jazz just flowed from my veins when I had that combo!
I didn't get it then and there because as a student, I can implement the AIPS scheme and get VAT off... thank you very much to the kind man whose idea that was. So i'll need to wait for monday to come around so I can go to the Finance depo and give them the quote- they're very slow and inescapably unhelpful at best, but it's supposed to be 1 day delivery from the shop, so I should have it by the end of next week or so.

 

[Jeanette]

I am sure it will be well worth the wait, enjoy🙂

Jx

 

[kevgermany]

Must be really frustrating..... Enjoy, it'll be all the better when it does arrive!