Mouthpieces New Mouthpiece under $50?

[TripleB]

With the money I saved from getting my 33 year old tenor sax back into playing condition (was expecting it to cost at least $90-$100 but is only going to cost $45), I'm thinking about buying a new mouthpiece because the one I have is, well, 33 years old and it shows the wear (and it doesn't smell Spring fresh if you know what I mean).

Several mouthpieces I've seen for under $50 (including ligature) are:
- Selmer BS404 Brilhart Medium ($40.86)
- Selmer 7713 Goldentone #3 ($28.98)
- Yamaha 5C ($36.88)
- Yamaha 4C ($33.73)

Can any give any feedback on any of these mouthpieces?

Thanks.

TripleB

 

[kevgermany]

Warning - You'll be very lucky to get any consistent advice over mouthpieces. Make/model/tip openings.

Question - what mouthpiece do you have already? Don't just dismiss it, some of these old mouthpieces can be really valuable. More than the budget sax you were thinking of buying. Could be what you need after a clean, but assuming's it's ebonite aka hard rubber, don't use warm/hot water on it, turns them a lovely greeny brown colour with a very distinctive smell/taste.

Yamaha make good mouthpieces and they're often recommended as beginner mouthpieces. Others reckon there are better options available nowadays. Difference between the two here is that the 5C has a slightly larger opening. It's difficult to go wrong with the Yamahas - they're easy to play, sound good and are pretty neutral tone wise, meaning you learn to develop your own tone, rather than being forced down a particular route. It may be all you ever need.

Goldentone is a Selmer entry level mouthpiece, can't say more than that. Didn't know they were still made.

Not sure what the link between Brilhart and Selmer is. I thought they were independant of Selmer. Generally Brilharts are well thought of, play well and some models have a lovely sweet core sound - probably not what you want for Rock or jazz, but really lovely when practicing.

 

[jonf]

Not sure what the link between Brilhart and Selmer is. I thought they were independant of Selmer. .

Conn-Selmer bought out the rights to the Brilhart name a few years ago. The current Brilhart Level Air (actually a pretty good mouthpiece) comes in a US Selmer branded box. Totally unrelated to the French Henri Selmer company.

 

[jerumulliganrules]

Rico Royal B5 (or whatever size you prefer) was an amazing value at $19.95 NEW. I can't control that Lakey worth a darn, but the Rico has been perfect! And for that cheap, go figure....

 

[TomMapfumo]

Clark Fobes Debut, Bari Esprit, Runyon 22/Morgan Protone are all worth a go! See here: http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?27263-Model-22 for some helpful info.

Kind regards
Tom

 

[Bari+sax=awesome]

I'm guessing you have a Bari sax. 5c is a mouth piece for Bari sax, and one that I use for mine. I would get the 4c or 5c. If you have a good tone, or your serious about this particular sax, I would go ahead and get the 5c for $3 more.