Mouthpieces What mouthpiece?

[richard_mac]

Reading through the posts i've only just realised that I have been playing for 18 months and I am still using my "student" mouthpiece. What mouthpiece and lig do you recommend I progress to? I currently use a 2.5 reed.

 

[Linky Lee]

You're on alto?

Selmer S80 C*

If you didn't feel you needed a new mouthpiece then you probably aren't missing out on anything.

I recommended this mouthpiece as it is kind of like the industry standard. It has good intonation, a nice rich pure sound and is very easy to play on allowing you to further develop your embouchure and techniques like sub tone and so on before moving on to a 'jazz' mouthpiece or something a bit wild which will make learning the techniques harder.

That's what I think anyway. I keep on going back to my Selmer S80 every time.

 

[richard_mac]

Linky_Lee wrote:
You're on alto?

Selmer S80 C*

If you didn't feel you needed a new mouthpiece then you probably aren't missing out on anything.

I recommended this mouthpiece as it is kind of like the industry standard. It has good intonation, a nice rich pure sound and is very easy to play on allowing you to further develop your embouchure and techniques like sub tone and so on before moving on to a 'jazz' mouthpiece or something a bit wild which will make learning the techniques harder.

That's what I think anyway. I keep on going back to my Selmer S80 every time.

Thanks Lee, i'll try one and let you know how I get on.

 

[Rogerb]

I found a vandoren V5 (A25) suited me much better than an S80, which I couldn't get on with.
I'm told that the Vandorens are more consistently manufactured, so maybe I just got a duff S80.

 

[Linky Lee]

Hi, A lot of people recommend the Meyer 5 ebonite as a jazz equivalent of the S80 C*. You may want to try one of those too, I personally find Meyer mouthpieces rather stuffy. The Ottolink Tone Edge is an option. I've got one in a six facing played once or twice going cheep if you like, shouldn't be too open. I've only been playing 28months.

Also it depends on your budget. The Link is the cheapest, and the Meyer the most expensive.

Would you look at metal? If so it's a bit more expensive but there are some lovely pieces. Yanagisawa for bright mouthpieces, Otto link and Meyer again. And the Selmer ones are rather nice again too. All at the lower price range of metal mouthpieces.

Roger, you just may not get on with Selmer S80's. It's not going to suit everyone. It's like I find the Meyer pieces stuffy, most people seem to think the Link's are the stuffy ones

 

[Bobby G]

Hi Richard, I own a Link Tone Edge 5 which as it's name suggests has a pleasing toppy edge to the sound, a Meyer 5 which is a bit fatter and deeper sounding, again with a nice edge to the sound, and a Selmer Soloist D which is not unlike a S80, but a little more punchy. I've had them all for 18 Months to two years, which suggests my mouthpiece quest started at about the same relative time as yours. They're all nice pieces, easy to blow on and quite flexible, and suit a reed strength of about 2.5. Having hit the 3-year mark, and feeling the urge to embark on another round of the quest for the ideal mouthpiece, I'm now using a Selmer Soloist with a wider F tip, so the other three are currently between jobs.

There are so many pieces to choose from, and it's such a personal thing that it can seem a bit bewildering. I'd probably only change one of the variables at a time i.e. if I wanted to try different mouthpieces, I'd stick with my familiar reeds and lig; similarly I'd experiment with different reed types on a familiar mouthpiece. Personally, I find changing your ligature will have far less effect on your sound than a different mouthpiece or reed, but it seems some ligs allow you to control the reed, especially for the highest and lowest ends of your horn's range, but this could just be psychological, and again is very personal.

Once you've replaced your mouthpiece for the first time, it's the start of a slippery slope, you'll end up wit a drawerful of the things :whistle:

Cheers, Bob

 

[Simon]

Hi Rich

I reckon Meyers are good - avoid stuffy 'classical' tip openings and get a 7 or 8, which on alto aren't that wide anyway. After you've played said tip openings and you go back to a 4 / 5 / Selmer 80 etc, you realise how much these narrow tip opening really suck...

Simon

 

[Bobby G]

simon wrote:
Hi Rich

I reckon Meyers are good - avoid stuffy 'classical' tip openings and get a 7 or 8, which on alto aren't that wide anyway. After you've played said tip openings and you go back to a 4 / 5 / Selmer 80 etc, you realise how much these narrow tip opening really suck...

Simon

I wouldn't go so far as to say they actually suck, but they do feel somewhat resistant and quiet if you've moved on and got used to a wider opening. I've noticed this especially on my tenor, going back to the Selmer C* after getting used to a Jumbo Java T75. Then again, a Link or Meyer 5 or 6, or a Selmer C* or D is quite a good step-up from a Yamaha 4c or similar (the Selmer D worked fine for me for well over a year til I supersized), but would probably only be a staging post in your quest for the ultimate. Still, better a staging post than a stopgap!

Cheers, Bob

 

[Pete Thomas]

My vote is for Vandoren Java

 

[Jules]

Hark, a man opening the can of worms that is mouthpiece choice! My 5p's worth- If you've not got a chance to try before you buy, stick with Selmer S80s or Otto Links, if you can get to get hands on (gob on..?) then try everything you can.

 

[richard_mac]

OK, I went for the Yamaha 4C and it arrived today complete with Rovner lig. Set it all up with a brand new 2.5 Rico reed and WOW, I like it very much. A completely different sound (well I think so).
Still need a bit of practice with the higher notes but down low it's great.
Thanks for everybodies help and advice, I'll give you all a "bell" the next time I need to upgrade. 😉

Richard.

 

[greg_strange]

Nothing wrong with a Yamaha 4C mouthpiece. I regularly use mine on my 21 year old 62 series alto (the one that came with the horn), even though I own 3 other 'exotic'/pro-quality pieces, Meyer 5M, Brilhart Level Air 6 and Jumbo Java A35. In some situations I prefer playing the Yamaha and at approx. $50.00 NZD it's about a 1/5 of the price of a Meyer. Hats off to the people at Yamaha.
Regards,

Greg Strange.

 

[impulse]

Selmer C*, great but where do you buy those in the world? There seems to be none left in Aus. The Frenchies must be working at quarter pace. I`ve been waiting 6 months for a sop Sel C*. 🙁

 

[greg_strange]

Here in NZ you see very few Selmer (Paris) products around.
The person who distributes Selmer (Paris) saxes, clarinets, trumpets, etc in NZ is some old guy who lives up north and as I understand it works from home.
About a decade ago he was selling new Selmer saxes through the newspaper at pretty low prices and p***ing a lot of the retailers off who were buying horns off him and selling them in their stores.
Apparently he still sells to the public if you have the right connections.
Maybe with nuclear testing in the Pacific and the Rainbow Warrior incident in the 1980s the French aren't too popular in this part of the world.
Regards,

Greg Strange.

 

[jambo]

Impulse wrote:
Selmer C*, great but where do you buy those in the world? There seems to be none left in Aus. The Frenchies must be working at quarter pace. I`ve been waiting 6 months for a sop Sel C*. 🙁

Theres one on ebay.co.uk at the moment