This is specially a beginners' problem which lasts too long IMO.
Let's start with alto. I tried or bought S80s and S90s, Meyer 6M and 7J, Rousseau and Vandorens which all sounded good in the shop but never worked with my reeds or my The Martin Committee 3. The S80 C* sounded bland with my Rico or Vandoren 2 and I thought the low end didn't project. It was a real tin can and made me squeak a lot. The Meyers played in tune in the lower register but so way out sharp or flat in the upper register that I was always playing out of tune trying to correct my tone. After 5 years of trying to get an even sound I went back to my Yamaha 4C and would you believe, it played perfectly, in tune and in all registers! I wasted close to £800 on mouthpieces that now sleep in a cabinet when I had 'my' perfect mouthpiece all along, from my very first alto.
I was gifted an S90/180 because I told a friend I was looking for a dark jazzy mpc for my tenor ( A Comm2 and an SA80S2). I've never had worse. It made me squeal or sound really tinny or it just didn't want to play ball. The Meyer 8J I bought because it was on sale, tone wise Ok, but nowhere near the famed jazzy or dark tone that these Mpcs are reputed for. More time and I got a Link STM NY 7* which fit me perfectly and played like a dream on any reed I put on it. Another £800 or so spent on finding mpc and reed combination.
I would rather have spent the £1600 on lessons than on hardware.
So all this blah blah to ask one question: Is there a shortcut to finding that mpc/reed combo without spending a fortune on various Mpcs (at an average price of £150 each) and innumerable brands and varieties of reeds which retail between £3 to £5 each.
Let's start with alto. I tried or bought S80s and S90s, Meyer 6M and 7J, Rousseau and Vandorens which all sounded good in the shop but never worked with my reeds or my The Martin Committee 3. The S80 C* sounded bland with my Rico or Vandoren 2 and I thought the low end didn't project. It was a real tin can and made me squeak a lot. The Meyers played in tune in the lower register but so way out sharp or flat in the upper register that I was always playing out of tune trying to correct my tone. After 5 years of trying to get an even sound I went back to my Yamaha 4C and would you believe, it played perfectly, in tune and in all registers! I wasted close to £800 on mouthpieces that now sleep in a cabinet when I had 'my' perfect mouthpiece all along, from my very first alto.
I was gifted an S90/180 because I told a friend I was looking for a dark jazzy mpc for my tenor ( A Comm2 and an SA80S2). I've never had worse. It made me squeal or sound really tinny or it just didn't want to play ball. The Meyer 8J I bought because it was on sale, tone wise Ok, but nowhere near the famed jazzy or dark tone that these Mpcs are reputed for. More time and I got a Link STM NY 7* which fit me perfectly and played like a dream on any reed I put on it. Another £800 or so spent on finding mpc and reed combination.
I would rather have spent the £1600 on lessons than on hardware.
So all this blah blah to ask one question: Is there a shortcut to finding that mpc/reed combo without spending a fortune on various Mpcs (at an average price of £150 each) and innumerable brands and varieties of reeds which retail between £3 to £5 each.