Today, I am excited to be reviewing the new BSS (Boston Sax Shop) S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece released by Jack Finucane at the Boston Sax Shop.

Jack Finucane is the owner of Boston Sax Shop and has been my saxophone repairman for the last seven years. I usually head down to Boston about once a year (way overdue now because of Covid) for Jack to check out my tenor sax and while he is giving my sax a tune up, he always gives me the inside scoop on all the saxophone world gossip as well as new saxophone gear that is coming out.

Besides being a phenomenal repairman and craftsman, Jack is always up to some saxophone related endeavor.  Whether it be straps, cases, ligatures, saxophone necks, reed cases, reeds, masterclasses, etc….. Jack always seems like he has a new project on the horizon……When I heard of this new BSS S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece he was developing, I had to try one out myself!

Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is described by Jack as being a reference to the great “horseshoe” chamber tenor sax mouthpieces of the past, but made for the modern player. A horseshoe chamber refers to a chamber that looks a bit like a tunnel as you drive through a mountain when you look at it from the bore end of the mouthpiece.  The bottom is flat, the sides are flat but the roof of the chamber is curved like a horseshoe.

Jack Finucane told me that the S-Series is based off of his personal favorite Selmer Soloist tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  According to Jack, the problem with refaced Selmer Soloists,  is that you never know what you are going to get after it is worked on.  Jack and I do agree on that point, as we have both played refaced Selmer Soloists and some have been really bright, some have been super dark, some have been really stuffy and dead, while others might have luckily ended up great. It all depends on who you had work on it,  their level of expertise in working on a Soloist tenor sax mouthpiece and their own personal sound preferences.

In response to these observations, Jack decided that it would be a great idea to create the Boston Sax Shop S-Series tenor saxophone mouthpiece. The BSS S-Series represents all of the qualities that a great Soloist tenor sax mouthpiece can have in a more modern offering and tip size.

The most popular “horseshoe” chamber tenor saxophone mouthpiece in history is the Selmer Soloist which were first made in 1956.  The Soloist only  came in tip openings of B* to H according Theo Wanne’s mouthpiece museum website.  According to Theo, the E was similar to a modern day 5 tip opening and the largest tip opening of an H was similar to a 7*.  Here is an interesting quote from Theo Wanne’s  Selmer history page:

“The Selmer “Soloist” short shank hard rubber models came in sizes from B* to H.  For reference an “E” is equivalent to an Otto Link 5, and an H is equivalent to an Otto Link 7*.  The Selmer mouthpieces from B* to E all came with a medium length lay (the distance from the tip of the mouthpiece to the point where the reed meets the facing).  The larger sizes F, G, and H only came with a SHORT length lay.  Hence all the larger tip openings had a shorter lay than the smaller tip openings.  This was an attempt to make them easier to play.  However, the bottom end of the horn suffered tremendously because of this.”-Theo Wanne

Obviously, Theo’s last sentence above does not sound good!  No one wants the bottom end of their saxophone to “suffer tremendously”!  You needn’t worry about this with the BSS-S Series because Jack has made the facing curve length of the S-Series mouthpiece to be 52 (26 mm) which is considered a long curve.  The long facing curve of the S-Series tenor mouthpiece allows  more of the reed to be freed up and helps the low end of the saxophone to speak more easily and with a thick, robust tone.

Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The most notable players that that I can think of that have used a Soloist tenor saxophone mouthpiece for most of their careers are Joe Henderson, Eddie Harris and Rich Perry.  I have heard that Sonny Rollins might have used one on “The Bridge” recording and “What’s New” and John Coltrane used one on “John Coltrane Quartet Plays”.

John Coltrane Playing a Selmer Soloist

Eddie Harris Playing a Selmer Soloist

Joe Henderson Playing a Selmer Soloist

Here is how Jack Finucane describes the Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece on his website at BostonSaxShop.com:

“I’ve been very lucky in my life to enjoy some incredible classic mouthpieces and was constantly on the search for something that had tonal homogeny throughout all ranges, but that I could get plenty of volume out of. The S-Series hard rubber tenor mouthpiece is a result of the fruits of that search and I’m proud to share a design that in my opinion encapsulates a remarkable amount of core, depth and evenness for a ‘jazz’ mouthpiece while still having the ability to cut. It’s a reference to the great ‘horseshoe’ chamber pieces of the past, but made for the modern player.

Creating the BSS line of mouthpieces has also given me an opportunity to approach the boutique market with a fresh methodology. After a lot of research, we partnered with one of the most technically advanced CNC machine shops in the country, giving us the ability to dial in an unbelievable level of precision and absolute consistency piece to piece. No need to worry if you are going to get a ‘good one’ because they are all great. In addition, every single one is hand finished at the shop and personally play tested by yours truly.

I couldn’t be much more excited to share with you my first mouthpiece offering which represents for me the pinnacle of my product design over the past years and a milestone for Boston Sax Shop.-Jack Finucane”

Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece looks to be made of  quality hard rubber.  You can smell a little bit of that hard rubber smell that you typically smell on vintage hard rubber mouthpieces when you hold it up to your nose.

The mouthpiece has the BSS logo engraved in white on the top of the mouthpiece and it has a nicely engraved white scroll on the shank of the mouthpiece.  The tip opening of 7* is not machine engraved on the mouthpiece but is hand engraved on the left corner of the body next to the butt end of the table.

Jack tells me that the S-Series is the same length as a vintage Short Shank Selmer Soloist and because of the smaller chamber it does sit further out on the cork than a typical Otto Link type tenor saxophone mouthpiece would. The combination of the lower baffle and the longer facing helps the S-Series to sit at a more moderate place on the cork than many refaced Selmer Soloists though.

Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece looks great to the eye.  The tip, rails and table look even, flat, precise and well crafted.  The mouthpiece tip rail and side rails are even and thin, and the shape of the tip rail perfectly matches the shape of the saxophone reeds I used on the mouthpiece.

The baffle of the Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a low quick rollover baffle right after the tip rail.  The floor of the baffle during the decent is slightly curved from side to side.  The baffle actually dips a little bit in a low long curve as it heads towards where it terminates at the rear of the chamber.  That termination point is a little bit higher than the floor of the bore behind the mouthpiece chamber and  it stops at the flat bottom part of the horseshoe shape.

The mouthpiece chamber looks to be what I would consider a small sized chamber in comparison to typical hard rubber Otto Link sized chamber that I would consider a large sized chamber.  The roof of the mouthpiece chamber under the table is very thick making up the top curve of the horseshoe shape.

The sidewalls are straight from where they start near the tip all the way to the horseshoe shaped chamber exit.  The sidewalls are at a slanted angle so that they start wider and gradually come in to create the squeezed sides of the small chamber.

Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The diameter and beak profile of the Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is very close to the diameter and beak profile of a typical modern hard rubber Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece and Selmer Soloist tenor sax mouthpiece.  All of my saxophone ligatures that fit comfortably on hard rubber Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpieces fit on the Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece perfectly.  I chose to use the Boston Sax Shop Gold Superlative ligature that I reviewed last year for this review.

Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

In my trials of mouthpieces with different facing curves, I learned that long facing curves help harder reeds play easier and shorter facing curves help softer reeds play easier.  I found this fact to be true with the Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

Usually with a 7* tip opening tenor sax mouthpiece, I can get by with a 2 1/2 reed if I want to. With the BSS S-Series all my various brands of 2 1/2 reeds felt way too soft because of the longer facing curve.  Harder tenor sax reeds than I usually play on a 7* tenor mouthpiece actually played much easier because of the longer curve.  I ended up using an Ishimori Woodstone 3 1/2 tenor sax reed that played great on the S-Series mouthpiece below. (I’m all out of BSS reeds for the time being)

Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a warm balanced tenor saxophone tone that I thought was one of the darker tenor sax tones I have gotten with a tenor mouthpiece.  The tone of the mouthpiece was thick, rich, focused and warm in my opinion.  When I describe the tone as dark or warm, I am just describing that I don’t hear very many bright overtones in the saxophone tone.

The low notes on the Boston Sax Shop S-Series  tenor saxophone mouthpiece were full and robust with a tone that was warm and beautiful.  I would describe the low notes as more concentrated and focused rather than fat and round.

One interesting observation was that I didn’t feel the need to sub-tone on the Boston Sax Shop S-Series tenor saxophone mouthpiece like I do on Otto Link and baffled style tenor mouthpieces.  I honestly probably sub-tone too much on those kind of pieces to soften and fatten up those low notes.  The BSS S-Series mouthpiece has a tone down low that already is so warm and pleasant sounding that I didn’t feel the need to sub-tone down there as much.

Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The high notes were full, round and beautiful in my opinion.  Like the low notes, they had a focused concentration to them but didn’t get bright and thin at all up there.

The intonation on the Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece was very good and the S-Series mouthpiece was a great match for my Selmer Super Balanced Action tenor saxophone (from the 50’s).  I would imagine the Boston Sax Shop S-Series tenor saxophone mouthpiece would be a great match for any vintage Selmer tenor saxophone (many of the them came with Selmer Soloists at the time) although a saxophone like a Conn that needs a more large chambered tenor sax mouthpiece might not do as well with the smaller chamber of the S-Series.  You would have to ask Jack Finucane at Boston Sax Shop about that one…..

The evenness and smoothness of notes throughout the range of the saxophone was nice when playing fast lines.  The character and warm tone seemed to blend well as I played faster lines throughout the low, mid and high range of the saxophone.  I think you can hear this smoothness in the fast technical lines I play on the sound clips below.

The altissimo register of the saxophone was easy to produce on the Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece and the notes were easy to control and manipulate.

The Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a good amount of power when pushed.  I would say the volume was about 8 when pushed on my 1-10 volume scale. I like to think that the squeezed throat of the smaller chamber helps to really speed up the air as you blow harder almost like a straw would when blowing through it.  I have no idea if this has any factual basis in acoustical science but I’m just a sax player so what do I know……It sounds good…… It did seem to me like the BSS S-Series had more of a focused loudness when pushed as opposed to an Otto Link Slant style hard rubber tenor mouthpiece that has more of a spread loudness.

The S-Series mouthpiece did get a little brighter in tone when pushed but the brightness seemed more like a midrange brightness rather than a high end brightness if I were to relate it to the effects of EQ on a sound.  Even at the mouthpiece’s top volume, I felt like the Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece still retains a darker warmth to the tone although there were at times some edge introduced into the tone at loud volumes which I believe is from pushing all that air through the small chamber.

On the sound clips below, I try to give a good range and variety of saxophone sounds and textures so that you can hear the Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece perform in different styles.

One important piece of advice I can give is to make sure you give yourself a good amount of time to adjust to the Boston Sax Shop S-Series tenor mouthpiece if you haven’t played a Soloist style tenor mouthpiece before.  This advice basically holds true for any sax mouthpiece you try.

If you play a Guardala style tenor sax mouthpiece and then try an Otto Link style mouthpiece you will have an adjustment period.  If you play an Otto Link style mouthpiece and then try a Guardala style mouthpiece you will have an adjustment period.  If you play a non-Soloist style mouthpiece and then try a Soloist style sax mouthpiece you will have an adjustment period.

For me, that adjustment period usually takes about 8-12 hours of playing.  This usually has to be done in roughly 2-3 hour increments.  If I play a mouthpiece 24 times for 1/2 an hour each, that is technically 12 hours but I don’t seem to adjust to a mouthpiece that way.  When I spend 2-3 hours playing on a mouthpiece, at a certain point some pretty cool magical things start happening between me and the new mouthpiece.

For example, in the first clip below at the 4:38 time marker, I start playing fast and for whatever reason I let some of my air collect in the top front part of my mouth over the mouthpiece.  It’s hard to explain but I could feel the air in the top front of my mouth gathering there and it actually felt like it was pushing out against my top lip a bit.  I immediately noticed a huge difference in the smoothness of the lines and the resonance I was hearing and feeling.   I can hear it in the clip, I’m not sure if you will be able to but I notice it listening just like I did while playing.

Here are some other adjustments I made that made a huge difference:

• I noticed that the tone really opened up and became bigger when I took a little more mouthpiece.  At the time, I didn’t know this mouthpiece had a longer facing length, but that makes sense now. I took more mouthpiece and that allowed more of the reed that was now free of my lower lip to resonate and flex back and forth over the long facing curve.
• I noticed that the BSS S-Series mouthpiece seemed more responsive to my air support changes than a typical large chambered tenor mouthpiece.  With more support I noticed more immediate changes and results in the sound and tone.
• I noticed that keeping and focusing the air in my mouth so that it felt like it was a solid strong air column right up to that horseshoe chamber exit really seemed to fill out the sound and give even more of an immediate and smooth response.  It also allowed me to shape and manipulate the sound much easier.

These are just a few things that I was aware of while playing and practicing on the S-Series mouthpiece.  When I first started playing the mouthpiece, I recorded a sound clip and I honestly told Jack I needed more time because I felt like I sounded like an Otto Link player playing a Soloist.   I could play all the same notes and same lines but it didn’t sound authentic or real to me. (I get that same impression when I hear tenor players trying to play alto and alto players trying to play tenor.  What they are playing is technically great but it doesn’t sound authentic to me if that makes sense. Like they don’t feel 100% comfortable on the horn they are playing…..) These recording below are much much closer to being authentic after spending 12+ hours on this mouthpiece in my opinion.

Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

In my opinion, the BSS Boston Sax Shop S-Series tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a great tenor sax mouthpiece for those of you looking for a tenor mouthpiece with a tone that is warm, dark and focused.  It is a great hard rubber jazz mouthpiece that would be incredible for straight ahead jazz playing. In my opinion, it’s got it’s own vibe going on with it.  There is something unique and special that only a Soloist style mouthpiece can give you in my opinion.  I love it!

Modern tenor sax players such as Joel Frahm, Dayna Stephens, Lucas Pino and Ryan Devlin are now all playing the Boston Sax Shop S-Series tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  I am sure there will be many more in the coming months to add to this list!

If you like the sound and look of the S-Series tenor sax mouthpieces by the Boston Sax Shop, you can find them at the Boston Sax Shop website.  BSS HAS AGREED TO GIVE READER’S OF THIS REVIEW 20.00 OFF THE PURCHASE OF A MOUTHPIECE IF YOU USE THE COUPON CODE NEFF WHEN YOU CHECKOUT ON THEIR WEBSITE. (Neffmusic also gets a small commission from each sale using this coupon which helps support this website,  so thank you in advance if you use the code).

If you try a BSS Boston Sax Shop S-Series tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any thoughts, comments or questions on this review,  I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  If you end up buying a Boston Sax Shop S-Series tenor saxophone mouthpiece make sure to use the promo code NEFF to save 20.00 and please come back here to tell us what you think. Thanks,   Steve

Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Woodstone 3 1/2 Reed-No Effects Added (Check out 4:38-end for the experience I described above)

Boston Sax Shop S-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Woodstone 3 1/2 Reed-No Effects Added (This was from another recording a few days ago, but I really loved the warmth of it so am adding it here as well)

*I hope to add another sound clip when I get some new BSS reeds in also as I am curious how they will sound and respond with this S-Series mouthpiece as well.

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Today, I am reviewing a new tenor saxophone mouthpiece from 10mFan sax mouthpieces.  This is the Celebration 7* hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece.   I have already reviewed a number of great 10mFan tenor saxophone mouthpieces and alto saxophone mouthpieces in the past that you can find here.

Whenever Mark Sepinuck, at 10mFan mouthpieces, comes out with a new saxophone mouthpiece model, I am always really excited to try it out because all of his saxophone mouthpieces are so darn good!  Mark is always thinking about how he can meet the needs of the sax playing community with new uniquely designed saxophone mouthpieces.

10mFan Celebration Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here’s a description of the Celebration tenor saxophone mouthpiece that Mark posted on Sax on the Web:

“The “CELEBRATION”:  Celebrating the finest vintage hard rubber Otto Link mouthpieces ever made, with my 10MFAN originality and twist on things!     

I was the biggest high-end vintage mouthpiece dealer on the internet for over 30 years and then I started my 10MFAN Company. This mouthpiece is long overdue for you Otto Link lovers. This is an ORIGINAL design that has some Reso Chamber, Slant Sig, and Early Babbitt built into it, along with my 10MFAN contributions.

For me, it outplays any Otto Link type piece in the marketplace! Big, open, full, rich, powerful Link sound and will stand up to ANY original vintage hard rubber tenor Link that goes for $1500!!!!!!  

Are you tired of playing mediocre Link-type pieces out there??? I don’t blame you. So many stuffy and dull Link type copies out there but don’t worry—– this originally designed Celebration mouthpiece is not a copy of any one model, and it will take care of that for all of you. Full, warm, round, even, fat sound with power.“-Mark Sepinuck

10mFan Celebration Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here is some more details from Mark Sepinuck’s description of the 10mFan Celebration tenor saxophone mouthpiece from the 10mFan website:

“The most unique hard rubber tenor mouthpiece that celebrates the absolute best vintage Otto Links of yesteryear.

An all original design which incorporates some of the Reso Chambers, Slant Signatures, and Early Babbitt models, along with my 10MFAN contributions, to make this the most unique piece for the Link players.

My goal was to make a piece that Mr. Otto Link would greatly approve of, if he were alive today.

This piece takes the old hard rubber tenor Otto Links into the new millennium.

I’ve been known as the biggest high-end vintage mouthpiece dealer on the internet for over three decades, and this mouthpiece outplays the best Otto Links in my private collection. I am very proud of that because it is not a copy of any one model. It is a combination of the best Otto Link models with my own interpretation of how to take them to the next place.

The sound is rich and full and warm with lots of power available. This piece can be played at a whisper and the sound is so full.

If you are a vintage link hard rubber tenor lover, you can’t pass on this, because there is nothing in the marketplace that compares. I say this with great pride!” -Mark Sepinuck

10mFan Celebration Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The 10mFan Celebration tenor saxophone mouthpiece came in a well packaged box.  Inside, amidst the packaging was a clear tube. Inside the tube, was a velvet looking bag with gold trim that protected the Celebration saxophone mouthpiece while shipping.

The new 10mFan Celebration tenor sax mouthpiece has the traditional three rings on the shank that all of the 10mFan saxophone mouthpieces have.  It also has “10mFan” and “Celebration” engraved on the top of the mouthpiece.  On the bottom corners of the mouthpiece next to the table is engraved “U.S.A.” and “7*”.

10mFan Celebration Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

As you can see in the photos, the table, rails and tip rail look flat, even and perfectly crafted as they do on all 10mFan saxophone mouthpieces.   The baffle is a slightly curved side to side baffle that travels  3/16ths of an inch before it terminates at a curved line.  From that line, the baffle starts a more radical descent until it reaches the rear of the mouthpiece chamber.

The side walls of the mouthpiece are scooped out on each side as they head towards the large sized chamber. The scooped out side walls encroach in on the floor of the baffle gradually as it heads down into the chamber area making the floor of the baffle wider near the tip and thinner as it enters the chamber area.

The side rails look even and precise as they head towards the tip rail.  The tip rail is thin, precise and even.  The shape of the tip rail matches the shape of the tenor saxophone reeds I used on the Celebration mouthpiece perfectly.

The roof of the chamber area, under the table of the mouthpiece is of medium thickness as you can see in the photos below.

10mFan Celebration Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

So, how does the new Celebration 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece in hard rubber play and sound?  The 7* I played for this review played perfectly with a Lupifaro 3 tenor saxophone reed.  I tried a variety of different tenor saxophone reeds on it such as Rigotti Gold, BSS (Boston Sax Shop) and RW reeds (Roberto’s Winds).  They all played great on the Celebration mouthpiece but on the day of the recording, I happened to put on this Lupifaro 3 reed and it was so perfect that I decided to record with that reed.

The Celebration tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a tone that is incredibly warm, rich and round sounding.  It leans to the darker side of the tenor saxophone tone spectrum in my opinion but the tone is so rich and full of overtones that it creates this “energy” and “life” in the tone that just makes it so enjoyable to play as well as listen to.

10mFan Celebration Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The first thing I noticed about the 10mFan Celebration tenor sax mouthpiece was the low end.  From low Bb to middle Bb, the tone is just really rich and complex sounding.  You might notice, in the sound clips below, that I have played quite a few ballads and play in the low end of the saxophone more than usual.  I didn’t do this on purpose, but I think I was so in love with the tone in that first register of the saxophone, that I kept going back and playing down there.

The middle range of the saxophone is amazing also.  At the 3:57 mark of the first sound clip, I by chance,  go into my usual rendition of “The Summer Knows” that I usually play on the alto saxophone sound clips I record.  When I listened back to the recording, I really thought that the tone sounded incredibly beautiful to me.  I’m playing at a soft volume but the tone is still full, round and rich.  I must have listened back to that one section about 20x so far.  There is something about that section of the clip that I can’t put my finger on that makes me really love it!

The high end of the horn had a bit more brightness to the tone but the tone was still what I consider warm and round.  At a couple of places in the sound clips I go up into the palm keys and the altissimo and the Celebration played really nicely up in that top range of the saxophone. You can ,of course, also add some brightness and edge to the tone by manipulating your embouchure and air stream if you choose like I have done in the sound clips below.  The 10mFan Celebration mouthpiece offers you a variety of tone palettes to choose from as you play around with it and discover what it can do.

At one point in the first sound clip (2:22-2:37) I play a simple scale up to altissimo G on the tenor saxophone and I was surprised at how easy and effortless the altissimo G popped out for me.  I actually repeated the line again on the sound clip to see if it was a fluke and it wasn’t!  We all know that that note can be a pain on the saxophone so that is a big bonus when that note plays so effortlessly.

10mFan Celebration Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The 10mFan Celebration tenor saxophone mouthpiece played very evenly throughout the range of the tenor saxophone. The rich bottom end transitions smoothly to the second and third registers of the saxophone as smooth as butter.

One aspect of the second register that struck me as I played was that a number of times I jumped up to a middle E, high A, B or C# and those notes didn’t jump out in brightness to me.  They were still just as warm and thick as the lower register which I loved.  This caught my attention because on many mouthpieces, those upper notes are quite a bit brighter when I jump to them from below.  This uniform warmth in the upper register really helps to keep the melodies and lines really even and smooth sounding in my opinion.

The Celebration tenor sax mouthpiece had great intonation that was inline with the usual intonation I encounter on hard rubber Otto Link tenor sax mouthpieces. The articulation was clean and fast.  I always run my G major scale in thirds tonguing really fast (1:33 of first clip) on the sound clip to see how the articulation is and the Celebration tenor mouthpiece passed the test with flying colors.

10mFan Celebration Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Although the 10mFan Celebration tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a warmer and darker tone it still has a hefty amount of volume when you push it.  In my mind, the 10mFan Celebration is a perfect tenor sax mouthpiece for a jazz gig that is for sure!  I am not sure there are enough highs and brightness in the tone to cut through on some of the crazy loud pop gigs out there but in those cases you could throw a  higher baffled 10mFan Robusto, Showtime or Chameleon tenor sax mouthpiece in your case for back up.

For your information, Mark Sepinuck at 10mFan mouthpieces has a three category system for his tenor saxophone mouthpieces.

• Category #1 are the warm category mouthpieces which are the Classic model and this Celebration model I am reviewing today.
• Category #2 are the all-around, middle category mouthpieces that offers warmth, fatness, and punch with some sizzle. More sizzle than the category 1 pieces.  These include the Robusto and Showtime models
• Category #3 are the very powerful category mouthpiece which is the Chameleon.

I have provided four sound clips below.  They are all different.  To be honest, I pushed record, started playing and when I was done, I looked at the recording and was shocked that it was 30 minutes long!  I was having so much fun playing the Celebration that I didn’t even realize it was 30 minutes!

I posted the parts of the clips that I thought sounded the best and reflected different aspects of what the Celebration tenor saxophone mouthpiece sounded like and could do.

10mFan Celebration Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

If you like the sound and look of the 10mfan Celebration hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece, you can order one of them from Mark Sepinuck at 10mFan.com. The Celebration tenor saxophone mouthpiece comes in tip openings of 6*,7,7*,7**,8 and 8*.

If you have any questions about the Celebration model or any of the other 10mFan mouthpieces, you can also contact Mark Sepinuck through his website. Mark Sepinuck is a treasure trove of information about saxophone mouthpieces so if you end up on the phone with him, don’t be surprised if you end up talking about sax mouthpieces for a couple of hours.

*If you have played or end up playing a 10mFan Celebration tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments about this review, I would love to hear what you think in the comment section below this review.  Thanks,  Steve

*To hear the most detail from these clips it is best to listen to them from a computer with nice audio speakers or headphones rather than from an iPhone or laptop speakers.  It makes a world of difference!

10mFan Celebration Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Neff’s Normal Variety of Random Ideas-Lupifaro 3 Reed-No Effects

10mFan Celebration Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-A Little Bit of a Blues in Bb-Lupifaro 3 Reed-No Effects

10mFan Celebration Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-A Little Bit of Everything Happens To Me Melody-Lupifaro 3 Reed-No Effects

10mFan Celebration Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-A Little Bit of Darn that Dream Melody-Lupifaro 3 Reed-No Effects

10mFan Celebration Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Same Blues Track as Above with some Added Reverb-Lupifaro 3 Reed-Added Reverb

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Today, I am reviewing a Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Aaron Drake at Drake mouthpieces.  This Drake tenor mouthpiece is advertised as  “rollover baffle contour – identical to the Drake Bergonzi “EB” model – with a raised floor contour which gives the mouthpiece greater projection without being bright”.  Since I am always on the lookout for tenor saxophone mouthpieces that can straddle the line between an Otto Link sound and richness of tone, with the ability to be super powerful as well, I was immediately interested in trying the Drake Jerry Bergonzi Power Resonance model tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is not made with hard rubber but it is made from Drake’s vintage resin material.  Each mouthpiece is created as a one piece casting that Aaron finishes by hand.  The entire process is done at his shop and nothing is outsourced.

Here are a few words from Aaron on the Vintage Resin material he uses for his saxophone mouthpieces:

“Our Vintage Resin is a resin composite material that incorporates ceramic to enhance its hardness and acoustic properties.  This material is the closest to the properties of vintage hard rubber.  The Vintage Resin is engineered for durability and will outlast hard rubber.  I recently had an opportunity to take a look at one of my mouthpieces made 10 years ago.  It was played every day by a top professional musician and the mouthpiece facing was unchanged and still spot on.

Also, speaking to the material – it is not possible to capture the level of detail in the reproduction process using hard rubber and the process of milling hard rubber has a completely different acoustic affect on the finished mouthpiece – our one piece casting method is much more homogeneous and resonates differently – it is more “alive”. -Aaron Drake 

Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here is what Jerry Bergonzi and Aaron Drake write about the Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece from the Drake website:

Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece came well packaged and protected.  The tenor mouthpiece looked great right out of the box.  The resin material is shiny and smooth to the touch.  The table, tip, rails, baffle and chamber look absolutely perfect.  Everything is clean cut, even and smooth.

The mouthpiece has “Drake Handmade USA” faintly engraved on the side of the body and “Bergonzi Power Resonance” engraved on the other side of the body. The tip opening of “7*” is etched by hand into the copper band that is at the bottom of the shank.

Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece looks great as I examine it while writing this review. The table looks flat and smooth with not a mark on it.  The side rails and tip rail are thin and look to be perfectly even to my eyes.

The baffle is a smooth rollover baffle that has a unique design in that the floor of the baffle is raised as it travels through the chamber area as you can see in the photo below.  This has the effect of making the large chamber into more of a medium chambered mouthpiece. This design is unique in that the chamber isn’t squeezed smaller with a smaller chamber size or smaller chamber opening but is only made smaller on the bottom side of the chamber that has the raised baffle/chamber floor.  I have never seen a raised floor design like this before and was curious to how it would play for me. The top roof of the mouthpiece chamber is nice and thin and the side walls are slightly scooped out.

Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece came with a slide-on Drake Dual Rails Ligature.  The Dual Rails Ligature holds the reed with rails on each side of the ligature.  Although the Drake Dual Rails ligature held the reed on fine when slid over the reed and mouthpiece, the slide-on ligature sat more towards the front of the reed on the mouthpiece table and I opted to try a different more adjustable ligature for this mouthpiece.

I chose to record the sound clip below with a Sax Clinic Sonus Divinus string ligature (review coming soon) that I just receive just because I like the flexibility of being able to adjust the ligature placement on the reed.  The one negative to the Drake Dual Rails ligature (and all slid-on circular ligatures) is that the ligature placement on the reed can not be adjusted.

Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

As a point of reference for other ligatures, the Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece will work with any ligature that fits a hard rubber Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece. I also tried using a Boston Sax Shop Superlative ligature, a Vandoren Optimum ligature and a generic metal ligature for hard rubber tenor sax mouthpieces.  All three of these ligatures fit on the Power Resonance mouthpiece perfectly.

Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

My first experience playing the Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece was that it was very reed friendly and very easy blowing.  I used Rigotti Gold 3 Light reeds and Rigotti Gold 3 Medium tenor saxophone reeds on the sound clips below.

The Rigotti Gold 3 Light felt super easy to play and free blowing.  The tone with this reed sounds clear, pure and focused. The reed felt like it was on the verge of being a tad soft when playing at full volume so if I was using this mouthpiece on a live gig that was loud, I would probably lean towards the 3 Medium reed which could be pushed harder for more volume.

The Drake Jerry Bergonzi Power Resonance tenor sax mouthpiece had a clear focused sound to the tone that has a richness and thickness to the sound that is similar to an Otto Link style mouthpiece but with more volume when pushed.

I thought the tone was of a darker spectrum than many of the “Early Babbitt” hard rubber Otto Links I have played throughout the years but when pushed the Power Resonance tenor mouthpiece could get quite a bit of volume without getting over bright and thin in tone.

Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The first sound clip below is with the Rigotti Gold 3 Light reed and the tone is focused and fat in my opinion.  There is no reverb or effects on the sound clip at all.  From the first note, you can hear a purity of tone that doesn’t have a lot of brightness in the tone.  The high notes sound fat, full and round.

The second clip is with a slightly harder Rigotti Gold 3 medium tenor sax reed.  The tone of the mouthpiece with the slightly harder reed seems a little brighter to me.  It sounds like it has more overtones in the tone which make it sound a bit more spread and brighter to my ear.

I like both clips for different reason but I can hear a clear difference in tone between the two slightly different reed strengths.

The last sound clip is a fun one I recorded in a barn near where I live.  There is quite a huge natural reverb in this barn and I love going there to practice.  This clip was with the harder Rigotti 3 medium reed and I play a bit more altissimo in this setting about half way through the sound clip.

Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Drake Jerry Bergonzi Power Resonance is a great tenor sax mouthpiece for those of you looking for a more powerful sound that still stays true to the Otto Link tone concept.  The power and tone afforded by the raised floor seems to be quite different than the power and tone given by a higher rollover baffle in my opinion.  To my ears, it sounds like the Drake Power Resonance tenor saxophone mouthpiece increases the power mostly in the mid-range EQ of the mouthpiece whereas a higher baffled sax mouthpiece seems to increase the bright side of the tone while perhaps taking a bit of thickness away from the body of the tone in comparison.

This boost in the mids seems to boost the overall thickness of the tone so instead of getting brighter and thinner up high, the Drake Jerry Bergonzi Power Resonance mouthpiece has more of a thick fat presence up in the high end of the horn.

The low end of the saxophone is also beautiful, resonant and fat as well.  The mouthpiece subtones well and the notes down low are full, thick and fat sounding.

The Drake Jerry Bergonzi Power Resonance tenor sax mouthpiece is even and smooth throughout the range of the horn.  I did feel like the middle D was a bit more husky in tone with the harder reed and more smooth and uniform with the slightly softer reed in the first clip.

As far as volume, I would say it can play at 10 or 11 no problem if volume was rated from 1-10.  I usually find typical hard rubber Otto Links play at about a 7 or 8 on that same scale so saying the Power Resonance can play at 10 or 11 is a pretty impressive leap in power in my opinion.  I would have no problem suggesting this tenor mouthpiece to a sax player who plays a lot of jazz sets on a gig but then has to kick it into overdrive for the dance set.  The Drake Jerry Bergonzi Power Chamber tenor mouthpiece can do both of those genres quite well but don’t take my word for it, listen to the sound clips below………..

Besides my three sound clips below, I have also included a Youtube video of Carl Cox playing a Drake Jerry Bergonzi Power Resonance 7 (.100) tenor sax mouthpiece.  I thought this video was a cool addition because Carl shows what this mouthpiece can do in a modern fusion type of setting with a band.

Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

If you like the sound and look of the Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Aaron Drake, you can find them at the Drake website.  Aaron Drake has done an amazing job creating his own line of saxophone mouthpieces with an attention to detail that is top of the line.  Beside being a great craftsman, Aaron Drake is also a great sax player, which, in my mind, is so important to dialing in the fine details to making a great playing saxophone mouthpiece.

If you have played or end up playing a Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments about this review, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks,   Steve

Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Light Reed-Dry Recording (No Effects)

Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Medium Reed-Dry Recording (No Effects)

Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Medium Reed-Recorded in Big Barn with Natural Reverb

Carl Cox playing a Drake Jerry Bergonzi Power Resonance Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Above is a killer studio recording of Carl Cox playing a modern “fusion” type tune on a Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance tenor saxophone mouthpiece. I am told that this mouthpiece is a .100 which is a 7 tip opening.

Finally, below is a video of the great Jerry Bergonzi playing the Drake Power Resonance model mouthpiece on Youtube.  Jerry gets a sound on this mouthpiece that is all him. (I’d be curious what tip opening and reed size he is using as his sound suggests a much harder reed than I typically use……..)

Jerry Bergonzi playing a Drake Jerry Bergonzi Power Resonance Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Today,  I am reviewing the GetASax GS SLANT model tenor saxophone mouthpiece, that is a replica of a great playing, original facing, 7* Florida Otto Link Slant Signature tenor saxophone mouthpiece. These cool white mouthpieces are made by Brian at GetASax.com.  I have already reviewed the GetASax GS RESO tenor sax mouthpiece as well as the GS FG RESO tenor sax mouthpiece which were both copies of two phenomenal Otto Link Reso Chamber tenor saxophone mouthpieces.  I have been looking forward to reviewing this GetASax GS SLANT tenor mouthpiece as well and today is the day……….

GetASax GS SLANT 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The GetASax GS SLANT 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a very precise copy of Brian at GetASax’s favorite Florida Otto Link Slant Signature tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  Brian is the owner of GetASax and has over 750 saxophone mouthpieces in his collection so when he says that this is a replica of one of his favorite saxophone mouthpieces, we should pay attention.

I have never played an original Otto Link Slant Signature tenor saxophone mouthpiece just because they are so darn expensive ($1200+ dollars) but these new reproductions from GetASax are only $199 which is a great deal for a copy of a world class vintage Otto Link Slant Signature tenor saxophone mouthpiece!

GetASax GS SLANT 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The most notable players that I know that played an Otto Link Slant Signature tenor saxophone mouthpiece at one time or another are Stan Getz, Jerry Bergonzi, Joshua Redman, David Newman and Joel Frahm (I am sure I am forgetting a bunch of other players).

Here is how Brian at GetASax describes the GetASax GS SLANT tenor saxophone mouthpiece on his website at GetaSax.com:

“The big idea here is to let you experience the magic of the best mouthpieces I have ever played, for a price that makes them widely accessible for the first time.

The GetASax GS SLANT is an extremely precise copy of my BEST vintage Otto Link Slant Signature tenor saxophone mouthpiece. More precisely, it’s a copy of an original facing 7* Florida Slant Signature Otto Link Tone Edge tenor mouthpiece in perfect original condition.

This is the version of the ‘Slant’ that nearly everybody wants. It’s the most iconic and desirable hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece ever made. When I hear people describing their ideal tenor saxophone tone online, it’s most frequently a description of what a good vintage Otto Link Slant tenor sax mouthpiece sounds like: Dark and powerful, with a good amount of focus and projection. Brightens up and projects when pushed, but never thins out. Super even across all registers. Tunes great on almost any saxophone whether vintage or modern. That’s what the GS SLANT gives you, for only 15% the cost of an original vintage Otto Link Slant Tone Edge tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

Compared to the GS RESO, the GS SLANT is a little brighter and punchier (but not bright), and more focused (though still warm and full). It has an instantly recognizable 50’s-60’s jazz tenor tone. 

If you’re a pro looking for the best do-it-all jazz tenor saxophone mouthpiece for an affordable price, I think you’d be hard pressed to beat the GS SLANT. It really captures the magic of the original mouthpiece, and that is saying a lot. It’s the only Slant copy I’ve seen that exactly copies a vintage Slant. Even upgrading to a vintage Link Slant at 8x the price wouldn’t actually sound better! And if you’re an amateur or younger player looking for your first good mouthpiece, this gives you the chance to jump right to an excellent mouthpiece that is completely hand faced, without messing with a bunch of machine faced intermediate mouthpieces.

Finishing:

Each GS Slant gets carefully hand faced and finished before coming to you. This is super important. The magic of a mouthpiece is in the facing. If you buy a generic, mass-produced mouthpiece, chances are the table is not flat and the facing is uneven between the side rails. As a result, the reed vibrates unevenly. It feels stuffy and dead, resistant, and all-around disappointing to play. SO many people have this problem, whether they know it or not. I don’t know how many players I’ve helped to get their first actually good mouthpiece, and all of a sudden playing is fun!

Since we flatten the table, you get an easy reed seal. There are no print lines or marks messing up the facing. It’s smooth and perfect like a boutique mouthpiece. The facing is also finished by hand, which is a BIG plus. I’m really picky about this, so I learned to do it myself so I could be sure these pieces were actually the same as the great facings on the original mouthpieces. Each facing is measured at ten points to make sure that it is even and consistent throughout. 

Mouthpiece facings are unforgiving. Small problems can make a big difference in playability. Unlike any other mouthpiece of its kind or anywhere near its price, each one of these GS mouthpieces goes out the door only when it is faced just right. Every one is as good as the best mouthpieces I have played.

I have been collecting mouthpieces seriously for over ten years now, and I have been saving the very best ones over that time. I currently have about 750 pieces, and of those there are about 20 that I think are in that Holy Grail category. Those are the mouthpieces that will be coming out in the GS Mouthpieces line. Keep an eye on this, if you want to put together a collection of the best playing saxophone mouthpieces ever, while keeping costs to a minimum. Each one has a magic of its own, and each one gives you a unique and beautiful tone and response that makes it a joy to play!”-Brian Curry 

GetASax GS SLANT 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The GetASax GS SLANT 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is made of white biocompatible dental resin.    Here is what Brian at GetASax writes about the material:

“GS Mouthpieces are made of a premium biocompatible dental resin, and printed at an especially high resolution. You don’t see messy print lines everywhere, because the print is so high quality! This dental resin is designed to be in your mouth, so it’s ideal for a mouthpiece.

The density and the hardness are almost identical to vintage hard rubber! So GS Mouthpieces vibrate like hard rubber and feel familiar and comfortable to play. The resin is also extremely durable. I have dropped the prototypes on hardwood again and again, and they just bounce and are fine. They even survive being dropped onto concrete (for a while)! So if you’re hard on equipment, this mouthpiece should be able to take quite a beating and hold up well over time.”-Brian Curry

GetASax GS SLANT 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

This GetASax GS SLANT tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a 7* tip opening which measures at .105.  The facing curve of the GS SLANT tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a copy of the original facing curve on the best original Otto Link Slant Signature tenor saxophone mouthpiece that Brian owns.  Each facing curve of the GS SLANT mouthpieces is measured at ten points to make sure that each mouthpiece produced is an accurate reproduction of the original facing curve.  

The GetASax GS SLANT tenor saxophone mouthpiece looks great to the eye.  The tip, rails and table look even, flat and well crafted.  The tip rail and side rails are nice and thin, and the tip rails shape perfectly matches the shape of the Rigotti Gold tenor saxophone reeds I used on it.

The baffle of the GetASax GS SLANT tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a low rollover baffle. It is a short baffle and looks to be about 1/8 of an inch before it rolls over and descends down at an angle into the large chamber. The floor of the baffle during the decent has a side to side curve to it.

The GetASax GS SLANT tenor saxophone mouthpiece looks to have a higher rollover baffle than the GS RESO tenor mouthpiece I reviewed last year.  The other big difference that I can see when comparing the GS SLANT to the GS RESO and the GS FG RESO is that the RESO mouthpieces look to have more of a scooped out floor to the chamber making the chamber bigger than the GS SLANT mouthpiece.

The baffle of the GS SLANT travels at an angle down through the chamber of the mouthpiece where it terminates at the beginning of the bore at the end of the chamber.  The opening to the mouthpiece chamber looks to be a large sized chamber that is similar in size to other typical hard rubber Otto Link sized chambers I have seen.  The roof of the mouthpiece chamber under the table isn’t what I would describe as thin but more of an average roof thickness.

The sidewalls are scooped out from where they start near the tip all the way to the chamber where they expand out to round out the mouthpiece chamber.  I typically like scooped out sidewalls because they seem to go hand in hand with a fatter more round tenor saxophone tone in my opinion.

GetASax GS SLANT 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The diameter and beak profile of the GetASax GS SLANT tenor sax mouthpiece feels the same as the diameter and beak profile of a typical hard rubber Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  All of my ligatures that fit comfortably on hard rubber Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpieces fit on the GS SLANT tenor sax mouthpiece perfectly.

The weight and consistency of the dental resin feels more substantial than the weight of other materials like Delrin mouthpieces I have reviewed in the past.  As I hold the GS SLANT tenor sax mouthpiece in my hand, the weight feels similar to a hard rubber saxophone mouthpiece.  You can see a few side by side comparison photos of the GS SLANT and the Original Florida Otto Link Slant Signature tenor sax  mouthpiece that it was copied from in the photos below.

GetASax GS Slant 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece next to a vintage Otto Link Slant Signature Mouthpiece

I found that the facing curve of the GetASax GS SLANT 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece seemed to prefer a reed with a 3 Light or 3 Medium strength when using the Rigotti Gold tenor saxophone reeds I have left. (I have been out of BSS-Boston Sax Shop and Roberto’s Winds reeds for a number of months now unfortunately)

The Rigotti Gold 3 Light tenor sax reeds felt easy to play but a tad on the soft side when pushed. The Rigotti Gold 3 Medium tenor sax reeds felt better to blow harder against for more volume.  I enjoyed aspects of the sound and tone while playing on both reeds so I included sound clips of both below.

GetASax GS Slant 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece next to a vintage Otto Link Slant Signature Mouthpiece

The GetASax GS SLANT tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a rich, warm balanced tenor saxophone tone that I found to be sightly brighter and perhaps more focused than the GetASax GS RESO tenor sax mouthpiece I have already reviewed.  I have not played these two mouthpieces side by side but the GS SLANT seems to give me more volume when pushed than I remember the GS RESO giving me.

Although I describe the GS SLANT as slightly brighter than the GS RESO, I would still consider this as a darker and warmer mouthpiece especially when considering the plethora of mouthpieces with medium to high baffles out on the market today.

Compared to a modern day hard rubber Otto Link, I find the GS SLANT to be far superior in tone, balance and playability to the modern hard rubber Otto Links I have tried out.  I would imagine that most of that improvement comes from the hand finishing and specific attention given to the exact 10 point facing curve, tip rail, baffle and chamber.

GetASax GS Slant 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece next to a vintage Otto Link Slant Signature Mouthpiece

The tone of the GS SLANT is a thick, round and warm tone with character to it. Although I would still describe it as having a darker tone, it does have some sparkle and brightness to make the tone more vibrant in the upper range of the horn. I found the Rigotti Gold 3 Light saxophone reeds to give a tone that seemed to be more spread, round and with a soft lushness to the tone.

The harder Rigotti Gold 3 Medium saxophone reed seemed to have more of a hard defined perimeter around the tone and a bit more brightness and edge in my opinion. I also felt like the harder reed had a bit more overtones and texture to the tone than the softer 3 Light tenor sax reeds.

GetASax GS SLANT 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The low notes on the GS SLANT saxophone mouthpiece were fat, thick and robust while having a spread quality to the tone.  The tone down low seemed more pillowy and round with the softer Rigotti Gold 3 Light saxophone reeds and more complex, rich and spread with the harder Rigotti Gold 3 Medium saxophone reeds.

Unfortunately, on the last clip with the harder Rigotti Gold 3 Medium reed, I was so focused on altissimo and volume that I didn’t demonstrate much, if any, sub-toning.  You can hear some sub-toning in the first sound clip with the softer reed though.

GetASax GS SLANT 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The intonation on the GetASax GS SLANT tenor saxophone mouthpiece was very good and the GS SLANT  tenor mouthpiece was a great match for my Selmer Super Balanced Action tenor saxophone (from the 50’s).  I would imagine the GS SLANT tenor sax mouthpiece would be a great match for any vintage tenor saxophone like a Selmer or Conn since it is a reproduction of a vintage tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

The evenness and smoothness of notes throughout the range of the saxophone was nice when playing fast lines.  The character and warm tone seemed to blend well as I played faster lines throughout the low, mid and high range of the saxophone.  I think you can hear this smoothness in the fast technical lines I play on the sound clips below.

The altissimo register of the saxophone was easy to produce on the GetASax GS SLANT tenor saxophone mouthpiece and the notes were easy to control and manipulate.  I believe the higher rollover baffle and slightly raised floor of the chamber compared to the GS RESO model mouthpiece makes the GS SLANT a bit easier to get around in the altissimo although both mouthpieces are great in regard to the altissimo range of the horn.

The GS SLANT mouthpiece had a good amount of power when pushed.  I would say the volume was about an 8.5 when pushed on my 1-10 volume scale. (I gave the GS RESO a max volume of 7 on my scale)

GetASax GS SLANT 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

On the sound clips below, I try to give a good range and variety of saxophone sounds and textures so that you can hear the GetASax GS SLANT tenor saxophone mouthpiece perform in different styles with two different saxophone reeds.

The first clip is my usual mix of the random kind of Steve Neff licks that I usually play on these mouthpiece review clips.

The second clip is a short clip of the melody of Pure Imagination and the third clip is my usual Moose the Mooche/Donna Lee melody that I play on most of my reviews.

The fourth clip was an addition at the end because I realized that I did not play one note of altissimo in the first three clips.  This clip was recorded in a barn near my house that has a big natural reverb to the recording.  There is a lot of altissimo lines in this clip, so if you hate that high range of the horn, you might want to skip this clip.  This last clip was made with the slightly harder 3 medium tenor sax reed because I wanted to show what the GS SLANT could do as far as volume, brightness and altissimo and I could push the 3 medium reed harder.

GetASax GS SLANT 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

In my opinion, the GetASax GS SLANT tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a great tenor saxophone mouthpiece for those of you looking for a tenor sax mouthpiece with a tone that leans to the round warmer side of the tenor saxophone tone spectrum but can get a nice brightness when pushed.  It is a great jazz mouthpiece that would be incredible for straight ahead jazz playing in my opinion. It’s lush full textured tone is also incredible for ballads as I try to demonstrate a bit in the sound clips below.

Although I do try to show what it can do with louder blues and altissimo lines, I don’t think the GS SLANT has enough brightness and edge to cut through in those loud settings for me. Although, like I have stated in other reviews, Bob Reynolds played a hard rubber 9 Otto Link tenor sax mouthpiece while touring with John Mayer, so maybe for the right player this mouthpiece could work in that setting as well.  You never know.  For me, I would need something with some more brightness in the tone to cut through the mix of a really loud band I think.

If you are interested in the GS SLANT tenor saxophone mouthpiece you can purchase one from Brian at GetaSax.com for a very reasonable price in my opinion.

Brian has said he has about 750 saxophone mouthpieces in his collection and that he would put 20 of those mouthpieces in his “holy grail” category.  He is hoping to release reproductions of many of these “holy grail” saxophone mouthpieces in the near future which I am very excited about! Stay tuned…….

If you try a GetASax GS SLANT tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any thoughts, comments or questions on this review,  I would love to hear what you think in the comments below. Thanks,   Steve

Clip 1-Mix of Licks and Lines-GetASax GS SLANT 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Light Reed-No Effects Added

Clip 2-Pure Imagination-GetASax GS SLANT 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Light Reed-No Effects Added

Clip 3-Moose/Donna Lee-GetASax GS SLANT 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Light Reed-No Effects Added

Clip 4-Altissimo Clip Recorded in Barn with Natural Reverb-GetASax GS SLANT 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Medium Reed-Barn Reverb Included

Today, I am again reviewing one of my favorite tenor saxophone mouthpieces, my beloved Lamberson J7 hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I have had for about 14+ years.  I reviewed the Lamberson J7 many years ago here on the site but the original Lamberson J7 review is pretty lame compared to my standards for reviews these days.  I wrote one measly paragraph that had few specific details about the Lamberson J7 tenor sax mouthpiece I was reviewing and only provided a short 1:36 minute sound clip demonstration of the J7 mouthpiece.

Now, 14-15 years later, I figure it is time to revisit this fabulous Lamberson J7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece and post an updated review with more photos, details and sound clips.

Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I had read  a lot about Lamberson saxophone mouthpieces back in the early to mid 2000’s on SOTW (Sax on the Web) and was very curious about these Lamberson mouthpieces.  Until that point in my life, I had always played metal mouthpieces on my tenor sax but was interested in finding a hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece that would still give me the power and volume I needed to cut through when gigging with loud bands.  The talk and chatter on most saxophone chat rooms and forums back then about powerful hard rubber tenor mouthpieces was mostly focused on Lamberson and RPC tenor sax mouthpieces.  I decided I wanted to try a Lamberson tenor sax mouthpiece………

I purchased this used Lamberson J7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece from a seller online after communicating back and forth about it.  I had never tried a Lamberson sax mouthpiece before and although I was nervous about the purchase, the seller seemed pretty excited by how this mouthpiece played for him. He didn’t sound like he was just pumping the hype to sell this tenor mouthpiece so I took a chance and bought it from him. (Thanks G!)

Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Lamberson J7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a 7 tip opening which on the Lamberson tip opening scale is a .110 tip opening (this is usually an 8 tip with most other tenor mouthpiece makers).

Lamberson describes the J7 mouthpiece on his website as:

The Lamberson J7 tenor sax mouthpiece is an L model(This is my traditional jazz mouthpiece. The bore and baffle are a copy of a 1950’s metal Link that Pharoah Sanders gave me. It has evolved somewhat over the years, but is still as close as I get to the old Link sound), modified to have almost no baffle, it is my darkest piece. It has an almost imperceptible amount of baffle, but I have heard from many players that say the sound is so huge that they don’t need a baffle.-Fred Lamberson

Basically, the Lamberson J7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is designed like a 1950’s metal Otto Link but with less baffle in the mouthpiece.  Fred Lamberson describes it as having almost no baffle!

Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

When the Lamberson J7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece first arrived, I was disappointed in how bad the chamber of the J7 tenor mouthpiece looked (see photos below).  I held it up to the light and was alarmed to see major gouging and pitting all over the chamber.  Instead of immediately freaking out, I decided to give the J7 mouthpiece a try.  I had played other mouthpieces throughout the years that looked rough in the chamber that played incredibly well, so I knew that the cosmetic look of the chamber did not necessarily mean that this Lamberson J7 mouthpiece would not play well.

The tip, rails and table look even, flat and well crafted.  The tip rail is nice and thin, and it’s shape perfectly matches the shape of the saxophone reeds I used on it.

The baffle of the Lamberson J7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is probably one of the lowest baffles I have seen of all the sax mouthpieces I have reviewed over the years.  From the tip of the J7 mouthpiece to the chamber is almost a straight line.  There looks to be a very slight rollover at the tip but then the baffle heads straight towards the rear of the mouthpiece chamber.  The baffle floor has a side to side scoop to it and the sidewalls are scooped out as well.

Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Lamberson J7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a thinner beak profile than many other tenor saxophone mouthpieces.  It feels much thinner than a typical hard rubber Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece beak profile.  I actually find the Lamberson J7’s thinner beak profile to be much more comfortable for my tastes.  It also seems like the thinner beak profile gives me more resonance through the hard rubber when playing that I can feel through my upper teeth and hear inside my head.  This is especially noticeable when I don’t use a mouthpiece patch.

The body of the J7 tenor sax mouthpiece is slightly larger than a typical hard rubber Otto Link tenor sax mouthpiece body.  I find that typical hard rubber tenor sax ligatures that fit on hard rubber Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpieces will just barely fit on the front of the body of the J7 tenor mouthpiece.  If you like to position your ligatures more towards the rear of the saxophone reed and mouthpiece like I do, then you will probably need a slightly larger mouthpiece ligature.  I find that my Francois Louis Ultimate ligature fits perfectly on the Lamberson J7 and I can easily move it towards the rear of the reed when I choose to.

I have also found the Francois Louis ligature to be my favorite ligature on the Lamberson J7 tenor sax mouthpiece because it seems to add more focus to the warmer more spread tenor sax tone that I really like when comparing it to other ligatures.

The hard rubber that Fred Lamberson uses for the Lamberson J7 tenor mouthpiece is excellent in my opinion.  I’m not a hard rubber expert in any way, but there is something about the hard rubber of the Lamberson mouthpieces that I find to be really resonant. It also has that vintage hard rubber smell to it that I have grown to love.

Here is what Fred writes about his hard rubber on his website:

RUBBER, known as EBONITE, is imported from Germany and contains no plastic in its composition. Mouthpieces with added plastic make the sound thin, bright and edgy. They have a notable lack of warmth and control. Also, the pitch of a hard rubber mouthpiece with plastic in it is less stable whereas with genuine hard rubber it is spot on even when you blow hard. Rubber creates a rich warm sound that resonates freely, even with the DD baffle.  Other good qualities of rubber are that it plays well in tune and can be played in a variety of styles and dynamics.

Fred Lamberson also makes mouthpiece out of 1920 hard rubber which is described as producing a darker tone by Fred Lamberson.  I have a review of a Lamberson J7 1920 tenor sax mouthpiece here.

Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Lamberson J7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a very unique blow to it.  There is something about the facing curve that likes soft reeds and more specifically, Vandoren Java 2 1/2 tenor saxophone reeds.  I believe that I had someone measure the Lamberson facing curve at one point and I remember them telling me that it had a facing length of 48 which is a slightly shorter facing than most of my other tenor mouthpieces that are at 50.

I also seem to remember that person telling me that the J7 tenor mouthpiece had a unique facing curve on it that created some added resistance in their opinion.  The shorter facing does not perform as well with Rigotti Gold tenor sax reeds and many of the other reed brands I have tried on it.  The Rigotti Gold reeds have a hard edge to the tone with the Lamberson J7 mouthpiece that I really don’t like.  Vandoren Java Green box 2 1/2 tenor sax reeds play incredibly well on this J7 mouthpiece though.  Usually Vandoren 2 1/2 reeds are way too soft for most of my tenor sax mouthpieces but the Lamberson J7 has enough resistance built into the facing curve that the Vandoren Java 2 1/2 reeds feel perfect to me on the .110 tip opening.

Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece with a view of the rough looking chamber

In my first review of the Lamberson J7 tenor sax mouthpiece that I posted in 2007, I described it as having “mystical properties that I don’t understand”.  This is still true now some 14 years later.  The J7 gets way more brights, focus and volume than a tenor mouthpiece with this low of a baffle should get in my opinion.

When I look at the photo of the baffle above, I think that this mouthpiece will be a darker playing mouthpiece that probably doesn’t have a lot of power and volume. What surprised me about the Lamberson J7 tenor mouthpiece was that although the Lamberson J7 is incredibly warm and dark sounding at soft volumes, it can really ramp up the volume and brightness when played at full blast.

As I say in my old review, this Lamberson J7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a very versatile tenor sax mouthpiece for me.  I’ve played tons of jazz gigs on this J7 tenor sax mouthpiece plus an equal amount of loud dance sets.  Looking at the Lamberson J7 sax mouthpiece, you wouldn’t think it could cut a loud dance set but I could get enough highs, edge and volume out of it to make it work.  Here’s a clip of the Lamberson J7 with a loud wedding band I used to be in.

Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece with a view of the rough looking chamber

The tone of the Lamberson J7 tenor sax mouthpiece is incredibly rich, thick and organic to my ears.  There is something about the Lamberson J7 that just feels so right to me as I play it.  When I recorded the clips below, I was amazed at how comfortable I felt on the J7 mouthpiece.  I haven’t played it in years, and it just played so easily with the first Vandoren 2 1/2 reed I put on it.

The intonation of the Lamberson J7 is excellent as well.  I usually state that the intonation is good and as expected when the notes that are sharp on my sax are the usual sharpness I have come to expect.  The Lamberson J7 is surprising in that the notes that are usually pretty sharp on my sax, like the middle E, are much closer in tune than usual.  I think this is due to the larger chamber, lower baffle and the unique way the Lamberson J7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece blows.

The altissimo on the Lamberson J7 tenor sax mouthpiece is also very easy to produce and work with. I think that the built in resistance in the facing curve lends itself to the altissimo range because you have some resistance to blow against to achieve those altissimo notes and shape them.

Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece with a view of the rough looking chamber

The Lamberson J7 tenor saxophone mouthpieces biggest strength is in the low notes of the saxophone.  I just love playing on the lower range of the tenor saxophone with this J7 sax mouthpiece.  The low notes are full, textured, rich and in a way that is hard to describe, both spread and focused at the same time.  Usually I describe a mouthpiece as having a more spread tone or a more focused tone but the Lamberson J7 seems to be the rare mouthpiece that seems to be able to have both spread and focused qualities to my ears.

The spread tone makes it sound fat and lush during a jazz set but the focus of the tone is enough that the focused tone, brightness and volume can be picked up easily by a mic and cut through on a loud gig.

Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-view from the bore end of the mouthpiece

On the sound clips below, I try to give a good range and variety of saxophone sounds and textures so that you can hear the Lamberson J7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece perform in different styles.   I have included four sound clips.

• The first sound clip below is of my usual variety of jazz lines and melodies that I play on most reviews.
• The second sound clip below is a couple choruses of a mellow Bb concert blues.
• The third sound clip below is a louder altissimo focused sound clip with added reverb.
• The last sound clip is a “live” clip recorded from a wedding gig some 15+ years ago on the Lamberson J7 tenor sax mouthpiece.  This is a good reflection of how the J7 mouthpiece sounds through a sound system with a loud band.

As has been my habit lately, I have added some reverb to the altissimo clip number three for those of you who like to check out the sax recordings with reverb added also.  I try not to put a lot of reverb on the clip, but just enough to thicken the sound a little bit.  The reason I think reverb is good to add to the clips is that you can get an idea of how the sax mouthpiece might sound in a room with natural reverb like a garage or in a recording studio with some effects added.

Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Before I close out this review, I just want to address the issue of the incredibly rough looking chamber of this J7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  In this modern age of ours,  I have talked to so many sax players over the years that have equated physical symmetry and perfection to a perfect saxophone sound.  Although symmetry and balance are incredibly important in facing curves, some of the best mouthpieces I have played over the years have had crooked facings, crooked baffles and mouthpiece chambers that look rough.  What I have learned is that the roughest looking mouthpieces can sometimes play the best.

I have talked to sax players that were upset about a physical imperfection and when I ask them how the mouthpiece played, they say they didn’t play it but just sent it back without trying it. In my mind, the greatest mouthpiece craftsman are the ones who try out their mouthpieces as they work on them.  I don’t know how Fred Lamberson works, but I like to think he tried this J7 mouthpiece while making it and perhaps thought, “This is perfect!” and left it just the way it is rather than make the chamber perfect and perhaps lose the magic of how it played in the process.  That is what I imagine anyways.  Regardless of all that,  I love the way this Lamberson J7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece plays and I really could care less how the chamber looks in the least. What is important to me, first and foremost, is how a mouthpiece plays!

In my opinion, the Lamberson J7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece plays incredibly well! For those of you looking for a tenor sax mouthpiece with a warmer tone that leans a bit to the darker side of the tenor sax tone spectrum but can still deliver brightness and power, this would be a great choice for a tenor sax mouthpiece in my opinion. You can check out the full line of Lamberson mouthpieces at Lamberson mouthpieces.

As of this review, Fred Lamberson offers a two week trial period which is rare in the mouthpiece world.  From my communications with Fred, his main concern and focus is providing the right mouthpiece for each sax player.  I get the impression that that is his mission and passion in life.  In my opinion, he is great at it!  Contact Fred Lamberson and find out for yourself!

If you try a Lamberson J7 tenor sax mouthpiece or have any thought or comments on this review,  I would love to hear what you think in the comments below. Thanks,   Steve

Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Various Jazz Lines and Assorted Melodies(No Reverb)-Vandoren Java 2 1/2 Reed

Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Blues(No Reverb)-Vandoren Java 2 1/2 Reed

Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Altissimo Clip (Reverb Added)-Vandoren Java 2 1/2 Reed

Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Live Clip from Gig in mid-2000’s-Vandoren Java 2 1/2 Reed

Today, I am reviewing the Ambika 3 7* gold tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Theo Wanne.  I reviewed the first version of the hard rubber Theo Wanne Ambika tenor saxophone mouthpiece over ten years ago when it first came out and am excited to be able to now review this new third version of the Theo Wanne Ambika 3 metal tenor saxophone mouthpiece for you as well. (I can’t believe I have been reviewing saxophone mouthpieces for 15 years now! Wow!)

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Ambika line of Theo Wanne mouthpieces are advertised as Theo Wanne’s darkest and warmest metal tenor saxophone mouthpieces.  I reviewed the Theo Wanne Gaia 3 metal tenor saxophone mouthpiece in 2019 which I really loved also and have been curious about this metal Ambika 3 model tenor saxophone mouthpiece as well since it is described as being darker than the Gaia 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

The Theo Wanne Ambika 3 tenor sax mouthpiece was shipped with the usual high standards of the Theo Wanne company.  Each mouthpiece comes in a perfectly designed box with stylish gold printing on it with all the details about the mouthpiece inside.  Inside the box is a beautiful leatherette Theo Wanne mouthpiece case with the Ambika 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece well protected inside.

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Ambika 3 metal tenor sax mouthpiece has a built in ligature included called the “Liberty Ligature” that is already attached to the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece comes with a detailed information card with specific directions on how to adjust the built in ligature, the affects on the saxophone tone when the ligature is in different positions and directions on how to change the pressure plates on the ligature.

The Ambika 3 tenor mouthpiece comes with a reed replacer cap which is on the mouthpiece where the reed goes and the ligature is tightened down on the reed replacer cap to protect the mouthpiece in shipping and when you are not playing it.

Although the reed replacer cap is a cool idea, the Ambika 3 tenor mouthpiece does not come with a “regular” mouthpiece cap that you slide on the mouthpiece over the reed and around the ligature. At the time of this review, there is a page on the Theo Wanne website that has new Theo Wanne mouthpiece caps for sale so hopefully he will start including these with his mouthpieces.

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

As you can see above, the Liberty ligature on the Gold Ambika 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is connected to the mouthpiece through screws on the ligature that tighten into holes on the sides of the Ambika 3 mouthpiece.  The mouthpiece comes with a hex screwdriver that can be used to loosen these screws and move the ligature forward or backwards in relation to the reed and mouthpiece table.

I personally liked the ligature in the middle hole setting as it puts the ligature plate towards the rear of the saxophone reed allowing the reed to vibrate and flex freely but not so far back that I feel it might not put enough pressure on the reed to seal.  I did experiment with the ligature up closer towards the reed tip but felt like the middle hole placement was the best for me.

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Even before you look at the Theo Wanne mouthpieces themselves, everything about the Theo Wanne packaging and presentation just speaks to quality and high standards.  Just the process of opening the package and unpacking the mouthpiece brings about an excitement and anticipation that this mouthpiece you are about to play is going to be amazing!

Here is how the Theo Wanne website describes the Ambika 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece:

The AMBIKA 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is our darkest mouthpiece. It has a deep, hauntingly gorgeous tone that only poetry can describe.

“The AMBIKA is WAY beyond the vintage mouthpieces.  I was playing a vintage link for 20 years, but no more!” – Pat Rizzo (WAR, Sly and the Family Stone, Frank Sinatra)

“The AMBIKA is the only mouthpiece I’ll now use!  I can approximate an ol’ school Coleman Hawkins/ Sam Butera sound AND a modern Michael Brecker/ Lenny Pickett sound by just by adjusting my embouchure.” – Karl Hunter (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy)

The AMBIKA 3 has a full bodied sound reminiscent of the vintage 1940’s mouthpieces, but with much improved projection, ease of play, and dynamics.

The Shark Gill Baffle works on the physics principle of ‘boundary layer effect’ pulling the airstream closer to the floor.   This allows one to ‘fill’ the mouthpiece more, resulting in increased dynamics.  The True Large Chamber is far more accurately produced than any other vintage and new mouthpieces due to our superior machining, which means the design is EXACTLY what Theo intended it to be, not just an approximation.

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Metal AMBIKA 3 is plated with 24K gold with Vintified Ligature.  The Hard Rubber AMBIKA uses real vintage style hard rubber just like the vintage mouthpieces of the 1940s-50s, and its new thin body allows the premium hard rubber to fully resonate, giving quite a fantastic sound.  If you like the vintage sound, you will love the AMBIKA 3.  The AMBIKA 3 has an even bigger, fuller sound than the AMBIKA 1 or 2, and greatly increased dynamics and sense of expression.

SOUND 

• Built to outplay Theo’s very best Vintage New York Tone Master  and Master Link Otto Link. Theo succeeded!!!
• A deep and haunting sound best left to poetry. Hauntingly dark!
• Revolutionary in improving upon the true vintage sound!

DESIGN

• Revolutionary Extra Large True Large Chamber, NO baffle, and rounded inner side walls.
• Crafted to the highest accuracy in the history of saxophone mouthpieces.
• Designed by Theo Wanne, the foremost expert on the design and manufacturing of vintage and new mouthpieces.

DETAILS

• Case: Beautiful Leatherette Case! Like the case?  See our other Mouthpiece and Reed Cases here!
• Finish: Reticulated 24K Gold with highlights on logo (standard), and Vintified (special order).
• Serial Number: Includes specific serial number showing care given to your mouthpiece.
• Premium Hard Rubber:  The Hard Rubber AMBIKA 3 uses the finest vintage style hard rubber on the planet!
• Ligatures: The metal AMBIKA 3 includes our integrated two-point contact 24K Gold Plated Liberty Ligature and Alive Gold pressure plate.   We recommend the Enlightened Ligature for the Hard Rubber AMBIKA.  To truly individualize your sound, try our Premium Pressure Plates, which fit all of our mouthpieces and ligatures!
• Cap: Reed Replacer Cap. The most secure cap in the world.
• Bite Pad: Our User Replaceable Bite Pads, allow you to peel and stick on new bite pads. Try our varying hardness bite pads to personalize the feel.

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Ambika 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is beautifully made and has a perfect looking symmetry and balance to it.  The mouthpiece engraving is as perfect as can be.  Not a flaw or mistake anywhere.  Each mouthpiece has a unique serial number on it which I really love as I know which mouthpiece is mine and if I decide to sell a mouthpiece everyone knows from the serial number that this is the mouthpiece I reviewed on my site.

The tip, rails, baffle, table and chamber all look perfect as well. Smooth, even, symmetrical…….flawless.  The sidewalls are scooped out as they head towards what I would describe as an extra large chamber although the very beginning of the sidewalls are straight and form a triangle before the scoop starts.  (You can see this “straight sidewall triangle” near the tip in the photo below).

The mouthpiece chamber is bigger in diameter than the bore of the mouthpiece and the bottom floor of the chamber looks to be scooped out starting where the baffle terminates.

The Ambika 3 mouthpiece baffle is described as “no baffle” by Theo Wanne in his description but I wouldn’t describe it as “no baffle” just because the height of it could be lowered.  I guess I would describe it as a “low baffle”.   There is no rollover baffle at the tip that I can see with my eye and the baffle looks to head straight down to where it terminates with a curve at the beginning of the extra large mouthpiece chamber.  The baffle looks to have a slight side to side curve to it.

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The new Ambika 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a new baffle design with what Theo Wanne calls a “Shark Gill Baffle”.  You can see these lines in the picture above.

Here is Theo Wanne’s take on the Ambika 3 Shark Gill Baffle in his own words on SOTW (Sax on the Web):

I know the shark-gill baffle is the obvious visible feature, so I’ll mention that it works with boundary layer effect similar to how a sharks rough skin helps it glide faster through water, or how the dimples on a golf ball help it travel with less resistance through the air. I’ve enjoyed experimenting with this principle as many of the effect of it are counter intuitive, which makes experimenting fun  

Note:  I have no idea what Theo is talking about in his description of the shark-gill baffle above but I have enough respect for his knowledge that I will trust his opinion of this feature even though I am a bit skeptical by nature.

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Ambika 3 played great with an Ishimori Woodstone 3 1/2 tenor saxophone reed.  Actually, I liked the way it played so much with the Woodstone tenor reed, that I didn’t try any other reeds on the Ambika 3 tenor sax mouthpiece.  The tip shape of the Ambika 3 mouthpiece matched the tip shape of the Woodstone reed perfectly and the 3 1/2 reed was the perfect strength for the 7* (.105) tip opening in my opinion.

The Ambika 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece was indeed on the darker side of the tenor saxophone tone spectrum.  From the very first note it just had a very warm, dark and full bodied tenor saxophone sound to it.  I loved the thick richness of the husky tenor sax tone which was very even and full from the bottom of the saxophone and up into the palm keys.

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Ambika 3 tenor sax mouthpiece also had a nice core focus to the dark tone.  I find that many darker tenor saxophone mouthpieces have a more spread and diffused tone to them but the Ambika still has a nice focused roundness to it’s tone that I really loved.

The Ambika 3 tenor sax mouthpiece is probably a 7-8 on my 1-10 volume scale.  It gets a descent amount of volume but because the tone lacks the brightness and volume of a higher baffled mouthpiece I would give it a 7-8.  Also keep in mind that the mouthpiece I played before the Ambika 3 mouthpiece was the Theo Wanne Shiva 3 which is probably one of the loudest most powerful mouthpieces I have ever played.  That review will be following shortly……..

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The intonation on the Theo Wanne Ambika 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is excellent.  Many of the notes that I find sharp on my Selmer SBA tenor saxophone were close to perfectly in-tune when I looked down at my tuner while warming up with the Ambika 3 mouthpiece.  I was quite surprised by how in-tune it was.

The low notes were thick and lush and so beautiful sounding that I really didn’t want to even use the subtone effect to soften them.  The altissimo range was easy to produce and the notes in that higher range of the saxophone were round and sweet sounding.

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

On the sound clip below, I try to give a good range and variety of saxophone sounds and textures so that you can hear how the Theo Wanne Ambika 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece performs in different styles.  I find the clip below interesting to listen to just because of the absence of brightness and edge in the recording as you listen.  Of course, it is not 100% absent but it struck me as I listened to the recording how much reduced the brightness is compared to other saxophone sound clips I have recorded.

I demonstrate the sound of the Ambika 3 tenor mouthpiece with all my usual lines and melodies so if you want to compare it to my other sound clips and reviews, you should be able to find many of the same lines to compare this sound clip to.

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

In my opinion, the Theo Wanne Ambika 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a great metal tenor saxophone mouthpiece for those looking for a warm, dark mouthpiece for jazz playing.  In one of the quotes above, Karl Hunter writes that he can morph into a Michael Brecker/Lenny Pickett vibe on the Ambika 3 tenor sax mouthpiece.  I personally found the Ambika 3 too dark for the Brecker/Pickett vibe for me, but I did get a cool Dexter Gordon kind of vibe at times which I totally dug.

If you like the sound and look of the Ambika 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Theo Wanne, you can find them at Theo Wanne’s website. I have agreed to be an affiliate for Theo Wanne so if you purchase a Ambika 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece from this link, neffmusic.com will receive a small commission on the sale. (This helps to support my site and keep the saxophone related reviews and articles coming to you…..).

If you are lucky enough to play a Theo Wanne Ambika 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks,   Steve

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Ishimori Woodstone 3 1/2 Reed-No Effects

Today, I am reviewing a beautifully crafted Macsax Jalapeño 8* tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  I was contacted by Jeff Gjertsen at Macsax earlier this year and asked if I would be willing to review the brand new Macsax Jalapeño tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  Of course, I was super excited to try this beautiful tenor sax mouthpiece as I have already reviewed a Macsax Soco tenor saxophone mouthpiece as well as a Macsax Queso tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  Both of these Macsax mouthpieces looked absolutely  beautiful and played incredibly well so I would expect the same from this new Jalapeño tenor saxophone mouthpiece from Macsax!

Macsax Jalapeño 8* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

First of all, the Macsax Jalapeño tenor saxophone mouthpiece is beautiful to look at.  When I received the package and unwrapped the Jalapeño mouthpiece, I was floored by how beautiful this gold Macsax Jalapeño mouthpiece looks.  These mouthpieces are beautifully crafted works of art.

The Macsax Jalapeño tenor sax mouthpiece feels heavy in your hand as you hold it as it is made from a solid rod of brass.  The gold plating looks thick and perfect with not a flaw or blemish anywhere in sight.  The mouthpiece comes with a stylish green marble bite plate that looks fantastic as well.  On the top of the mouthpiece is engraved MACSAX in all capital letters and on the top side of the shank is engraved Jalapeño ATX (I assume ATX stands for Austin, Texas as that is where Macsax is based out of). On the underside of the shank is the tip opening of 8* and USA.

Macsax Jalapeño 8* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here is the description of the Macsax Jalapeño tenor saxophone mouthpiece from the Macsax website:

The MACSAX JALAPEÑO was created to be a tenor saxophone mouthpiece for a player who wants to soar above a band with a clear and even tone. The sound of this mouthpiece is bright and projecting, while maintaining a thick core sound we all like in a tenor sax mouthpiece. This mouthpiece was designed to be played in pop or rock settings, but it is also extremely fitting for a soloist in front of a big band or in a jazz fusion group. If you are looking for a sax mouthpiece to make you stand out in the crowd, the JALAPEÑO tenor saxophone mouthpiece is the mouthpiece for you. 

Each MACSAX JALAPEÑO is made from a solid rod of brass with a green marbled hard rubber bite plate which is CNC milled for a very consistent and high quality tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

Macsax Jalapeño 8* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The tip, rails, table and baffle of the Jalapeño tenor sax mouthpiece all look perfectly crafted.  The window of the mouthpiece looks extra long and wide in comparison to my other tenor sax mouthpieces. This extra long window is a feature of all the Macsax tenor sax mouthpieces to let more of the reed vibrate and resonate while playing.  The side rails and tip rail look thin, even and precise.  The tip rail is close to the shape of my Rigotti Gold reeds although the outside curve of the tip rail looks to bend towards the side rail a little bit sooner than the shape of my Rigotti Gold reeds but it is really close in shape.

I would describe the baffle as a high baffle.  The baffle is higher than the Macsax Soco and Queso model tenor saxophone mouthpieces I have already reviewed. The baffle heads at a straight angle for about 7/8 of an inch and then curves to a steeper rate of decline until it terminates at the edge of the chamber.

The sidewalls are straight as they head back to the chamber as well. The chamber is the same diameter as the bore of the mouthpiece.  The bore of the mouthpiece comes right up to where the baffle ends and the extra long and wide window gives the impression of an extra large chamber area to me because that window takes out material from where the chamber is.

Macsax Jalapeño 8* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Macsax Jalapeño tenor sax mouthpiece is slightly thicker in diameter than a typical metal Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece. Ligatures that fit an Otto Link metal tenor sax mouthpiece will fit on the Macsax metal mouthpieces as well if you open the ligature up a bit.  For example, my fabric Rovner ligature for metal tenor mouthpieces worked great on the Jalapeño as did my Selmer 404 silver metal ligature if I opened it up a bit more. (Although, my Francois Louis Ultimate ligature for metal Otto Links would not fit on the Jalapeño mouthpiece as it was too tight)

The bore of the Macsax Jalapeño tenor sax mouthpiece was similar in diameter to the bore of a typical metal Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece as well and fit on my neck cork nicely.

Macsax Jalapeño 8* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I found the Macsax Jalapeño 8* tenor saxophone mouthpiece to be very free blowing and reed friendly. I tried Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 medium,  2 1/2 strong and 3 light reeds on this mouthpiece and all of them played great.  Although I didn’t try harder reeds, I have the impression that the Macsax Jalapeño tenor sax mouthpiece would have played just as easily with the Rigotti Gold 3 medium or 3 strong reeds.

On the sound clips at the bottom of the review,  I tried to show a variety of different sounds that the Jalapeño tenor saxophone mouthpiece could get when I was playing it.

• Clip 1 is a dry recording in my office with no reverb or effects on the sound.  This is the bare bones natural sound of the Macsax Jalapeño tenor sax mouthpiece.
• Clip 2 is a recording I made in a big barn close to where I live.  I love playing in this barn because of the natural reverb that is present.
• Clip 3 is an added clip that features more altissimo register playing that I decided to add at the end of the review.

Macsax Jalapeño 8* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Macsax Jalapeño tenor saxophone mouthpiece played great for me with a tone that definitely leans to the brighter side of a tenor saxophone tone at louder volumes but still retains a smooth fattness to the tone. The tone is thick, full and round while having a strong core to it.  The more air I pushed through the Jalapeño tenor sax mouthpiece, the more focused the tone seemed to get just like when I reviewed the Macsax Soco and Queso tenor saxophone mouthpieces.  The difference is that while the Soco seemed to retain a round warmth and control, and the Soco is a bit brighter and edgier sounding at louder volumes, the Jalapeño adds even more brightness and power to the mix.

Macsax Jalapeño 8* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The tone was even and smooth throughout the range of the horn.  The intonation was really good.  I think the extra large chamber is a good fit on my Selmer SBA (Super Balanced Action) tenor sax as many of the notes that tend to be sharper were right on the “0” of the tuner when I checked them which is pretty rare without me having to adjust to get them there.

The low notes sound thick, fat and lush to me and it was easy to play the notes in the lower range of the saxophone and to subtone.  The altissimo register was also very clear and super easy to produce.  The altissmo register was  so easy to play that I think I spent a lot more time playing up there than I usually do on my sound clips so keep that in mind when you listen to the clips.

Macsax Jalapeño 8* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Just to clarify, when I write that a sax mouthpiece is free blowing, what I mean is that in comparison to other mouthpieces with more resistance the Jalapeño mouthpiece gets to the top volume a lot easier and faster with less air.  My impression is that if I blow the amount of air that gives me a 5 on the volume scale of a mouthpiece with resistance (typical Otto Link), that same amount of air might give me a 7 or 8 in volume on the Jalapeño tenor sax mouthpiece. This is neither good nor bad in my mind but just feels different if you are use to blowing with more resistance and is just something you get used to as you play the mouthpiece.

Free blowing also means that I find that harder reeds work better on the mouthpiece than I might typically use on a mouthpiece with more resistance.

Macsax Jalapeño 8* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I did feel like the Jalapeño did have more volume potential for me than the Macsax Soco and Queso model tenor sax mouthpieces could produce.  The Soco could bring me to a solid 9 for volume and the Queso seemed like I could push it to an 11 or 12 if I needed to.  The Jalapeño tenor sax mouthpiece seemed like it could maybe take me to 12-13 with volume but also that the brightness was a bit magnified in comparison to the Queso and Soco tenor sax mouthpieces.  It felt like there was more potential for volume with the Jalapeño tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

In my opinion, the Macsax Jalapeño tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a great mouthpiece for those of you looking for a tenor sax mouthpiece with a focused thick tone that also has a Brecker type of brightness to it.  My complaint with other high baffle mouthpiece like Guardala mouthpieces that Michael Brecker used is that the tone can sometimes sound thin and frail in the high register.  Macsax has created a high baffle line here with the Jalapeño that can not only give the brightness and power of a Brecker type of concept but also delivers a fatter thicker tone that so many sax players are looking for.

The Macsax Jalapeño tenor saxophone mouthpiece would be a great all round tenor mouthpiece for those of you looking for a mouthpiece that can handle multiple styles of music.  At soft volumes it is thick and full sounding but at louder volume it gets brighter and more focused to cut through those loud band gigs. If I was playing in a loud R&B or Rock gig I would definitely consider trying the Jalapeño tenor sax mouthpiece for those types of gigs.

I think Jeff Gjertsen and  Greg Wilson at  Macsax mouthpieces have done a great job with this new Jalapeño tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  It looks fabulous and plays great!  Check out the sound clips below!

Make sure to check out the website at Macsax.  Macsax also has a the Soco model tenor saxophone mouthpiece  and a Queso model tenor saxophone mouthpiece that both have lower baffles than the Jalapeño model being reviewed today if you are interested in something with a slightly darker, warmer tone.

If you try a Macsax Jalapeño tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any thought or comments on this review,  I would love to hear what you think in the comments below. Thanks,   Steve

Macsax Jalapeño 8* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Medium Reed – Dry Recording with No Effects

Macsax Jalapeño 8* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Rigotti Gold 3 Light Reed – Recorded in Big Barn

Macsax Jalapeño 8* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Medium Reed-Altissimo Demonstration in Barn

Today, I am reviewing the Shiva 3 gold tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Theo Wanne.  I just reviewed Theo Wanne’s darkest tenor sax mouthpiece which is the Ambika 3 (Ambika 3 Review), so today, I thought I would jump to the complete opposite end of the saxophone tone spectrum and review Theo Wanne’s brightest tenor saxophone mouthpiece called the Shiva 3.

Theo describes this Shiva 3 tenor sax mouthpiece as “Our brightest tenor mouthpiece. The biggest, baddest sound possible!” (I’m assuming the “baddest sound possible” is a good thing…….. we will see as I complete the review.)

Theo Wanne Shiva 3 8 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Shiva 3 tenor sax mouthpiece was shipped with the usual high standards of the Theo Wanne company.  Each mouthpiece comes in a perfectly designed box with stylish gold printing on it with all the details about the sax mouthpiece inside.  Inside the box is a beautiful black leatherette Theo Wanne mouthpiece case with the Shiva 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece well protected inside. The Shiva 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece I am reviewing today has an 8 tip opening which is measured at .110.

The Shiva 3 metal tenor sax mouthpiece has a built in ligature included called the “Liberty Ligature” that is already attached to the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece comes with a detailed information card with specific directions on how to adjust the built in ligature, the affects on the saxophone tone when the ligature is in different positions and directions on how to change the pressure plates on the ligature.

The Shiva 3 mouthpiece comes with a reed replacer cap which is on the mouthpiece where the reed goes and the ligature is tightened down on the reed replacer cap to protect the mouthpiece in shipping and when you are not playing it.

Although the reed replacer cap is a cool idea, the Shiva 3 tenor mouthpiece does not come with a “regular” mouthpiece cap that you slide on the mouthpiece over the reed and around the ligature. At the time of this review, there is a page on the Theo Wanne website that has new Theo Wanne mouthpiece caps for sale so hopefully he will start including these with his mouthpieces in the future.

Theo Wanne Shiva 3 8 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

As you can see above, the Liberty ligature on the Gold Shiva 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is connected to the mouthpiece through screws on the ligature that tighten into holes on the sides of the Shiva 3 mouthpiece.  The mouthpiece comes with a hex screwdriver that can be used to loosen these screws and move the ligature forward or backwards in relation to the reed and mouthpiece table.

The Shiva 3 tenor sax mouthpiece has five positions (holes) that can be used to adjust the ligature.  I personally liked the ligature in the middle hole setting as it puts the ligature plate towards the rear of the saxophone reed allowing the reed to vibrate and flex freely but not so far back that I feel it might not put enough pressure on the reed to seal.

Theo Wanne Shiva 3 8 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Even before you look at the Theo Wanne mouthpieces themselves, everything about the Theo Wanne packaging and presentation just speaks to quality and high standards.  Just the process of opening the package and unpacking the mouthpiece brings about an excitement and anticipation that this mouthpiece you are about to play is going to be amazing!

Here is how the Theo Wanne website describes the new Shiva 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece:

The SHIVA 3 ‘The Destroyer’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece has EVEN MORE power, fullness, and ease-of-play!!!

The SHIVA 3 uses Theo’s newest design technology to optimize the airflow across the high step baffle.  This means more dynamics, to the effectiveness of the airflow; you can literally put more air into the mouthpiece, but doing so with greater ease.  This makes the SHIVA 3 a very expressive saxophone mouthpiece!    Of course the SHIVA 3 also includes the Theo Wanne proprietary “shark-gill” chamber too.  These features give the SHIVA huge power and edge making it suitable for Rock n’ Roll, R&B or any situation where dynamics and power are important.

The SHIVA 3 tenor sax mouthpiece is currently being used by Gerald Albright, Warren Ham on tour with Ringo Starr, as well as by Mark Douthit (Elton John, Michael McDonald), Najee, Nelson Rangell, and many many others.

“I LOVE the Shiva! I’m a happy man. I love the brightness and the added bonus is how ‘full-bodied’ it is.” – Gerald Albright (3 Grammy Nominations)

“I just stopped and said WOW – I Feel Like I’ve Come Home! The SHIVA is very aggressive and great for those screaming tenor solos.” – Mark Douthit (Elton John, Billy Joel, Lionel Ritchie, Amy grant, Vanessa Williams, Garth Brooks, Billy Ray Cyrus)

Theo Wanne Shiva 3 8 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The SHIVA 3 tenor sax mouthpiece is available in 24K gold plated brass! Like all Theo Wanne products the SHIVA 3 is made using state-of-the-art design and manufacturing technologies. You will receive the most consistent and highest quality mouthpiece available in history.

“I have been a Rock & Roll and Blues-Rock sax player since the late 50’s when I performed with some of the early pioneers of rock and rockabilly as a teenager. Early in my career I had the vintage Duck Bill Bergs, Dukoff’s and Brillhart Level aire’s. Later on it was Guardala’s and a Clarence Clemon’s favorite – the Rovner Deep V. But with all the credibility of my many years wailing a tenor sax to back me up, this latest mouthpiece, SHIVA the Destroyer from Theo Wanne tops them all. It brings back the edge, projection and brightness of the classic vintage pieces, but with a less shrill tone, more volume, and a easier bottom end. The DESTROYER came along late in this rocker’s career, but I’m sure thankful it did!” – Ace Barton (Bobby Vee, The Champs “Tequila fame”)

SOUND

• Great for Jazz, R&B, Rock & Roll even softer music when a sweet tone with clarity is wanted.
• Projects a sensual tone that is flirtatious and erotic. It makes everyone want to dance!
• It is so unique; it really has to be played to be understood and believed.

DESIGN

• Theo Wanne proprietary “shark-gill” chamber. Uniquely shaped long step baffle, with roll-over.
• Crafted to the highest accuracy in the history of saxophone mouthpieces.
• Designed by Theo Wanne, the foremost expert on the design and manufacturing of vintage and new saxophone mouthpieces.

DETAILS

• Case: Beautiful Leatherette Case! 
• Plating: Reticulated 24K Gold plating.
• Ligature: The metal SHIVA 3 includes our integrated two-point contact Gold Liberty Ligature and Alive Gold pressure plate.  To truly individualize your sound, try our premium pressure plates, which fit all of our mouthpieces and ligatures!.
• Cap: Patented Reed Replacer Cap. The most secure cap in the world.
• Bite Pad: User replaceable bite pads allow you to peel and stick on new bite pads. Try our varying hardness bite pads to personalize the feel.

Theo Wanne Shiva 3 8 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Shiva 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is beautifully made and has a perfect looking symmetry and balance to it.  The mouthpiece engraving is as perfect as can be.  Not a flaw or mistake anywhere.  Each Theo Wanne mouthpiece has a unique serial number on it which I really love as I know which mouthpiece is mine and if I decide to sell a mouthpiece everyone knows from the serial number that this is the mouthpiece I reviewed on my site.

The tip, rails, baffle, table and chamber all look perfect as well. Smooth, even, symmetrical…….flawless.  The sidewalls are straight as they head towards what I would describe as an extra large chamber but flare out at the end of the baffle as the chamber starts.

The mouthpiece chamber is bigger in diameter than the bore of the mouthpiece and the bottom floor of the chamber looks to be scooped out starting where the baffle terminates.  The chamber has ribbed walls which Theo refers to as a “shark-gill” chamber.  The ribbed floor of the chamber looks like each rib is lower almost like stairs.  You can see this clearly in the bore photo below.  I have never seen a chamber with a ribbed floor and ribbed walls before.  The roof of the chamber does not have ribs and is  smooth and thin.

The Shiva 3 mouthpiece baffle is a high baffle as you can see in the photos above.  The first inch of baffle is high, slightly angled and flat.  I don’t see any rollover or curve to the baffle at all.  After the inch long high baffle, the baffle descends at a greater angle and then reaches a straight edge where the chamber starts.

Theo Wanne Shiva 3 8 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Shiva 3 played great with Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 strong tenor saxophone reeds.  Actually, I found the Shiva 3 tenor mouthpiece to play well with Rigotti Gold reeds ranging from 2 1/2 medium-3 light (I didn’t try anything harder than Rigotti Gold 3 light reeds).  I decided to use the Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 strong reeds for the sound clip below although I did add a fourth sound clip at the end with a Rigotti Gold 3 light reed for those interested in how a slightly harder reed sounds on the Shiva 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

The Shiva 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece was indeed on the brighter side of the tenor saxophone tone spectrum.   This brightness of tone is most easily heard in the upper register of the saxophone when I listen to the clips.    From the very first note it just had a very “in your face” bright and powerful sound.  The tone is ultra focused and concentrated.  I would describe the tone as having a laser beam type focus to it.

The Shiva 3 is probably a 14 on my 1-10 volume scale.  I honestly found the volume to be too much for my “old man” ears. (I am deaf in one ear and have some hearing loss in the other ear).  When I really pushed the Shiva 3 it easily transitioned into overdrive as far as volume and brightness.  So much so, that if I was playing facing a wall, the volume would hurt my ear.  That’s pretty darn loud!

For comparison sake, the Theo Wanne Shiva 3 tenor sax mouthpiece records at about twice the volume of most of the other mouthpieces I have reviewed here at neffmusic.com.  I realized this while editing the sound clips and seeing how close the recording came to peaking at times throughout the recording.

One aspect of the Shiva 3 tenor sax mouthpiece that can’t be heard on the recording is that at times, I did find it to suddenly get edgy if I wasn’t paying attention to how I was playing.  If I let my bottom lip get too hard, then the tone would get really edgy on me.  I would just have to readjust and make my bottom lip fatter to fatten up the tone again.  This is the kind of adjustment that would become second nature as a player got used to the mouthpiece over a few days.

Like I have described with other high baffle type tenor sax mouthpieces I have reviewed, I find these kind of mouthpieces to blow best with what I describe as an extra fat air column.  I know that might sound strange, but these high baffle type of mouthpieces really seem to become more versatile when I imagine my air column being wider in my throat.  Something about that mental thought seems to produce a fatter more rounded tone out of these high baffled tenor mouthpieces for me.

The intonation on the Theo Wanne Shiva 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece was within normal limits.  Many of the notes that I find sharp on my Selmer SBA tenor saxophone were within that same range with nothing out of the ordinary noticed as far as intonation.  I make sure to check intonation with any high baffle mouthpieces I try because sometimes they can throw the different octaves of the saxophone way out of wack with the upper register being really sharp.  The Shiva 3 tenor mouthpiece was within normal limits and expectations as far as intonation.

The low notes were thick and full and sounded great when subtoned.  The altissimo range was almost too easy to produce and the notes in that higher range of the saxophone just popped out really easily. This ease of altissimo playing made it easier to try some different lines up in that register than I usually play.

On the sound clip below, I try to give a good range and variety of saxophone sounds and textures so that you can hear how the Theo Wanne Shiva 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece performs in different styles.  I demonstrate the sound of the Shiva 3 tenor mouthpiece with all my usual lines and melodies so if you want to compare it to my other sound clips and reviews, you should be able to find many of the same lines to compare this sound clip to.

All the sound clips were recorded in a big barn with loads of natural reverb in it.  Sound clips 2 & 3 are louder clips that feature more altissimo playing because I didn’t use much altissimo in the first clip.

• Of special note, is the differences in sound and tone between the 2nd clip using the softer Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 strong reed and the 3rd clip where I use a slightly harder Rigotti Gold 3 light reed.  For a live gig, I would most definitely opt for the slightly stronger 3 light reed as it handles the altissimo register easier and gives even more power and volume to the Shiva 3 sound.

Theo Wanne Shiva 3 8 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

In my opinion, the Theo Wanne Shiva 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a great metal tenor saxophone mouthpiece for those looking for a modern, bright, focused, incredibly powerful tenor sax tone along the lines of a Michael Brecker & Lenny Pickett kind of vibe.  Although the tone is bright and powerful, it can still be manipulated to sound fat and full sounding throughout the range of the saxophone.

Although I wouldn’t use this Shiva 3 tenor sax mouthpiece on a straight ahead jazz gig, cocktail hour or private lesson because of it’s brightness and sheer volume and power when pushed, this mouthpiece would be a killer option when you need to really bring the power and volume during a rockin’ gig that is for sure.

If you like the sound and look of the Shiva 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Theo Wanne, you can find them at Theo Wanne’s website. I have agreed to be an affiliate for Theo Wanne so if you purchase a Shiva 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece from this link, neffmusic.com will receive a small commission on the sale. (This helps to support my site and keep the saxophone related reviews, articles and transcriptions coming to you…..).

If you are lucky enough to play a Theo Wanne Shiva 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks,   Steve

Theo Wanne Shiva 3 8 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Strong Reed-Playing in a Barn

Theo Wanne Shiva 3 8 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Strong Reed-Altissimo in a Barn I

Theo Wanne Shiva 3 8 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Rigotti Gold 3 Light Reed-Altissimo in a Barn II

Today, I am reviewing a Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Aaron Drake at Drake mouthpieces.  This Drake FG model tenor saxophone mouthpiece was inspired by a Freddie Gregory Mark IV hard rubber tenor sax mouthpiece that Jeff Coffin plays and that Aaron Drake did some work on.

Aaron told me that although the Drake FG model tenor saxophone mouthpiece is similar to Jeff Coffin’s Freddie Gregory tenor sax mouthpiece, it is not an exact copy of that mouthpiece but more of a tribute to Freddie Gregory that was inspired by Jeff’s Mark IV Freddie Gregory tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is not made with hard rubber but it is made from Drake’s vintage resin material.  Each mouthpiece is created as a one piece casting that Aaron Drake finishes by hand.  The entire process is done at his shop and nothing is outsourced.

Here are a few words from Aaron Drake on the Vintage Resin material he uses for his saxophone mouthpieces:

“Our Vintage Resin is a resin composite material that incorporates ceramic to enhance its hardness and acoustic properties.  This material is the closest to the properties of vintage hard rubber.  The Vintage Resin is engineered for durability and will outlast hard rubber.  I recently had an opportunity to take a look at one of my mouthpieces made 10 years ago.  It was played every day by a top professional musician and the mouthpiece facing was unchanged and still spot on.

Also, speaking to the material – it is not possible to capture the level of detail in the reproduction process using hard rubber and the process of milling hard rubber has a completely different acoustic affect on the finished mouthpiece – our one piece casting method is much more homogeneous and resonates differently – it is more “alive”. -Aaron Drake 

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here is what Aaron Drake writes about the Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece from the Drake website:

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece came well packaged and protected.  The FG model mouthpiece looked perfect right out of the box.  The resin material was shiny and smooth to the touch.  The table, tip, rails, baffle and chamber looked absolutely perfect.  Everything was clean cut, even and smooth.

The mouthpiece has “Drake Handmade USA” engraved on the side of the body and “FGXXXX (Serial Number)” handwritten on the other side of the body. The tip opening of “8” is etched by hand into the copper band that is at the bottom of the shank.

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece looks great as I examine it while writing this review. The table looks flat and smooth with not a mark on it.  The side rails and tip rail are thin and look to be perfectly even to my eyes.

The baffle is a smooth really long high rollover baffle that rolls down and travels through the medium chamber area as you can see in the photos below.  The baffle is what I would consider a high baffle that travels for about an inch before it rolls into the downward angle descent through the chamber area.

The top roof of the mouthpiece chamber is nice and thin and the side walls are slightly scooped out.

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece came with a slide-on Drake Dual Rails Ligature.  The Dual Rails Ligature holds the reed with rails on each side of the ligature.  Although the Drake Dual Rails ligature held the reed on fine when slid over the reed and mouthpiece, I opted to try a different more adjustable ligature for this mouthpiece.

I chose to record the sound clips below with a Vandoren Optimum ligature because I like the flexibility of being able to adjust the ligature placement on the reed.  The one negative to the Drake Dual Rails ligature (and all slide-on circular ligatures) is that the ligature placement on the reed can not be adjusted.

As a point of reference for other ligatures, the Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece will work with any ligature that fits a hard rubber Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece. I also tried using a Boston Sax Shop Superlative ligature, a Vandoren Optimum ligature, a Sax Clinic Tonus Mundi string ligature and a generic metal ligature for hard rubber tenor sax mouthpieces.  All four of these ligatures fit on the Drake FG model tenor saxophone mouthpiece perfectly.

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

My first experience playing the Drake FG model 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece was that it was very reed friendly and very easy blowing.  I used Rigotti Gold 3 light reeds, Rigotti Gold 3 medium tenor saxophone reeds and Rigotti Gold 3 strong tenor saxophone reeds on the sound clips below.  Usually, on an 8 tip opening, I will use a Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 strong tenor sax reed but the 2 1/2 strong strength was way too soft on this FG model tenor mouthpiece for some reason.

The height of the beak of the Drake FG model tenor sax mouthpiece is a lower beak profile than a typical hard rubber Otto Link beak profile.   I found the angle and lower height of the beak to be very comfortable for me and I actually prefer the feel of the FG model beak over a typical higher Otto Link height beak.

The Rigotti Gold 3 light reed felt super easy to play and had the perfect amount of resistance to blow against.  The tone with this reed sounds clear, bright and focused. The reed felt like it was the perfect strength but if I was on a live gig that was really loud, I would probably lean towards the 3 medium or 3 strong reeds which could be pushed harder for more volume.

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 tenor saxophone mouthpiece had an incredibly powerful tone with loads of brightness and projection when pushed.  The height of the baffle in the Drake FG model mouthpiece would lead me to think that the FG model would always be bright and edgy but the tone was quite manageable and versatile in my opinion.

At softer volumes the Drake FG model tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a full-bodied tenor saxophone tone that would sound right at home during a jazz set and then later could be pushed to rock the house during a dance set.

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Drake FG model tenor saxophone mouthpiece resides in that nebulous gray area between a traditional Otto link type tenor saxophone sound and a Guardala type tenor saxophone sound.   Not too long ago, a mouthpiece that played like this mouthpiece was pretty difficult to find.  Tenor sax mouthpieces either had a conservative rollover baffle or they had a high Guardala, Sugal or Ponzol type baffle in them.  There were not many choices in-between those two types of tenor sax mouthpieces that I could find twenty years ago.  This Drake FG model tenor mouthpiece is a great modern choice that fits perfectly into this category in my opinion.

The Drake FG model tenor sax mouthpiece is a great mouthpiece option for those of you looking for a more powerful sound that straddles that line between a sultry robust jazz tenor tone and a screamin’ kick butt tenor sound that can carry through the mix of a loud band.  The Drake FG model tenor sax mouthpiece has power to spare and the volume I was getting on these recordings was but a fraction of the power available with this mouthpiece.   Although I was playing at a 10 on the volume scale at times, this mouthpiece could seriously be pushed to play at a 15 if I didn’t care about getting evicted from my apartment.

I have provided six sound clips below as examples of what the Drake FG model mouthpiece can do with three different strength Rigotti reeds.  Since the Drake FG model tenor saxophone mouthpiece played great with all three strengths of Rigotti saxophone reeds I used with it, I decided to record with all three.

For each reed strength, I recorded a sound clip without effects where I explore different lines and sounds to see what the mouthpiece can do and how it sounds. I then provide another clip which features a louder more wailing sound with reverb so you can get an idea of how the Drake FG model tenor sax mouthpiece might sound on a live modern type of gig with reverb added.

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Although the high end could be really screaming and wailing, the low end of the saxophone could also be beautiful, resonant and lush sounding as well.  The mouthpiece sub-tones exceptionally well and the notes down low are full, thick and vibrant.

The Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model tenor saxophone mouthpiece is even and smooth throughout the range of the horn.  The altissimo range was incredibly easy to play and this Drake FG mouthpiece really makes it feel quite effortless playing up in that higher range of the horn.

I think Aaron Drake did a great job dialing in the intonation on this high baffle mouthpiece by finding a great balance between the high baffle and the internal design of the chamber. Usually, high baffled mouthpieces like this, will get a bit sharp for me on my Selmer SBA tenor sax but the Drake FG model tenor saxophone mouthpiece felt really locked in and solid as far as intonation.

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

If you like the sound and look of the Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Aaron Drake, you can find them at the Drake website.  Aaron Drake has done an amazing job creating his own line of saxophone mouthpieces with an attention to detail that is top of the line.  Beside being a great craftsman, Aaron Drake is also a great sax player, which, in my mind, is so important to dialing in the fine details involved in making great playing saxophone mouthpieces.

If you have played or end up playing a Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments about this review, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks,   Steve

Rigotti Gold 3 Light Reed Clips

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Light Reed-Dry Recording (No Effects)

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Light Reed-Altissimo Recording with Reverb

Rigotti Gold 3 Medium Reed Clips

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Medium Reed-Dry Recording (No Effects)

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Medium Reed-Altissimo Recording with Reverb

Rigotti Gold 3 Strong Reed Clips

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Strong Reed-Dry Recording (No Effects)

Drake FG (Freddie Gregory) model 8 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Strong Reed-Altissimo Recording with Reverb

Today, I am reviewing an Alexander Superial I Jazz 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Tom Alexander at Alexander Reeds Intl..  Tom Alexander reached out to me on January 24th of 2020 asking if I would be interested in reviewing his new Superial I Jazz tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  He was very excited about the Superial I Jazz mouthpiece and mentioned some great reviews of it by Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman and Donny McCaslin.  I said that it sounded interesting and that I would love to try it out, and then……….the world pretty much came to a grinding halt with Covid-19.  Needless to say, after many emails back and forth, I finally received the Alexander Superial I Jazz tenor sax mouthpiece almost 2 years later at the end of 2021 and I am so glad that I did, let me tell you why………

Alexander Superial I Jazz 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here is some of the background about the Alexander Superial I Jazz 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece from Tom Alexander:

“Many years ago, saxophone specialist Tom Alexander had a dream to make a mouthpiece of his own design. Since the 1970’s, he has worked with some of the top names in the world of the saxophone such as David Liebman, Michael Brecker, Ornette Coleman, Joe Lovano, Joshua Redman, Donny McCaslin, Bob Berg, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Greg Osby, Greg Tardy, Vincent Herring, Seamus Blake, Ralph Morgan and many others with his reeds. As a player, he studied saxophone with saxophone legends Joe Henderson and David Liebman as well as working professionally for 20 years. As a result of these experiences, he amassed a vast knowledge of every aspect of the saxophone in jazz: reeds, vintage mouthpieces, instruments and the music itself.

In designing this mouthpiece, Alexander had envisioned one which would capture the essence of tonal qualities existing in some great vintage mouthpieces, yet one which might respond better to modern, amplified playing situations.

After countless hours of research, which later led to the development of over 20 prototypes, and extensive testing and feedback by some leading saxophonists, at the end of 2018, he felt the last prototype finally achieved the high standard of performance he would only accept in order to release it to other saxophone players. Thus, the Alexander Superial I Jazz tenor saxophone mouthpiece was created.

This mouthpiece is capable of producing a large, focused sound from the bottom range on up to the altissimo with greater punch and projection, an even scale and enhanced upper register. Its large chamber supports a full, rich, warm body in the tone, yet one achieved without tubbiness or stuffiness. It also generates a well defined harmonic edge and balanced resistance. Furthermore, the precise facings and the mouthpiece’s resonant shell allow a player to use a more open tip with ease and this gives the potential to create both a larger sound and a wider dynamic range.

The Superial I Jazz tenor mouthpiece is milled from the finest-grade German hard rubber bar stock on 5-Axis CNC machinery which enables great precision from piece to piece. Each mouthpiece is machined, hand-finished in the U.S., rechecked in Japan and includes a Midnight Blue pouch. The Superial I mouthpiece’s box nests the mouthpiece in EVA foam and also can function well for touring.

Available in Red Marble Swirl and works with a standard vintage size Otto Link or Selmer Soloist size of ligature.”-Tom Alexander

Alexander Superial I Jazz 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Box

Here is what Tom Alexander personally wrote to me in an email to me about the Alexander Superial I Jazz 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece:

Today, I am reviewing the Durga 5 gold tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Theo Wanne.  Last year, I reviewed Theo Wanne’s darkest tenor saxophone mouthpiece which is the Ambika 3 (Ambika 3 Review), as well as Theo Wanne’s brightest tenor saxophone mouthpiece called the Shiva 3 (Shiva 3 Review).

The Durga 5 is ranked second in brightness next to the Shiva 3 tenor sax mouthpiece but being second in this case does not imply that it is in any way inferior to the Shiva 3 because, as Theo describes it,  “No other mouthpiece in history has been designed like this; it will blow you away since it can both scream and play a soft ballad. It is so much fun to play! Its huge sound makes everything before it sound thin and/or stuffy by comparison.” 

Granted, Theo Wanne is probably a bit biased about his own mouthpieces, but I’m looking forward to playing this Durga 5 and forming my own opinion about it……….

Theo Wanne Durga 5 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Durga 5 tenor sax mouthpiece was shipped with the usual high standards of the Theo Wanne mouthpiece company.  Each sax mouthpiece comes in a perfectly designed box with stylish gold printing on it with all the details about the sax mouthpiece inside.  Inside the box is a beautiful black leatherette Theo Wanne mouthpiece case with the Durga 5 tenor saxophone mouthpiece well protected inside. The Durga 5 tenor sax mouthpiece I am reviewing today has an 8 tip opening which is measured at .110.

The Durga 5 mouthpiece has a built in ligature included called the “Liberty Ligature” that is already attached to the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece comes with a detailed information card with specific directions on how to adjust the built in ligature, the affects on the saxophone tone when the ligature is in different positions and directions on how to change the pressure plates on the ligature.

The Durga 5  comes with a reed replacer cap which is on the mouthpiece where the reed goes and the ligature is tightened down on the reed replacer cap to protect the mouthpiece in shipping and when you are not playing it.

Although the reed replacer cap is a cool idea, the Durga 5 tenor mouthpiece does not come with a “regular” mouthpiece cap that you slide on the mouthpiece over the reed and around the ligature. At the time of this review, there is a page on the Theo Wanne website that has new Theo Wanne mouthpiece caps for sale so hopefully he will start including these with his mouthpieces in the future.

Theo Wanne Durga 5 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

As you can see above, the Liberty ligature on the Gold Durga 5 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is connected to the mouthpiece through screws on the ligature that tighten into holes on the sides of the Durga 5 mouthpiece.  The mouthpiece comes with a hex screwdriver that can be used to loosen these screws and move the ligature forward or backwards in relation to the reed and mouthpiece table.

The Durga 5 tenor sax mouthpiece has five positions (holes) that can be used to adjust the ligature.  I personally liked the ligature in the middle hole setting as it puts the ligature plate towards the rear of the saxophone reed allowing the reed to vibrate and flex freely but not so far back that I feel it might not put enough pressure on the reed to seal.

Theo Wanne Durga 5 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Even before you look at the Theo Wanne Durga 5 mouthpiece itself, everything about the Theo Wanne packaging and presentation just speaks to quality and high standards.  Just the process of opening the package and unpacking the mouthpiece brings about an excitement and anticipation that this mouthpiece you are about to play is going to be amazing!

Here is how the Theo Wanne website describes the new Durga 5 tenor saxophone mouthpiece:

“The DURGA 5 tenor mouthpiece has a fuller, richer, and more expressive sound. It is powerful and warm sounding simultaneously with an added core and thickness to the sound.  The sound is just downright sexy!

The DURGA 5 mouthpiece does everything the DURGA 4 mouthpiece did, just better.  Indeed this was our intention, as the DURGA has become a classic in the saxophone world and we didn’t want to change the base sound signature. We just refined it by adding a fullness/core to the sound.   

The secret to the DURGA 5 comes from Theo’s latest research and development, which has centered around updating the unique DURGA baffle with a very special chamber called the Medium-Stadium-Chamber. This new chamber is completely new, and works with the physics principle of ‘boundary layer effect’ much like a golf ball’s dimples. This allows the mouthpiece to get all the benefits of our True Large Chamber AND the extra core of a smaller chamber at the same time.

No other mouthpiece in history has been designed like this; it will blow you away since it can both scream and play a soft ballad. It is so much fun to play! Its huge sound makes everything before it sound thin and/or stuffy by comparison.”-Theo Wanne Website

Theo Wanne Durga 5 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The DURGA tenor is also being used on tour with Marcus Anderson (Prince), Adrian Crutchfield (Bette Midler), Tim Izo Orindgreff (Black Eyed Peas), Mark Douthit (Elton John) and by such Superstars such as Dino Soldo!  The DURGA 5 has evolved from the DURGA 1, 2, 3 and 4 with more fullness and core to the sound, extending the dynamic range of your horn, and a greater sense of ‘freedom of expression’.

SOUND

• Great for Jazz, R&B, and Rock & Roll.
• Projects a sensual tone that is flirtatious and erotic. It makes everyone want to dance!
• It is so unique; it really has to be played to be understood and believed.

DESIGN

• Radical proprietary Medium-Stadium-Chamber.
• Rounded inner side walls all the way to the tip. Uniquely shaped long step baffle.
• Crafted to the highest accuracy in the history of saxophone mouthpieces.
• Designed by Theo Wanne, the foremost expert on the design and manufacturing of vintage and new mouthpieces.

DETAILS

• Case: Beautiful Leatherette Case! Like the case?  See our other Mouthpiece and Reed Cases here!
• Serial Number: Includes serial number showing care given to your mouthpiece.
• Plating: Reticulated 24K Gold plating with highlights on logo.
• Ligature: The metal DURGA 5 includes our integrated two-point contact 24K Gold Plated Liberty Ligature and Alive Gold pressure plate.  Try our premium Pressure Plates, which fit all of our mouthpieces and ligatures!.
• Cap: Patented Reed Replacer Cap. The most secure cap in the world.
• Bite Pad: User Replaceable Bite Pads allow you to peel and stick on new bite pads. Try our varying hardness bite pads to personalize the feel.

Theo Wanne Durga 5 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Durga 5 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is beautifully made and has a perfect looking symmetry and balance to it.  The mouthpiece engraving is as perfect as can be.  Not a flaw or mistake anywhere.  On the top of the body of the Durga 5 is engraved the face of perhaps a mouthpiece “god” of some sort or maybe a person that Theo is especially fond of? (he does describe the Durga 5 as sexy, flirtatious and erotic in the descriptions above) Only Theo knows the answer to that……

Each Theo Wanne mouthpiece has a unique serial number on it which I really love as I know which mouthpiece is mine and if I decide to sell a mouthpiece everyone knows from the serial number that this is the mouthpiece I reviewed on my site.

The tip, rails, baffle, table and chamber all look perfect as well. Smooth, even, symmetrical…….flawless.  The sidewalls of the Durga 5 tenor sax mouthpiece are scooped out a little more than the Shiva 3 (the Shiva 3 sidewalls were straight until the end of the 1 inch baffle and then were scooped out after that) as they head towards what I would describe as a medium sized chamber.

The mouthpiece chamber is slightly bigger in diameter than the bore of the mouthpiece and the bottom floor of the chamber looks to be scooped out to make it a little bit lower than the bore.  Although the end of the chamber is lower than the bore, the floor of the chamber is a continuation of the baffle traveling through the chamber at an angle which is part of what makes this more of a medium chambered tenor sax mouthpiece.   The roof of the chamber is nice and thin.

The Durga 5 mouthpiece baffle is a high baffle as you can see in the photos above.  The first 7/8 inch of shelf baffle (the Shiva 3 shelf baffle is 1/8 of an inch longer) is high, slightly angled and flat.  I don’t see any rollover or curve to the baffle at all.  After the high shelf baffle, the baffle meets a straight edge and then descends at a greater angle until it reaches a scooped out edge where the chamber starts.

Theo Wanne Durga 5 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Durga 5 played incredibly well with the first tenor reed I put on it.  That was a Vandoren Green Java 2 1/2 tenor saxophone reed.

The first detail that struck me as I blew some air into the Durga 5 tenor saxophone mouthpiece was how powerful the Durga 5 mouthpiece was.  I was blowing a fraction of the air I usually play with and the Durga 5 was already playing at a substantial volume level.  Like the Shiva 3 review where I said that that mouthpiece went to 14 on the volume scale of 1-10, the Durga 5 is in that ballpark as well.  This mouthpiece just wails when you push it!  You do not have to be afraid of not being heard or noticed with this Durga 5 sax mouthpiece on your tenor saxophone that is for sure!

As you can already probably tell from the photos of the baffle, the Durga 5 tenor mouthpiece comes with some built in brightness thanks to that high baffle in it.  This brightness of tone is most easily heard in the upper register of the saxophone when I listen to the clips.    From the very first note, it just had a very “in your face” bright and powerful sound.  The tone is focused, concentrated and on the bright side of the tenor saxophone sound while still having a fat roundness to the tone.   Definitely in that category of Michael Brecker, Bob Berg and Tom Scott type of wailin’ tenor saxophone tone.

Theo Wanne Durga 5 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Durga 5 tenor sax mouthpiece was fatter and rounder in tone compared to the Shiva 3 sax mouthpiece which had more brightness and edge to the tone.  The tone of the Durga 5 still was smooth and even through the range of the saxophone but where I described the Shiva 3 as being like a laserbeam of brightness and edge, the Durga 5 has more of a fatness to the tone that evens out the brightness and lessens the edge.

Theo Wanne Durga 5 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The intonation on the Theo Wanne Durga 5 tenor saxophone mouthpiece was great in my opinion.   I make sure to check intonation with any high baffle mouthpieces I try because sometimes they can throw the different octaves of the saxophone way out of wack with the upper register being really sharp.  The Durga 5 tenor mouthpiece was within normal limits and expectations as far as intonation.

I will say that to play in tune on the Durga 5 tenor mouthpiece, the mouthpiece had to sit a bit further out on the cork (about 3/4 inch to 1 inch on the cork) than most mouthpiece I have reviewed.

The low notes were thick and full and sounded great when subtoned.  The altissimo range was easy to produce and the notes in that higher range of the saxophone just popped out really easily while still being fat and round sounding. This ease of altissimo playing made it easier to try some different lines up in that register than I usually play.

Theo Wanne Durga 5 Mouthpiece (Right) Next to a Shiva 3 Mouthpiece (Left)

On the two sound clip below, I try to give a good range and variety of saxophone sounds and textures so that you can hear how the Theo Wanne Durga 5 tenor saxophone mouthpiece performs in different styles with two different reeds (Vandoren Green Java 2 1/2 reed and BSS 2 1/2 reed).  I demonstrate the sound of the Durga 5 tenor mouthpiece with all my usual lines and melodies so if you want to compare it to my other sound clips and reviews, you should be able to find many of the same lines to compare this sound clip to.

Each sound clip was recorded dry (without effects) but I also posted each clip with reverb added to the recording.  I personally like the clips with reverb just because of how it fattens up the tone a bit but even if you listen to the dry clips (no reverb) I think you will agree that the tone sounds fat, full and thick. This fullness of tone is so important on brighter mouthpieces to allow them to still sound beautiful and nice to listen to.  At least that is my opinion.  On a gig, I would certainly add some reverb to the sax depending on what kind of room I was playing in.

Three Theo Wanne Mouthpieces Side by Side. From Left to Right-Gaia 4, Durga 5 and Shiva 3

In my opinion, the Theo Wanne Durga 5 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a terrific metal tenor saxophone mouthpiece for those looking for a modern, bright, focused, incredibly powerful tenor sax tone along the lines of a Michael Brecker & Lenny Pickett kind of vibe.  Although the tone is bright and powerful, it still sounds fat and full sounding throughout the range of the saxophone.

On the Theo Wanne Shiva 3 tenor sax mouthpiece review I stated that I probably wouldn’t use the Shiva 3 mouthpiece on a straight ahead jazz gig, cocktail hour or private lesson because of it’s brightness and sheer volume and power when pushed.  The Durga 5 scales back that brightness, volume and edge just enough that I might actually use this mouthpiece on a jazz gig.  It would be more of a Michael Brecker playing Confirmation, ‘Round Midnight and Impression kind of  saxophone tone on that gig but sometimes, that is cool in my opinion.

On a funk gig or Top 40 gig, the Durga 5 would totally smoke.  I really dug this mouthpiece.  It nails the whole “focused but fat” brighter tenor sound that I was chasing after back in the 90’s and could never find a mouthpiece to give me.  I think Theo hit it out of the park with the design for this Durga 5 tenor mouthpiece.  Well done Theo Wanne!

Theo Wanne Durga 5 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

If you like the sound and look of the Durga 5 tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Theo Wanne, you can find them at Theo Wanne’s website. I have agreed to be an affiliate for Theo Wanne so if you purchase a Durga 5 tenor saxophone mouthpiece from this link, neffmusic.com will receive a small commission on the sale. (This helps to support my site and keep the saxophone related reviews, articles and transcriptions coming to you…..).

If you are lucky enough to play a Theo Wanne Durga 5 tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks,   Steve

Clip 1-Theo Wanne Durga 5 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Vandoren Green Java 2 1/2 Reed-Reverb Added

Clip 1-Theo Wanne Durga 5 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Vandoren Green Java 2 1/2 Reed-Dry Recording (No Reverb)

Clip 2-Theo Wanne Durga 5 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-BSS (Boston Sax Shop) 2 1/2 Reed-Reverb Added

Clip 2-Theo Wanne Durga 5 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-BSS (Boston Sax Shop) 2 1/2 Reed-Dry Recording (No Reverb)

Today, I am reviewing a Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Johannes Gerber mouthpieces.  I first reviewed a Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant tenor mouthpiece here over 12 years ago.  I was incredibly impressed with Johannes Gerber’s craftsmanship 12 years ago when I first played the Gerber Vintage Slant tenor saxophone mouthpiece and am just as impressed now as I write another review of this 2022 Gerber Vintage Slant tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here are a few words from the Gerber website on the Gerber Vintage Slant tenor saxophone mouthpiece:

Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece came well packaged and protected.  The Vintage Slant tenor mouthpiece looked great right out of the box.  The hard rubber is dark, shiny and smooth to the touch.  The mouthpiece table, tip, rails, baffle and chamber look absolutely perfect.  Everything is clean cut, even and smooth.

The mouthpiece has the “J. Gerber” signature engraved on the top of the body and “Vintage Slant” engraved on the top of the shank. The tip opening of “7*” is engraved into the body next to the table and the bottom of the shank reads “Made in South Africa”.  What I believe is a serial number is also engraved on the other side of the mouthpiece body next to the table.

Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece looks immaculate as I examine it while writing this review. The table looks flat and smooth with not a mark on it.  The side rails and tip rail are thin and look to be perfectly even to my eyes.

I’m always incredibly impressed with Johannes Gerber’s incredible attention to detail.  his tip rails and side rails are some of the most even and precise in the business.  If you check out his website he has some incredible photos of more of his mouthpieces and work.  Here is a great video showing some of Johannes Gerber’s craftsmanship and work.

The Gerber Vintage Slant tenor saxophone mouthpiece is called the “Vintage Slant”model for a reason.  Reading the description of the origin of the Vintage Slant model mouthpiece shows that Johannes Gerber is dedicated to learning and mastering his craft.  I love this quote:

“Johannes Gerber compiled a database of vintage mouthpiece measurements over many years and used the data from his favorite mouthpieces during the conception of the Vintage Slant.”

Johannes Gerber put himself through a mouthpiece craftsman school of his own making.  This shows determination and passion but also intelligence and patience.  His years of study and meticulous hard work paid off in the form of his detailed and beautiful mouthpiece craftsmanship.

Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Gerber Vintage Slant has a smooth rollover baffle that descends down and through the large chamber.  Johannes describes this chamber as medium-large but it looks like a large chamber  to my eyes, similar to a typical hard rubber Otto Link sized mouthpiece chamber.  The baffle travels at an angle through the large chamber where it meets the start of the bore.  The sidewalls are nicely scooped out and the roof of the chamber is moderately thin.

Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece played great with a BSS (Boston Sax Shop) size 2 1/2 and size 3 tenor sax reed.  A saxophone mouthpiece ligature that fits on a typical hard rubber Otto Link tenor sax mouthpiece will work on the Gerber Vintage Slant mouthpiece as well.

The beak height feels very comfortable and similar to a typical hard rubber Otto Link beak height to me.  The tip rail shape matches perfectly to the saxophone reeds I tried on the Gerber Vintage Slant tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* tenor sax mouthpiece had a beautifully smooth darker saxophone tone that was warm and full of character. The low notes were lush and round in tone and the high notes had a pretty roundness to them that I really liked.

The Gerber Vintage Slant had an immediate response to articulation that was clean and precise and the intonation on this mouthpiece was excellent.

Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The first sound clip below is with the BSS (Boston Sax Shop) 2 1/2 reed and the tone is warm and lush even from the very first notes of “Darn that Dream” that I quote at the beginning of the sound clip.  The tone is dense but also spread sounding as if the edges of each note are spreading out through the room which gives the notes a warmth and mature character to the sound.

The second clip is with a slightly harder BSS (Boston Sax Shop) 3 tenor sax reed.  The tone of the Vintage Slant mouthpiece with the slightly harder reed seems a little more crisp and thick I think.  Like the tone has more layers to it I think.  The slightly harder reed allows the sound to be pushed harder and more aggressively if needed.

Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* is a great tenor sax mouthpiece for those of you looking for a traditional “vintage” tenor saxophone tone that is reminiscent of the 50’s-60’s hard rubber “Slant” Otto Link sound.  The Vintage Slant gives you that warmth and takes some of the brightness out of the tone that many modern mouthpieces have.   I usually use the word “dark” or “darker” to describe a tenor saxophone tone that has less highs in the sound but I don’t really like that word for the Gerber Vintage Slant tenor mouthpiece. The Vintage Slant mouthpiece does keep enough brightness in the tone of the saxophone so the highs that are still in the sound just sound warmer to me and more pleasant.  The high notes especially, have a pleasing appealing roundness and “singing” quality to them which is really beautiful.

The low end of the saxophone is also beautiful, resonant, thick and lush sounding as well.  The mouthpiece subtones beautifully and the notes down low are rich, thick, resonant and full-bodied.

The Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* tenor sax mouthpiece is even and smooth throughout the range of the saxophone.  I mentioned in my review of the Alexander Superial I Jazz mouthpiece review that it had a “smooth as butter” quality to the evenness of the notes when played fast and this Gerber Vintage Slant mouthpiece has a similar smoothness to the lines that I love as well.  Where as that mouthpiece had more of a focused quality to the tone, the Gerber Vintage Slant has more of a fat and spread quality to the tone.

As far as volume, I would say that the Gerber Vintage Slant plays similarly in volume to a typical great hard rubber Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  I usually find typical hard rubber Otto Links play at about a 7 or 8 on a volume scale of 1-10 and the Gerber Vintage Slant is in that same volume range in my opinion.

Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

If you like the sound and look of the Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece, you can find them at the Gerber website.  Johannes Gerber has done an amazing job creating his own line of saxophone mouthpieces with a meticulous attention to detail that is top of the line.  Besides the Vintage Slant model, the Gerber line also includes the Vibra Master, Vibra Master X and the Octa Supreme II.  I have not tried these other Gerber tenor sax mouthpieces models as of yet but hope to review them sometime in the future.

If you have played or end up playing a Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments about this review, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks,   Steve

Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-BSS (Boston Sax Shop) 2 1/2 Reed-Dry Recording (No Effects)

Johannes Gerber Vintage Slant 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-BSS (Boston Sax Shop) 3 Reed-Dry Recording (No Effects)

• But wait, there’s more!   Here is a bonus video clip of Tucker Antell (a killer tenor saxophone player in the New England area) playing on the Gerber Vintage Slant 9* Tenor Sax Mouthpiece.  Enjoy!

Today, I am reviewing and comparing three new SYOS Originals series tenor saxophone mouthpieces.  SYOS mouthpieces has released this new Originals SYOS line of tenor, alto and soprano saxophone mouthpieces to give saxophone players a simpler way to order a quality saxophone mouthpiece at a more affordable price point.  I have already reviewed the SYOS Originals soprano saxophone line a few months ago.  Today, I will be reviewing the SYOS Originals SMOKY, STEADY and SPARK tenor saxophone mouthpieces in an 8 tip opening.

SYOS Originals Series Smoky (Black), Steady (Gray) and Spark (Red) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpieces

Here are the descriptions of the three SYOS Originals tenor saxophone models from the SYOS website:

SMOKY MODEL – Combining a step baffle with an extra wide chamber, the Tenor Smoky is the perfect tenor saxophone mouthpiece to get a dark, velvety sound effortlessly.

STEADY MODEL – The combination of a medium step baffle and medium-sized chamber makes the Steady for Tenor a true all-rounder. Versatile and easy to play, you can switch between a dark or bright tenor saxophone tone on the fly.

SPARK MODEL – No metal is needed to get a very bright and powerful tenor saxophone sound. With a high step baffle and medium chamber, the Spark for Tenor is free-blowing, with a clear sound that travels far!

SYOS Originals Series Smoky (Black), Steady (Gray) and Spark (Red) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpieces

The SYOS company hit the saxophone mouthpiece scene a few years ago and immediately caught the world’s attention by producing these really bright colored 3D printed saxophone mouthpieces made of plastic at a more reasonable price than conventional saxophone mouthpieces.

Although today’s review is of mouthpieces in the colors of black, gray, and red; you can order SYOS saxophone mouthpieces in almost any color you can think of.

Syos now has three series of saxophone mouthpieces that you can order:

• The New Originals Series–Syos Originals embodies the finest in Syos acoustic expertise, a streamlined collection of easy-to-play mouthpieces for every type of saxophone. Pick a dark (Smoky), balanced (Steady) or bright tone (Spark) and get the sound that was promised immediately.
• The Signature Series-Discover the Syos signature selection: we developed each of these saxophone mouthpieces with a Syos artist. If you find their style of music matches yours, you can order the same mouthpiece design as your favorite artist plays.
• The Custom Series-Get a 100% custom mouthpiece made with you and for you.

Here is a few comments about the brand new SCAL3D material SYOS mouthpieces are made from in case you are curious:

Syos debuts innovative SCAL3D material and new Originals collection

Over the last two years, Syos has worked tirelessly with leading French experts in additive manufacturing technologies to develop the ultimate material for premium quality 3D printed mouthpiece production.

Today we are proud to present a revolution in 3D printing materials: SCAL3D. Mouthpieces made in SCAL3D are of unparalleled quality, with a flawless table and pristine finish. Unlike ebonite, SCAL3D does not contain sulfur, the chemical element that turns mouthpieces green and can become toxic over time. SCAL3D is certified free of endocrine disruptors, is impact-proof and scored the highest in our accelerated aging study.

Creating this new material gave us the opportunity to design our own colors, deeper and more elegant than the ones before. We hope you’ll find them as compelling as we do!

Since 2016, Syos has come to be known for the precision and repeatability of its mouthpieces. Along with this new material comes a fully upgraded production facility, allowing us to set new standards in manufacturing accuracy.

Each of the three SYOS Original series tenor saxophone mouthpieces has the name of the SYOS model engraved on the side of the mouthpiece as well as the SYOS symbol engraved on the top of the sax mouthpiece.  On the inside bore of each mouthpiece is engraved “Made in France” as well as what looks like a serial number.  The tip opening number is engraved into the bottom side of the shank underneath the mouthpiece table.

The table, tip and rails look fairly even and the mouthpieces table has a bit of a texture to it that you can see and feel when you rub your fingers over the table.  This texture is a byproduct of the 3D printing process.  This texture does not seem to effect the sealing of the reed on these mouthpiece or any of the other SYOS saxophone mouthpieces I have reviewed to date as they have all sealed fine when applying the suction test.

*Note: Although all three mouthpieces sealed with the reeds used on them, the STEADY mouthpiece had the shortest seal at a fraction of a second.  The SMOKY and SPARK had an average sealing time like other mouthpieces.  Interestingly, I could not use the same tenor saxophone reed on all three SYOS mouthpieces which was rather frustrating.  If a new reed worked well on one mouthpiece, it would not seal on the next mouthpiece I was playing.  I had to use new reeds for each mouthpiece I played.  This tells me that each mouthpiece has a different landscape to the table that the reeds were forming to which then made the used reed unable to get a seal on the next mouthpiece.  Although this is a pain when reviewing multiple mouthpieces, I don’t think it would be an issue when just using one mouthpiece.

The tip rail matched up fairly well with the Rigotti Gold tenor saxophone reeds I used on it.  The #3 Light Rigotti Gold reeds worked well on all three mouthpieces but I only chose to record the clip of the SMOKY model mouthpiece with this 3 Light reed.  I preferred a Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Strong reed on the SPARK and the STEADY but this size reed was too soft for me on the SMOKY model mouthpiece.

I especially loved the 2 1/2 Strong Rigotti reed on the SPARK mouthpiece as the slightly softer reed just seemed to give the SPARK some more brightness, sparkle, clarity and flexibility to the sound in my opinion.

SYOS Originals Series Smoky (Black), Steady (Gray) and Spark (Red) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpieces

The three SYOS tenor sax mouthpieces that I received to review came with one slide on SYOS round ligature (three would have been nice, but I’m not complaining….).  You just slide the round ligature over the mouthpiece with the reed on it as far as it will slide on and it holds the reed tightly to the saxophone mouthpiece.

Although the ligature seemed to work fine, I found it was a bit of a pain to get off and on each mouthpiece once I had it firmly placed.  I chose to use a Vandoren Optimum tenor saxophone ligature that fit the diameter of the SYOS tenor saxophone mouthpieces so I could adjust the tightness of the ligature how I wanted it.  The diameter of these SYOS tenor sax mouthpieces is similar to other brands of hard rubber tenor sax mouthpieces like hard rubber Otto Link tenor sax mouthpieces.

SYOS Originals Series Smoky (Black), Steady (Gray) and Spark (Red) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpieces

As you can see in the photo above, the baffle of the SPARK model (red) tenor sax mouthpiece is the highest and longest baffle of the three mouthpieces.  The STEADY baffle is a bit shorter and slightly lower than the SPARK mouthpiece baffle and the SMOKY model is the shortest and lowest baffle of the three tenor sax mouthpieces.

Each mouthpiece baffle starts fairly flat and travels in an angle until it encounters a straight edge where the angle of the baffle becomes greater as the baffle heads to the rear of the mouthpiece chamber in what looks like a straight line.  This straight descent of the baffle on all three mouthpieces is scooped from side to side.

Due to the fact that the angle of decent starts at a greater distance from the tip of the SPARK and STEADY models, the descending baffle takes up more of the chamber area of the SPARK making it a smaller medium chamber than the SMOKY and STEADY.   The STEADY has  more of a medium chamber of the three models and the SMOKY has the largest chamber of the three models.

The sidewalls of the three SYOS Originals tenor mouthpiece models are scooped out as they head towards the chamber and the roof of the chambers looks to be the same average thickness (see photos) for all three mouthpieces.

SYOS Originals Series Smoky (Black), Steady (Gray) and Spark (Red) Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpieces

The three SYOS Originals tenor saxophone mouthpieces vary in length as you can see in the photo above.  The higher the baffle, the longer the shank of the mouthpiece.  This helps each mouthpiece to be placed in approximately the same area on the cork regardless of the height of the baffle and size of the chamber.  I like this feature just because I don’t like my higher baffled mouthpieces sitting way out on the end of my neck cork.

SYOS Originals Smoky Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Chamber

The three SYOS Originals tenor saxophone models played exactly as their baffles would indicate.

The SYOS SMOKY mouthpiece was what I would consider a middle of the road tenor sax mouthpiece between dark and bright.  It was warmer sounding and had less high brightness in the tone than the STEADY and SPARK mouthpieces, while still having a nice focused sound.

The bottom range of the saxophone sounded more spread to me while the higher end of the saxophone range sounded more focused.

The intonation was excellent and within normal parameters. The articulation was clean and crisp and the altissimo popped out nicely without getting overly bright and edgy.  You can hear how easily the altissimo lines pop out on the sound clip below.

As far as power, the SMOKY still had ample power and volume when pushed even though it had the lowest baffle of the three SYOS Originals tenor saxophone mouthpieces.  The baffle of the SYOS SMOKY tenor mouthpiece is still a higher and longer baffle than many tenor mouthpieces like most Otto Links and other similar tenor sax mouthpieces, so keep that in mind.

SYOS Originals Steady Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Chamber

Next up was the STEADY model SYOS tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  While the SMOKY seemed to prefer a Rigotti Gold 3 Light tenor saxophone reed, the STEADY mouthpiece seemed right at home with a Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Strong tenor saxophone reed.

The STEADY model had more of a middle of the road brightness to it that gave it more power than the SMOKY model.  The STEADY mouthpiece has more of a “in your face” power and presence in the recording below when compared to the SMOKY sound clip.  Intonation was great and as to be expected and the scale was even throughout the range of the saxophone.

The STEADY model tenor sax mouthpiece seems to get exponentially more focused when pushed and more spread in tone when I played at lower volumes.

The altissimo seemed to have more presence and volume than the SMOKY model which had a more refined and pretty altissimo whereas the STEADY started leaning in towards a more aggressive altissimo sound when pushed.

SYOS Originals SPARK Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Chamber

Lastly, the SYOS SPARK tenor saxophone mouthpiece was the brightest and more powerful of the three SYOS Originals tenor sax mouthpieces.   Although is is brighter, I don’t think it is as bright as the SYOS Chad LB model that I reviewed a few years ago.

As well as being brighter and more powerful, you can clearly hear on the recording that the SPARK has more of a focused presence on the recording than the STEADY and SMOKY mouthpiece sound clips.  This focused presence and brightness would make it a great mouthpiece for “live” modern commercial type gigs where you need volume (although I think the STEADY and SMOKY mouthpieces could hold their own as far as volume on these types of gigs as well).

Although the SYOS SPARK tenor sax mouthpiece is brighter, I didn’t find it annoyingly so.  Being deaf in one ear and having some hearing loss in my good ear tends to make me a bit overly sensitive to bright and loud mouthpieces but the SYOS SPARK was bright and powerful without triggering my annoyance factor which is a good thing.

The altissimo of the SPARK model tenor saxophone mouthpiece was excellent and seemed really easy to lock in as far as being able to produce it but also in regard to intonation.  The high notes were bright and loud but still had a round consistency to the notes that made them easy to listen to.

I have provided a second sound clip of the SYOS SPARK below where I took some of the altissimo clips from the first sound clip and added some reverb to them.  I really love the quality of this second clip.  I’m not exactly sure why, but there is a quality in the tone of this clip up in the altissimo that sounds really cool to me.

SYOS Originals Spark Model Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece

SYOS really did a great job with this new line up of the Originals series tenor saxophone mouthpieces.  Check out the sound clips below.   If you like the sound and look of these new Originals tenor saxophone mouthpieces by SYOS, you can find them at the SYOS website.  Neffmusic also gets a small commission from each sale when you use this link to purchase a SYOS mouthpiece which helps support this website, so thank you in advance! 

The other great thing about the SYOS Originals saxophone mouthpieces are the price point.  As of today, the SYOS Originals sax mouthpieces are around 189 USD as of today, which in my mind is a great price for a saxophone mouthpiece that plays this well.

If you have any other thoughts or comments about this comparison, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks,   Steve

SYOS Originals Series Tenor Sax Mouthpiece Comparison

*For best results, it is best to listen to these clips with good speakers or headphones.

SYOS Originals Smoky 8 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

SYOS Originals Smoky Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold #3 Light Reed

SYOS Originals Steady 8 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

SYOS Originals Steady Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold #2 1/2 Strong Reed

SYOS Originals Steady Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold #3 Light Reed-Short Clip with Reverb Added

SYOS Originals Spark 8 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

SYOS Originals Spark Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold #2 1/2 Strong Reed

SYOS Originals Spark Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold #2 1/2 Strong Reed-Short Clip with Added Reverb

Today, I am excited to be reviewing a brand new “top secret” tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Theo Wanne called the Lakshmi. This Lakshmi gold tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a 7*  tip opening and is being released here (Lakshmi page) by Theo Wanne at the same time as I am posting this review today.  I have been so excited about this mouthpiece over the last two weeks but was asked to not post anything about it until today’s release date.  I am so thrilled to finally be able to post this review……….

Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

A few weeks ago, I knew nothing about this new mouthpiece by Theo Wanne, then I received an email asking me if I would be interested in reviewing it for the Lakshmi mouthpiece release on June 3rd. Here is how the Lakshmi was described by the crew at Theo Wanne in that email:

For the straight-ahead tenor players out there, we’re proud to release our first new Pro-Line model in 7 years, the LAKSHMI:

Theo’s storied history as the vintage mouthpiece refacer to some of the world’s greatest players was the inspiration for this model. The LAKSHMI is the ultimate VINTAGE sound, with all of Theo’s new technology built in. This model is for all the vintage Otto Link fans out there craving the very best dark, balanced, straight-ahead, yet full-bodied CORE vintage sound! Prototypes for this new model have been circulating amongst amazing players from New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Berklee, and the overwhelming consensus is, if you play jazz, you need to play the LAKSHMI. Available in gold-plated brass and in sizes 6*, 7*, 8 and 9.

Wow!  With a description like that, I had to give this Theo Wanne Lakshmi tenor saxophone mouthpiece a try for myself………..

Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* tenor sax mouthpiece was shipped with the usual high standards of the Theo Wanne mouthpiece company.  The Lakshmi mouthpiece comes in a perfectly designed box with stylish gold printing on it with all the details about the Lakshmi tenor sax mouthpiece inside.  Inside the box is a beautiful black leatherette Theo Wanne mouthpiece case with the Lakshmi 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece well protected inside.

The Lakshmi 7* tenor sax mouthpiece has a built in ligature included called the “Liberty Ligature” (I call it the Enlightened Ligature in the sound clip by mistake)  that is already attached to the mouthpiece. The Lakshmi tenor sax mouthpiece comes with a detailed information card with specific directions on how to adjust the built in ligature, the affects on the saxophone tone when the ligature is in different positions and directions on how to change the pressure plates on the ligature.

The Lakshmi 7* mouthpiece comes with a reed replacer cap which is on the mouthpiece where the reed goes and the ligature is tightened down on the reed replacer cap to protect the mouthpiece in shipping and when you are not playing it.

Although the reed replacer cap is a cool idea, the Lakshmi 7* tenor mouthpiece does not come with a “regular” mouthpiece cap that you slide on the mouthpiece over the reed and around the ligature. At the time of this review, there is a page on the Theo Wanne website that has new Theo Wanne mouthpiece caps for sale .  Theo sent me one of these new mouthpiece caps to try out and like all of the Theo Wanne products, this mouthpiece cap is a quality mouthpiece cap.  It is strong, durable and fits on all the metal Theo Wanne tenor mouthpieces perfectly!   Maybe, it is just the fact that Theo has kept us waiting for like 10-15 years for a mouthpiece cap, but I have to say, this mouthpiece cap gave me such a sense of relief, completion and satisfaction to put over the Lakshmi mouthpiece that I now feel like my life is complete. It fits like a glove and I could go and have lunch knowing that my Theo Wanne Lakshmi mouthpiece and reed were well protected……….

Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

As you can see above, the Liberty ligature on the Gold Lakshmi 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is connected to the mouthpiece through screws on the ligature that tighten into holes on the sides of the Lakshmi tenor mouthpiece.  The mouthpiece comes with a hex screwdriver that can be used to loosen these screws and move the ligature forward or backwards in relation to the reed and mouthpiece table.

The Lakshmi tenor sax mouthpiece has five positions (holes) that can be used to adjust the ligature.  I personally like the ligature in the middle hole setting as it puts the ligature plate towards the rear of the saxophone reed allowing the reed to vibrate and flex freely but not so far back that I feel it might not put enough pressure on the body of the reed to seal.  This is where I kept the ligature for the duration of my playing time on the Lakshmi tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Lakshmi tenor saxophone mouthpiece is beautifully made and has a perfect looking symmetry and balance to it just like all of the Theo Wanne mouthpieces.  The mouthpiece engraving is as perfect as can be.  Not a flaw or mistake anywhere.  On the top of the body of the Lakshmi tenor saxophone mouthpiece is cool engraving of a person’s face with a nose ring.  The shank of the mouthpiece is engraved with “Theo Wanne” and “Made in USA”.

Each Theo Wanne mouthpiece has a unique serial number on the shank which I really love as I know which mouthpiece is mine and if I decide to sell a mouthpiece everyone knows from the serial number that this is the mouthpiece I reviewed on my site.

Each Theo Wanne mouthpiece comes with a bite plate that has a rubber Theo Wanne rubber patch on it.  These patches can be reordered and replaced when they get worn out and I have to admit that this is the first Theo Wanne metal mouthpiece I have tried without using an extra rubber bite pad on it.  Usually, I am afraid of hurting the mouthpiece in any way but this time, I decided to live on the edge and use the built in bite patch.   I figure I can always order another one if I need to replace it.

Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The tip, rails, baffle, table and chamber all look perfect. Smooth, even, symmetrical, …….flawless.   When it comes to perfection, the standard doesn’t get much higher than Theo Wanne saxophone mouthpieces.  I have reviewed quite a few Theo Wanne mouthpieces over the years and it is quite rare to see any imperfections of any kind.

The window of the Lakshmi tenor sax mouthpiece is a bit larger than other tenor sax mouthpiece windows on my shelf.  Comparing it to a handful of designer mouthpieces, the Lakshmi window is larger than all of them.  The window is also quite a bit larger when comparing it to other metal Otto Link mouthpieces of various vintages.  This extra window area allows more of the reed to freely vibrate and respond while playing, in my opinion.

The sidewalls of the Lakshmi tenor sax mouthpiece are scooped out as they head towards the chamber that Theo Wanne describes as a “large-stadium” chamber.  Here is how Theo Wanne describes the “Large-Stadium” chamber on his website:

A BIG Vintage Large Chamber Sound with incredible Focus and Core.   Not too bright, or too dark, but the perfect balance.    The Lakshmi tenor saxophone mouthpiece uses a unique and proprietary Elongated-Roll-Over-Baffle, as well as Theo’s new Large-Stadium Chamber.    The Large-Stadium Chamber is a technologically advanced version of a traditional large chamber, combining True-Large Chamber sections with Medium Chamber sections for a focus and core that is incredible while maintaining the full, rich sound of a True-Large-Chamber.   The name comes from the shape of the chamber, which approximates the shape of a sports stadium.  The LAKSHMI projects very well, but never sounds harsh or thin, just a big vintage tenor sound Dexter Gordon would be proud of.  It is the evolution of the traditional Otto Link style vintage sound.”-Theo Wanne

Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Reading the description of the Large-Stadium chamber above, I tried to eyeball how big the Lakshmi chamber was compared to my Theo Wanne Gaia 3 and Gaia 4 mouthpieces I have on hand.  I really had a hard time trying to compare the two chambers and couldn’t measure by eye if they were the same or if the Lakshmi was slightly smaller.  I asked Theo about this size comparison and he responded,   “The Stadium Chamber is as large as the GAIA 4 chamber in some areas, but smaller in others.”   I assume this “stadium” chamber design has an impact on the focus and core sound of this mouthpiece as I will write about later in the review.

The Lakshmi mouthpiece chamber is slightly bigger in diameter than the bore of the mouthpiece and the bottom floor of the chamber is scooped out to make it a little bit lower than the bore.  The roof of the mouthpiece chamber is nice and thin.

The Lakshmi mouthpiece baffle is a lower baffle than the Theo Wanne Gaia 3 and Gaia 4 model tenor sax mouthpiece baffles and looks to be a little higher initially than the baffle of the Ambika 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  The first 1/4 inch of baffle is a medium high, slightly angled and flat baffle.  I don’t see any rollover or curve to the baffle at all.  After the medium shelf baffle, the baffle meets a straight edge and then descends at a greater angle until it reaches a scooped out edge where the Lakshmi mouthpiece chamber starts.

Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece played absolutely fantastic with the first reed I put on it which was a Roberto’s Winds 3 Soft tenor saxophone reed.  This was a pleasant surprise for me because I have had a hard times with saxophone reeds lately as I have found them to be either too soft or too hard.  The Roberto’s Winds 3 soft reed was in my opinion, the absolute perfect strength reed for this Lakshmi tenor sax mouthpiece.  The Roberto’s Winds reed felt hard enough to blow against and get a full, hearty tenor saxophone tone, but it was soft enough to be expressive and shapeable if that makes sense.

The day of the recording, the Roberto’s Winds reed I had been using felt like it was nearing the end of the reed’s life, so I put another Roberto’s Winds 3 Soft reed on and to my surprise, it played just as good, if not better, than the first reed did.  That second reed is the reed I recorded the sound clips with.

The tone on the Theo Wanne Lakshmi tenor sax mouthpiece was full bodied, rich and complex sounding.  The Lakshmi leans to the darker and warmer side of a tenor saxophone tone but has enough sparkle and brightness to the tone to make it interesting and “alive” sounding.  This complex and rich tone is special in that I found myself just holding out random notes and listening to the colors and layers of each note as I played.  It was really quite interesting and fascinating.

One aspect about the Lakshmi tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I noticed is that the more air I put through the mouthpiece, the fuller and more rich the tone sounded to me.  It has this huge fat sound full of texture and complexity in the tone, but I also found it to be incredibly focused sounding which I absolutely loved.  I found this fascinating as most mouthpiece I have played seem to get brighter and edgier when pushed, but although those qualities can be useful, many times they take away from the rich, complex, lush and grainy tenor sax tone that I find so beautiful.  I did not feel this way about the Theo Wanne Lakshmi tenor sax mouthpiece.  The more I pushed it with air, the more the tone grew in fullness as well as richness, complexity and character.

Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Another positive to the Lakshmi tenor saxophone mouthpiece is that it has excellent intonation.  The middle range of the sax, which is usually sharp on my Selmer SBA tenor saxophone (D,D#,E) was much more in-tune and a couple times, I found myself voicing these notes lower out of habit when I didn’t need to.  They were already in tune.  This was a pleasant surprise!

Another positive quality to the Theo Wanne Lakshmi tenor sax mouthpiece is that I found all the notes throughout the range of the saxophone to be thick and full sounding. There were no thin notes to be found and if I found a note to be a little thin it was not the fault of the mouthpiece as adding just a little more air filled out the note and thickened it up nicely.

The Lakshmi played incredibly even throughout the range of the tenor saxophone when playing at full volume or softly and the evenness of notes made fast playing sound and feel really smooth and flowing.

The low notes on the Lakshmi were a joy to play.  These notes were thick and full and sounded great when sub-toned.  The altissimo range was easy to produce and the notes in that higher range of the saxophone just popped out really easily while still being fat and round sounding.

Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

One of the most exciting thoughts to share about the new Theo Wanne Lakshmi tenor saxophone mouthpiece is my impression that my discoveries with this tenor sax mouthpiece up to this review are only the tip of the ice berg.  The Lakshmi tenor saxophone mouthpiece gives me the sense and impression that playing it is the start of an interesting and rewarding journey.  I think these thoughts lend to the fact that the tone of the Lakshmi mouthpiece is so rich, layered and complex, that I feel like there are depths to explore within the tone if that makes sense.

Bottom line, ideally, a sax player’s main love should be their own tone and the Theo Wanne Lakshmi tenor sax mouthpiece really delivers in that regard. Every time I have played this mouthpiece during the last two weeks, I have been captivated by it’s sound.  Sometime I just play one note and then stop and smile shaking my head.  That is the best feeling in the world for a sax player, in my opinion.

Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

On the sound clip below, I try to give a good range and variety of saxophone sounds and textures so that you can hear how the Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece performs in different styles.  I demonstrate the sound of the Lakshmi tenor mouthpiece with all my usual lines and melodies so if you want to compare it to my other sound clips and reviews, you should be able to find many of the same lines to compare this sound clip to.

This is a longer sound clip and honestly, I recorded two of them that were both about 30 minutes each.  I was just having so much fun playing this mouthpiece.  I had a wicked hard time editing this clip down to under 6 minutes and I didn’t even get to the second sound clip.

I did add a second short sound clip of some of my altissimo lines from the first clip with some reverb added.  I’m not sure if this was needed, but I think it might help some of you who want an idea of how this mouthpiece might sound when pushed harder in a big hall or through a PA with reverb added.

Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

In my opinion, the Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a terrific metal tenor saxophone mouthpiece for those looking for a classic, warm, hearty, focused, vintage Otto Link type tenor saxophone tone that can still be incredibly powerful.  I honestly loved the warmth and tonal complexity, but what I loved along with it, was the power that I could get out of this Lakshmi tenor sax mouthpiece.  This mouthpiece could take all of the air I could give it and produce an incredibly powerful tenor saxophone sound.

I really love this Theo Wanne Lakshmi tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  I have to be honest, I have been looking for a mouthpiece like this for years.  A mouthpiece that can give the warmth and complexity of tone of a “killer” Otto Link but also deliver the volume, power and focus that so many of us need in a modern setting.  The Lakshmi doesn’t do this by multiplying the brights with a high baffle like many mouthpieces do but by what I believe  is a balance in the design that allows the Theo Wanne Lakshmi to really travel the path between the “classic” Otto Link sound but also deliver more power and focus than most Otto Link metal mouthpieces I have tried can deliver.   Well done Theo Wanne!

Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

If you like the sound and look of the Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece, you can find them at Theo Wanne’s website. I have agreed to be an affiliate for Theo Wanne so if you purchase a Lakshmi tenor saxophone mouthpiece from this link, neffmusic.com will receive a small commission on the sale. (This helps to support my site and keep the saxophone related reviews, articles and transcriptions coming to you…..).

If you are lucky enough to play a Theo Wanne Lakshmi tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks,   Steve

Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Roberto’s Winds 3 Soft Reed-No Effects Added

Altissimo Clip with Reverb-Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Roberto’s Winds 3 Soft Reed-Reverb Added

Today, I am reviewing the Avel Sound Concept (ASC) Foehn model tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Max at Avel Sound Concept Mouthpieces.  These are really reasonable priced, quality hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpieces that, as you will soon hear, play incredibly well…..  The hard rubber ASC Foehn tenor sax mouthpiece I am reviewing today has a 7* tip opening.

Avel Sound Concept ASC Foehn Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here is how the Avel Sound Concept website describes the new ASC Foehn hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece:

The Foehn is a dry, warm, down-slope wind blowing in the Alps.

This hard rubber piece has a medium-large round chamber and a customizable rollover baffle. It is a crossover between a Slant Sig and an EB. It has a medium sound with lush lows and powerful highs. This piece is fitted with a very responsive facing curve for projection and the right amount of resistance to push against for better control of the altissimo register. This piece is at ease in a variety of situations from big band to pop music.

Yeah, if you are like me, you probably don’t know what to do with the “The Foehn is a dry, warm, down-slope wind blowing in the Alps.”  Let’s just skip over that part of the description to the part sax players understand; hard rubber, medium-large round chamber, rollover baffle, lush lows and powerful highs, very responsive facing curve, etc……..

Avel Sound Concept ASC Foehn Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Avel Sound Concept Foehn tenor sax mouthpiece came well packaged and protected.  The Foehn mouthpiece is made of high quality hard rubber that is really shiny.  The shine of the mouthpiece was so brilliant that it made me question whether it was some sort of plastic or resin but Max assured me that it is indeed pure high quality hard rubber that he works hard to make shine.

The ASC Foehn mouthpiece tip, rails, table and baffle all look great.  The tip rail is thin and even and the tip matches up with my tenor saxophone reeds nicely.  The side rails are thin and even as well.  The sidewalls on either side of the baffle look to be straight for about an inch and then are scooped out as they near the chamber of the mouthpiece.

The roof of the chamber is a medium thickness and the chamber is what I would describe as a medium to medium-large chamber when compared to a typical large sized hard rubber Otto Link tenor mouthpiece chamber (ASC describes the Foehn mouthpiece as a medium-large chamber).

Avel Sound Concept ASC Foehn Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The baffle of the ASC Foehn tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a pretty substantial rollover baffle.  The baffle travels at a medium high height for about an inch before it scoops down into the chamber.  For comparison, the baffle of the Foehn mouthpiece is higher and longer than a couple of Otto Link Early Babbitt Connoisseur tenor mouthpieces I have sitting on my desk right now.  The baffle is scooped from side to side as it travels down to the mouthpiece chamber.  Just from inspecting the generous baffle, my guess is that the ASC Foehn tenor sax mouthpiece would play with a nice amount of brightness and power.

Avel Sound Concept ASC Foehn Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Although the chamber in the ASC Foehn mouthpiece looks a little rough in the photos, it feels smooth to the touch.  I think it just has that look from the work performed while making it and the interior of the mouthpiece was not shined up like the exterior of the mouthpiece was.

Avel Sound Concept ASC Foehn Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The mouthpiece beak of the Avel Sound Concept Foehn tenor sax mouthpiece has a low profile to it that I really liked.  It feels very comfortable for me when compared to how a hard rubber tenor sax mouthpiece with a high beak profile feels.   Something about a lower beak profile on a hard rubber mouthpiece always makes me feel like the tone is a bit brighter and more powerful.  I believe this is because the vibrations more easily travel from the mouthpiece, through the narrow beak, and to my teeth and then ear.

Avel Sound Concept ASC Foehn Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Foehn tenor sax mouthpiece played great for me with a BSS (Boston Sax Shop) 2 1/2 reed.   That BSS 2 1/2 reed is usually too soft for me with 7* tip opening mouthpieces but the ASC Foehn tenor sax mouthpiece has a shorter facing curve of 47 which makes a softer reed feel a bit harder.  I actually like shorter facing curves of 47 for certain tenor sax mouthpieces because of this reason.   I have a number of other tenor sax mouthpieces with this shorter facing curve of 47 and it allows me to use a softer reed while still getting enough resistance when blowing that the reed feels harder and the tone more substantial.  My JVW (Jon Van Wie) Otto Link, Lamberson J7 and Retro Revival “Super D Double Ring Replica tenor sax mouthpieces all have shorter facing curves of 47 which I really love on those tenor mouthpieces.

Avel Sound Concept ASC Foehn Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Avel Sound Concept Foehn tenor saxophone mouthpiece played great for me. I found the ASC Foehn mouthpiece to have a beautiful brightness to the core sound that gave the high register a ringing and singing quality to the notes. I assume this brightness in the sound is the effect of the high rollover baffle and medium chamber.

The ASC Foehn mouthpiece had plenty of power and brightness when pushed as you can hear in the louder parts of the sound clip where I play more aggressively.  I believe some of the brightness and crispness is due to the ability to use a softer reed on the Foehn’s shorter facing curve.  The softer reed sounds crisp and the shorter curve gives it enough resistance so it doesn’t sound like a wet noodle like on other tenor mouthpieces with a longer facing curve on them.

Sometimes, like on my JVW Otto Link, the shorter facing curve can make the low register not as lush and thick sounding as it might with a longer facing curve but the ASC Foehn seems well balanced in that the low notes sound thick and full.  You can hear how the Foehn sounds so good playing on a ballad or laid back jazz tune.  The soft reed allows the low notes to have a lush and fat quality to them that makes them sound great to my ears.

The intonation of the Foehn tenor mouthpiece was excellent and the scale and range of the saxophone sounded smooth and even to me as I played.    The altissimo register was easy to play and I found the ASC Foehn mouthpiece to be expressive and easy to control.

I have included a long sound clip below with no effects and another short clip with reverb added so you can hear how the ASC Foehn tenor sax mouthpiece might sound on a live gig in a big hall or with reverb added to it while recording.

Avel Sound Concept ASC Foehn Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

If you like the sound and look of the Avel Sound Concept Foehn tenor saxophone mouthpiece, you can find them on the Avel Sound Concept website.  Believe it or not, at the time of this review, these are only $185 on the ASC website.   I always receive emails asking me what is a great mouthpiece that is also affordable and the Avel Sound Concept Foehn tenor sax mouthpiece fits that description perfectly.   I would have no problem playing this mouthpiece on a loud gig, with a big band or even with a sax quartet.  This is a great deal for a hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece that plays this well and sounds this beautiful in my opinion.

If you are lucky enough to play a Avel Sound Concept Foehn tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks,  Steve

Avel Sound Concept ASC Foehn Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-BSS (Boston Sax Shop) 2 1/2 Reed

Avel Sound Concept ASC Foehn Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-BSS (Boston Sax Shop) 2 1/2 Reed-Reverb Added

Today, I am excited to be reviewing the new BSS (Boston Sax Shop) R-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece released by Jack Tyler at the Boston Sax Shop.

Jack Tyler is the owner of Boston Sax Shop and has been my saxophone repairman for the last eight to nine years. I usually head down to Boston about once a year for Jack to check out my saxophones and while he is giving them a tune up, he always gives me the inside scoop on all the saxophone world gossip as well as new saxophone gear that is coming out.  Of course, I always let him know about the latest saxophone goodies sitting on my desk waiting for review as well.

Besides being a phenomenal repairman, craftsman and incredibly fashionable fellow, Jack is always up to some saxophone related endeavor.  Whether it be straps, cases, ligatures, saxophone necks, reed cases, reeds, masterclasses, etc….. Jack always seems like he has a new project on the horizon…… I have already reviewed the excellent Boston Sax Shop S-Series tenor sax mouthpiece and when I heard about this new BSS R-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece he was developing, I had to try this new tenor sax mouthpiece out for myself!

Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is described by Jack as being a reference to the great large chamber tenor sax mouthpieces of the past (he refers to the Otto Link Reso Chamber tenor saxophone mouthpieces as an inspiration).  From what I understand from Jack, he wanted to capture the essence and sound of the vintage Reso Chamber tenor mouthpieces in larger tip openings like 7*, 8, 8* so modern players can enjoy the warmth and lushness of tone that these mouthpieces deliver but in a tip opening that many modern players prefer now.

Many times, when you open up a vintage mouthpiece,  you change the balance and geometry between the table, tip, rails and baffle.  Unless the craftsman knows exactly what they are doing and how to adjust these elements, you can end up with a mouthpiece that is very different from the original design concept.  Jack Tyler at BSS wanted to offer an alternative to players who love the warmth and lushness of the Otto Link Reso Chamber sound but in more modern tip openings. Those of us who love the sound of modern players like Seamus Blake and Ben Wendell (who have played on vintage Otto Link Reso Chambers in the past) no longer have to search the marketplace for an expensive vintage Reso Chamber to have opened up but can now have a modern mouthpiece alternative to choose from in the BSS R-Series tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here is how Jack Tyler describes the Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece on his website at BostonSaxShop.com:

“There is something very intriguing about large chamber tenor saxophone mouthpieces. When they are right, they offer an incredible amount of spread and flexibility in tone that just can’t be beat.

However! Finding that perfect saxophone mouthpiece in vintage form and in a more modern tip size can be a challenge. Personally, I struggled for years to find a Reso Chamber model Otto Link that once opened up retained all the characteristics and potential that I knew these sax mouthpieces could have. Throughout the years of hunting, purchasing and paying for refacing, I only lucked out on one! Inspired by that mouthpiece, I spent the better part of a year to re-imagine it with the power of CNC technology and after many prototypes, found that perfect balance of baffle profile for the larger chamber in bigger than vintage tip sizes. The R-Series is the large chamber mouthpiece for the modern player.

For me, the R-Series is simply put: lush. Yes, I know thats an esoteric word but I really think it fits! The large chamber provides a free and spread sound and the medium roll over baffle gives it plenty of power to project without losing the warmth and width of the tonal center.

As always, each Boston Sax Shop mouthpiece is hand finished in post CNC production and play-tested to my exacting standards here at the shop.“-Jack Finucane

Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece looks to be made of  quality hard rubber.  You can smell a little bit of that hard rubber smell that you typically smell on vintage hard rubber mouthpieces when you hold it up to your nose.

The mouthpiece has the BSS logo engraved in white on the top of the mouthpiece.  The tip opening of 7* is not machine engraved on the mouthpiece but is hand engraved on the left corner of the body next to the butt end of the table.

Each of the Boston Sax Shop tenor sax mouthpieces (there are three models at the time of this review: the S, R and E Series) have different stylish designs around the shank of each mouthpiece.  I like how each model has a different design.  The BSS R-Series tenor mouthpiece has four white lines encircling the shank of the sax mouthpiece.

Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece looks great to the eye.  The tip, rails and table look even, flat, precise and well crafted.  The mouthpiece tip rail and side rails are even and thin, and the shape of the tip rail perfectly matches the shape of the BSS (Boston Sax Shop) saxophone reeds I used on the R-Series mouthpiece.

The baffle of the Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a low quick rollover baffle right after the tip rail.  The floor of the baffle during the decent is slightly curved from side to side.

Jack explained to me that in the design of the R-Series mouthpieces, he opted for a rollover baffle instead of the Otto Link clam shell baffle typically used on vintage Otto Links because that clam shell baffle in larger tip openings can give a hollow quality to the tone.  Jack has owned dozens of Reso Chamber tenor mouthpieces and has a lot of experience and knowledge on the subject.

The R-Series mouthpiece chamber looks to be what I would consider a large sized chamber in comparison to a typical hard rubber Otto Link sized chamber that I would consider a large sized chamber also.  The roof of the mouthpiece chamber under the table is thin at the start but then the roof angles down as it travels through the chamber area to the bore.

Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The diameter and beak profile of the Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is very close to the diameter and beak profile of a typical hard rubber Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  All of my saxophone ligatures that fit comfortably on hard rubber Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpieces fit on the Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece perfectly.  I chose to use the Boston Sax Shop Gold Superlative ligature that I reviewed last year for this review.

Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I found a BSS (Boston Sax Shop) 3 tenor saxophone reed to play perfectly on this 7* R-Series tenor sax mouthpiece.  The 3 sized BSS reed was hard enough to give some healthy resistance to blow against while not being so hard that it felt stuffy or too resistant to me.  In keeping with the BSS brand, I used a BSS Gold Superlative ligature on the BSS R-Series mouthpiece as I mentioned earlier.

The Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a warm and darker tenor saxophone tone that I thought was one of the warmer tenor sax tones I have gotten with a tenor mouthpiece.  The tone of the mouthpiece was thick, round and rich in my opinion.  When I describe the tone as dark or warm, I am just describing that I don’t hear very many bright overtones in the saxophone tone.  Even when pushed louder, the R-Series tenor mouthpieces still kept it’s warmth and darker tone.

Besides the warmth aspect of the tone, the tone seemed nicely rounded to me like the bright overtones in the tone were shaved off to leave a beautiful pleasant round and warm saxophone tone.

I also described the BSS S-Series with many of these same adjectives but where the S-Series was described as focused, the R-Series seems to have a more spread and wide tone to it.  I tend to think of the S-Series as having a concentrated and focused warm tone and the R-Series as having a more spread warm saxophone tone that seems bigger in width if that makes sense.

Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The intonation on the Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece was very good and the mouthpiece was a great match for my Selmer Super Balanced Action tenor saxophone (from the 50’s).

The evenness and smoothness of notes throughout the range of the saxophone was nice when playing fast lines.  The character and warm tone seemed to blend well as I played faster lines throughout the low, mid and high range of the saxophone.   I specifically noticed that the middle open C# sounds much more homogeneous and uniform compared to the rest of the scale on my saxophone.  Usually, that note stands out as being more open and less full than the other notes around it, but with the BSS R-Series mouthpiece I didn’t hear that difference between the notes.  The C# sounded just as warm and full as the other notes on the saxophone.

The altissimo register of the saxophone was easy to produce on the Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece and the notes were easy to control and manipulate.  Usually, the altissimo range can get a bit too bright and edgy when pushed but with the R-Series mouthpiece the notes still kept a beautiful warmth and roundness up in that range.

The Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a good amount of power and volume when pushed.  I would say the volume was about an 8 when pushed on my 1-10 volume scale.  It wasn’t as loud as some higher baffled tenor mouthpieces are when pushed to maximum volume, but it has a respectable amount of volume for a mouthpiece that is as dark and warm as it is.

The R-Series mouthpiece did get a little brighter in tone when pushed but the brightness seemed more like a midrange brightness rather than a high end brightness if I were to relate it to the effects of EQ on a sound.  Even at the mouthpiece’s top volume, I felt like the Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece still retains a darker warmth to the tone.

Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

On the sound clips below, I try to give a good range and variety of saxophone sounds and textures so that you can hear the Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece perform in different styles.  There are four sound clips.  What I found unusual about the R-Series tenor sax mouthpiece, is how good it sounds with reverb.  Usually, I don’t like added reverb with darker more spread tenor saxophone mouthpieces but the BSS R-Series tenor mouthpiece sounds killer with a little added reverb or in a big room with natural reverb.  I think this might be due to the fact that the BSS R-Series mouthpieces tends to lean to the dry side of a tenor saxophone tone and that added reverb has something to add to the tone that is beneficial.  Many tenor saxophone mouthpieces with dark and spread tones just sound like a washed out mess of sound when reverb is added because it is too much.  I love that the BSS R-Series tenor mouthpiece can sound so good with added reverb.

The first sound clip below is a recording of me playing a bunch of random lines and ideas like I usually do.  This is a dry recording with no reverb added.  This is how the BSS R-Series tenor saxophone mouthpiece sounds for me in the room I am playing in.  I am standing about 2-3 feet from the microphone.

The second clip is a version of some of the lines from the first clip with some reverb added.  I put some of the altissimo lines I play in the first clip into this clip also.

Clip 3 & 4 are simply the melodies of “My One and Only Love” and “My Foolish Heart” recorded with some reverb added.  I thought the BSS R-Series just sounded sublime on these two ballads.  I really loved the lush low notes on “My Foolish Heart” and the roundness and gentle warmth of tone throughout both ballads. ( I love that second low note in “My Foolish Heart”!!!)

Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

In my opinion, the BSS Boston Sax Shop R-Series tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a great tenor sax mouthpiece for those of you looking for a tenor mouthpiece with an expressive tone that is warm, dark and lush but that can still deliver power and volume when pushed without losing those qualities.  It is a great hard rubber jazz mouthpiece that would be incredible for straight ahead jazz playing.

Modern tenor sax players such as Joel Frahm, Dayna Stephens, Lucas Pino and Ryan Devlin are now all playing the Boston Sax Shop R-Series tenor saxophone mouthpiece and if you go to the BSS page for this R-Series mouthpiece you can hear more samples of these great players playing the BSS R-Series tenor sax mouthpiece.

If you like the sound and look of the R-Series tenor sax mouthpieces by the Boston Sax Shop, you can find them at the Boston Sax Shop website.  BSS HAS AGREED TO GIVE READER’S OF THIS REVIEW 10% OFF THE PURCHASE OF A MOUTHPIECE IF YOU USE THE COUPON CODE NEFFMUSIC WHEN YOU CHECKOUT ON THEIR WEBSITE. (Neffmusic also gets a small commission from each sale using this coupon which helps support this website,  so thank you in advance if you use the code).

If you try a BSS Boston Sax Shop R-Series tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any thoughts, comments or questions on this review,  I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.   Thanks,   Steve

Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Boston Sax Shop 3 Reed-No Effects Added

Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Boston Sax Shop 3 Reed-Reverb Added 

Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Boston Sax Shop 3 Reed-My One and Only Love-Reverb Added 

Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Boston Sax Shop 3 Reed-My Foolish Heart-Reverb Added 

Today, I am reviewing the new Gaia 4 gold tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Theo Wanne.  I have reviewed the original Gaia model many years ago and the hard rubber Gaia 3 and gold Gaia 3 in 2019.  I even posted a comparison review between the the hard rubber and gold Gaia 3 models as well.  Now,  Theo Wanne has released the new Gaia 4 model of this great tenor saxophone mouthpiece with some interesting changes.  Let’s check it out……….

Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Gaia 4 tenor sax mouthpiece was shipped with the usual high standards of the Theo Wanne company.  Each mouthpiece comes in a perfectly designed box with stylish gold printing on it with all the details about the sax mouthpiece inside.  Inside the box is a beautiful black leatherette Theo Wanne mouthpiece case with the Gaia 4 tenor saxophone mouthpiece well protected inside. The Gaia 4 tenor saxophone mouthpiece I am reviewing today has a 7* tip opening which is measured at .105.

The Gaia 4 metal tenor sax mouthpiece has a built in ligature included called the “Liberty Ligature” that is already attached to the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece comes with a detailed information card with specific directions on how to adjust the built in ligature, the affects on the saxophone tone when the ligature is in different positions and directions on how to change the pressure plates on the ligature.

The Gaia 4 mouthpiece comes with a reed replacer cap which is on the mouthpiece where the reed goes and the ligature is tightened down on the reed replacer cap to protect the mouthpiece in shipping and when you are not playing it.

Although the reed replacer cap is a cool idea, the Gaia 4 7* tenor mouthpiece does not come with a “regular” mouthpiece cap that you slide on the mouthpiece over the reed and around the ligature. At the time of this review, there is a page on the Theo Wanne website that has new Theo Wanne mouthpiece caps for sale .  Theo sent me one of these new mouthpiece caps to try out and like all of the Theo Wanne products, this mouthpiece cap is a quality mouthpiece cap.  It is strong, durable and fits on all the metal Theo Wanne tenor mouthpieces perfectly!

Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

As you can see above, the Liberty ligature on the Gold Gaia 4 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is connected to the mouthpiece through screws on the ligature that tighten into holes on the sides of the Gaia 4 mouthpiece.  The mouthpiece comes with a hex screwdriver that can be used to loosen these screws and move the ligature forward or backwards in relation to the reed and mouthpiece table.

The Gaia 4 tenor sax mouthpiece has five positions (holes) that can be used to adjust the ligature.  I personally liked the ligature in the middle hole setting as it puts the ligature plate towards the rear of the saxophone reed allowing the reed to vibrate and flex freely but not so far back that I feel it might not put enough pressure on the reed to seal.

Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Even before you look at the Theo Wanne mouthpieces themselves, everything about the Theo Wanne packaging and presentation just speaks to quality and high standards.  Just the process of opening the package and unpacking the mouthpiece brings about an excitement and anticipation that this mouthpiece you are about to play is going to be amazing!

Here is how the Theo Wanne website describes the new Gaia 4 tenor saxophone mouthpiece:

The GAIA 4 tenor sax mouthpiece does everything previous GAIA tenor mouthpieces did, but with an incredible CORE to the sound!

GAIA 4 has evolved into work of art and is now the most technically advanced mouthpiece Theo has ever made.  The Shark Gill baffle has been updated, and Theo’s completely new Large-Stadium Chamber added.   It takes the huge, warm and free sound the previous GAIA mouthpiece have become famous and iconic for, to a whole new level. It has greatly increased the ‘presence’ and core of the mouthpiece.  It still has the large chamber sound, but no ‘hollowness’….just fullness!

The GAIA 4 lends itself well to a traditional Jazz taste, but due to its amazing flexibility, it is at home in any style of playing.   It comes in 24K gold plated or a unique thin-body premium hard rubber which has mazing vibratory qualities.

The GAIA 4 has an updated medium roll-over Shark Gill Baffle, precision-sculpted inner sidewalls, and our newly created Large-Stadium Chamber, which is a technologically advanced version of a traditional large chamber.

Take a close look at our baffles, rails, and chambers, you will see they are manufactured with a quality and accuracy higher than any other mouthpiece ever made, vintage or new!

SOUND

• Built to outplay Theo’s very best Vintage Florida Otto Link. Theo succeeded!!!
• Inspired by the genius of Dexter Gordon.
• Full, rich, and fat traditional sound with a big projection and plenty of edge.

DESIGN

• Includes our newly designed Large-Stadium-Chamber!  Rounded inner side walls all the way to the tip. Perfectly sculpted roll-over baffle.
• Crafted to the highest accuracy in the history of saxophone mouthpieces.
• Designed by Theo Wanne, the foremost expert on the design and manufacturing of vintage and new mouthpieces.

DETAILS

• Case: Beautiful Leatherette Case! Like the case?  See our other Mouthpiece and Reed Cases here!
• Serial Number: Includes serial number showing care given to your mouthpiece.
• Plating: Reticulated 24K Gold plating with highlights on globe logo on metal mouthpiece.
• Premium Hard Rubber: The Hard Rubber GAIA 4 uses the finest vintage style hard rubber on the planet!
• Ligature: The metal GAIA 4 includes our integrated two-point contact 24K Gold Plated Liberty Ligature and Alive Gold pressure plate. The Hard Rubber GAIA 4 includes the Enlightened Ligature, rated #1 ligature in the world. To truly individualize your sound, try our premium Pressure Plates, which fit all of our mouthpieces and ligatures!.
• Cap: Patented Reed Replacer Cap. The most secure cap in the world.
• Bite Pad: User Replaceable Bite Pads allow you to peel and stick on new bite pads. Try our varying hardness bite pads to personalize the feel.

Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Gaia 4 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is beautifully made and has a perfect looking symmetry and balance to it.  The mouthpiece engraving is as perfect as can be.  Not a flaw or mistake anywhere.  Each Theo Wanne mouthpiece has a unique serial number on it which I really love as I know which mouthpiece is mine and if I decide to sell a mouthpiece everyone knows from the serial number that this is the mouthpiece I reviewed on my site.

The tip, rails, baffle, table and chamber all look perfect as well. Smooth, even, symmetrical…….flawless.  The sidewalls are scooped out as they head towards what I would describe as a large chamber (Theo Wanne Large Stadium Chamber).  The window of the Gaia 4 mouthpiece is squared off at the bottom and looks to be slightly longer and more open than the window on the Gaia 3 model tenor sax mouthpiece.

The mouthpiece chamber looks to be slightly bigger in diameter than the bore of the mouthpiece.  In comparison to the Gaia 3 mouthpiece chamber, the chamber of the Gaia 4 looks to be slightly smaller in size.   The roof of the chamber is nice and thin.

The Gaia 4 mouthpiece has a medium high and long “shark gill” baffle that rolls over and then descends  into the chamber as you can see in the photos above and below. The baffle of the Gaia 4 mouthpiece looks to be a little lower than the Gaia 3 baffle when I compare them side by side.

Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Like many of you, I already own a previous model of the Gaia tenor saxophone mouthpiece (I own the Gaia 3 model) and I was curious what the differences between the Gaia 3, the Lakshmi model (I just reviewed this model a few weeks ago) and the Gaia 4 model were, so I reached out to Bryan at Theo Wanne who sent me this helpful information:

GAIA 3 vs 4:  The GAIA 3 tenor mouthpiece has True-Large Chamber, whereas the GAIA 4 tenor mouthpiece has a Large-Stadium-Chamber.    The Stadium-Chamber is not perfectly round, but shaped like a football stadium, being large in some areas, and medium in others, resulting in the big bottom end large chamber mouthpieces are known for, but with added focus.   Acoustically, the GAIA 3 mouthpiece feels more spread and more prone to “breaking up” when really pushed, particularly in that area between D-G at the top of the staff. Whereas the GAIA 4 tenor mouthpiece has more fatness and projection, with less break-up.

Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Gaia 4 tenor saxophone mouthpiece played perfectly with a Roberto’s Winds 3 soft tenor saxophone reed.  I have spent the last couple of days going back and forth between the Theo Wanne Gaia 4, the Gaia 3 and the Lakshmi model tenor saxophone mouthpieces to try to grasp and define the differences between the mouthpieces because many of you have asked how they differ.

I have found the Gaia 3 model to be brighter than the Gaia 4 model and the Lakshmi model. When I am playing and turn to a wall, the Gaia 3 becomes much more focused sounding.  When played out into a room, I lose some of the focused highs I hear when playing into the wall.  The Gaia 4 mouthpiece seems like it has less highs in the sound and the tone is thicker, meatier and more complex where as the Gaia 3 seems brighter and purer in tone. The sound I get from the Gaia 4 in the room is not too different from the sound I get when I play into the wall. It’s remarkably close in my opinion.   I was curious why this difference in focus when playing into a wall exists and put the question out to the saxophone public on Facebook and SOTW (Sax on the Web).  Lance Burton gave me an amazingly detailed answer in response:

The Mouthpieces: The Gaia 3 model has a higher/longer baffle than the Gaia 4, so it generates stronger high frequencies.
The Horn: Because of the tone hole cut-off frequency, the frequencies below 800Hz reflect at the open tone hole back to the mouthpiece and create the standing wave. This is what powers the reed oscillation. Some of that sound emits from that open tone hole.
The frequencies above ca. 800Hz (tenor) travel the length of the body where those below ca. 1800Hz (tenor) reflect at the open bell, back to the mouthpiece. Some of that sound comes out of the open holes below the 1st open tone hole.
The frequencies above ca. 1800Hz (tenor) escape the horn, by coming out of the bell. These are largely gobbled up by room acoustics, but they are what you hear as focus, when you play against the wall or you are close-miked.
More high frequencies, more sound coming out of the bell.-Lance Burton (Facebook)

Thank you, Lance Burton, for this great explanation.  I have wondered why some sax mouthpieces sound more focused when played into a wall while other mouthpieces didn’t seem as focused when played into the same wall.  This explanation really helps me understand why that is.

The Lakshmi model seems to be somewhere in-between the Gaia 3 and the Gaia 4 in regard to brightness. It seems like it has more highs than the Gaia 4 but not as bright as the Gaia 3.  Honestly, all three mouthpieces played great for me and I had a hard time figuring out which mouthpiece I liked the best.  The best thing is that the facings are so similar if not exact, that I can use the same exact reed while comparing all three mouthpieces and the reed plays great on all of them.

As far as “spread tone versus focused tone” of each of these Theo Wanne mouthpiece models, it is really hard for me to figure out exactly.  I’m told by Bryan at Theo Wanne that because the Gaia 4 model and Lakshmi model have a similar “stadium chamber” they share the attributes of core and focus that these chamber designs give to the tone.  The Gaia 3 tenor mouthpiece has a more traditional round large chamber that makes the tone more spread when playing out into a room.

My experience was that the Gaia 3 mouthpiece sounded more spread when played into the room but more focused when played into the wall.  The Gaia 4 mouthpiece sounded more focused than the Gaia 3 when played into the room but not as focused as the Gaia 3 when played into the wall.  The Lakshmi was between the Gaia 3 and the Gaia 4 in regard to focus and spread when played into the room as well as into the wall.

Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Gaia 4 tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a thick beefy tone to it that was fat and full sounding.  I would describe the EQ of the tone to sound more like the mids are boosted and the higher frequencies decreased. There is still some interesting brightness and edge left in the tone but the tone is not as bright as the Gaia 3 tenor sax mouthpiece in my opinion.  This gives the Gaia 4 a meatier tone than the Gaia 3 model in my opinion.

The Gaia 4 had great intonation and the notes felt really solid and locked in as far as tone and intonation.  When pushed for volume the Gaia 4 was solid in tone and did not break up.  Although the Gaia 4 did get a little brighter when pushed, I felt it still kept that higher mid boosted EQ at higher volumes that I wrote about earlier in the review.

The low notes were nice and thick and I loved sub-toning on this mouthpiece.  The altissimo register was also easy to attain and play around in as well.  The articulation was clean and smooth.  I felt like the articulation was cleaner and smoother on the Gaia 4 tenor mouthpiece than the Gaia 3 mouthpiece.

On the sound clip below, I try to give a good range and variety of saxophone sounds and textures so that you can hear how the Theo Wanne Gaia 4 tenor saxophone mouthpiece performs in different styles.  I demonstrate the sound of the Gaia 4 tenor mouthpiece with all my usual lines and melodies so if you want to compare it to my other sound clips and reviews, you should be able to find many of the same lines to compare this sound clip to.  The first sound clip is recorded dry and the second sound clip is a more bluesy clip with reverb added.

Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

In my opinion, the Theo Wanne Gaia 4 tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a great metal tenor saxophone mouthpiece for those looking for a straight ahead mouthpieces that can be pushed into overdrive to handle more modern music when needed.  As I told Bryan at Theo Wanne in an email, I am having a really hard time figuring out which of these Theo Wanne tenor sax mouthpieces I like the best.  He replied that he has a hard time choosing between the Gaia 4 and the Lakshmi as well, so I guess I’m not alone.

If you like the sound and look of the Gaia 4 tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Theo Wanne, you can find them at Theo Wanne’s website. I have agreed to be an affiliate for Theo Wanne so if you purchase a Theo Wanne Gaia 4 mouthpiece from this link, neffmusic.com will receive a small commission on the sale. (This helps to support my site and keep the saxophone related reviews, articles and transcriptions coming to you…..).

If you are lucky enough to play a Theo Wanne Gaia 4 tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks,   Steve

Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Roberto’s Winds 3 Soft Reed-No Effects

Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Gold Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Roberto’s Winds 3 Soft Reed-Reverb Added

Today, I am reviewing the new Otto Link Early Babbitt remake connoisseur series tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by JJ Babbitt.  The Connoisseur EB (Early Babbitt) tenor saxophone mouthpieces are advertised as being from the same molds as the original hard rubber Otto Link Early Babbitt tenor sax mouthpieces as described in this quote from the JJ Babbitt website:

“This EB (Early Babbitt) model is not redesigned, not retooled, and not reimagined in any way. Made from our own original compounded rubber, molded in the original molds and cores, vulcanized to the original specifications and manually machined and hand finished just as they were from 1975 to 1979, these are true Early Babbitt tenors. Your search is over…….”

I have played quite a few hard rubber Early Babbitt tenor saxophone mouthpieces over the years and am very excited to try one of these new hard rubber Otto Link Connoisseur Early Babbitt tenor saxophone mouthpieces out!

Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt Connoisseur Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The hard rubber Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt mouthpieces that were made in the 70’s were known for having a bit more baffle than the previous Otto Link Slant Signature hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpieces.  I have heard people say that this extra rollover baffle was added to compete with the electronic instruments being used in the 70’s.  The added baffle in the original Early Babbitt tenor sax mouthpieces gave more brightness and power to the sound so that you could perhaps hear yourself and be heard over the many electronic instruments being played in the 70’s.

The Otto Link Early Babbitt tenor saxophone mouthpieces I have played have indeed been louder and brighter than the Otto Link Slant Signature models and replicas I have tried over the years.  Usually, I have found these Early Babbitt tenor mouthpieces to be great examples of hard rubber tenor sax mouthpieces that could sound great on a jazz gig but also rip a respectable solo on a pop or funk gig when pushed because of their added power and brightness.

Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt Connoisseur Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I received the 7* Otto Link Early Babbitt Connoisseur tenor saxophone mouthpiece directly from JJ Babbitt along with two of the NY Meyer Brothers Connoisseur alto saxophone mouthpieces in a 7 and 8 tip opening.  All the mouthpieces were packaged well and came with metal ligatures and mouthpiece caps.

The Otto Link EB Connoisseur tenor sax mouthpiece looked like you would expect a hard rubber Otto Link tenor sax mouthpiece to look.  There is a scroll band that circles the body of the mouthpiece and the top of the mouthpiece has “Otto Link” and “Tone Edge EB” engraved into the hard rubber. The lettering is painted white but the white coloring on the “Otto Link” is not perfect and parts of the engraving were either not painted or the white paint flaked off somehow.  You can see this in the first photo of the review as well as the last photo.  The rest of the engraving and painting looks fine.

Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt Connoisseur Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here is how the JJ Babbitt website describes the new Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt Connoisseur Series tenor saxophone mouthpiece:

A quick internet search tells you all you need to know about the popularity and the almost desperate desire for Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt tenor saxophone mouthpieces. If you can find them in decent, playable condition they sell for hundreds and some for well over a thousand dollars and more. The sound, personality and unmistakable performance characteristics of this incredible sax mouthpiece have been carefully studied with numerous attempts by competitors to copy it for decades. So now, let the artisans of JJ Babbitt show you how it’s done.

This EB model is not redesigned, not retooled, and not reimagined in any way. Made from our own original compounded rubber, molded in the original molds and cores, vulcanized to the original specifications and manually machined and hand finished just as they were from 1975 to 1979, these are true Early Babbitt tenors. Your search is over…

Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt Connoisseur Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Otto Link EB connoisseur tenor sax mouthpiece looks well made and the table, side rails and tip rail look within normal parameters to the eye.  The side rails and tip rail do look a bit wider when compared side by side with some of the other modern hand faced hard rubber mouthpieces on the market.

The tip rail is close to the shape of my Rigotti cane reeds that I use (BSS, Rigotti Gold, Roberto’s Winds, Syos reeds are all Rigotti cane reeds) but the Rigotti cane reed shape curves at a sharper decline on the outside edges than the curve of the tip rail on the Otto Link EB Connoisseur tenor sax mouthpieces. All the reeds I used for this review sealed well when performing the suction test and played great for me.

As you can see in the photo below, the baffle of the Otto Link EB Connoisseur tenor mouthpiece looks to be a bit lopsided in shape.  I have to believe this is either part of the original mold or something to do with the manufacturing process. My original Otto Link Early Babbitt tenor mouthpiece from the 70’s also has a similar lopsided baffle and many of the Otto Link EB hard rubber mouthpieces I have seen and played through the years have had lopsided baffle shapes also.  In my mind, this is really no big deal as my main focus is how a mouthpiece plays.  I have played many mouthpieces with lopsided baffles and irregular chambers that have played great and many other mouthpieces that looked as perfectly balanced and symmetrical as can be, that didn’t work for me at all.  For me, the most important aspect of any mouthpiece, is how it plays!!!

Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt Connoisseur Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The baffle of the Otto Link Early Babbitt Connoisseur tenor sax mouthpiece is what I would consider a medium baffle height.  It travels a little less than 1/4 of an inch and then hits that lopsided curved lake in the baffle where the baffle then proceeds to head at a greater angle towards the rear of the mouthpiece chamber. The entire run of the baffle after the curved lake is curved from side to side.  The mouthpiece side walls are scooped out as they head towards the chamber as well.

The mouthpiece chamber is what I would consider a large chamber and the bottom floor of the chamber looks to be scooped out slightly when the light hits it at the right angle.   The chamber is a little bit larger than the diameter of the bore of the mouthpiece.  The roof of the chamber is a medium thickness.

Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt Connoisseur Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Otto Link Early Babbitt Connoisseur 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece played great with a variety of reeds.   For the sound clips below, I used a Rigotti Gold 3 medium reed, a Roberto’s Winds 3 soft reed and a Roberto’s Winds 2 1/2 hard reed.  My favorite reed for this mouthpiece was the Rigotti Gold 3 medium reed which just had the perfect balance of being comfortable to blow yet with a perfect resistance but I have to say that after listening to the sound clips, that the Roberto’s Winds reed sound clips sound pretty darn good as well.

I have posted one long clip of the Otto Link Early Babbitt Connoisseur mouthpiece with the Rigotti Gold 3 medium reed and then posted three altissimo clips with all three reeds just because I found the difference between the different reeds interesting.

Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt Connoisseur Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Otto Link Early Babbitt Connoisseur tenor mouthpiece played with a thick depth of tone that I loved.  When pushed, it got considerably brighter and at time edgy but the tone still remained thick and full in my opinion.  I have included altissimo clips with each reed I used and although I was pushing the Otto Link EB Connoisseur mouthpiece quite a bit, I was no where near pushing it to full volume.

This new Otto Link EB tenor mouthpiece has tons of power when pushed in my opinion.  I really feel like JJ Babbitt did a great job with the baffle height and profile because this new EB tenor mouthpiece really can straddle that line between a respectable jazz tenor sound and a in your face Brecker kind of sound when really pushed.

The intonation on the Otto Link EB Connoisseur tenor mouthpiece was very good. The altissimo range of the saxophone was easy to achieve and get around in.  I think the higher baffle really does make it easier to get the altissimo notes as I surprised myself by playing some lines and licks up in that range that I normally don’t play.

The biggest surprise was how much easier altissimo G was with this mouthpiece.  Usually, I have to work a little harder for that G to speak clearly and this Otto Link EB Connoisseur mouthpiece just helped me get around that altissimo G with much less work on my part, which was nice.

The low notes were full and thick and sub-toned beautifully.  At full volume, the low notes sounded thick and full of character and while sub-toning they had a beautiful velvety quality to the thick tone that was so lush.

The one other important aspect that I want to write about is “focus”.  I have found over the years that if a mouthpiece is too spread in tone then it won’t work for me in a loud pop or funky kind of gig.  It could be the loudest and brightest saxophone tone to ever exist, but if it isn’t focused in tone, I will have trouble.  Even with a microphone and monitor, I have always had trouble with mouthpieces with a spread sounding tone in those environments. I need a certain amount of focus to the tone for it to get back to my ear as a distinct focused sound that I can hear clearly through the mix of the band.

I can’t say definitively without playing this mouthpiece on a live gig, but the Otto Link EB Connoisseur series mouthpiece seems to have enough focus when pushed in my opinion.  It felt like the more I pushed the EB Connoisseur mouthpiece, the brighter and more focused the tone would become.  Again,  I can’t say for sure without playing it on a gig but my subjective opinion playing it here in my house is that the Otto Link Tone Edge EB tenor sax mouthpiece could hold it’s own on one of those incredibly loud gigs……….

Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt Connoisseur Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

In my opinion, the Otto Link Early Babbitt Connoisseur tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a great hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece for those looking for a classic Early Babbitt Otto Link kind of tenor sax sound that can be full and thick with character but pushed to be pretty darn bright and powerful when needed.

I will say that as I tried the Otto Link EB Connoisseur tenor mouthpiece for this review, I imagined being able to try this mouthpiece back in the 90’s when I was searching for a tenor sax mouthpiece.   I would have been incredibly excited to try an Otto Link hard rubber mouthpiece like this back then!  This mouthpiece is very different than the many Otto Link hard rubber tenor sax mouthpieces I tried out in the 90’s and 2000’s that is for sure.  Otto Link did a great job with this new Connoisseur series Early Babbitt tenor saxophone mouthpiece!

If you like the sound and look of the Otto Link Early Babbitt Connoisseur tenor saxophone mouthpiece by JJ Babbitt, you can find them for sale at Sweetwater. I have agreed to be an affiliate for Sweetwater so if you purchase an Otto Link Early Babbitt Connoisseur tenor mouthpiece from this link, neffmusic.com will receive a small commission on the sale. (This helps to support my site and keep the saxophone related reviews, articles and transcriptions coming to you…..). Sweetwater even offers the option to pay in three installments as well which is nice.

If you are lucky enough to play an Otto Link Early Babbitt Connoisseur tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks,   Steve

Rigotti Gold 3 Medium Reed 

Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt Connoisseur Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Rigotti Gold 3 Medium Reed

Rigotti Gold 3 Medium Reed-Altissimo with Reverb

Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt Connoisseur Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Rigotti Gold 3 Medium Reed-Altissimo with Reverb

Roberto’s Winds 3 Soft Reed-Altissimo with Reverb 

Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt Connoisseur Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Roberto’s Winds 3 Soft Reed-Altissimo Reverb

Roberto’s Winds 2 1/2 Hard Reed-Altissimo with Reverb 

Otto Link Tone Edge Early Babbitt Connoisseur Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Roberto’s Winds 2 1/2 Hard Reed-Altissimo with Reverb

Today, I am reviewing the new BetterSax Burnin’ 7* hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece made through a collaboration between Jay Metcalf of BetterSax and Jody Espina of Jody Jazz saxophone mouthpieces.

Jay Metcalf has a fantastic Youtube channel on all things saxophone entitled “Better Sax” with over 284K subscribers at the time of this review.  Jay’s videos are well produced, entertaining and educational.  When Jay contacted me writing that he had a Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece he was releasing with the help of Jody Espina at Jody Jazz, I was interested in reviewing it.

BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here is a description of the BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece from the Sweetwater website:

The Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece stems from a unique collaboration between JodyJazz and BetterSax founder Jay Metcalf, one of the world’s top saxophone educators and influencers. The result is a very free-blowing hard rubber sax mouthpiece that absolutely shimmers. Each mouthpiece is meticulously crafted with the same high standards as any other JodyJazz saxophone mouthpiece. The large chamber gives you the warmth and depth that lets you blend well with other musicians; however, thanks to the straight sidewalls and roll-over baffle, there’s a surprising amount of power and brightness behind the sound, allowing you to stand out as a soloist. The 7* tip opening is also great for advancing sax players who want to put more air into their saxophone. With this BetterSax Burnin’ saxophone mouthpiece, you’ll have all the projection you need to make your next sax performance a crowd-pleaser!

BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Features:

• Made in the USA by JodyJazz
• Roll-over baffle for power, projection, and brightness
• Large chamber for lush warmth and sonic depth
• Straight side walls for a free-blowing feel
• Matte finish exterior with hand-painted logo
• Hand-finished and play tested by JodyJazz
• Available in three tip openings of  6*, 7* and 8*

BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece came well packaged and protected in a BetterSax box which was also protected with ample packing and cushioning around the box containing the mouthpiece.  Jay Metcalf also sent me a Jody Jazz Power Ring ligature and cap that fit on the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece to try as well.  *I might do a review of the Jody Jazz Power Ring ligature in a future review……..

My first impressions of the BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece as I took it out of the box is that it is a really solid and well made mouthpiece.  I have never had the chance to review a Jody Jazz made sax mouthpiece here on the site but this Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece looks fantastic upon first inspection.

BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece is made with great looking hard rubber which is very smooth and polished to the touch. The gold engraving on the mouthpiece is clean and crisp.  The side of the Burnin’ tenor mouthpiece has “BetterSax” engraved into the hard rubber and the other side of the mouthpiece has the tip opening of 7* engraved next to the table. The top of the Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a sax logo and “Burnin’” engraved in gold.  There are two gold rings around the shank of the mouthpiece.  The mouthpiece comes with a BetterSax mouthpiece patch already on the beak of the mouthpiece.

BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a perfect looking table, rails, tip and baffle profile.  All these elements look smooth, even, symmetrical and beautifully machined.  The tip rail is nice and thin as are the side rails as they head towards the tip.  The tip rail matches the tip shape of the tenor sax reeds perfectly.

The baffle is what I would describe as a medium high long gentle rollover baffle.  The beginning of the medium high baffle extends about 1/2 an inch into the mouthpiece before it slopes down into a steeper decline that is scooped from side to side.  The baffle terminates underneath where the window of the mouthpiece ends.

The roof of the chamber is thin where it starts next to the window but then thickens as it heads through the large chamber.  The side walls are straight as they travel from the tip to the chamber area.  The bore of the mouthpiece looks to be larger in diameter than the chamber area. After the straight sidewalls terminate, the the round bore begins.

BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece played great with the Rigotti Gold reeds as well as the Boston Sax Shop reeds that I tried on it.   For the sound clips below, I used a Rigotti Gold 3 medium reed (the 3 light reeds felt a little too soft to me) as well as a BSS size 3 reed.  These reed strengths felt very comfortable for me on the 7* tip opening of the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece.

I have posted three sound clips of the BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece below.  The first is with a BSS #3 tenor sax reed.  The second clip is with a Rigotti Gold 3 medium reed and the third clip is just a few of my altissimo licks with reverb added so you can hear how the Burnin’ tenor mouthpiece might sound with more bluesy, altissimo type lines with reverb added.

I like to add clips with reverb added to my reviews to give the listener a taste of what a mouthpiece might sound like with a little reverb added. This also gives the listener an idea of how the mouthpiece might sound when played in a big hall or theater with a natural reverb in the room.

BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece was a lot of fun to play!  I am not sure if I have played a tenor sax mouthpiece before that had such a huge tonal variation accessible between dark and bright.  When playing at a soft volume, the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece had one of the darkest, warmest and lush tenor saxophone tones I have experienced.   It was really sultry, buttery and sexy sounding and the sub-tones were just so smooth and lush sounding.  I loved playing at those softer volumes because of this beautiful warmth of tone the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece produced.

At a medium volume, the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece seemed to become more focused and a bit brighter.  I tend to think that the core and focus becomes more concentrated as the player pushes more air through the chamber and those straight sidewalls direct the sound through that more narrow passage than a typical Otto Link type round chamber would have.

In comparison, many Otto Link round chambered tenor sax mouthpieces can have a spread tone and then when pushed, get louder while still being spread in tone or even get more spread. (This is not true for all Otto Link tenor sax mouthpieces as I played some that were more focused in tone than others……)  The BetterSax Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece seemed to get more focused and concentrated in tone when pushed louder in comparison to most of the Otto Link tenor mouthpieces I have played.

At full volume, the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece becomes even brighter and more focused.  It can handle brighter type rock and R&B type lines and altissimo and can really be quite powerful when pushed to the max.  Of course, the true test, is being able to test out a mouthpiece on a live gig.  I have been unable to do that with the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece but it sounded pretty darn loud in my house when played at full volume.

This variation from soft, dark and warm to an “in your face” bright and more focused tone with edge is really quite interesting and makes the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece quite versatile in my opinion.

BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The low end range of the saxophone sounds really fat and has a warm darkness to the tone at a low volume with the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece.  The middle range and high range of the saxophone can retain this warm tone if you remain at a soft volume but as soon as I added more air and volume the tone gets brighter in correlation to the volume.

The smoothness of tone I describe really makes the Burnin’ mouthpiece fun to play fast lines with.  The lines have that “smooth as butter” quality to the lines where the notes just whip by really fast but seem so smooth and connected.

The intonation on the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece was excellent and within the normal parameters on my Selmer SBA tenor saxophone.

BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Burnin’ tenor mouthpiece also provided a nice thickness and weight to the tone that I really liked.  The tone has a fullness and fattness to it while also being focused.  These qualities make the Burnin’ mouthpiece more versatile for straight ahead jazz playing or letting it rip in louder genres of music.

The altissimo range of the saxophone was easy to attain with the Burnin’ mouthpiece and vibrato, bends, sub-tones and variations in volume were easy to manipulate and mold and the Burnin’ tenor mouthpiece provided a beautiful palette of tonal colors to paint with musically while playing.

On the first clip with the BSS (Boston Sax Shop) #3 reed, you can hear the warm tone and buttery smoothness I describe in the very first line I play.  At the 1:01 mark, I play with a little more air and volume and you can hear how the tone changes to be a bit brighter, more aggressive and more focused.  At the end of the clip, the tone gets softer and returns back to that darker warm tone that I started the clip with.

On the second clip, with the Rigotti Gold 3 medium reed, the first line is again started with this delicious warmth of tone in the low register. At the 1:05 mark, I play “Moose the Mooche” and the tone is nice and thick and rich. At 1:43-2:03 I play some altissimo lines at a medium volume and the altissimo notes sound centered and focused to me. From 3:20 to the end, I return to that smooth warm buttery tone that I describe.  I love that………

On the third clip, I play at full volume and you can hear that “in your face” type of projection the BetterSax Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece can have when pushed.  The tone can get edgier and tougher sounding for those genres of music that need a solo more along those lines.

BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

In my opinion, the BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a great hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece for those looking for a versatile mouthpiece that can play with a beautiful warmth and “smooth as butter” darkness to the tone at soft to medium volumes while also providing the option of pushing it to a more powerful and aggressive brightness of tone when needed for louder genres of music.  Check out the three sound clips below to hear these qualities in action.

If you like the sound and look of the Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece by BetterSax, you can find them for sale at Sweetwater. I have agreed to be an affiliate for Sweetwater so if you purchase a BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece from this link, neffmusic.com will receive a small commission on the sale. (This helps to support my site and keep the saxophone related reviews, articles and transcriptions coming to you…..). Sweetwater even offers the option to pay in three installments as well which is nice.

If you are lucky enough to play a BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks,   Steve

BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Boston Sax Shop 3 Reed

BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Rigotti Gold 3 Medium Reed

BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Boston Sax Shop Reed-Reverb Added

Today, I am posting a battle royal, fight to the death, comparison between six Theo Wanne tenor saxophone mouthpieces that I have already reviewed here at Neffmusic.  Here are the six Theo Wanne mouthpieces doing battle in round one today with links to their reviews:

Theo Wanne Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Lineup (From Left to Right-Ambika 3, Lakshmi, Gaia 3, Gaia 4, Durga 5, Shiva 3)

1. Ambika 3 (7* tip opening) tenor saxophone mouthpiece
2. Lakshmi (7* tip opening) tenor saxophone mouthpiece
3. Gaia 3 (7* tip opening) tenor saxophone mouthpiece
4. Gaia 4 (7* tip opening) tenor saxophone mouthpiece
5. Durga 5 (8 tip opening) tenor saxophone mouthpiece
6. Shiva 3 (8 tip opening) tenor saxophone mouthpiece

For this Battle Royal-Round One, we are starting with 8 bars from the ballad entitled “My One and Only Love”.  Each tenor sax mouthpiece gets the opportunity to show off while playing the A section of this popular jazz ballad.  We have asked the mouthpieces to retrain from their creative impulses and to play similar lines and ideas for this round so that they could be judged purely by their sound, tonal shade (brightness and darkness), tonal texture, power, articulation, intonation and all-round general vibe……..

Theo Wanne Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Lineup (From Left to Right-Ambika 3, Lakshmi, Gaia 3, Gaia 4, Durga 5, Shiva 3)

All six Theo Wanne tenor sax mouthpieces entered the ring using their corresponding Liberty ligatures.  They were all recorded at the same distance from the mic with the same microphone and settings.

The Ambika 3, Lakshmi and Gaia 4 tenor sax mouthpieces all used the same Roberto’s Winds 3 soft tenor saxophone reed.  Interestingly enough, that same reed would not work on the Gaia 3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece and a new Roberto’s Winds 3 soft reed had to be used on the Gaia 3 tenor sax mouthpiece.

The Durga 5 and Shiva 3 tenor sax mouthpieces played best with a Roberto’s Winds 2 1/2 hard tenor saxophone reed as the 3 soft reed felt too hard on the 8 tip opening of these two mouthpieces.

I rarely do head to head comparisons between saxophone mouthpieces so this Battle Royal-Round One between the Theo Wanne contenders was quite interesting.  As a disclaimer, I will state that I spent very little time getting used to each mouthpiece before recording.  I just put on a reed, blew on it to see if it felt good, and then recorded.

Theo Wanne Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Lineup (From Left to Right-Ambika 3, Lakshmi, Gaia 3, Gaia 4, Durga 5, Shiva 3)

If you like the sound and look of any of these beautiful tenor saxophone mouthpieces by Theo Wanne, you can find them at Theo Wanne’s website.   I have agreed to be an affiliate for Theo Wanne so if you purchase a Theo Wanne tenor saxophone mouthpiece from a link here in the review, I will receive a small commission on the sale at no extra cost to you. (This helps to support my site and keep the saxophone related reviews, articles and transcriptions coming to you…..).

Before I post my thoughts and impressions of these six mouthpieces, I wanted to post the recordings to get your impressions and feedback.  Please let me know what you think in the comments below.  Which one is the winner of this round in your opinion? Do you hear a difference?   I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks,   Steve

My One and Only Love (A Section)

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Ambika 3 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Roberto’s Winds-3 Soft-No Effects

Theo Wanne Lakshmi Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Roberto’s Winds-3 Soft-No Effects

Theo Wanne Gaia 3 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Gaia 3 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Roberto’s Winds-3 Soft-No Effects

Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Gaia 4 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Roberto’s Winds-3 Soft-No Effects

Theo Wanne Durga 5 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Durga 5  (8 tip) Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Roberto’s Winds-2 1/2 Hard-No Effects

Theo Wanne Shiva 3 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Shiva 3  (8 tip) Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Roberto’s Winds-2 1/2 Hard-No Effects