| Alto Sax Mouthpiece |
Comments |
| Selmer Larry Teal model |
Classical-only. Very narrow tip, which I thought was somewhat restrictive. |
Rico Royal Grafonite #A7
current classical setup |
Dark warm sound. Free-blowing.
Allows a big tip opening to get a decent classical sound. A bargain
at only $22. |
| Rico Royal Metalite #9 |
A high-baffle, medium chamber mpc. Bright, responsive
and free-blowing. Lower range is nice, but upper
range is a bit thin, although not quite as much as an alto Dukoff.
A
bargain at only $25! I'd recommend these
for students not wanting to spend alot of $$ on a good mpc, but yet wanting
a jazzier sound. For this setup, I use
a #1 Rico Royal, right out of the box. |
| Runyon Custom (plastic) |
Played these in Jr. High School...always liked 'em, but can't remember much more. |
| Runyon Custom Spoiler (metal) |
Plays with a good bit of resistance, but
has
a very nice tone. Intonation is troublesome
in spots, although lipping takes care of it. High-quality
materials, plating and workmanship--notably so for a manufactured mpc.
In the end, I had alot of trouble with intonation on the Runyons. |
| Berg Larson .85-M-0 (rubber) |
Played this throughout high school and its very similar in performance to a Meyer 6, but has a stuffiness about it, typical of every Berg I've ever played. I used #3 back then, but it would probably be nicer with a #2 or #2.5 reed. |
| Berg Larson .7-M-0 (metal) |
|
| Berg Larson .105-M-0 (metal) |
|
| Otto Link 8* (metal) |
|
| Otto Link 8* (rubber) |
easy blowing, but very dark sound.
With soft reeds, had a buzzy quality to it.
When pushed, it brightens up, but not enough for
decent projection. Would be great for
a small combo group where you wanted to blend. |
| Otto Link 9 (metal) |
|
| Peter Ponzol II-V-I .90 (metal) |
very easy blowing, bright enough for a little
flash, but won't poke through, very traditional jazz tone. good for combo
work. costs $240 |
| Peter Ponzol M1 .95 (metal) |
mod. bright, very easy blowing; Tone is very
"centered" and clean...not much "burble". costs
$240 |
| Peter Ponzol M2 .100 (metal) |
brighter than the M1, easy blowing; tone is very
"centered" and clean...not much "burble". costs
$240 |
Claud Lakey 7*3 (plastic)
current jazz setup |
Bright, very easy blowing, mellows out if you back off. The company is positively super to work
with, as they've sent me extra inserts at no charge when mine have worn out. It was also a bargain at $60.
Has a "squirrely" behavior when moving down a register, i.e. if you go from D down to
G or G down to D. You can anticipate and cure the problem, but its the only downside to the Lakey.
I'd recommend this mpc to anyone...its flexible, free-blowing and inexpensive. I play on
a #1.5 Rico Jazz (discontinued) or #1 Glotin on this mpc. I'm looking towards VanDoren ZZ or JAVA as a replacement reed.
The Lakey replaces the RIA #10 as my regular alto mpc.
|
| RIA #10 (.105) (metal)
| bright, reasonably easy blowing; with super-soft
reeds has a very bright, but very full sound. This is due in part
to a fairly large chamber. Which also means you can push a ton of
air through it. More "burble" than the Ponzols, but comparible in
many ways. Requires softer than #1 reeds to
get "the sound". Its profile is a bit large for a metal alto mpc
(possibly due to the chamber size), but not unreasonable. I
can't recommend it for everybody, but if you're willing to work with reeds,
its a real pleasure. |
| RIA #9 (.100) (metal) |
Everything about the #10 is [theoretically] the
same here, except you can use slightly harder reeds. I kept
feeling like I couldn't get enough air into it. Dunno...the #10 worked
for me, this one didn't, so it's for sale. |
| RIA #9 (.100) (rubber) |
Good combination of bright and body. A
little less bright than the metal. The
neck of this mpc is also of hard rubber and is very thin and looks
quite fragile. Think of a metal mpc, but in rubber instead.
I'd be leary of breaking it. Slightly high price, but
reasonable considering the quality of sound. Recommend
a Rovner ligature. |
| RPC .95 (Gary Foster model) |
Very interesting mpc. Mellow when soft, but brightens up
when you put some air behind it. Very free-blowing. Projection is good,
but its not quite as piercing as the RIA#10...this might be a "good" thing.
Its a keeper! See http://www.saxmpc.com
for more info on Ron Coelho's mouthpiece craftsmanship. |
| Dukoff S10 (metal) |
Serious paint-peeler. Easy
blowing, like all Dukoffs. Tone is way to bright for anything
remotely connected with jazz or blues. This mpc would be well-suited to
a rock band. High end is characteristically
thin. "Silverite" metal is very soft. |
| Dukoff M10 (metal) |
very bright, easy blowing; high
end thin. "Silverite" metal is very soft. After a 2nd trial,
I found it buzzy sounding in comparison to the Ponzols or the RIA-10.
I think I've come to the conclusion that Dukoffs are better for the bigger
horns, not for alto. |
| Vandoren Jumbo Java A45 (rubber) |
easy blowing, moderately bright mpc. You can push a ton of air
through this beast. |
| Yamaha stock mouthpiece |
unplayable by me. must be like a .55 tip or something |
| Meyer #6 (rubber) |
With a 2.5 reed, this is a fine mpc. easy
blowing, moderately bright when pushed, mellowed out when you drop back.Not
enough projection to play lead with.
The experience was very much in the same leagues as a Ponzol or the RIA-10,
but alot mellower. Made me take a second look at my large-tip-soft-reed
strategy. |
| Meyer #6J (metal) |
More resistance than the rubber mpc, almost stuffy
like a Berg. Very controlled, though. Insane
ligature, although theoretically a good one. Only
modestly brighter than the rubber equivalent. Given
the basic goodness of the rubber Meyer, I don't think the 6J is worth the
extra bucks. |
| Meyer #8 (rubber) |
My good experiences with the Meyer 6 might translate well, and with
a more open tip should solve the projection deficiency. |
| Tenor
Sax Mouthpiece |
Comments |
| Berg Larson (various) (metal) |
Good sound, but
the characteristic Berg stuffiness and quirkiness really turn me off. |
| Vandoren Jumbo Java (rubber) |
A different animal than the alto equivalent. Dark and tubby
sounding. Still free-blowing with a reasonable
profile. |
Rico Royal Graftonite #A7
current classical setup |
Dark warm sound. Free-blowing.
Allows a bit tip opening to get a decent classical sound. A bargain
at only $22. |
| Dukoff S8 |
bright, easy-blowing, very responsive. easy
to play. Characteristic of Dukoffs,
high end is thin. "Silverite" metal is very soft. |
Dukoff D9
current r&b/jazz setup |
bright, easy-blowing, very responsive. easy
to play. The larger chamber adds some
body to the entire range, including the thinner-than-usual
Dukoff high range. "Silverite" metal is very
soft.
High end richens up a bit with a Rovner Ligature. |
Dukoff M9 |
Darker than the D9, but brightens up if you push; easy-blowing, very responsive. moderately easy
to play. The high end is the nicest of the Dukoffs I've tried here, but, characteristic of Dukoffs,
high end is thin. "Silverite" metal is very soft. |
| Runyon Custom Spoiler |
Interesting tone, with the secondary "spoiler" baffle/reed inside the chamber. High Quality materials and workmanship. |
| RIA #8 |
Link-like body and warmth with plenty of edge.Not
cheap ($150), but not unreasonable. |
| Baritone
Sax Mouthpiece |
Comments |
| RIA #8 (.125) (metal) |
Wanna peel paint? Very bright, but with
lots of body--typical of RIA. Not cheap
($170), but not unreasonable. |
| RIA #8 (.125) (rubber) |
Good combination of bright and body. A
little less bright than the metal. The
neck of this mpc is also of hard rubber and is very thin and looks
quite fragile. Think of a metal mpc, but in rubber instead.
I'd be leary of breaking it. Slightly high price, but
reasonable considering the quality of sound. Recommend
a Rovner ligature. |
| Dukoff D8 |
Very bright, but very thin compared to the RIA
rubber and metal.
"Silverite" metal is very soft. |
| Dukoff M8 |
"Silverite" metal is very soft. |
| Berg Larson .120 (metal) |
A bit mellower than the RIA, but with
the characteristic Berg stuffiness and unpredictable
behaviors. |
| Berg Larson .120 (rubber) |
A bit mellower than the metal above. Still
stuffy. |
RPC .130 (rubber, custom)
jazz/r&b setup |
3 words: OH. MY. GOD. Ron Coelho (www.saxmpc.com) worked
this up for me. It has EXCELLENT response and
intonation. VERY free-blowing. LOTS of body, and just
enough bite to make you squirm in your chair. LOTS of projection
and power if you put air through it, back off, and it mellows up for ballads.
This mpc ended my search on baritone. Its $185, which is an excellent
value, considering this is a custom-made mpc with
a satisfaction guarantee. I play with
#2.5 Rico Jazz reeds with the RPC (as Ron recommends). |
E. Russeaux JX8 (rubber)
past jazz/r&b/classical setup |
Good balance of bite/grunt and mellow.
Slim profile for a rubber bari mpc. Great value at only $90. Very
sensative to worn reeds--gets nasaly if the reed is too limp. The
BG ligature that ships traps the reed and makes adjustment a maddening
exercise. Recommend a Rovner ligature. |
| Rico Royal Graftonite |
More edge than the Russeaux! Good
response, but not quite as free-blowing as the Russeaux. An excellent
value at only $23! Recommend a Rovner
ligature. |
| Runyon Custom (metal) |
|