Mouthpieces

[Mavis]

Right now, for my alto sax, I have a Selmer S-80 mouthpiece. This fall I'll be trying out for district band, and my teacher insists that I get a Larry Teal Alto Sax Mouthpiece-she says they're the best there is. I'm about ready to order it, i just want your opinions. Also, what 's the best place to order from online?

[Dave Dolson]

Mavis: For someone to ORDER a player to buy a certain mouthpiece is arbitrary and stupid. Yes, some players use a Larry Teal mouthpiece but that doesn't mean all players should use one. There is no BEST mouthpiece.

Your teacher is obviously not a saxophonist (or at least one who knows anything about the instrument) or she wouldn't be insisting on a certain mouthpiece for anyone. She can make suggestions, but for a youngster to spend money because someone else insists on it is outrageous.

I recommend you try one with no obligation to buy it (and try many other pieces as well), then decide for yourself. Geez . . . DAVE

[TMadness1013]

I def agree w/ what Dave has to say.

Something you might want to do is talk to all the saxophonist's in your band & ask them if you can borrow their mouthpieces. (most if not all of them will probably be playing something different)

This is a great way to get an idea of what different mpc's are like, and to learn what YOU want in your sound!!

Just be sure to sanitize them & such before you play them :)

[saxyclarinet]

Just be sure to sanitize them & such before you play them :)

And after -- be courteous. :) ;)

I can't really expand much on the above suggestions, except to say I can't stand it when people say "use this". I use what I want, darn it all. :shock:

[Hurling Frootmig]

Mavis,

Do a search of the archives and you will find many opinions.

[singlereed]

I do get annoyed when I hear of band masters telling people what to play. If you turned up with an edgy jazz piece, I could understand that he might suggest that you need a different set-up for band, but the difference between a Larry Teal and a S80 (assuming you have a S80 in C* or thereabouts) is very small indeed. The LT has a very smooth sound that tends to keep your playing within a fairly narrow confine, which is no bad thing in a band; it's easy to blow on quiet notes and you will never sound exposed. However, there are probably 1000 pro and other advanced players using a S80 for every one on a Larry Teal. The ones I really like are the new Soloists, if you do try a few, do include that in your shortlist.

[Mavis]

Something you might want to do is talk to all the saxophonist's in your band & ask them if you can borrow their mouthpieces. (most if not all of them will probably be playing something different)

That's the problem-my school is really small, way out in the country. Our band is just whoever wants to be in it-this leads to a pretty crappy band w/ a bunch of people who are just in it for the easy A. I can say w/ confidence that EVERY sax player is playing w/ the mouthpiece that came w/ there sax(and that none of there saxes are very good). Also, my band only has one director for 5-12 grade-and he doesn't know much about saxes.

So my sax teacher(who does know a lot about saxes, btw) is the only person to help me specifically w/ sax! She says Larry Teal is the best, so I'm probably going to get it-i just don't have a way to try out a bunch of different ones.

[Nefertiti]

Your teacher reminds of a young me. Introduce them to this site and they will soon waver in their convictions about which mouthpiece is the best. :lol:
If I were you I'd order a bunch aof pieces from wwbw and try them. Order a LT , a soloist and a couple others. If your into jazz at all I tried a Meyer G that I got for one of my students that was KILLER. If they are all like that one I highly reccomend them for jazz playing.

[Mavis]

well, the thing is, my teacher is about 75 years old-and she's been playing sax, clarinet, and flute all her life-lol, you can't say she's not expirienced! I guess i could rent a few and try them. I definitely want one that i can use for classical and jazz-are those all good for both?

[Dave Dolson]

Mavis: I doubt if you could RENT a mouthpiece. You may be able to order several from Woodwind & Brasswind (WW&BW) in Indiana and return the ones you don't like for a small re-stocking fee.

I don't care if your teacher is 15 or 75 and has played all her life - a person who says one piece is the best doesn't know what she is talking about. DAVE

[Mavis]

oops! yeah, i didn't mean rent-wrong word!
I think to say she "doesn't know what she's talking about" is a little strong-it's just that she like Larry Teal best, and recommends it(very strongly!lol). She's not exactly forcing me, i could get something else.
My main concern now is that I play Jazz as well, and I'm afraid a Larry Teal mpc. won't be very good for that! I can't afford to get two!

[awholley]

The suggestion to order several from WWBW was a good one. They did (proabably still do) have a policy allowing you to try several mouthpieces for about 20% of the total price and then return the ones you didn't want.

I'd recommend trying the Teal, as well as

Selmer Soloist C*
Bamber Concert 5
Selmer S 90 180 or 190

I think you will find the Teal a bit too constricted to play much jazz on it.
Their tone is not all that flexible. The Teal mouthpiece "does one thing and does it well" -classical.


Alan

[Mavis]

i went to the WWBW website, and looked at all the mouthpieces awholley mentioned. I noticed that one of the reviews for the soloist said that it was good for jazz too, but another review said it was a horrible mouthpiece. I also noticed that the Larry Teal is a LOT more expensive then the others!

Is there somewhere on the website where it says you can do that thing where you try a few? How much is it gonna cost me to do this?

[Nefertiti]

You need to call them and ask them to do it.

[wianno]

Mavis,

Check out Music 123 too at http://www.music123.com/Woodwinds-d19.music In the past I've had them send me mouthpieces and ligatures (you do have to purchase them) and returned items for a refund during their 45 day return period. There is a mouthpiece cleaning and sterilization fee of $3.50 http://www.music123.com/customerservice/return.aspx

JD

[Dave Dolson]

Isn't Music123 the same thing as WW&BW?

Mavis: You've just experienced why I told you that your teacher doesn't know what she is talking about. The Soloist review is it . . . I love my Soloist while someone else did not like it. There you have it. DAVE

[Mavis]

ok, i think i'm gonna order from Music123. I'll just order a few and send back the ones i don't want-it says it's just $3.50 per mouthpiece you send back. (plus shipping) So the ones i'll order are: The Larry Teal, The Soloist, maybe Meyer G(if i get it, which model-5, 6, or 7), maybe Bamber Concert 5...any others?

Also, i'm gonna need a ligature, the one(s) i have aren't very good(i actually sat on one of them...but that's another story) What do you suggest?

Ok, last question, i promise-what is the difference between C*, C**, F, D, and E facings? which should i get?

Thanks again for everyone's help, this is quite a difficult decision!!

[singlereed]

The facings on selmers get more open and longer as the letter goes through the alphabet - they go: B, C, C*, C**, D, E, F...

There isn't much difference between C*, C** and D, and if you want versatility, I'd go for a D. The C* is the standard choice for many serious classical players, and as it happens, they really suit beginners as well, its just that a beginner might use a no 2 reed, whereas an advanced player might be on a 3 1/2 or 4 reed. Having said all that, the C* is not going to give much ability to bend notes for jazz playing, you need a slightly more open facing and so I think a Soloist D might be a good all-round choice. A Larry Teal will force you down the classical sound route and as such will be less versatile than your S80.

Having said all that, there is nothing wrong with your S80, why not stick with it and try a few REAL jazz mouthpieces to have as an alternative? There really are many, many options, and you can get some ideas by looking at the forum here. Perhaps start by thinking about which players' sounds you like and then ask the guys here what is going to help you achieve that sort of voice on your sax.

[bartone]

Mavis,
I'm doing the same right now with WW&B. You can also ask to speak with someone at WW&B who's famaliar with this subject - 800-348-5003, and I'm working with Bobby (ext 2393). You don't need to spend a bunch, but I'd look for something more jazz oriented. I'm on the verge of keeping an Otto Link NY 8*, though I'm on the list to try a Guardella 'King'. I also just discovered that I can easily play into the altissimo with the right mouthpiece. Just rejected a Ponzol 110. I've been playing a Berg 110/0 for years, and decided I could do better, so I get to audition most anything for $3.50. Plus shipping...

Order some Vandoren V16 reeds, too - a couple of 2.5, 3, 3.5 and know you've got 45 days to play with the mouthpieces, but the reeds are yours. Please don't return them!

bartone

[gary]

It's really nice of you to answer with so much info, bartone, but you might want to know that Mavis posted her question over a year ago. And she's asking about alto, not tenor, mpcs.

[verranth]

However, Bartone's suggestions were not wasted, as I have found great wealth in his information. Because I'm looking for a mouthpiece for jazz, and I'm looking for a Tenor Sax. Thanks Bartone.