Are paying for brand name?

In my experience, the S80 I had just didn't 'work' for me, and they do have a reputation for manufacturing inconsistency.
I replaced mine with a Vandoren V5 A25, which was great, but, IIRC, about the same price.
I have no experience of Morgans

That means my argument is right If there are inconsistencies between selmer mouthpieces then it means the price we are paying is merely for Brand Selmer not the quality.Morgan might be lot better since each mouthpiece is inspected and played by Ralph. I don't know if he inspects student line mouthpieces too..

I have been playing on a Selmer Mouthpiece since I started playing, and they are a great mouthpiece. You can not draw a conclusion about a mouthpiece from one person assessment of the piece. The setup is a closely personal thing, just because one person was not happy with the piece doesn't mean that other people aren't. They are great pieces, now I have never played a Morgan. And I am not sure I will.
Are you paying for the brand name? Probably.

I'll agree that part of it has to be the brand name, but there's also company experience to back it. If it's true that the pieces are hit and miss, then that is something to consider (basically play it before you buy it).

I have several Selmer mouthpieces and several Morgans including a Protone.
FWIW, I prefer the Morgan to any of the modern (square chamber) Selmers. For me it has a fuller sound.
Value for the money, the Morgan wins no contest. Which means you can have the big name in mouthpieces, Morgan, and not have to pay for the name.
If you prefer a C*, you can buy all you want for about half the new price here or on eBay.

Protone is a great value . You can get a Bamber now for even less money. They are surprisingly good. I have both for alto. I prefer the Bamber 8J. $25. Made by Babbit

You pay what the market will bare. People will pay $110 for a Selmer, so thats what it costs. I doubt there is a lot more in the materials or manufacturing process and overhead costs than in the morgan.


But, if you play one and like it, then you have to decide if its worth $110 to you. We cant tell you what its worth to you, and thats all thats really important. In reality they are only $50-60 used anyway....

Would people pay more for the protone? maybe, who knows. They have a good reputation, but I suppose the expectation with a beginners piece is that people will eventually branch out into a piece that matches their own tonal concept as they get better, so there will not pay a price premium at that stage of their development. The S80 is an oddity as its a more advanced classical style piece thats often touted as a piece for beginners.

It isn't really anything about the brand name in my opinion. It's really how much you like a mouthpiece.

I love my Selmer C*. It's accustomed for any style of playing, and it's a high quality mouthpiece that'll hold up for your playing career .

You cant say one mouthpiece out plays another mouthpiece. They're all based on personal preference. If you like the C*, I don't see why you shouldn't buy the C*. If you like the Morgan, go ahead and buy the Morgan.

You should try playing them. and see which one you like.

The S80 is an oddity as its a more advanced classical style piece thats often touted as a piece for beginners.

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That's how I see it. I think there are problems for beginners which teachers do not always understand. Top and bottom notes are none too easy. No doubt some beginners will hit it right, but others do not.

This is not to recommend Morgans in preference (even though I use them), but simply to say that care needs to be taken in recommending the S80 (C* or otherwise).