[TraneWorld]

Hi,

What are the mouthpieces that you have bought/tried and believe that are a piece of art or really well made, like very free blowing and also very reed friendly?

In my case I have tried a lot of them (but not all), but I have to say that probably Rafael Navarro pieces are at the top, I still own the Navarro Bahia and the Bebop Special, and they are perfectly made and very free blowing.

SR Techs are perfect, Phil Tones are also very well made and free blowing, and I also still have a Saxquest Bridge and The Core which are very well made. I have two Guardalas which are free blowing, a little loud though.

What is your opinion?

Best,

 

[Govinda]

Free blowing and craftsmanship are not mutually exclusive

But to answer your question, I would echo Phil Tone and add Barone pieces and Marantz pieces

 

[turf3]

I've been very pleased with the Selmer pieces I've owned. My one hard rubber Link is good but I needed to ream the bore to make it cylindrical. Been very happy with all the Meyers I've had. Brilharts, other than the as-molded conical bore, have played really well for me. I have one Jody Jazz piece (bass) and I think it's really well made but the tone's kind of one-dimensional compared to the Selmer for the same horn.

Really the only one I have had that I thought the workmanship wasn't up to standard, was the Dukoff, which had a weird super-short facing and strange casting defects inside. (After I fixed these, it plays great.)

 

[mmichel]

Hi,

What are the mouthpieces that you have bought/tried and believe that are a piece of art or really well made, like very free blowing and also very reed friendly?

In my case I have tried a lot of them (but not all), but I have to say that probably Rafael Navarro pieces are at the top, I still own the Navarro Bahia and the Bebop Special, and they are perfectly made and very free blowing.

SR Techs are perfect, Phil Tones are also very well made and free blowing, and I also still have a Saxquest Bridge and The Core which are very well made. I have two Guardalas which are free blowing, a little loud though.

What is your opinion?

Best,

In line with what Govinda says below, I think that the aesthetics (i.e., "piece of art") are largely orthogonal to the playing characteristics of the mouthpiece.

Every boutique "handmade" mouthpiece that I've tried has had a flat table and accurate tip opening. In terms of mass-produced pieces, I find that Vandoren, Daddario, and Theo Wanne all make very consistent and accurate mouthpieces.

I like Babbitt (i.e., Link and Meyer) mouthpiece designs and own a few, but their finishing is notoriously inaccurate and unreliable (e.g., tables are rarely flat, tip openings and facing lengths rarely match nominal values, etc.).

In terms of which have the best (i.e., most aesthetically refined) finishing, I would second the Marantz pieces (FWIW, I'm pretty sure Matt finished the Navarro pieces for a while), and add Mouthpiece Cafe and Aaron Drake mouthpieces.

 

[Dr G]

Winner of “Most Jewel-like Precision and Finish” goes to Freddie Gregory, in my experience.

“Best Craftsmanship Where It Matters” awards go to Fred Lamberson, Ben Allen, and Phil Engleman (Phil-Tone) - presented in the order that I met them. I play Phil-Tone mouthpieces on all my saxes.

Disclaimer: I haven’t played mouthpieces made by everyone, but I have owned and played a lot of ‘em.

 

[Aquarian]

I agree that "freeblowing" or "reed friendly" have little to do with cost. Even quality - Yamaha student mouthpieces are more well made than a generic modern Babbitt piece (unless they improved their QC, my piece is from the '90s).

I suspect the freeblowing quality is most directly related to one shape in the mouthpiece that rarely gets discussed - the "ramp" or space under the table. The Yamaha pieces have a very thin edge with a ramp into the the chamber. My Otto Link has regrettable quality control but is freeblowing, and also has a thin edge into the large chamber. I have a Select Jazz and a metalite, both have a noticeable wall instead and take more work to play.

I JUST got a Philtone Orion, which is as freeblowing as the Yamaha (while sounding much, much better). Once again, that ramp is a perfect thin edge with a smooth curve into the chamber.

The Philtone is art, the other mouthpieces are not. The D'Addario pieces (the select jazz and metalite) and Yamaha are well made. The Otto Link... plays well enough, but has some issues in quality.

 

[johnnyc]

Ditto Matt Marantz and Aaron Drake mouthpieces. Without exception, every new or used 'piece I've owned or tried from both played exceptionally well and appeared very well made (table, rails, tip, chamber finishing, exterior finish and attention to details and consistency, etc).

 

[whaler]

Selmer short shank Soloists are little works of art and are still my favorite.

 

[BruceF]

I would add Saxscape (tenor), Brancher (soprano), and all the pieces I've played that were finished by Eric Falcon.

 

[MojoBari]

Free blowing is not always a desirable feature. I think it is for large tip openings. But on medium and smaller tip openings most players need some resistance in the curve shape so they do not need to use super hard reeds to get resistance. Without the right amount of resistance you can blow the tip opening closed. Especially on the palm keys.

 

[Tranechaser]

Sakshama makes some pretty good stuff! Theo Wanne craftsmanship is great as well. However, I echo the comments on Freddie Gregory, his pieces look prettier than anything else.

 

[Hassles]

I will vouch for Gottsu pieces, nobody has as yet mentioned Stephan Kammerer, Phil Barone, Arnold Montgomery, Ted Klum, Retro Revival, Ponzol

 

[theneighbordubh]

Jody Jazz DVNY and DV CHI are nice.

 

[adamk]

I use Couf Artist HR pieces on alto & tenor.
The outside is well made but not artistic despite the name but the inside is beautifully designed and finished.

 

[Perio]

I saw this thread and decided to offer my first post on SOTW. Ted Klum and Benjamin Allen are the finest mouthpieces I’ve played. Ben is perhaps the most unknown mouthpiece artisan out there, but he’s a genius. Ted’s work is pure magic.

 

[super20dan]

best i have seen is charles bay. extreme quality.

 

[Aquarian]

After 9+ months on the Philtone Orion, it's still amazing. I also have a Jodyjazz Jet which is equally well made and plays just as well despite radically different design. I think at the relatively cheap end, Jodyjazz or maybe a new Rousseau (which is now owned by JJ) is the best, at the high end you're spoiled for choice.

I don't think there is one "best" on the game. A Philtone and a Jodyjazz are not aiming at the same customers or same sound. I think the most expensive mouthpieces are vintage, I don't have the money to evaluate their quality or lack thereof.

 

[Guto]

Johannes Gerber, hand finished like no other

 

[Sigmund451]

Thank you. I appreciate your kind comments and yes, I do put most my focus on craftsmanship "Where it matters". Ive never quite had the calling to make jewelry but I do appreciate it when I see it. I do my best to insure every piece plays to its potential by putting the finishing touches on each piece with the horn in my lap...going back and forth playing each piece while making final adjustments. It is how I have always done it and it is a practice I will continue. Im glad that there are players who notice the difference and chose to explore my line of pieces.

On a closing note...Hopefully we can all be safe and soon have a world where hearing music in public places is a part of life again.