[britinlincoln]

Was wondering if I am the only sax player who uses entirely different mouthpieces for Soprano, Alto and tenor when playing the SAME kind of music?

i.e. Tenor is Selmer reference 54; Alto is Theo Wanne Shakti; Soprano is LA Sax Curved Kim Waters Edition nickel silver. The mouthpieces for each respectively are a Theo Wanne AmmaII gold plate metal; Jody jazz HR Special; Selmer Super Session F HR. I found I couldn't get the tonal qualities I needed with the same brand/style/manufacturer of mouthpiece across all three horns, so, despite having been playing "smooth jazz" (I know, a term that gets hoots of derision from the balconies) since I first heard Grover Washington Jr. in the early 80's, this is the formula that I have had to "settle" on. Comments or thoughts appreciated. :|

 

[10mfan]

You found what works for you for each of the horns.....and that is the goal for everybody.

There isn’t one way to do it that will work for everybody. You found the right combinations to get what you need, and that is a beautiful thing!

Have fun!!!

 

[2phunkey4u]

From my experience, it is mostly classical musicians that use just one model of a mouthpiece like an S80 or an Optimum in their different builds. For jazz, differentiation is more common, I suppose. After all, a lot of people who play both Alto and Tenor seem to prefer a Meyer-type and an Otto-Link-type, respectively. I do, too. Moreover, not all mouthpiece makers offer the full range. I could picture myself playing Vandoren V16s, JJ HR* or JJ DVs, or maybe OL Tone Edge or Berg Larsens on Soprano, Alto, and Tenor (I do not own a Bari). That's just not how things have played out for me, though. I dunno so much about Smooth Jazz. Dukoffs or Beechlers may be decent options across the entire range, too. But there are no versions of those for Baritone, are there?

 

[ving]

I’ve had similar experience, even though in my head I think it makes sense to play the same brand/design mpc on all the horns, it hasn’t ended up that way. You do need to suspend your beliefs and just play what works regardless of design. Kind of the idea in the thread of not playing your mpc with your eyes. Or in this case I’d say not playing it with your brain!

 

[Dr G]

Was wondering if I am the only sax player who uses entirely different mouthpieces for Soprano, Alto and tenor when playing the SAME kind of music?

i.e. Tenor is Selmer reference 54; Alto is Theo Wanne Shakti; Soprano is LA Sax Curved Kim Waters Edition nickel silver. The mouthpieces for each respectively are a Theo Wanne AmmaII gold plate metal; Jody jazz HR Special; Selmer Super Session F HR. I found I couldn't get the tonal qualities I needed with the same brand/style/manufacturer of mouthpiece across all three horns, so, despite having been playing "smooth jazz" (I know, a term that gets hoots of derision from the balconies) since I first heard Grover Washington Jr. in the early 80's, this is the formula that I have had to "settle" on. Comments or thoughts appreciated. :|

Given that you've chosen different brands of horns, it makes even more sense that you chose mouthpieces to best complement the instrument.

I go for optimizing each setup. If they turn out to be the same brands, it was meant to be - although it seldom happens that way.

 

[turf3]

It seems that those like me who play the same or similar pieces on all the horns are the exception.

The "average" professional player on a "Standard" setup would play a metal Link or Berg on baritone, metal Link on tenor, and hard rubber Meyer on alto, and probably these days something like a Selmer Concept on soprano. All rather different design concepts.

 

[Grumps]

Though I play a Super Session on soprano, I play RPC's on alto, tenor and bari. Thing is though, each of those RPC's are different. It's a rollover on alto, a high baffle for tenor and a two-step drop baffle for bari.

 

[ving]

Although I have a long history with RPCs on tenor, I didn’t end up sticking with those on alto. I had a few early on but they were larger than I ended up liking on alto, tried smaller opening RPCs and they didn’t just click for me. Tried some other brands on alto, ended up finding out I don’t like more baffle on alto but I do on tenor and bari. V16s work best for me on alto, in small chamber configuration though. Bari use a piece with quite a bit of baffle, Ponzol custom. Soprano I like the SR mpcs, both polycarbonate and I never thought I’d play a metal soprano mpc but I sometimes use the metal Sr pro too. So you never know until you try a bunch of stuff “in the field”.

 

[Reet McVouty]

Was wondering if I am the only sax player who uses entirely different mouthpieces for Soprano, Alto and tenor when playing the SAME kind of music?

i.e. Tenor is Selmer reference 54; Alto is Theo Wanne Shakti; Soprano is LA Sax Curved Kim Waters Edition nickel silver. The mouthpieces for each respectively are a Theo Wanne AmmaII gold plate metal; Jody jazz HR Special; Selmer Super Session F HR. I found I couldn't get the tonal qualities I needed with the same brand/style/manufacturer of mouthpiece across all three horns, so, despite having been playing "smooth jazz" (I know, a term that gets hoots of derision from the balconies) since I first heard Grover Washington Jr. in the early 80's, this is the formula that I have had to "settle" on. Comments or thoughts appreciated. :|

I think your process is pretty much the status quo. Most players I know play different brands on each horn. But even those that play the same brands have different attributes for each MP.