[10mfan]

Hi everyone!
Hope everyone is doing well.
So I get another one of these emails this morning and it’s a pet peeve of mine. Some guy writes me to tell me that he picked up one of my mouthpieces in the UK and loves it to death. I asked him what he used before and without me naming a name, he said he used a certain mouthpiece and it was “good for the money”.
He said he didn’t like the sound of it and didn’t like the feel of the beak—- but it was good for the money. ?????
He said he used it for a couple of years with his $4000 saxophone, and never really liked it, but it was “good for the money”.

If you are a saxophone player, it would seem like your sound is the most important thing.
It defines who you are and it is your personality. What you play, also adds to that but the first thing anyone hears when they listen to you, is your sound.

Why would you spend good money on a saxophone, and settle for a mouthpiece that is just “good for the money”.
I truly don’t get this at all. The sad thing is, I hear this comment all the time. I never understand people who spend a lot of money on a saxophone and settle for a mouthpiece that doesn’t give them the best sound they can get. It doesn’t mean you have to spend tons of money. You can find a mouthpiece that is inexpensive that plays great for you, so why settle on something that doesn’t play great...and then rationalize it by saying it’s “good for the money”?
I would rather hear that someone got a good playing mouthpiece for themselves and it was inexpensive, rather than hear them say that they got a mouthpiece that they didn't enjoy, and try to justify it not being good for them, by saying, “Well, it was good for the money”.

To me, if you don’t like anything about it, it’s not good for anything.
It may take a while to find the mouthpiece that you love, but don’t settle for any reason.
It’s not about whether he liked my mouthpiece or not, there are lots of mouthpieces to choose from, it’s just the fact that someone would settle so long and not bother searching for something that’s going to give them happiness.
Your sound, I would think, would be number one on your list.

Just an early morning thought, here.

 

[Dave Pollack]

Mouthpiece > saxophone!!! Get that setup right (including reed and lig) THEN apply it to a horn. Doesn’t make any sense to do the opposite.

I used to drag race and had (technically still have) a carbureted 355sbc...it would be like putting a vacuum secondary 550cfm carburetor that had the wrong jets in it, and then when it doesn’t run right at all, say that “well it’s okay for the money but doesn’t work great with this engine.” Gotta pay up for the 750 Holley dp!! (Sorry for the car specific stuff...just figured it was a good analogy)

 

[vbluesman]

A bargain mouthpiece is no bargain if it makes you want to hurl your saxophone out of a three story building.

 

[10mfan]

Amen to that!

 

[tony51]

Some people can’t afford a $400 mouthpiece so they have to buy a $100 (or less) mouthpiece. This is unlikely to be as good as the $400 mouthpiece, so they hope to one that’s good for the money, it doesn’t seem such a difficult concept to understand.

 

[JayeLID]

Why would you spend good money on a saxophone, and settle for a mouthpiece that is just "good for the money".

Because life's realities might well dictate that that $300 can and should go towards something more important/urgent than a sax mouthpiece ?
And life's realities are often that we, as adults, have to face challenging decisions on a regular basis, where we may not just be able to get what we want in a particular microcosm...so although we have to 'settle' in one arena, the result will be better in the larger scope of things... so perhaps it is best to avoid shooting oneself in the foot when possible.

Something like that....

A bargain mouthpiece is no bargain if it makes you want to hurl your saxophone out of a three story building.

But of course you have taken the most ridiculous outlier and used it to rationalize what may be, in many people's eyes, a foolish choice. So it's a bit odd to use an absurdity to support what might be a selfish and economically foolish decision.

Because, of course...MOST $100-125 mouthpieces, are not utter pieces garbage which would result in one wanting to hurl their sax off a building. Nor would 'having' to play one leave one in such a foul mood that during the gig you are truly suffering....and after the gig you'd go home and kick your dog.

If you don't like anything about it, it's not good for anything.

But most players probably like enough aspects of their $125 mouthpiece to keep using it. I wouldn't be going out on a limb to say that most players would be able to choose a $100-150 'piece that they like quite well enough.

So, you are equating "moderately priced mouthpiece" with "player doesn't like anything about it" yet the latter is not likely sequitir ...and again, this is a bit of an over-the-top parallel to draw.

Some people can't afford a $400 mouthpiece so they have to buy a $100 (or less) mouthpiece. This is unlikely to be as good as the $400 mouthpiece, so they hope to one that's good for the money, it doesn't seem such a difficult concept to understand.

B

I

N

G

O

 

[lesacks]

+1 to JayeLID

Language is a funny thing. People often use aphorisms and clichés to avoid thinking about stuff, like mistakes - or commuting to an error... there's every chance your chappy knows, in his heart, it's a mess and just needs a little something - for himself, not you - to make it less embarrassing, save a little face.
IMHO, the best thing is to nodd politely, mutter "yeah, a good price, works for some not others" etc.

 

[Oric Muso]

Mouthpieces can be expensive. If you manage to pick something up cheap that works OK a lot of people will stick with that even if it isn't ideal. We often tell people not to go down the route of chasing after the perfect mouthpiece. "Stick with what you've got and learn how to play on it." Is often the advice. I guess the rationale couple with the " you get what you pay for" idea, so if you have something that wasn't expensive that works, there's a choice of splashing out a lot more money or sticking with what you have.

 

[1saxman]

I think most of the great sax that was recorded during the 'golden age' was probably done with a 'good' mouthpiece, not a 'great' one by today's standards. When players don't know any better, they tend to get the most out of what they have. For example, who today would go on national TV weekly playing a Level Air on alto? Sanborn did, and he single-handedly started what became the 'smooth jazz' movement even though what he played was interesting, fun, jazzy and soulful, not what passes for 'smooth jazz' today.
Now, things are different - we have the 'net which provides 'instant knowledge' but without the experience that previously went with it, so players just go with the majority and predictably come out the other side sounding alike.

 

[Dave Pollack]

Some people can't afford a $400 mouthpiece so they have to buy a $100 (or less) mouthpiece. This is unlikely to be as good as the $400 mouthpiece, so they hope to one that's good for the money, it doesn't seem such a difficult concept to understand.

In this situation from the OP the guy has a $4,000 saxophone - WHY would you spend that much money on a horn BEFORE setting up the most important parts for sound?

 

[A Greene]

For the Middle School students I teach, I would certainly never recommend a parent buy a $300 mouthpiece. I also can't stand that music companies are supplying what appear to be unfinished blanks in the beginner cases. I recommend kids get a $35 Yamaha 4c plastic mouthpiece. It's a perfectly workable mouthpiece at that price point. Others like the Hite plastic piece - nearly the same price.

I also buy these pieces for the school Tenor and Bari saxophones. No need spending $100's on mouthpiece kids will likely drop.

 

[Dave Pollack]

For the Middle School students I teach, I would certainly never recommend a parent buy a $300 mouthpiece. I also can't stand that music companies are supplying what appear to be unfinished blanks in the beginner cases. I recommend kids get a $35 Yamaha 4c plastic mouthpiece. It's a perfectly workable mouthpiece at that price point. Others like the Hite plastic piece - nearly the same price.

I also buy these pieces for the school Tenor and Bari saxophones. No need spending $100's on mouthpiece kids will likely drop.

Correct - but in this thread the guy has a $4,000 horn. Not the same as some student renting a Yamaha 23.

 

[Dr G]

“Good for the money” is sometimes “best I could afford”. And if people are easily sucked into buying something they don’t need, they may have already overspent on their horn.

So that brings us to “Good for the money” translating to “It meets my needs”.

Does any really need to have a “rare” or “vintage” mouthpiece?

 

[A Greene]

Correct - but in this thread the guy has a $4,000 horn. Not the same as some student renting a Yamaha 23.

My point is that there are many levels of players and price points. Many don't have the time, money, or access to spent addition resources experimenting with mouthpieces, reeds, or ligatures. Finding a good set-up and putting in the practice will be more beneficial then looking for a magic mouthpiece.

 

[tony51]

In this situation from the OP the guy has a $4,000 saxophone - WHY would you spend that much money on a horn BEFORE setting up the most important parts for sound?

Fair enough, you are right I missed the part about a $4,000 saxophone. My tenor saxophone (Italian made Buffet) cost $395 from eBay so that's where I'm coming from and my used metal Link was less than $100. A good for the money setup, and in my case the problems definitely reside with the person operating it ...

 

[Dave Pollack]

My point is that there are many levels of players and price points. Many don't have the time, money, or access to spent addition resources experimenting with mouthpieces, reeds, or ligatures. Finding a good set-up and putting in the practice will be more beneficial then looking for a magic mouthpiece.

Oh I agree 100%. I'm judt saying THIS thread is about a guy who spent $4,000 on a horn then said he played on a mouthpiece he didn't like. Obviously if the thread were about just high-end mouthpieces in general it's a different conversation. This thread is about this one guy though.

 

[Reet McVouty]

Some people can't afford a $400 mouthpiece so they have to buy a $100 (or less) mouthpiece. This is unlikely to be as good as the $400 mouthpiece, so they hope to one that's good for the money, it doesn't seem such a difficult concept to understand.

This is true, but there are also $100 mouthpieces that play just as well as a $400 mouthpiece, depending on what sound your looking for. The problem with 10mfan's rant is we really don't know anything about Mr. Goodforthemoney. We don't know anything about the mouthpiece he was playing previously, was it a reputable mouthpiece that he bought cheap? Did he pay 4K for his horn or is the value he's assigned to it based on internet searches? So, I guess the OP kind of baffles me, considering Mr. GFM was actually praising 10mfan for his mouthpiece...

 

[pontius]

It's easier to call a $50 dollar mouthpiece "good for the money" than it is a $400 mouthpiece.

 

[saxoclese]

This discussion begs the question of how many saxophone players actually play at the level that they can get the full potential out of the highest price mouthpieces and/or saxophones. I suspect that some are trying to "buy" their way up to a higher level of sound and performance rather than "work" their way up to a higher level which of course takes much more time, talent, and effort.

 

[saxcop]

I used to throw a Metalite in my suitcase when I traveled, in case I wanted to try a horn as some shop I visited. I thought it was good for the money. I thought I would just leave on at my vacation home and wouldn't pack my 10mfan piece with me. Nope. Can't do it. I need my regular piece. However you don't know what you don't know.