[RGiller1]

I need to find some better mouthpieces for the horn I know play being a Selmer AS-500. I need to find a good jazz mpc for a decent price. A mpc to use in concert band would be nice too since I am in the community band. Any ideas or recommendations? I don't want to spend too much money but want a better mouthpiece than the standard Selmer 4c that comes with the horn...

 

[magical pig]

What's your price range?

 

[JayeLID]

Some well-respected low-priced choices include:

Hite Premier (one of my favorites, personally...but may require you to step down 1/2 reed strength because the tip is more open). It will really round out the midrange and low overtones and make the horn sound fatter.

Brilhart Ebolin 3, 4, 5...all with opening bigger than a typical 4c.

George M. Bundy Signature Series 3 or 4.....I have stumbled across these time & again (the new ones) and they are actually pretty darn good...sort of a 'retro' design reminiscent of some vintage mouthpieces. Very free-blowing and with a nice even sound across high and low overtones. I like the Baritone one so much that it is my m'piece of choice on my vintage BigHorns....

Yamaha 6C...Everyone gets the 4C, nobody gets the 5C or 6C. (Pete Thomas correctly points out that the opening of the 5C is so darn close to that of the 4C, that the 6C is really the better choice when stepping out of a 4C).

Meyer Rubber 5 or 6.....pricier than the above but can be bought used for pretty cheap (although still well worth the $, new) and are a go-to m'piece for a lotta Jazzers.

 

[Canadiain]

Hard to make any useful recommendations without knowing what you think is deficient about your current piece, and some idea of how much you are thinking of spending.

Whats wrong with the 4C that makes you want to change it?

 

[RGiller1]

Well the standard mouthpiece that comes with the horn doesn't exactly have the smooth walls of a good concert or the cut of a jazz piece. I guess thats pretty much what I am looking for and something that is a little more free blowing. My price range is no more than $80. $100 maybe at most...

 

[Canadiain]

I suppose it depends how classical a tone you are after for Concert, but if you avoid pieces with extreme baffles etc you should be able to satisy both requirements with one peice. I wouldnt get too caught up in the cosmetics, some of the peices that the giants of sax played and sounded great on looked awful, many didnt have balanced rails even, but they got by.

Sounds like you might be looking for something a bit more open than the 4c, to be more free blowing, but the flip side of that is you have to work harder on intonation.

In the price range you quote a used Meyer would be the default choice, but they can vary a lot out of the factory, so something like a (used) vandoren V16 (A6M) would be very similar, but more likely to work straight out of the box. If you can though, try pieces before commiting. I dont have that option where I live really, and I have had good luck with mail ordered/ ebay / SOTW marketplace sourced Vandoren pieces in the past, although right now I play a selmer super session on alto that came with a sax I was given (pretty lucky find!).

Having said all that, the best player I know round here kills on a stock Yamaha 4C... Go figure, its the player, not the equipment

 

[Rondalo]

I use a Rico metallite for my Mark VI tenor. For concert band I use Rico Royal reeds; for jazz band I use Vandoren Java reeds. This works well for me - I'm able to blend in well in both groups, but others might not get the same results. The metalites are very inexpensive ($25 or less) so you won't lose much if you want to give it a try and it doesn't work out.

 

[dubrosa22]

I think a Yamaha 4C is more consistently manufactured than any new Meyers and the same would apply to their 6C.
I would go with a 6C if you can't play test a Meyer 5 or 6.

 

[jsweenie]

Vandoren makes some pretty decent pieces lately, and i don't remember them being too pricey (haven't been mouthpiece shopping in years).

Coming from a guy who has spent way too much $$ on mouthpieces over the years, it is the player not the piece.

My advice would be to find a shop that doesn't mind you hanging around for a while (go when they aren't busy) and try every mouthpiece that's is in your price range, though you should be a bit wary of anything in a $5 bin.
Everyone's dental, jaw, vocal and wind support structures are different which is part of why every player can have a unique sound. What one person swears by might not work for the guy standing next to him on the bandstand.

Meyer and Beechler have worked for me on alto, can't recall the tip opening (think it was a five). If you try something that you have your heart set on and it's out of your price range you can try and find it used, or maybe put it on layaway until you can come up with the extra dough. Whatever you wind up getting just remember that tone excercises do a lot more for your sound than any piece of equipment will

 

[JayeLID]

"It's the player not the equipment..." is something which is bandied about all the time....but the fact is...one is only gonna be able to do SO much with a 4C-esque sorta m'piece.

They aren't made for tone...never were. They are made for user-friendliness.

I agree wholeheartedly with this: "find a shop that doesn't mind you hanging around for a while (go when they aren't busy) and try every mouthpiece that's is in your price range..."

I think a Yamaha 4C is more consistently manufactured than any new Meyers and the same would apply to their 6C.
I would go with a 6C if you can't play test a Meyer 5 or 6.

...that would be a very interesting side-by-side....a Meyer 5 and a Yammy 6C.....

 

[alljoe]

well, I cant tell how many of you teach and how many just play. so, some of this info seems a bit unqualified.

I agree for the most part its the player once experience is gained.

what i would like to know is if any of you have had a lot of students and what "in general" worked for most of them. It may be an oversimplification but when starting but it seems a good idea not have a beginner struggle with a difficult situation. My son hasnt even started band at school yet. He doesnt have a clue about how it should feel or sound. It seems to me something that doesnt create bad habits would be best.

So, for me, id like to have him use something that has a proven track record for beginners. The horn i bought is a used Jupiter, as the school recommended, and it had a selmer c* and the Jupiter mouthpiece with it. I really cant tell much difference in the sound. I had some trouble with the lower notes so had the horn checked out and pads adjusted. It played easier. My son managed from low Bb up to high D. Before the adjust, he couldnt hit below D. It also doesnt seem to matter which mouthpiece he has on it and both had vandoren 3 reeds (on the need first day list).

So, "In General", whats the recommendation.