[rs1026]

Hi all,

Which would be most logical upgrade of mouthpiece from yamaha 4c for an alto sax. I don't have the option of play testing the different pieces as I have to purchase it online.
I don't what to end up in something which I can't handle, at the same moment I want to upgrade from yamaha 4c. Are there any mouth pieces out there that are better than a 4c but playability wise similar to a 4c.

 

[brutlix]

Hm, I've upgraded from 4c to Meyer 6m and I love it.
It takes some time to get used to, though.

 

[SuperAction80]

I'll second the Meyer. Actually, I bought my little cousin (he's starting to play this year) a Yamaha 4c. I had so much fun showing him the basics with the piece that I went out and bought one myself. I don't know why, but the 4c is the ONLY non metal piece that I've taken to immediately. I thought that I was crazy for having this much fun with a student piece until I read in another thread that Gary is having a lot of fun with a YAS-23. Maybe Yamaha's student line is better than most of us think.

 

[tjontheroad]

There's very little that is "logical" about mouthpieces. Try as many as you can till you give up

 

[sycc]

Try a selmer C* or a rousseau classic 3 or new classic 3. Daughter #1 uses a new classic 3 on her cannonball and gets a dark full sound. Daughter #2 uses a selkmer C* on her Yani A-901 and gets a nice sound w/ just a little bit of edge. I feel the square chamber selmer has a little more "bite" than the round chamber Rousseau. Both are good meduim close pieces for beginners. My daughters' friend in band uses a meyer and does well w/ it.

 

[Canadiain]

Isnt recomending pieces when the OP has not even explained what they dont like about the Yamaha, and what sort of sound direction they are trying to move in a bit like me telling you what to order off a menu when I dont even know if you are a vegetarian or not?

 

[johnnysax]

I don't have the option of play testing the different pieces as I have to purchase it online.

Shopping online does NOT preclude mouthpiece trials. Several vendors, including WWBW, offer trial programs. I would not buy without trying.

 

[rs1026]

for people staying in US it might make sense to buy from wwbw I am staying in a remote part of this planet. I will most probably end paying more than the mouth piece if I keep trying out different mouthpieces. That was the exact reason why I mentioned this sentence below

Quote"I don't what to end up in something which I can't handle, at the same moment I want to upgrade from yamaha 4c. Are there any mouth pieces out there that are better than a 4c but playability wise similar to a 4c"

I want to rely more on the expereince of the people in this forum rather than paying $$ for a mouthpiece and later realise that I can't handle it.
As such I don't have any issues with 4c it works pretty well, it is just that I have been playing for more than 1.5 yrs now and thought may be just for a change go for something better.

 

[Canadiain]

If you don't have any issues with 4c it works pretty well, what are you looking for in a new piece? Different tone? Different playability characteristics? You need to help us so we can help you.

Also an idea of a budget would help too...we need to know how much you want to spend. Are we talking $50? $150? $500? Is ebay an option where you are? Frankly your best bet is probably to buy a few decent used pieces of the usual suspects (Meyer, Link, Dukoff, Selmer etc), either here or on ebay, keep one or two you like and resell the others for near what you paid for them.

Are you looking for a clean classical sound, a dark "50s" jazz sound, a bright edgy rock sound, that smooth jazz sound, Glen Miller Big Band? Please, give us a clue! Thats not to say buying a certain piece will magically make you sound like Dave Sandborn, a lot of that is what goes on in your head...but it helps, and I found that with the right piece I can hit low notes and high with equal confidence. I play a beechler bellite 7 now...but that doesnt mean you should.

 

[rs1026]

I am indeed looking for a better sound. I can afford to spend may be around $100 or slightly more but not definetly in the range of 500$ bcoz my sax itself costs 450$

I have not heard many people playing sax except few like kenny G , coltrane ,stan getz ; I like all of them.

I don't know to play jazz nor western classic I am learning to play indian style I don't know if people here are aware of it. It is called carnatic music. The style involves lot of note bending and note oscilaltions not kind of stucato notes. It is very complex stlye which takes lot of hard work to master.

heres are 2 examples of that stlye and the kind of sound I like

and this is how I sound at the moment

http://www.esnips.com/doc/b4e5fd40-571d-4297-834b-74a9f61fa704/1.2

 

[Canadiain]

You dont sound so bad... It was interesting to hear something from off the beaten track too. Food for thought...those guys can play a bit huh

The other bit I listened to was quite "dark" sounding...but that could just be the recording. Its not usually something alto players go for, but maybe something like an Otto Link SuperToneMaster would be worth trying...those are metal pieces...also for note bending etc a larger facing might help. Very common tenor piece but fewer alto players use them, and probably not enormously like your current Yamaha...its that sort of darkish tone though that you pointed us toward. You should be able to pick up a used alto Link STM 6 or 6* for a lot less than $100, and if its not your cup of tea you can sell it on for little or no loss.

A slightly less dark and more normal choice would be a Meyer, and a lot of people thing the Morgan pieces are similar but better quality than the current generation meyers. Anyway, thats my 2c, but really there is no alternative to playing a few and selling the ones you dont like. I think for what you want to do a larger facing is the way to go, now you have played for a while you should be able to control it OK, and it will give you room for manouver in bending notes over the sixtyish thou yamaha 4C.

If you dont want to play the lottery of try and and rejecting pieces Vandoren pieces have a good reputation for being very consistently made...maybe a hard rubber "V16" would work for you too, they can be had new for about $90.

 

[rs1026]

Thanks canadiain I will take your inputs for sure.