[Dave Pollack]

Hey everyone! Back with a new video. In this one I'm trying to find out if the mouthpiece or instrument matters more for a saxophonist. I play 4 different setups with 2 songs on each. I first play them with the equipment covered, then I reveal it after.

Listen and let me know which number you think corresponds to each setup! Also let me know what order you would rank them from best to worst. I hope you enjoy it!!

 

[lydian]

Another great vid, Dave. I don't know if you set out to prove this, but it's pretty clear the #1 most important factor is the person behind the mouthpiece/horn. All other gear factors are pretty minor in comparison.

I ranked the MP/Sax combos like this (before the reveal) - no spoilers:

P/P
P/S
S/S
S/P

I thought the first two I picked were really close to each other and the last two I picked were close to each other. It was hardest for me to hear the difference between the student and pro horns, as you can see from my last two picks being swapped (wrong). So for me, the MP is the biggest factor, at least from a listener's perspective.

I practice this as well. I'll play just about any horn, but with my "pro" mouthpiece, and get good results. Sometimes even the best player can't overcome a bad mouthpiece, but they can usually make any horn in playable condition sound good on a good mouthpiece.

 

[10mfan]

It’s all about the reed!!!!

 

[Dave Pollack]

Another great vid, Dave. I don't know if you set out to prove this, but it's pretty clear the #1 most important factor is the person behind the mouthpiece/horn. All other gear factors are pretty minor in comparison.

I ranked the MP/Sax combos like this (before the reveal) - no spoilers:

P/P
P/S
S/S
S/P

I thought the first two I picked were really close to each other and the last two I picked were close to each other. It was hardest for me to hear the difference between the student and pro horns, as you can see from my last two picks being swapped (wrong). So for me, the MP is the biggest factor, at least from a listener's perspective.

I practice this as well. I'll play just about any horn, but with my "pro" mouthpiece, and get good results. Sometimes even the best player can't overcome a bad mouthpiece, but they can usually make any horn in playable condition sound good on a good mouthpiece.

I appreciate that! Obviously the person playing the thing makes up about 99% of the sound - we're all shooting for that last 1%!

The thing about "feel" is that it doesn't affect only sound - it affects EVERYTHING when playing. While playing the student mouthpiece I was constantly fighting it and THINKING about it, which is something I never want to do. I want gear that disappears when I play so I can only focus on the music. Mark makes great stuff, and that Classic is absolutely incredible - I can just focus on getting MY sound out!

Thanks for the detailed reply and your thoughts on it - glad you liked it!

 

[Dave Pollack]

It's all about the reed!!!!

Maaan you know I'm a D'Addario lover!!! That Classic just SINGS brother. And as a plus, it looks SO good!

 

[KennyZ]

The secret is in the mouthpiece patch! Take care...

 

[Dave Pollack]

The secret is in the mouthpiece patch! Take care...

I only use D'Addario Reserve patches now and I love them! I've bitten through everything else and these hold up really well.

 

[10mfan]

The secret is in the mouthpiece patch! Take care...

Man, I never use one of those.
Now I have to go buy one!

One thing I can say for sure, Dave, you sound ridiculously great every time I hear you!
You sound fantastic on The Classic.

 

[GCinCT]

The order I liked them in was 1, 3, 4, 2. I thought 1 was pro mouthpiece/pro horn, 2 student mouthpiece/student horn, 3 pro mouthpiece/student horn, 4 student mouthpiece/pro horn.

 

[Oric Muso]

I thought you sounded better on the Yamaha.

 

[Dave Pollack]

The order I liked them in was 1, 3, 4, 2. I thought 1 was pro mouthpiece/pro horn, 2 student mouthpiece/student horn, 3 pro mouthpiece/student horn, 4 student mouthpiece/pro horn.

Thanks for that! I think some people like the brightness from the student horn with the warm sound of the mouthpiece. (#1)

 

[GCinCT]

Thanks for that! I think some people like the brightness from the student horn with the warm sound of the mouthpiece. (#1)

That's exactly what it was. I tend to like a brighter tone.

 

[zapatista]

I got all of them totally correct (except all of them).

 

[Frankmsax]

I preferred pro mouthpiece and student horn all the way through. IMHO , it is always player first (you, who are a great player ) then set up (mouthpiece and reed combo) then neck (if it is a bad neck , it can really mess things up and last the horn. This is my opinion , and I have heard great local players on student horns (properly set up and in good working order) . Are they built the same as pro horns , definitely not. But Sound is a major factor.
Great videos Dave.

 

[Frankmsax]

It's all about the reed!!!!

That is a big factor , with a crappy reed nothing makes it . It still is largely the player. Upon listening a few times , the sounds are very close with the exception of the student mouthpiece , which to me doesn't sound as good

 

[Dave Pollack]

I got all of them totally correct (except all of them).

Hahah! It's not super easy through a YouTube video, especially if you're not listening extremely closely on solid headphones. No worries there!

 

[arkinet]

I thought its about the lig? :mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

 

[laurjohn]

One of my favourite things about the saxophone is that tone is so variable and subjective. Interestingly, I had 1 and 2 swapped around, and 3 & 4 swapped around. I think that's just due to my preferences, eg., I thought 4 sounded better than 3.

 

[Humbardi]

Hi Dave :
I took my best Headphones (Sennheiser HD280 Pro ) and heard your clips with much attention. I found that clip number 3 is the best ( Pro Mouthpiece/Pro sax ), then clip Number 1 ( Pro Mouthpiece/Yamaha Sax), but I liked more, as third , the clip with Yamaha mouthpiece and Yamaha Sax, and finally the second clip ( Yamaha Mouthpiece/10M sax ).
But........you sound VERY WELL in ALL CLIPS....
This video , has demonstrated me that is more important the player than equipment...
I have been practicing with a new Selmer Mark VII I bought recently and trying to figure with which mouthpiece I can play better with it ( Using Otto Link STM NY/ PhilTone Eclipse/ Selmer S80/ Otto Link Tone Edge Hard Rubber / PhilTone Mosaic ) and making the same comparison as you did , using a Yamaha YTS-280 combining it with the same five mouthpieces.......

and I found that I sound VERY POOR whatever sax or mouthpiece I use...

That means that I need to practice more and develop a better embouchure ,and THEN I can find a good tone with the proper combination of mouthpiece and sax I use at that moment, when I have evolved into a better saxophonist...
Many thanks for your video.. It gave me a great lesson....TO PRACTICE MORE ....!!!!

 

[Mister Lyrical]

Nice!
I got the same preference order like Dave: 3 1 2 4 (really), which makes a point for the mouthpieces. Didn't try to guess the combinations though.
My go to mpc is a Jody Jazz HR 6 - is it a Pro ?? haha