[Startoner]

Hi all, I´ve been playing alto sax for about 6 months with a cheap asian horn, a startone sas-75 and i´ve never changed from the stock mouthpiece which came with it. Now I was looking for a louder and edgier piece, suitable for smooth jazz mostly but that can also perform well at other registers, so I could use a piece of advice you could give me, although I´m aware that the mouthpiece performance changes from player to player. My main influences are from David Sanborn and Kenny G:twisted:

Thanks,

 

[saxplaya81]

Sanborn uses a bobby dukoff D8 which is a great mouthpiece and not too expensive. Lots of edge and projection

 

[Carl H.]

Sanborn uses a bobby dukoff D8 which is a great mouthpiece and not too expensive. Lots of edge and projection

At 6 months you'll have nothing but problems with this piece. Something smaller would be a better choice both for endurance and intonation.

What/where do you intend to play?

 

[RootyTootoot]

Sanborn uses a bobby dukoff D8 which is a great mouthpiece and not too expensive. Lots of edge and projection

Let me tell you a little story. At about 6-12 months i got into playing wide open metal m'ps and quite hard reeds after following some bad advice. It's not a good idea. Carl is right. You need something more close-tipped and some time to develop your own sound. All the best.

 

[Startoner]

Thank you for all the replies. I intend to play mostly solo. So, what do you guys recommend by something smaller? I´ve been checking some pieces and some of them got my attention like the vandoren jumbo java, the runyon custom with the spoiler and the jody jazz hr, but I´m not sure if they are good choices for me.

Thanks,

 

[gary]

I agree with Carl and RTT and would suggest the JJ HR 6M. This is just a great piece regardless of the cost. But considering the cost, it's a steal. It has a Meyer-ish feel but it has more edge. It's very versatile and it works very well for me with smooth jazz. It has more body to the sound than the typical Sanborn-Dukoff type mpc. Also it's easy to play and is relatively standard, ie moderate, in construction and sound, which I think is important for a beginner.

Now this is just a personal opinion, but I believe it is important for a beginner to really work on getting a full, round core to their sound, regardless whether or not they want to play pop or other contemporary music with a bright, edgy sound. IMO "even" this kind of sound should have a full body at it's core and for beginners to be going after Dukoffs, Jumbo Javas and the like is overlooking a very important fundamental to their sound.

 

[Startoner]

I agree with Carl and RTT and would suggest the JJ HR 6M. This is just a great piece regardless of the cost. But considering the cost, it's a steal. It has a Meyer-ish feel but it has more edge. It's very versatile and it works very well for me with smooth jazz. It has more body to the sound than the typical Sanborn-Dukoff type mpc. Also it's easy to play and is relatively standard, ie moderate, in construction and sound, which I think is important for a beginner.

Now this is just a personal opinion, but I believe it is important for a beginner to really work on getting a full, round core to their sound, regardless whether or not they want to play pop or other contemporary music with a bright, edgy sound. IMO "even" this kind of sound should have a full body at it's core and for beginners to be going after Dukoffs, Jumbo Javas and the like is overlooking a very important fundamental to their sound.

I also agree with that, and I was a bit concerned about that since I wasn´t sure if the mouthpieces were indicated to a beginner. I decided to follow your advice and went to search for the Jodyjazz but unfortunately I couldn´t find a single store here in Portugal selling them, so I would like to know what other pieces are similar to the JJ hr* I tried the meyer but I was looking for something a little bit brighter.

Thanks