They are good quality and extremely well made. I think the overall strike against them is that none of the heavyweight endorse them. Believe me if Branford was playing an E. Rousseau, their pieces would be the hotness. They do have a model called the jazz model and studio model as well. I say go for it...even if you don't like it, you only invested maybe 40 dollars which is a small price to pay in the mouthpiece world.

 

They're not bad at all, and they're an excellent choice for someone on a budget looking for a professional mouthpiece. The tip and facing definitely had some cosmetic issues, but it played fine (go figure). The most popular Rousseau alto mouthpiece for classical is the New Classic in the 4C facing. If you're willing to splurge a bit more (~$35), I am very happy with my Vandoren Optimum AL3.

 

I have had a few NC4's. They are quite good in general. I have found that there's some variation in quality if you try several back to back. The one I played exclusively for 18 years was picked from 10 of the same size. I wound up with a really bad one at one point. I think some one had messed it up trying an amateur reface. I had Patrick Springer do a reface on it. I think all he did was put it back into what the specs were supposed to be. It plays better than the one I played for all those years.

 

Patrick sounds like The Man!!!

 

My opinion is that a well made Rousseau piece could be good for some people, and not so much for others.

 

A student of mine has one for tenor. I don't know if it is a Jazz of Studio. It has a strange shaped step baffle in it. It plays well in the middle and lower octaves but everything around A2 and up goes way flat. I feel like you would need to really work on a reed a lot to get it to play well on this piece. You would have to get a stiff reed and then shave it to keep thickness in the tip and soften up the vamp. I feel like this mouthpiece was ok for a young student to get a good sound in the early developement. Once they start really playing the whole range of the horn and then into the altissimo this piece is not good.

 

A student of mine has one for tenor. I don't know if it is a Jazz of Studio. It has a strange shaped step baffle in it. It plays well in the middle and lower octaves but everything around A2 and up goes way flat.

If the baffle is flat it is a JDX. If it is kind of curvy it is a studio.

 

I've been playing a Rousseau 4R on my alto for years. I haven't found anything I like better yet.

 

So you decided that you prefer it over the C-Melody mouthpiece on alto?

 

Thank you all for your input! I'm currently playing on a Selmer S80 (C*), and I have an abundance of jazz mouthpieces, a friend recommended a Rousseau for classical, and it's fairly cheap, I just needed to see what other people thought of it so thank you all!

 

I use one as my test-bench piece (I think it's a 3R) and have found it to be a remarkably accurate piece with just the right balance between being free-blowing and having a bit of resistance to work against.
It's also very flexible when I want it to be, but if left to its own devices it will lock solidly onto each note.

Of course, none of that means they they will do the same for you - but in terms of "Are they worth considering?" the answer is most definitely "Yes".

Regards,

 

I have seen some of the students playing classical on E. Rousseau. I actually just repaired for a student who will be auditioning for regionals on that mouthpiece. I agree with customram on getting the Vandoren Optimum AL3. C*s have always been good too.

 

Yes, though I use Studio Jazz models on sop and alto, which doesn't address your question. They have a lot of projection, but touchy intonation, not exactly what you need when playing orchestra.

 

I have now included the Rousseau jazz in my mouthpiece comparison soundfile page. It was a very pleasant surprise for me:

http://tamingthesaxophone.com/saxophone-alto-mouthpiece-comparison.html

 

I'd always heard that the Rousseau line was under priced for its value. A few years ago I was in a pit (Threepenny Opera) playing a borrowed Jupiter alto with some no-name mouthpiece. I asked SOTW for recommendations and Gary suggested a Rousseau NC5. There just happened to be one for sale on the site, I think it was $35.00, and I bought it. It was perfect for the job, just what I was looking for. That's the only personal experience I've had with the Rousseau brand but I give them a thumbs up.

 

Patrick is fantastic. I've always been surprised that he's not better known. He's just relaunched his mouthpiece biz. He's making classical pieces as well as jazz ones now.

http://www.springermpc.com

 

I've had my Rousseau NC4 alto piece for about 14 years. I've had the opportunity to play it against several AL3/4 optimums and every variety of Selmer mpc. I have not been tempted to change. I have, however, been offered more than I paid for it.