[rs1026]

I bought a new Vandoren AL3 mouthpiece for alto sax. What I observe is the inside of the mouthpiece is not smooth unlike my old yamaha 4c . It looks kind of rough or scratched. Is this normal? or could it be used mouthpiece?? :shock:

 

[zxcvbnm]

My al3 seems pretty smooth on the inside. But, comparing it to a 4c, the 4c is plastic (very smooth), so the al3 may seem a little rough. The baffle on mine is pretty smooth, but the walls have a little roughness (mine's an older one though). It's probably not going to be a used piece (where did you buy it?). For some mouthpiece makers, roughness is an intentional part of the hand-finishing process.

 

[altosaxguy1]

Yeah the AL3 should be somewhat smooth on the inside.

 

[maestroelite]

My AL3 is a little rough on the sidewalls, like zxcvbnm said. Mine is pretty much brand new. The real question is how does it play? If it plays great, who cares.

 

[rs1026]

Well what I actually meant was it is not shiny inside compared to a 4c. But it is more or less smooth inside.

 

[zxcvbnm]

No, its not supposed to be shiny like a plastic piece on the outside (that's how hard rubber is supposed to be). There's nothing wrong with your mouthpiece.

 

[rs1026]

I am talking about the inside of the baffle. Outside looks ok to me ... only the inside part is kind of dull and lacks lustre...

 

[zxcvbnm]

Nope, that's perfectly fine (besides, why would a used mouthpiece be scratched up on the inside?).

 

[bradshawm]

zxcvbnm is right, not shiny on the inside. My son plays the AL4 - excellent playing mouthpiece. How it plays is more imporant than how it looks. Vandoran is usually very good about having some of the best quality control around. If you have trouble playing it, then by all means, you should get it checked out. If the only concern is the looks, there are a lot of pro, handmade mouthpieces that come brand new with scratches on the inside.