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On first look, this mouthpiece has a baffle design that intrigues me. In my years of sax playing, I've seen and played flat/straight baffles, roll-over baffles as well as step-baffles. Nothing like this one in front of me. The Rousseau Studio Jazz soprano piece has a straight medium-length baffle that 'scoops' at an angle when it reaches the floor...and there is another 'secondary' step baffle into the chamber. I'm not sure how this works in terms of channeling the air-flow but after I played it, I felt the 'magic'.
1st observation: On my trusted Mark VI sop, this mouthpiece makes my horn resonate like never before. For the first time, I got the 'Mark VI' vibrations on my fingers when I blowed through the mouthpiece. I've experienced this 'vibrating-resonance' on my VI tenor but never on my sop. Even with my long-time preferred vintage Selmer scroll-shank 'Soloists', I didn't get these vibes. Amazing.
2nd obsevation: This mouthpiece can NEVER be over-blown. I'm playing a SJ6, with a #2 reed. And for the first time, I can put all the air into the piece and it maintains w/o overblowing. It take all the air I can give and the sound is pure. Now, the word 'pure' is very subjective. It isn't duckily-oboish. It isn't as smooth-jazzish like Kenny G's. It just makes me feel like I'm producing a pure soprano SAX sound. Amazing.
3rd Observation: There is a distinct 'core' or 'body' to the sound. On my other sop pieces, I either get a dark 'plastered on' flat sound with little/no overtones or a bright/piercing sound (esp on metal pipeces) that accentutates the overtones. On the Rousseau, I get a very 'balanced' EQ sound with a very good mid-range support or 'core' to it. And in my room, the sound just 'fills'. I feel like the sound 'envelopes' me instead of being projected straight out of my horn. Much like your favorite 'surround-sound' effect of your hi-fi system. Amazing.
This is a seriously underrated piece. I got mine used. Less than $50. I don't know what to say, after having owned countless vintage sop pieces that costs maybe 10 times as much. My Mark VI is picky when it comes to mouthpieces. I guess it has found one today.
The Rousseau Studio Jazz sop made my day.
1st observation: On my trusted Mark VI sop, this mouthpiece makes my horn resonate like never before. For the first time, I got the 'Mark VI' vibrations on my fingers when I blowed through the mouthpiece. I've experienced this 'vibrating-resonance' on my VI tenor but never on my sop. Even with my long-time preferred vintage Selmer scroll-shank 'Soloists', I didn't get these vibes. Amazing.
2nd obsevation: This mouthpiece can NEVER be over-blown. I'm playing a SJ6, with a #2 reed. And for the first time, I can put all the air into the piece and it maintains w/o overblowing. It take all the air I can give and the sound is pure. Now, the word 'pure' is very subjective. It isn't duckily-oboish. It isn't as smooth-jazzish like Kenny G's. It just makes me feel like I'm producing a pure soprano SAX sound. Amazing.
3rd Observation: There is a distinct 'core' or 'body' to the sound. On my other sop pieces, I either get a dark 'plastered on' flat sound with little/no overtones or a bright/piercing sound (esp on metal pipeces) that accentutates the overtones. On the Rousseau, I get a very 'balanced' EQ sound with a very good mid-range support or 'core' to it. And in my room, the sound just 'fills'. I feel like the sound 'envelopes' me instead of being projected straight out of my horn. Much like your favorite 'surround-sound' effect of your hi-fi system. Amazing.
This is a seriously underrated piece. I got mine used. Less than $50. I don't know what to say, after having owned countless vintage sop pieces that costs maybe 10 times as much. My Mark VI is picky when it comes to mouthpieces. I guess it has found one today.
The Rousseau Studio Jazz sop made my day.
