[CarlHeanerd]

Hello, I am trying to work with my fellow student to get his first nice classical mouthpiece for bari sax. He currently plays a modern Bundy Signature with Rico 3.5 reeds on a 60's Bundy horn. All of these things belong to the school, however, the band program is investing in a modern baritone sax this summer and I believe it is time for him to find a mouthpiece that'd fit these horns better and would allow better tone quality. He has aspirations to audition for and play in PMEA bands, and I am trying to help him find the best mouthpiece for the least amount of cash.

The student, unfortunately, does have a somewhat limited budget, only up to $120 at most. Something that seems to fit within the confines of his financial situation, I've noticed, is the Rousseau series of baritone sax mouthpieces. Does anyone of have experience with these mouthpieces, and can you comment on tone in comparison to other mouthpieces, consistency, etc? If you think there is a better mouthpiece for him, what do you suggest?

Also, if anyone is trying to sell a used S80, BL3, or other appropriate classical piece that'd fall within his budget, I'd be willing to inquire for him.

 

[Hurling Frootmig]

The Rousseau classical pieces are decent classical pieces. They have a Selmer Scroll Shank vibe to them. I prefer them over the S80's.

 

[CarlHeanerd]

The Rousseau classical pieces are decent classical pieces. They have a Selmer Scroll Shank vibe to them. I prefer them over the S80's.

Thanks! I've seen similar results from other people... what is the chamber design of the Rousseaus anyways? I can't ever seem to find info on that.

 

[NissanVintageSax]

The Rousseau has a "squeeze throat" roundish chamber (round top and bottom, flat sides). It is a decent mouthpiece for the money, and they reface nicely too (I have a Rousseau Classic on Tenor, that the table warped on. Aaron Drake re-faced it for me, and opened the tip to .090. Now it's a VERY nice piece!).

 

[CarlHeanerd]

The Rousseau has a "squeeze throat" roundish chamber (round top and bottom, flat sides). It is a decent mouthpiece for the money, and they reface nicely too (I have a Rousseau Classic on Tenor, that the table warped on. Aaron Drake re-faced it for me, and opened the tip to .090. Now it's a VERY nice piece!).

Sounds like a horseshoe design but both ends are elliptical? Like a pill?

 

[bmatney]

On my school's bari (YBS-62) I used a Rousseau 5R and absolutely loved it!

 

[thadnoland]

I got through 2 years of high school and 5 years of college as a classical performance major playing a Rousseau NC4 on Alto. I eventually got NC4s for Sop and Tenor as well.

I am sure this mpc will serve him fine on Bari, but have him order 3 and pick the best just to make sure he gets a good one.

 

[MojoBari]

The Rousseau has a "squeeze throat" roundish chamber (round top and bottom, flat sides). It is a decent mouthpiece for the money, and they reface nicely too (I have a Rousseau Classic on Tenor, that the table warped on. Aaron Drake re-faced it for me, and opened the tip to .090. Now it's a VERY nice piece!).

I would reserve the "squeezed throat" for a round small throat that can be easily seen from the shank end. As you described, the Rousseau has flat sidewalls (maybe a little convex) that then open up to the shank bore at the throat. Viewed from the shank end it looks like only the sides are making a squeeze at the throat.

 

[Agent27]

I played an NC4 on alto for awhile. Later, I decided to try an NC3 and NC5 to see if a different tip would make a difference. The design was different on the newer ones. The tip and the rails were thicker. The beak was a bit shorter and the body started closer to the tip and overall, they didn't sound as good as the NC4 I already had. I mean, they looked and played like different mouthpieces. So while I like my NC4, I'm wary of recommending Rousseau's because what somebody gets may not really be the same as what I got. I liked one version of the mouthpiece and disliked the other.

 

[Nordbo]

I use a 5R for classical music and a JDX7 for big band work, both bought recently (last year). I like them. The JDX7 has a curious venturi-like feature under the vindow and is not suited for classical, in my opinion.

Regards
Bo

 

[NissanVintageSax]

I would reserve the "squeezed throat" for a round small throat that can be easily seen from the shank end. As you described, the Rousseau has flat sidewalls (maybe a little convex) that then open up to the shank bore at the throat. Viewed from the shank end it looks like only the sides are making a squeeze at the throat.

That's why I kinda quotation marked it. It isn't a real squeeze throat, but for lack of better words, though it described it best. Anyway, top and bottom of chamber are round, while both sides are flat and perpindicular.

 

[NissanVintageSax]

Sounds like a horseshoe design but both ends are elliptical? Like a pill?

Like a Med round chamber, with straight sidewalls, or, like a horseshoe or D chamber with a round bottom. This is going off my mouthpiece, which I bought in 2003.