[milandro]

why would you want to open up a mouthpiece that is not that special or rare to find with a larger opening tip? Is going to cost you a lot more than selling yours and buy a larger opening off the shelf. While you are at it, how about trying a super session? I'm told they are very nice on sopranos.

 

[milandro]

Toasty, of course I know it is your money and goes without saying that you can and will do anything you want with it. But this wasn't my point, neither I was trying to criticize you wanting to upgrade your mouthpice. Just trying to be helpful, for what it is worth..... .

Your mouthpiece is not boring, just common, which is exactly what I said, therefore it is not difficult to go to a shop (you must have some around where you live..) and ask to try several of the same type with different openings until you find the one which suits your needs.

You can have it refaced of course but you will have to tell the refacer how open you want it since you can't expect him or her to know how open it has to go just because you provide a reed to go with it! It is just not enough information, neither you can rely on him or her playing your piece with your reed and decide which opening it has to go to because you need to say, I want is opened to this size (and he will work out how much to shave off the piece to reach the size that you will provide him).......

So, unless you are there at the refacers workshop while he is doing your piece, you will just take a guess indicating the new size it has to be.....which is not unlike ordering a off ther shelf piece without trying it first. So trying your new size first at the a shop seems to me the best possibility you have to get what you want. Once you have refaced your piece, if this is not the opening you want , it will be more difficult to sell on and more time consuming than spending a couple of hours in a shop.


This is just my two pennies worth, not trying to be judgemetal or snobbish about anything

 

[milandro]

well, I realize in many parts of the world there isn't a musical instrruments shop around every corner and even in the Netherlands I need to go to a good shop (they are not all in cities though.... we have many provincial good shops, better than most in Amsterdam!) to be able to find something more than a C* S80 for alto.

Having said that, I think that with a little research you ought to be able to find a shop who does mail order with a return policy, I've read of several on this forum.
If you talk of Boise or Salt Lake we are talking of Idaho or Utah, probably not the higest density of saxophone shops around there......
I think that shops like Kessler have a mail order routine and return policy.

Then you have a huge amount of shops on the internet.

this other one does and sells that mouthpiece you look for for $79.99
http://www.music123.com/Selmer-Paris-S80-Soprano-Sax-Mouthpiece-i68979.music

or this one
http://www.wwbw.com/Search/Default.aspx?N=61&Ntt=s80

or this one
http://www.themusicshop.com/c-162-soprano-sax-mouthpieces.aspx

I realy don't know if you can say to a refacer (it would be good if one of the many whom contribute to this forum would answer here) this is a mouthpiece which works on a 3,5 rico reed , open it up and make it feel good with a 2,5 reed (or any other size for that matter!:? )

The choice of a mouthpiece is highly personal, there is, I think, no way to say how much you have to open a mouthpiece in order to feel "right" for a given person with a given reed....

But then again it is your money.... Good luck!

 

[milandro]

Sure you can. But there is some risk involved in the results.

that is exactly was I was trying to tell our friend toasty in perhaps too many words......essentially you agree the best thing to do is to stay with the stock mouthpiece in a larger opening variant as the best and safest option.....