I have finally lifted my head up long enough from the work-bench to come check out what's going on here on SOTW, and thought I would chime in a bit.
My goal with the AMMA was to make a mouthpiece for those who love a large chamber mouthpiece and are looking for that type of fat sound with some extra projection over the standard vintage Link. I am not the only person making a mouthpiece with this intention; however, the AMMA is unique enough from any other mouthpiece on the market that its interior configuration is patent pending.
I also have great confidence in its design as I have made many mouthpieces, over many years, very similar to the AMMA already. I worked with musicians firsthand until I saw the gleaming smile on their faces

showing how we finally 'hit the spot'. Because of this I know the AMMA will be a great fit for many musicians. Absolutely it will not be the right fit for everyone. No mouthpiece is.
My goal with the AMMA was not to make the universal mouthpiece every musician will like or even sound good on.
My experience is that different people sound their best on different mouthpiece configurations.
In my years running Saxophone Mouthpiece Heaven I helped many musicians find the right mouthpiece fit for them. They chose from many different modern and vintage Berg's, Link's, Dukoff's, Selmer's, Guardala's, Gregory's, Vandoren's, Lawton's, Meyer's, etc. I had in my large and constantly rotating stock. I found people almost always
eventually stuck to a particular 'type' of chamber/baffle configuration. This was because they really did sound their best on that configuration. People knew they found the right fit because there was always a sense of magic when they found it.
I would personally be surprised to have a musician like wersax, who plays a Berg 130/2, perfectly mesh with a mouthpiece like the AMMA. It is the wrong baffle, the wrong chamber, and the wrong tip opening.
This is a major reason why there is such a plethora of mouthpiece chambers, baffles, tip openings, etc. on the market.
Another thing to keep in mind is that every person will sound different even on the same mouthpiece. Think of the sound Stanley Turrentine got on his Florida Otto Link. What a unique sound, yet it is so totally different than anyone else I know who has played a Florida link.
Besides sounding uniquely different, when two musicians play the exact same mouthpiece one can sound truly wonderful, and the other can sound truly…well…bad.
This is because each person has a unique mouth cavity, a unique blowing style (some people blow hard, others really soft), and a unique concept of sound they are trying to get out of a mouthpiece. Some mouthpiece configurations truly help reproduce a persons sound concept and some really work against it. A mouthpiece that works against one persons sound concept could very likely magically support someone elses.
I remember the first time I refaced a vintage Link for Chris Potter. I learned a valuable lesson that day. I prepped a Link similar to the pieces I was making for Joshua Redman at the time. But while Josh sounded full and fat on that configuration Chris sounded incredibly bright and edgy. When we finally got the Link to the point where Chris was truly happy ALL the baffle was gone…all of it. I would have sounded totally dead on that mouthpiece. But because of Chris's playing style and the way he blows though the mouthpiece he sounded modern, fat and great without any baffle.
This was a good lesson for me not to assume anything about a mouthpiece based on a player's sound.
I would advise caution when making conclusions about mouthpieces based on sound clips of people OTHER than yourself.
We are currently setting up sound clips on our website of many different players and playing styles. This is just to give an idea of the variety of sounds that can be heard on an AMMA. Because of its baffle configuration and very large chamber it is possible to play it very dark and vintage sounding, or quite bright and modern.
I finally also took some good photos of the AMMA as well, so if anyone is interested I will be happy to post pictures of the chamber, baffle, etc. here.
UPDATES:
I am happy to announce that we will start shipping the 6* and 7* AMMA orders early next week. The other tip openings are very close to follow. I should note that the mouthpiece wersax play tested is different than the final pieces we are shipping. We had some unexpected production issues and finishing delays. But, in the process I was able to make some great improvements. I have also had my head buried hand-perfecting the final pieces that are going out.
Soon there should be plenty of people from all around the world able to give their reviews and impressions of our new mouthpiece.
Skip Spratt's full review will be available soon at
www.saxshed.com. If you have not already heard it, here is the clip of Skip playing on a Gold AMMA 7* with a 'hard' Vandoren Java 3 reed:
http://saxshed.com/bnsammamix.mp3
Because of our production delays I have only very-recently been able to send some finished mouthpieces out to Professionals for review. However, I am pleased to share our first professional endorsement by Jeff Rupert. Jeff was with Maynard Ferguson's band until Maynard's unfortunate passing:
"Theo, your AMMA mouthpiece is just the mouthpiece sax players have been waiting for. There is no need to look for vintage mouthpieces anymore. It's right in the tradition, and made with unrivaled expertise and craftsmanship. I believe the Amma sets a new standard in saxophone mouthpieces.
Your mastery with saxophone mouthpieces has allowed me to fully express my own artistry as a musician!" - Jeff Rupert
Jeff playes on a gold AMMA tenor mouthpiece serial number 072. Jeff Rupert's numerous recordings include those with Diane Schuur, Mel Torme, Maynard Ferguson, Benny Carter's Grammy winning recording Harlem Renaissance, Sam River's NJ blues band The Fins, Jeff Rupert + Dirty Martini, and broadcasts on NPR.
Jeff is the Associate Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Central Florida. More information is available at:
http://music.ucf.edu/jazz/rupert.php
Comments about Jeff Rupert by Maynard Ferguson
- "From the moment I first heard Jeff Rupert with my band I considered him one of the great jazz players of today."