Today, I am reviewing a mouthpiece made by Jennifer Price at Vigilante Mouthpieces. There are 10 models to choose from on the Vigilante website. Today, I am reviewing the Detroit Rock which is the brightest mouthpiece that they make. (I also just did a review of the NYII to which is their 4th brightest mouthpiece)

Vigilante Detroit Rock Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The two mouthpieces I have today are considered “high baffled” saxophone mouthpieces. This means that the area after the tip of the mouthpiece is raised and forms what looks like a ledge inside of the mouthpiece. This baffle has the effect of making the tone brighter and louder. My first two tenor sax mouthpieces were high baffle mouthpieces. A Brilhart Level-Aire and a Sugal JB mouthpiece. I played those mouthpiece for about 8 years while gigging in different bands around Boston in the 80’s and 90’s. Matter of fact, I don’t think I even tried a tenor mouthpiece without a high baffle for the first 20 years of playing the tenor……….I didn’t even know what a baffle was…………

This Detroit Rock mouthpiece looks to be in good condition but is used so it has some wear on the table as well as many scratches. The tip rail looks even and it has a straight baffle that angles down into a scooped baffle that drops down into the small chamber. The sidewalls are straight while next to the baffle and flare out when they meet the circular small chamber. Like the NYII I reviewed, the side rails are thicker than I have seen on other similar mouthpieces like Guardala’s and Ponzol’s and flare out a little bit wider than my Java reed at the tip. There are some machine marks or file marks inside of the mouthpiece that look to be from the hand finishing. It has some nice floral engraving on the outside of the mouthpiece as well as the name Vigilante DR and what looks like a few dates and maybe initials on it…………..

Vigilante Detroit Rock Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I don’t see any numbers revealing the tip opening on this mouthpiece but it feels like a .115 to me. It comes with a generic metal ligature and I used Vandoren Java 2 1/2 reeds on it which worked well for this mouthpiece.

Vigilante Detroit Rock Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

As expected, the tone of the Detroit Rock was definitely brighter and louder! Just to give you some perspective, I usually record my mouthpiece clips with the mic set to about a 23% gain. With the Vigilante mouthpieces and other similar mouthpieces I have to set the gain to 7% because it is so much louder.

A mouthpiece like this would be right at home in any of the loud modern band situations facing most sax players today. The extra volume and highs in the sound can really help a sax player to cut through the mix when having to battle with guitars, keyboards, drums and bass (who all seem to have volume knobs that seem to never have a limit)

Vigilante Detroit Rock Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The tone of the Detroit Rock is brighter and more powerful. It has a very focused concentrated sound that I attribute to the smaller chamber. I found the tone dryer and more focused than the NYII which was not as bright and a little fatter sounding to me. The intonation was good and the tone was even throughout the range of the horn. The altissimo was very easy to achieve because of the high baffle.

The low end takes some adjustment to play softly. I found it a little bit harder to play down there than the NYII. I could do it easily using sub-tone but with full air it was a little harder to play with finesse. That can happen sometimes with high baffle mouthpiece and is a trade off for the volume and brightness. This can be overcome with practice and time usually……….

In the NYII review I mentioned the reed swelling and not getting suction on the mouthpiece and I experienced the same thing with this mouthpiece. I only played one Java 2 1/2 reed on it for the clip which got suction before the clip but after the clip I tested it again and it was no longer getting suction. Like I said in the NYII review, my guess is that the table is not flat and that maybe moisture is getting under the reed and then warping it. I’m not a mouthpiece refacer so I don’t know all that is going on but that would be my guess. I know that when I took the reed off of the table there was a stream of moisture on the right hand side of the table that led from the window to the edge of the table. Whatever is causing it, it can be very inconvenient and a pain to deal with…..(nothing worse than picking up your sax to play that big solo and it won’t play or starts squeaking……) Most mouthpiece makers have been happy to look at and fix these “warping reed tables” when I have brought up this issue to them…………..Regardless of this issue, this mouthpiece plays very well. I would just think about asking the maker or another mouthpiece refacer to look at the table issue to see if it can be remedied………( I will add that this mouthpiece as well as the NYII are used so I have no way of knowing if this situation was due to the manufacturing process or if the wear and use of the mouthpiece over time caused it or made it worse…….)

UPDATE: I heard from Jennifer Price about 5 months after this review was posted. This is what she had to say about the reed warpage issue I experienced:

“In answer to your GUESSING about the flatness of the table on both USED Vigilante NYII and Detroit Rock Tenor pieces.

I can tell you absolutely that I’m using a Starrett Granite Surface Plate which is AA grade. This means Flatness and repeatability are the two key specifications that define a surface plate’s accuracy. Federal specification GGG-P-463c lays out the specification for each grade of surface plate. I’m using a
Laboratory grade AA: (40 + diagonal [in inches] of surface plate squared/25) x 0.000001 in.

This is surface is used in machine shops for accuracy. I use this surface when I face my Vigilante pieces for the same. All pieces are also tested to make sure they seal and play to the same standard which I’ve always been accounted for working with DG. This is not a GUESS this is a fact.

As a retail buyer and working with saxophonist for the past 30 years I’ve had many discussions about reeds and their inaccuracy. Reeds are as we know made of cane, unlike brass, cane is unstable. We’ve all had boxes of reeds which die quickly or don’t play right as cane is not accurate. So now of course I’m guessing you had a bad batch of reeds when you played my pieces.”

I want to thank Jennifer for weighing in and giving her opinion on the matter. I also talked to a mouthpiece refacer who did say that it could also be a bad batch of reeds, cane or just a really dry winter working environment that was causing the reed problems I was experiencing……………. The refacer also said that since the mouthpieces were used it could be possible that some wear or damage could also account for the issue. Hopefully, I can get a chance to review these pieces again with other reeds in the future to put this matter to rest.

Vigilante Detroit Rock Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Take a listen to the sound clip below. If you are interested in the Vigilante Detroit Rock saxophone mouthpiece contact Jennifer at Vigilante Mouthpieces. You won’t have any trouble being heard on your next gig…….that is for sure!

Let me know what you think in the comments below………….Thanks, Steve

Vigilante Detroit Rock Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

(Update: this original Mosaic review was of a prototype Mosaic mouthpiece but since the review Phil has tweaked and I think improved the original design of the Mosaic mouthpiece. He has been kind enough to send me a new model to try. I am updating this review and sound clip for the new production model.)

Today, I am excited to review a new mouthpiece made by Phil Engleman and Theo Wanne. Phil Engleman is the founder of Phil-Tone mouthpieces and I have reviewed a number of his excellent mouthpieces in the past. The Equinox,the Eclipse, the Solstice, the Tribute, the Sapphire, etc…………… Phil contacted me a few months ago and said he was producing a new metal mouthpiece based off the classic Dukoff “Stubby” design.

You might remember a few months ago, I reviewed the Phil-Tone & Theo Wanne “Tribute” mouthpiece. This was a great reproduction of the classic Florida link design. That mouthpiece played great, so I was very interested in trying the “Mosaic” also.

Phil-Tone & Theo Wanne Mosaic Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The outside of the Mosaic mouthpiece is immaculate and lives up to the Wanne standards of mouthpiece manufacturing. The one I am reviewing today hasn’t been finished yet and is bare brass. The finished production model will have a bead blast silver finish and texture to it with Phil-Tone and Mosaic engraved on the top of the mouthpiece. On the bottom of the shank is the Theo Wanne symbol and USA. There is no bite plate on the mouthpiece but it has a mouthpiece patch where the bite plate would be. The table and rails of the Tribute look perfect, not a blemish anywhere. The beginning of the baffle is a smooth finish and halfway down the baffle it transitions to the bead blast finish. The sidewalls are scooped out by the CNC process I believe. The scooped sidewalls don’t travel all the way to the tip but starts about half an inch from the tip. The transition to the chamber is smooth and subtle. The chamber is a bit larger than the Tribute model. It is also larger than the bore of the mouthpiece. It reminds me of the chambers from the NY Otto Links. Usually, a chamber this large gives a fatter, thicker and fuller sound to the tone in my experience.

Phil-Tone & Theo Wanne Mosaic Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The outside of the Mosaic saxophone mouthpiece looks similar to the Tribute mouthpiece. It has the same basic design, but the Mosaic is in fact just a little bit shorter than the Tribute. The tip and rails look to be perfectly even and thin. The Mosaic looks to have a similar baffle as the Tribute to my naked eye but Phil in fact tells me that the Mosaic baffle has a more gentle slope to it. The Mosaic I am reviewing today, is a 7* tip opening.

Phil-Tone & Theo Wanne Mosaic Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

My mouthpiece didn’t come with a ligature but the production pieces will be coming with a Theo Wanne Enlightened ligature. I tried this “Mosaic” with Rigotti Gold reeds first but found them overly bright for my tastes. I then switched to a Lavoz medium reed that played great on the Mosaic for me.

Phil-Tone & Theo Wanne Mosaic Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

How does the Mosaic play? Well, the Mosaic tenor mouthpiece has a very thick and fat sound. It can be lush and fat down low but has a nice brightness and crispness up high. The intonation was great and the tone was very even throughout the range of the horn. With a Lavoz medium reed the tone was fat and clear. It had a very pleasant and beautiful tone to my ears when played at a soft or medium volume. I loved sub-toning down low. When I pushed it more it had a nice volume and toughness to the sound. It has a great mix of the bright higher overtones mixed with a fat thick sound which I loved.

In the original prototype review I had commented that the Mosaic seemed to lack power and “Umph” to me. I’m not sure what Phil did to this new design but he seems to have overcome that. This new Mosaic has loads of power and “Umph” to the sound as you can hear in the sound clip.

Phil-Tone & Theo Wanne Mosaic Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Phil-Tone Theo Wanne Mosaic was a complete joy to play. If you like the sound of the clip below and the mouthpiece catches your interest then give it a try. You can contact Phil on his website at www.phil-tone.com. Tell him Steve sent you………….Great work Phil and Theo!!

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve

Phil-Tone & Theo Wanne Mosaic Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Today, I am reviewing another RS Berkeley Legends tenor saxophone mouthpiece that was sent to me by Les Silver at RS Berkeley. RS Berkeley has come up with the revolutionary idea of trying to find mouthpieces that were played and loved by jazz legends (deceased and still living)………and then copying them exactly so that we could try an exact replica of the mouthpiece that one of our hero’s played. It’s an exciting concept (yet very scary because if we play the exact mouthpiece our hero played and still sound like crap ……….well, let’s just say it’s a wake up call……..)

I have previously reviewed two RS Berkeley Legend mouthpieces when they used to be made by Drake Mouthpieces (current RS Berkeley Legends mouthpieces are no longer made by Drake……….), the Stan Getz model and the Bird model (Charlie Parker played this one……) This new one is the Dexter Gordon model.

RS Berkeley Legends Dexter Gordon Tenor Sax Mouthpiece

The first thing that amazed me about that Dexter Gordon model tenor sax mouthpiece is that it has a .080 tip opening! This is quite small in relation to modern tenor saxophone tip sizes so I thought it was a mistake. I emailed Les at RS Berkeley to make sure this was correct and he said that the mouthpiece Dexter was playing that they copied was indeed a .080 tip opening. WHAT!!! Dexter with the hugest sound on the face of this earth was playing on a 5 tenor mouthpiece!!……….Impossible! (OK, maybe Dexter was just awesome!!!!)

Here is a snippet from the RS Berkeley website on the Legends mouthpieces:

“Legends Series mouthpieces are officially licensed reproductions modeled after the originals used by the world’s most iconic musicians. Production of the Legends Series line begins with and features 3D scanning and post processing services by Konica Minolta’s 3D Scanning Labs, state of the art laboratory. Konica Minolta technicians take highly precise scan data, which captures the unique characteristics of each original mouthpiece, enabling them to match the exact geometry of the original. Once the scan is completed, the data is paired with specialized software to clean, align and create high quality CAD models. From an archival standpoint, Konica Minolta’s 3D scan models of the mouthpieces are exact representations of the original. The entire process is overseen by RS Berkeley’s master mouthpiece maker and designer, Jack Onque, who oversees every element of production from design to finishing, ensuring the highest quality and accuracy of each reproduction.”

RS Berkeley Legends Dexter Gordon Tenor Sax Mouthpiece

I took the Dexter Gordon model out of the shipping container and saw that it had signs of wear and tear. I believe this was a prototype that they ship around to players so they can try it out. It had a multitude of scratches and scuff marks on it as you can see from the pictures.

It has nice even side rails and a thin tip rail. The Dexter Gordon model has a rollover baffle that slides down into what I would consider a large chamber. The side rails are scooped out and the chamber is smooth with no imperfections. The side of the mouthpiece is engraved with “DEXTER” in cursive engraving.

RS Berkeley Legends Dexter Gordon Tenor Sax Mouthpiece

How does the Dexter model play? Well, I have to admit that my preconceived idea of it was that it just wouldn’t work for me. I don’t think I have ever played an .080 tip on the tenor saxophone except when I reviewed the RS Berkeley Drake Stan Getz model (which also was a pleasant surprise……). You always hear stories of your heroes playing small tip size mouthpieces and think……..that’s impossible! How did they get that huge sound on a .080 tip? (admit it you have thought this…….)

The review of this mouthpiece wasn’t easy for me. All of my reads are 2 1/2 and 3’s for the most part. I tried a few of those and they played like a wet paper towel would. The 3 1/2’s weren’t much better. I had to dig down into the dark recesses of my reed reserves…………. I found a number of old Vandoren ZZ 4’s that I had from around 12 years ago. I had to dig them out of my reed vault and clean the cobwebs off them. I tried a couple and the third one was the charm. This is the one I used on the recording and I felt it worked well with this mouthpiece.

RS Berkeley Legends Dexter Gordon Tenor Sax Mouthpiece

The first thing I was surprised by was the volume I could get out of this mouthpiece. This was no pea shooter sounding mouthpiece. I could get respectful volume out of it. Even to the point of I dare say a “wailing” volume. The highs had a nice brightness to them that rang out and the lows were fat and full. I do think this recording is a great example of the focus and core a smaller tip opening can give to a sound. To me, it has a nice round core of compressed sound that is rich and powerful. If you listen to my clips of more open mouthpiece I think you can hear that the tone is a little more spread and diffuse in comparison to this sound clip perhaps. That’s my impression anyways. Also, the altissimo notes were beautiful, sweet and round sounding which they usually aren’t on wider tip openings…..

The RS Berkeley Dexter Gordon Legends series tenor saxophone mouthpiece was great to play. If you like the sound of the clip below and the mouthpiece catches your interest then give it a try. You can contact Les Silver at his website at http://www.rsberkeley.com/ Tell him Steve sent you………….Great work Les and everyone at RS Berkeley!!

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve

RS Berkeley Legends Dexter Gordon Tenor Sax Mouthpiece

This is from a comparison post I made some years ago of 9 great tenor saxophone mouthpieces. I thought it was worthy of a repost since it has been awhile since I made it. On all 9 clips I’m just playing a simple Bb blues (C for tenor) I’m trying to keep it relatively simple so the clips are similar. Each one was with the same Java 2 1/2 reed and I was standing about 2 feet from the mic. Take a listen and let me know which one you like the best. All 9 pieces play great for me but they all have slightly different characteristics to their sound. I could play any of them and be happy I think. The mouthpieces heard here are:

Lamberson J7 (.110)
Jon Van Wie STM Link with baffle (.110)
Brian Powell Modern STM (.108)
Early Babbit HR Link (.110)
Phil Tone HR (.105)
Ponzol SS M2 (.110)
Modern NY Link Brian Powell refaced to (.108 with my own baffle in it)
Metal Florida Link Brian Powell refaced (.105)
SP HR Link refaced by Brian Powell (.110)

Update: I added 9 more clips of me playing as loud as i can on the pieces. I’d say around 95% so you can hear how they sound playing all out. Obviously, some are better loud and some are better soft I think. I also added 9 clips that were recorded from across the room about 6-7 feet away so you can hear the difference if any from across the room.
Take a Listen………

Modern NY Link (BP .108 with my own baffle)

Laid Back Blues

Loud Blues

Across the Room

Lamberson J7

Laid Back Blues

Loud Blues

Across the Room

SP Link (BP refaced to .110)

Laid Back Blues

Loud Blues

Across the Room

JVW STM Link .110 (JVW baffle)

Laid Back Blues

Loud Blues

Across the Room

EB HR Link (BP reface to .110)

Laid Back Blues

Loud Blues

Across the Room

Ponzol SS M2 .110

Laid Back Blues

Loud Blues

Across the Room

Florida STM 8 (refaced to .105 by BP)

Laid Back Blues

Loud Blues

Across the Room

Brian Powell Modern STM (.108)

Laid Back Blues

Loud Blues

Across the Room

Phil-Tone HR .105

Laid Back Blues

Loud Blues

Across the Room

Today, I am reviewing my first hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece from Ken Okutsu in Japan. It is the high baffle model and has an 8 tip opening which is .110. I hadn’t heard of Ken Okutsu before but he emailed me asking if I would be willing to try his mouthpieces. I of course said “Sure!” The first Okutsu mouthpiece up for review today is the high baffle model.

Here is the description and features from the Okutsu website:

Features

High baffle model has a bright and powerful contemporary sound.
Long and high step baffle with large chamber.
The large chamber makes very rich and spread sound.
All mouthpieces are crafted by CNC machinery for incredible accuracy and finished by hand carefully.
Concave table. It makes the tone full and rich. The practical life span of reeds is lengthened.
Material is the highest quality ebonite (hard rubber).

Ken Okutsu High Baffle Tenor Mouthpiece

The Okutsu mouthpieces are hard rubber and come in a protective plastic case. Within the case they are wrapped in a black velvet bag. I received 3 tenor mouthpieces and one alto mouthpiece from Mr. Okutsu. The tenor mouthpieces are the Traditional model, the Traditional II model and the High Baffle model. I kind of like how simplistic and straight forward the model names are. The Traditional model looks to the darkest, then the Traditional II looks to have a slightly higher rollover baffle. Finally, the High Baffle model has the highest baffle as the name implies.

Ken Okutsu High Baffle Tenor Mouthpiece

The High Baffle model was very reed friendly to me. I had no trouble trying different reeds on it and all the reeds passed the suction test when first put on and then later after playing awhile. The Okutsu mouthpieces have a concave table which many player’s and mouthpiece manufactures have preferred over the years. In recent years, it seems like I am getting a lot of mouthpiece with flat tables instead of concave. Now that I’m writing this review, I am curious as to what the differences are between the two table in regard to playability, response and sound……….In the Okutsu bullet points above, the Concave table is listed as making the tone full and rich and increasing the life of reeds………….Interesting!

Ken Okutsu High Baffle Tenor Mouthpiece

How did the Ken Okutsu High Baffle tenor mouthpiece play? Well, it was very reed friendly but I felt most comfortable with a Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Medium reed (I forgot to say the reed number in the sound clip…..sorry). I also used a Vandoren Optimum ligature with the length long rails plate on it.

As you would expect, the Okutsu High Baffle model leaned to the bright side of the saxophone tone spectrum. I didn’t feel like it was overly bright but the tone was nice and crisp with a nice edge to it. The altissimo was super easy to get and the range of the sax was smooth and even sounding when playing fast. I played this mouthpiece up in a big unfinished room above my garage. The room is big and empty so the sound bounces around the room with a natural reverb. The Okutsu mouthpiece sounded huge in that room.

The tone has a strong core and center to the sound. In the opening statement of the sound clip you can hear how the tone has a brightness to it then at the :29 mark I blow with a little more power and it gets a bit brighter and edgier.

I haven’t had an opportunity to play this mouthpiece on a loud pop gig but this is a mouthpiece I would like to try in that setting. The brightness and power is appropriate for that kind of music but I don’t feel that it is so bright that you would sound out of place on a standard with it. This is the type of mouthpiece and sound that would sound killer with a bit of reverb on a gig.

I would place this mouthpiece as being in a similar category sound-wise as a Lamberson DD. RPC 115B, or a Ponzol M2. I think the Ponzol would be a bit brighter than this mouthpiece though. Although the tone reminds me of the Lamberson DD or RPC 115B I feel like it is much easier to play for me. Maybe because of the .110 tip opening.

Sorry for the Pink Panther quote in the sound clip……….I taught a young student on Skype the song shortly before this clip so it was lingering in my mind…………

Ken Okutsu High Baffle Tenor Mouthpiece

The Ken Okutsu High Baffle Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece was great to play. To be honest, I think it has been one of my favorite high baffle mouthpiece to play. I’ve played other high baffle mouthpiece that sound killer on a pop gig but then when I play them in my studio they are so loud and obnoxious I can’t stand practicing with them. This Okutsu mouthpiece is a good choice for that bright sound and power but with more flexibility to darken and shape the sound in my opinion.

If you like the sound of the clip below and the mouthpiece catches your interest then please contact Ken Okutsu and give it a try. You can contact Mr. Okutsu at his website at Okutsumouthpieces.com. Tell him Steve sent you………….Great work Mr. Okutsu!!

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve

Ken Okutsu High Baffle Tenor Mouthpiece-Dry

Ken Okutsu High Baffle Tenor Mouthpiece-Little Reverb

Ken Okutsu High Baffle Tenor Mouthpiece-Moderate Reverb

Here’s another killin’ blues transcription I have been working on. This is 14 choruses of a swingin’ blues that David Mann recorded as a demo for the 10mFan Robusto hard rubber mouthpiece last year. As soon as I heard this clip I put it on my list of solos to transcribe. There are lots of great ideas and lines in this solo that you could spend months integrating into your own playing. Dave does a great job combining a bluesy soulful sound with some incredible double-time modern sounding lines.

I first heard David Mann back in the late 80’s when I got to Berklee College of Music. Somewhere along the line, I stumbled upon a tape recording of the New England Conservatory Big Band in concert. I was mainly an alto player back then and the lead alto player in the big band recording really caught my attention. They announced his name “David Mann”. Ever since then I have been a fan of his playing and career.

David Mann

Here’s a short bio of Dave that I found on the internet:

Fresh out of the New England Conservatory of Music and new on the New York scene, David launched his solo career in the formative days of contemporary Jazz with the popular “Games” (1987) and “Insight” (1989) on the Island/Antilles label. Along with his brother, bassist Ned Mann, came the 1993 release of The Mann Brothers “Mann to Mann” on DMP Records. In 2001, David released “Touch” on N-Coded Music, which showcased his full range of abilities as a composer, producer, programmer, and of course as a saxophonist. Named “one of the best albums of the year” and “debut artist of the year” by Jazztrax, “Touch” finds David in fine company, teaming up with Bob James, Chris Botti, Chuck Loeb and Chieli Minuchi. Along with working on his own albums, David has become an increasingly accomplished composer and producer, working with such artists as Wayman Tisdale, Nelson Rangell, Steve Cole, Kim Waters, Point of Grace, and Rachel Z. In 2001 alone, David scored two #1 NAC singles (with Wayman Tisdale and Steve Cole).

David has performed and recorded with many of the biggest names in music, including Tower of Power (1993-1996), James Taylor, Paul Simon, Michael Jackson, Gil Evans, Pat Metheny, Sting, Madonna, Chaka Khan, George Michael, Billy Joel, Lyle Lovett, Bob James, Linda Eder, Liza Minnelli, Patti Austin, Ivan Lins, Michael McDonald, Alicia Keys, Vanessa Williams, Bette Midler, Michael Bolton, Chieli Minucci, Luther Vandross, BB King, Phish, Spyro Gyra, Sergio Mendes, Bobby McFerrin, Leni Stern, Elements, Miles Evans Orchestra, Ricky Martin, Chuck Loeb, Special EFX, Donnie and Marie Osmond, Al Jarraeu, Rob Mathes, Club 1600, Whitney Houston and George Russell. He also can be heard on many TV themes and jingles, including those for Monday Night Football, ABC News Nightline, NBA on TBS, The Early Show with Bryant Gumbel, Later Today, 20/20, 48 Hours and Super Bowl XXIV on ABC. Movie credits include “Lucky Numbers,” “Any Given Sunday,” “Shaft 2,” “The Mask” and “Scrooged.” David has performed as a soloist with the Boston Pops and the National Symphony and has toured extensively throughout the world.

David Mann Robusto Blues Bb (14 choruses)

David Mann Robusto Blues C (14 choruses)

David Mann is using the 10mFan Robusto hard rubber tenor mouthpiece on this clip. I think he sounds amazing on this mouthpiece. It’s the perfect blend of a full fat tenor sound mixed with some edge and brightness to give a modern sound to his tone. The mouthpiece doesn’t sound thin or too edgy at all to my ears but perfect when Dave is playing it……….

If you are interested in the Robusto mouthpiece you can contact Mark Sepinuck on his website at 10mfan.com. Mark is a great guy to deal with and can steer you in the right direction. Steve

Here’s another great David Mann transcription that was sent to me from Mark Sepinuck. John Blevins did all the hard work of transcribing this one. He’s braver than I am to tackle the cadenza at the end of this solo………..Thanks for transcribing this John!

David Mann

Here’s a short bio of Dave that I found on the internet:

David Mann Robusto Funky Solo Bb

If you are interested in the Robusto mouthpiece you can contact Mark Sepinuck on his website at 10mfan.com. Mark is a great guy to deal with and can steer you in the right direction. Thanks again to John Blevins who transcribed this one. Steve

Today, I am reviewing two more hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpieces from Benjamin Allen. These are the 20TD model (also known as the Dagradi model after the great sax player Tony Dagradi). Benjamin Allen was nice enough to send me 3 Dagradi mouthpieces to try and today I am reviewing two of those for you. (The 3rd one is a 9* tip and feels more open than I am used to……)

Benjamin Allen mentored under “Doc” Tenney and after Doc’s death decided to carry on his tradition and dedication to the mouthpiece making craft. I reviewed 3 of his 10E model tenor mouthpieces a couple of months ago which were also great mouthpieces……….

Benjamin Allen Dagradi Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here are some bullet points from Ben’s website about the Dagradi 20TD model tenor saxophone mouthpiece:

BULLET POINTS ABOUT THE DAGRADI MODEL:

Each Tony Dagradi Signature Model is played by a world-class saxophonist (Tony Dagradi himself).

The tip opening is 2.60mm, which is ~.10236″ for those who prefer U.S. style measurements.
The chamber size is “ML/L.”
The facing length is ML.
Each mouthpiece is handmade and hand adjusted to ensure each piece approaches playing perfection.
All steps are completed in the United States.
Each mouthpiece is made of American hard rubber–sorry, but there is no plastic in my pieces.

Here is also a snippet from Benjamin Allen’s website about the Dagradi 20TD mouthpiece:

“I had the distinct honor and privilege of directly working with Tony towards achieving this mouthpiece concept during the summer of 2013, and I am still in awe at Tony’s capacity to detect the most subtle mouthpiece changes. While many people can detect a slight baffle change, Tony could detect the slightest chamber alteration and could describe with great precision the impact of each change.

Then he could musically express the change and its impact on the mouthpiece’s responsiveness, harmonic complexity, brilliance, and overall sound quality. In short, the education he provided is unsurpassable–quite literally second to none.

Beyond Tony’s musical and technical virtuosity, Tony knows mouthpieces and has one of the most comprehensive mouthpiece and ligature collections around, which consists of a fraction of the mouthpieces he has tried. This mouthpiece was not only compared to the pieces in his collection, it was compared to the totality of his experience. I have altered tip rails, side rails, baffle and floor heights, chamber size and shape, and beak profile changes. I have varied the facing curve aspect ratios. I have changed the facing length, and I have moved up and down on the tip opening. Amazingly, Tony instantly detects almost every change, but sometimes I have to wait about 10 seconds for him to notice others. But while Tony is the perfect saxophonist for picking things apart, he keeps going back to the piece we initially developed together seven months ago.

So what is this piece, and what makes it great? Tony’s input sure as heck is foundational, but so is his expansive and dynamic repertoire. The mouthpiece has been thoroughly tested in every imaginable venue and gig New Orleans can provide, and this mouthpiece works perfectly in every single venue. Tony knows what players need and want, and it’s my very humble pleasure to provide a skill set to “engineer” a piece that satisfies his demands.”

Benjamin Allen Dagradi Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

When you open the package, the 20TD Dagradi mouthpiece looks like your average black hard rubber mouthpiece with the words “Benjamin Allen” and “New Orleans” engraved on the top. When you turn the mouthpiece over and look at it in the light it looks perfect though. Not one ounce of asymmetry or imperfection. The table, rails and tip look even and perfect. The tip rail is thin and even as are the side rails and baffle.

This Dagradi model tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a higher rollover baffle than the Benjamin Allen 10E model I reviewed a couple months ago. The baffle scoops down into what I would say is a medium-large chamber. The side rails are scooped out smooth and evenly.

The two models I am reviewing today are both Dagradi models with a .10236 tip. (I call them 7*’s in the mouthpiece clips) Although .10236 is technically smaller than my usual .105 7* tip opening these two mouthpieces felt very comfortable and like .105 tips to me. One mouthpiece is the standard Dagradi model and one is a version that is slightly more spread sounding.

Benjamin Allen Dagradi Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

OK, on to reviewing the sound and playability of both these Dagradi models. The regular Dagradi model has a brighter focused sound in my opinion with loads of power when pushed. It has a tight core of tone that gets brighter as you push it harder. At soft or even medium levels the tone is hearty and rich to my ears although it does lean to the brighter side of a tenor tone. It isn’t too bright though………. I could easily play this on a jazz set although you would just have to be careful with pushing it too hard. I have played mouthpieces in the past with high baffles like Guardalas, Sugals and Ponzols that sounded amazing on a loud dance set but were pretty rough to play in a quieter acoustic setting. They would just get too loud and edgy when you pushed them. This Dagradi mouthpieces seem like a great compromise to those other high baffle pieces. It blends the power and edge of a baffle with a thick core sound that can be scaled back a bit more than other high baffled mouthpieces. In my opinion it’s like a mix between the Otto Link concept and a high baffle concept………

The other aspect I like about the Dagradi model is the focus of the sound. Sometimes with mouthpieces that try to do everything you get too spread of a sound that gets lost in the mix in live situations. This Dagradi model seems to have enough core and center to the sound that I believe it would carry and cut through the mix of a live band in a great way! Of course, you never know until you get out there on a gig but in my office here the Dagradi seems to have that balance of power and tone many are looking for in a gigging mouthpiece……….It’s a great mouthpiece if you have to morph some straight ahead playing with funkier more modern soloing in my opinion.

The altissimo was easy to get and the mouthpiece responded well to expressive playing as far as bending and manipulating the notes.

The other Dagradi model I have played below is a more “spread” version. To my ears,the tone sounds fatter and indeed more spread when compared to the regular Dagradi. It still has a nice focused core of sound but the outside edges of the tone are more diffused and spread. This isn’t scientific obviously but that is how I perceive the sound while playing. The more “spread” Dagradi is less edgy and punchy when pushed compared to the regular Dagradi model. It’s almost like the edges of the tone are softer.

The intonation and evenness throughout the range of the horn was great on both mouthpieces. They are very smooth sounding when playing fast which I really like. As I played and recorded the sound clips I felt like I liked the spread Dagradi more than the Regular Dagradi but interestingly enough I felt like I liked the regular Dagradi more when listening back to the clips. Both were recorded exactly the same and with the same Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 strong reed and Marc Jean ligature. I tried to keep the audio sample somewhat similar although there are differences………..You’ll have to listen for yourself to decide which one you liked more and why……..I’d be interested in knowing what you think in the comments below.

Benjamin Allen Dagradi Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Benjamin Allen Dagradi Tenor Saxophone Mouthpieces were wonderful to play. After reviewing 5 of Ben’s mouthpieces so far it is obvious that Ben knows what he is doing and was a great student of “Doc” Tenney!

If you like the sound of the clip below and the mouthpiece catches your interest then please contact Ben and give it a try. You can contact Benjamin Allen at his website at Allenmouthpieces.com. Tell him Steve sent you………….Great work Ben!!

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve

Benjamin Allen Dagradi “Regular” Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Benjamin Allen Dagradi “More Spread” Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Today, I am reviewing a new metal tenor saxophone mouthpieces made by Vandoren. This mouthpiece is the Vandoren V16 T7 Medium Chamber model. I have been dying to try this mouthpiece since first hearing about it a few years ago. I used to play a Vandoren V16 T75 back about 12 years ago but was always curious how that mouthpiece would play with scooped sidewalls. The sidewalls on the T75 were straight and although I could get tons of power and focus out of the T75 I thought that with scooped sidewalls it might add some fatness and thickness to the tone that I was longing for. This T7 is about as close as I could hope for with that idea………….

Vandoren V16 T7 Medium Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here are some quotes from the Vandoren website about the T7 model tenor saxophone mouthpiece:

BULLET POINTS ABOUT THE VANDOREN V16 T7 MODEL:

Made from legendary “Bell Metal” brass
Plated with 24-karat gold
Small Chamber-The original V16 model relabeled with a Small indication. A centered sound with lots of projection.
Medium Chamber-Inspired by the famous mouthpieces from the 50’s and 60’s. A round and deep sound.
Large Chamber- In the tradition of the 40’s. The great vintage sound.

The T7 Medium chamber I am reviewing today has a tip opening of .104 and a medium chamber. As I look at the T7 chamber compared to a few of the metal Otto Links in my collection, the T7 chamber looks a little bit smaller in comparison to the Links although it is fairly close in size.

Vandoren V16 T7 Medium Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

If you have ever bought anything from Vandoren before you probably know they are a company with a reputation for excellence. If you ask 10 sax player what the best mass produced mouthpieces are on the market most of them will probably include Vandoren in their response. I have played many Vandoren mouthpiece over my years of saxophone teaching. I have hardly ever seen any defects or imperfections in their mouthpieces. The T7 I am playing today also lives up to that reputation. Everything about the mouthpiece is beautiful. The table, rails, tip and baffle all look perfect. Smooth, even and flawless.

Vandoren V16 T7 Medium Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The first reed I used on the T7 worked great. It was a Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Strong reed that I had played on some other mouthpieces so I was worried it wouldn’t play well on this Vandoren mouthpiece. It played great! The facing length for this T7 medium says that it is medium long. I also received a T8 that has a longer facing curve so it will be interesting to see how the different reed sizes respond to these different facing lengths.

Vandoren V16 T7 Medium Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

OK, on to reviewing the sound and playability of the Vandoren T7 Medium Chamber tenor mouthpiece. Upon first playing the T7, it was exactly as I had imagined my T75 would have played with the scooped sidewalls. It had a core focused sound that reminded me of that T75 but I felt like the tone was fatter, richer and more interesting in my opinion. For me it is sort of like a cross between that T75 and a florida Link sound. The focus and core is great for modern playing but it still can be rich and full sounding for jazz playing.

In the beginning of the clip you can hear how full and lush the bottom end can be. From :28-:40 I put a little more air into it and you can hear how it brightens up. I think this would be a great sound for some “pop” soloing.

The intonation was as expected and it was very smooth and even throughout the range of the horn. The altissimo was very easy to get but as I listened back to the clip I realized I didn’t go up to the altissimo notes at all in this clip. You’ll have to take my word for it that they sounded great with this mouthpiece. Sorry………

Vandoren V16 T7 Medium Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Vandoren T7 Medium Tenor Saxophone Mouthpieces was fun to play. Thanks to Vandoren for making another great saxophone mouthpiece.

I ended up posting 3 different clips below.

1.) The first one is with a Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Strong Reed about 2 feet from the mic. The was an easy reed to play and I would consider it on the softer side. Rigotti can lead to the bright side of things as far as tone and the softer reed makes it even brighter.

2.) The 2nd clip is with a harder Rico Select Jazz 3S Unfiled. these tend to play darker than the Rigotti for me so I thought it would be good to demonstrate this reed also. This is also about 2 feet from the mic.

3. The last clip is with the same RSJ3S reed but I am about 4-5 feet from the mic. Sometimes I get comments that it sounds like I am too close to the mic so I thought I would record a clip from further back in the room. I personally don’t like the sound of recording like this as I feel it loses some of the character of the sound out of the bell of the sax and you get more of the room sound but some people like this better I think.

If you like the sound of the clip below and the mouthpiece catches your interest then please give the T7 medium mouthpiece a try.

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve

Vandoren V16 T7 Medium Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Strong

Vandoren V16 T7 Medium Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Rico Select Jazz 3S Unfiled 2 Feet Away from Mic

Vandoren V16 T7 Medium Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Rico Select Jazz 3S Unfiled 4-5 Feet Away from Mic

Today, I am reviewing a new metal tenor saxophone mouthpieces made by Vandoren. This mouthpiece is the Vandoren V16 T7 Large Chamber V16 model. This is similar to the T7 medium chamber I reviewed a few days ago but this mouthpiece has a larger chamber.

Vandoren V16 T7 Large Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here are some quotes from the Vandoren website about the V16 T7 model tenor saxophone mouthpiece:

BULLET POINTS ABOUT THE VANDOREN V16 T7 MODEL:

Made from legendary “Bell Metal” brass
Plated with 24-karat gold
Small Chamber-The original V16 model relabeled with a Small indication. A centered sound with lots of projection.
Medium Chamber-Inspired by the famous mouthpieces from the 50’s and 60’s. A round and deep sound.
Large Chamber- In the tradition of the 40’s. The great vintage sound.

The V16 T7 Large Chamber is advertised as having a 40’s sound. I take that to mean that it is modeled after the Otto Link Metal “Tone Master” of the 40’s. Players like Ben Webster, Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins played Tone Master Links from the 40’s.

The V16 T7 Large chamber I am reviewing today has a tip opening of .104 and a large chamber. As I look at the V16 T7 large chamber compared to a few of the metal Otto Links in my collection, the T7 chamber looks similar in size in comparison to the other florida Link chambers I have in my collection. It is not as big as a NY Otto Link chamber that I own.

Vandoren V16 T7 Large Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The T7 Medium chamber I reviewed earlier seemed to work right out of the box with my first reed choice. This T7 large chamber was a harder reed match for me. It felt like the larger chamber made it harder for me to just step up to the plate on this mouthpiece and get to business. When I first played it, it felt like I couldn’t get any projection, volume or focus out of it. I’ve felt that way on different Otto Links in the past and knew that I needed to put in some time before I gave up. I spent a few days playing the large chamber T7 and on the 2nd day it seemed like something changed for me.

Vandoren V16T7 Large Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The tone seemed to open up for me and get a bit more volume and fullness. Nothing changed with the mouthpiece obviously but I began to use more air for the larger chamber and blow differently. I started to get a fuller sound that filled the entire room. When I listen back to the clips there are moments where I feel like I am experiencing that and then there are other moments where I’m backsliding into playing with less air. The larger chamber means you have to spend more time with this mouthpiece to get used to blowing the air it requires for a big full sound. It’s best to fully commit to a mouthpiece like this if you want to get the most out of it. (At least for a few weeks so you can see what it can do………..)

The first reed I settled on was a Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Strong. It felt a little soft but I decided to go with it anyways for the first recording. It had a big full sound and the lighter reed gave a nice crispness and edge to the sound. That being said, I’m not sure the light reed could be really pushed in a live setting to give the volume I would need in that setting.

Next I tried a 3 Light reed which gave a little more body and thickness. I tried a RG 3 medium reed but that just seemed to stuffy to me. I think I preferred the 3 Light over the 2 1/2 just because I had more to work with……..

The Vandoren Large chamber doesn’t have the core and focus of the medium chamber but it has more of a spread diffuse sound to it. Darker than the medium chamber that is for sure. It has less volume that the T7 Medium chamber in my opinion. I could get a big sound and volume out of it but I don’t think I would take this mouthpiece on a loud “Tp 40″ gig. The mix of less volume with a darker tone makes me think it wouldn’t be able to cut through in that type of situation. (I don’t think Ben Webster, Lester Young or Coleman Hawkins would want to play their mouthpieces in that situation either………)

On the Vandoren fact sheet for these mouthpieces it says that the recommended tip openings for the large chamber are a T6 and a T5. As I played the T7 I did indeed feel like maybe I should have ordered a T6 to accommodate my air stream better. I am still very interested in trying a T6 and T5 to see how they play for me. The list above says that Ben Webster, Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins played Tone Master’s but it doesn’t say what tip opening. If I had to guess I would say a 5 or 6…………(Let me know what you find out if you Google it…….)

The positives of this mouthpiece are the fat, full and robust sound. The low register is just huge and thick sounding and the middle and top register are are full and hearty sounding as well.

Vandoren V16 T7 Large Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Thanks to Vandoren for making another great saxophone mouthpiece and letting me review it. I ended up posting 2 clips below.

1.) The first one is with a Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Strong reed about 2 feet from the mic. The was an easy reed to play and I would consider it on the softer side. Rigotti can lead to the bright side of things as far as tone and the softer reed makes it even brighter.

2.) The 2nd clip is with a slightly harder Rigotti Gold 3 Light reed. This is also about 2 feet from the mic.

If you like the sound of the clip below and the mouthpiece catches your interest then please give the Vandoren T7 large chambered mouthpiece a try. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve

Vandoren V16 T7 Large Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Strong

Vandoren V16 T7 Large Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Rigotti Gold 3 Light

Mark Sepinuck, 10mFan as he is known in the saxophone world, has been selling high end vintage saxophone mouthpieces on Ebay for years. Whether it be vintage New York Meyers, Double Ring Otto Links or handmade Guardala mouthpieces…………Mark has had them all and sold them all. I met Mark years ago on ebay when I was interested in a mouthpiece he was selling. I don’t even remember what the mouthpiece was but I do remember that Mark invited me over to his house somewhere in Massachusetts to try out all the mouthpieces he had. I was ecstatic. I went to his house and tried a ton of mouthpieces! Mark was a great guy to talk to and hang out with. Since that time I have bought a number of mouthpiece from Mark and one thing I have learned is that if Mark says a mouthpiece is great then it is great!

10mFan Tenor Saxophone Mouthpieces-Merlot, Robusto and the Boss

Mark came out with his own line of hard rubber and metal tenor saxophone mouthpieces about a year and a half ago. This was no secret to me as I had talked to Mark months before and he said he was working on his own mouthpieces but it was hush… hush. Mark said he had a very unique and precise vision of the mouthpieces he wanted to create. He knew exactly how he wanted them to look and play and wanted them to be perfect before he released them to the public. Months and months went by……… I was starting to wonder if the whole plan of Mark’s had fell through………..

Finally, one day I heard that the mouthpieces were ready to be released to the world. Mark called and said he would send me a few to review. I was very excited to try these new mouthpieces out! I called him back that same day and I think we talked for over an hour. Mark talked in depth about each mouthpiece and how special it was. There were to be three models. The Merlot which is the darkest, the Robusto which is in the middle and can do it all, and the BOSS which would be so powerful that mere mortals could only dream of controlling it’s energy. (Just kidding……..it is the loudest, brightest and most powerful of the three)

10mFan Robusto Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The mouthpiece to be reviewed today is the hard rubber Robusto tenor saxophone mouthpiece……….. The Robusto’s description sounds like it is a “jack of all trades” mouthpiece. I used to gig in local bands all the time that went from playing standards to full bore slammin’ R&B and Top 40 so I was very interested in seeing what this “Robusto” mouthpiece could do and how versatile it was………….

The Robusto 7** looks terrific. It has the same extra long table as the Merlot which makes lining up your reeds super easy. The table, rails, tip and baffle look perfect. The baffle of the Robusto looks to be a little bit higher than the Merlot and looks to be about a third longer than the Merlot baffle. After the sloped baffle edge it quickly slopes down into a medium large chamber. The sidewalls are straight but once they hit the chamber area they flare out to make a nice round chamber. Like the Merlot the Robusto has the three white rings around the shank and the words 10mFan and Robusto engraved on the top.

10mFan Robusto Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The sound of this mouthpiece is right in the middle of the tone spectrum for me. As I listen to the sound clip I am struck by the fact that at times the mouthpiece sounds brighter and at other time darker. Other times during the clip it has a very jazzy straight ahead sound and then other times it has a tone that would “smoke” for funk or R&B. This is a very versatile mouthpiece in my opinion…………. Mark is very proud of this mouthpiece and I can understand why! It covers all the bases. You need to play some jazz……..yeah, it can do that and sound killer with a big,fat and lush tone! You need to play some R&B………yeah, bring it on, this will nail that with some edge and brightness that is still beautiful to listen to. You need to play some Contra Dance Music from the Pacific Northwest or some Traditional Tibetan Folk Hymns………..you got it covered with this mouthpiece……….. This is truly a great all around mouthpiece and can do it all!

10mFan Robusto Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

These are Mark’s own words on the tonal aspects of the Robusto from his website:

“ROBUSTO” HARD RUBBER: FOR ME, THIS IS GREATEST ALL-AROUND HARD RUBBER JAZZ MOUTHPIECE I’VE EVER PLAYED

FOR ME, THIS IS HARD RUBBER PERFECTION!

I DESIGNED IT TO BE MY PERSONAL TENOR MOUTHPIECE—-AND IT IS. FOR ME, THIS OFFERS THE PERFECT BLEND OF LOWS, MIDS, + HIGHS, AND HAS A RICH COLOR PALETTE AND WIDE DYNAMIC RANGE. THE SOUND HAS A REALLY GREAT CLASSIC WARMTH AND BRIGHTNESS AVAILABLE AND PLENTY OF PUNCH TO IT WHEN PUSHED! THIS HAS A TIMELESS “HARD BOP NY TENOR SOUND” AND A MODERN SOUND IS AVAILABLE FROM IT AT THE SAME TIME. CLASSIC STRAIGHT AHEAD SOUND WITH MORE POWER AND PUNCH AVAILABLE THAN THE TRADITIONAL VINTAGE MOUTHPIECES…AND WITH A NICE CLASSIC SIZZLE ON TOP WHEN YOU WANT IT. LOTS OF ROOM TO LET LOOSE WITH THIS PIECE. IT’S VERY GENE AMMONS ON HIS “BOSS TENORS” ALBUM, AND DEXTER GORDON ON HIS “GO” ALBUM, FOR ME—IT OFFERS GREAT BODY AND DEPTH. IT’S CLEAN AND POWERFUL TOP TO BOTTOM WITH A HUGE BODY OF SOUND. LIKE ALL MY MOUTHPIECES, THE SOUND “OPENS UP” BEAUTIFULLY AS YOU PUSH IT. THIS HAS A LONGER BAFFLE THAN THE MERLOT AND THE SOUND IS BIG AND FAT WITH MUCH MORE PUNCH AVAILABLE. THIS PIECE IS THE BEST ALL-AROUND STRAIGHT AHEAD JAZZ HARD RUBBER AND METAL TENOR MPC I HAVE EVER PLAYED. AGAIN, I DESIGNED IT TO BE MY PERSONAL TENOR MPC—–AND IT IS. MY SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT MOUTHPIECE HAS ENDED HERE. PHAROAH SANDERS, JOEL FRAHM, JERRY BERGONZI, JAN GARBAREK, DAVID MANN, DOUG WEBB, DAVE O’HIGGINS, EMANUELE CISI, KEN GIOFFRE, AND SO MANY OTHERS ARE JUST A FEW OF THE GUYS THAT YOU MAY HAVE SEEN PLAYING ON MY ROBUSTO MODEL– AND EACH GETTING THEIR OWN PERSONAL SOUNDS FROM THAT SAME MOUTHPIECE MODEL. FINALLY, MOUTHPIECES THAT CAN GET BOTH THE VINTAGE VIBE AND MODERN VIBE! THE ROBUSTO MODELS HAVE MORE PUNCH AVAILABLE THAN THE MERLOT MODELS.

THE HARD RUBBER ROBUSTO SMOKES THE VINTAGE SLANTS AND EARLY BABBITT LINKS FOR ME.
THE METAL ROBUSTO OUTPLAYS THE BEST ORIGINAL FLORIDA AND EARLY BABBITT STM METAL LINKS FOR ME. MUCH MORE DEPTH, WIDTH, AND BODY!

10mFan Robusto Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I have had the 10mfan Robusto for about a year and a half now and I can honestly say that the Robusto tenor sax mouthpiece is one of my favorite mouthpieces I own. I took it out the other day to record the sound clip below and felt totally at home on it. The Robusto allows me to easily travel between straight ahead jazz and bluesy sounding sax lines with ease. The tone is fat and round with a nice core and focus to the sound. The altissimo notes are some of the prettiest I have encountered. The 10mfan Robusto mouthpiece just sings up there and the tone is full, round and beautiful in my opinion.

I would have no problem what so ever bringing this mouthpiece to any gig I might get called for. It’s versatility makes it terrific for any musician that has to “cover all the bases” and play a bunch of different genres from day to day.

If you are interested in the Robusto tenor saxophone mouthpiece contact Mark Sepinuck at 10mfan.com. Mark is a great guy and can answer any questions you might have…………

Let me know what you think in the comments below and if you want to hear another couple of clips of the hard rubber Robusto mouthpiece check out Dave Mann demonstrating the Robusto on a blues solo and a funk solo ………….Thanks, Steve

10mFan Robusto Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Today, I am reviewing my first hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece from Ken Okutsu in Japan. It is the Traditional model and has a 6 tip opening which is .075. I already reviewed four Okutsu tenor mouthpieces which were all excellent so I have been very curious to review these alto mouthpieces also.

Four New Ken Okutsu Traditional Alto Sax Mouthpieces

Here is the description and features of the Traditional alto mouthpiece from the Okutsu website:

Features

Medium rollover baffle and medium chamber
The beautiful vintage sound.
All mouthpieces are crafted by CNC machinery for incredible accuracy and finished by hand carefully.
Concave table. It makes the tone full and rich. The practical life span of reeds is lengthened.
Material is the highest quality ebonite (hard rubber).

Ken Okutsu Traditional Alto Sax Mouthpiece

The Okutsu mouthpieces are hard rubber and come in a protective plastic case. Within the case they are wrapped in a black velvet bag. I received four alto saxophone mouthpieces from Mr. Okutsu. The alto mouthpieces are the Traditional model, the Traditional II model, the Focus Core model and the High Baffle model (listed in order from darkest to brightest). I kind of like how simplistic and straight forward the model names are. The Traditional model looks to be the darkest of the four, then the Traditional II looks to have a slightly higher rollover baffle. The Focus Core has an even higher baffle and the chamber is much smaller. Finally, the High Baffle model has the highest baffle as the name implies although the chamber is bigger than the Focus Core model.

The mouthpieces looks great upon first inspection. The hard rubber is shiny and without any imperfections. The gold engraving is neat and clean. The rails, tip rail, table and baffle look very well crafted and even.

Ken Okutsu Traditional Alto Sax Mouthpiece

The Traditional model was very reed friendly for me. I had no trouble trying different reeds on it and all the reeds passed the suction test when first put on and then later after playing a while. The Okutsu mouthpieces have a concave table which many player’s and mouthpiece manufactures have preferred over the years. In recent years, it seems like I am getting a lot of mouthpiece with flat tables instead of concave. Now that I’writing this review, I am curious as to what the differences are between the two table in regard to playability, response and sound……….In the Okutsu bullet points above, the concave table is listed as making the tone full and rich and increasing the life of reeds which I think is interesting…………..

The roll-over baffle on the Traditional model is small. I would say it is a good half inch in length before it starts to descend smoothly into the medium chamber. Just from viewing the baffle by eye, I would say that this Traditional model would have some brightness and punch to the sound if I had to guess.

Ken Okutsu Traditional Alto Sax Mouthpiece

I thought the Ken Okutsu Traditional alto sax mouthpiece played great with a Rigotti Gold 3 Light reed. Although it is the darkest of the four Okutsu mouthpieces I received, I would not label it as dark at all. It has a bright crisp sound to it and can get some nice volume when pushed. Although it leans to the brighter side, it still has a nice round, full sound to the tone that is very nice……….

The intonation was very good and it’s tone was very even and smooth throughout the range of the horn.

Ken Okutsu Traditional Alto Sax Mouthpiece

The Ken Okutsu Traditional Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece was great to play. This is another great mouthpiece for players who want the best of both worlds……..a sound that can be used for a brighter traditional jazz and bebop sound or even a bit brighter for lead alto or funk music.

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve

Ken Okutsu Traditional Alto Sax Mouthpiece

Today, I am reviewing my second hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece from Ken Okutsu in Japan. It is the Focus Core model and has a 6 tip opening which is .075. (In the sound clip below I mistakenly say it is a Focus Tone but that was a mistake on my part…….sorry Ted Klum…….) I already reviewed four Ken Okutsu tenor mouthpieces which were all excellent so I have been very curious to review these alto mouthpieces also.

Four New Ken Okutsu Alto Saxophone Mouthpieces

Here is the description and features from the Okutsu website:

Features

Long rollover baffle, and almost straight inner side walls and extra small chamber.
Bright and clear, contemporary sound.
The extra small chamber makes very focused tone.
All mouthpieces are crafted by CNC machinery for incredible accuracy and finished by hand carefully.
Concave table. It makes the tone full and rich. The practical life span of reeds is lengthened.
Material is the highest quality ebonite (hard rubber).

Ken Okutsu Focus Core Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Okutsu mouthpieces are hard rubber and come in a protective plastic case. Within the case they are wrapped in a black velvet bag. I received four alto saxophone mouthpieces from Mr. Okutsu. The alto mouthpieces are the Traditional model, the Traditional II model, the Focus Core model and the High Baffle model. I kind of like how simplistic and straight forward the model names are. The Traditional model looks to be the darkest of the four, then the Traditional II looks to have a slightly higher rollover baffle. The Focus Core has an even higher baffle and the chamber is much smaller. Finally, the High Baffle model has the highest baffle as the name implies although the chamber is bigger than than the Focus Core model.

The mouthpieces look good to my eye. The hard rubber is shiny and without any imperfections. The gold engraving is neat and clean. The rails, tip rail, table and baffle look very well crafted and even. (Although you can see a scratch on the table in the picture below, I do not think the mouthpiece was shipped this way…….my wife decided to clean up my office one day when I was gone and put a bunch of my mouthpiece in a desk drawer. This was one of the casualties I believe…….)

Ken Okutsu Focus Core Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Focus Core model looks to have a very small chamber on it. The baffle is much higher than the Traditional II and Traditional models. The baffle is long and is still pretty high even when it gets to the chamber opening. This makes the floor of the chamber much higher than on the Traditional and Traditional II which I believe is what gives this mouthpiece that “focused core” sound that the name describes. As I look at the mouthpiece from the bore side the chamber opening looks even smaller than a Selmer Soloist which has one of the smaller chamber openings out there.

Ken Okutsu Focus Core Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

I thought the Ken Okutsu Focus Core alto sax mouthpiece played great with a Rigotti Gold 3 Light reed. I found that it had a little more resistance than the Traditional and Traditional II but I believe that is from the smaller chamber opening. I think the smaller chamber opening squeezes the air stream down into a tight core and gives this mouthpiece more volume, brightness and core sound because of it. Due to the smaller chamber opening there is an added resistance as your air fights to get through the chamber I think. I don’t think this is a bad thing though since this mouthpiece takes plenty of air and gets super loud. It just feels like you are blowing against something a little more substantial than the Traditional model or Traditional II model.

Ken Okutsu Focus Core Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Ken Okutsu Focus Core Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece was great to play. This is a great mouthpiece for players who want a brighter focused tone that can cut through the mix. There is loads of power in this mouthpiece. I kept the sound clip a bit tame because I didn’t want to peak the recording levels but this piece can really be powerful and knock down some walls if played full force! This is a great mouthpiece for those who want to go in that Sanborn direction but still be able to ease out of that sound when needed.

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve

Ken Okutsu Focus Core Alto Sax Mouthpiece

Today, I am reviewing my third hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece from Ken Okutsu in Japan. It is the Traditional II model and has a 6 tip opening which is .075. I already reviewed four Okutsu tenor mouthpieces which were all excellent so I have been very curious to review these alto mouthpieces also.

Four New Ken Okutsu Alto Saxophone Mouthpieces

Here is the description and features of the Traditional II alto mouthpiece from the Okutsu website:

Features

Traditional II model has long rollover baffle which is higher than traditional model.
The brighter sound and more versatility.
Round inner side walls and medium round chamber. It makes alive and fat modern sound.
All mouthpieces are crafted by CNC machinery for incredible accuracy and finished by hand carefully.
Concave table. It makes the tone full and rich. The practical life span of reeds is lengthened.
Material is the highest quality ebonite (hard rubber).

Ken Okutsu Traditional II Alto Sax Mouthpiece

The Okutsu mouthpieces are hard rubber and come in a protective plastic case. Within the case, they are wrapped in a black velvet bag. I received four alto saxophone mouthpieces from Mr. Okutsu. The alto mouthpieces are the Traditional model, the Traditional II model, the Focus Core model and the High Baffle model.(I have listed these from darkest to brightest) I kind of like how simplistic and straight forward the model names are. The Traditional model looks to be the darkest of the four, then the Traditional II looks to have a slightly higher rollover baffle. The Focus Core has an even higher baffle and the chamber is much smaller. Finally, the High Baffle model has the highest baffle as the name implies although the chamber is bigger than than the Focus Core model.

Ken Okutsu Traditional II Alto Sax Mouthpiece

The Traditional II model looks to have a slightly longer rollover baffle. These are not small rollover baffles. I would say the Traditional model has about a half inch long rollover before it descends into the chamber. The Traditional II has around a 3/4 inch rollover before it smoothly descends into the chamber. The longer baffle on the Traditional II would most likely give it more brightness and power than the Traditional model would be my guess.

Ken Okutsu Traditional II Alto Sax Mouthpiece

I thought the Ken Okutsu Traditional II alto sax mouthpiece played great with the same Rigotti Gold 3 Light reed that I used on the Traditional model. The Traditional II had a brighter more modern sound in my opinion. It wasn’t so bright that it would be unacceptable in a jazz setting although I did find it brighter than the Traditional model. Although the tone was brighter, I also found the tone to have a nice fatness and thickness to it to balance out the edge and highs in the sound. You can listen to the sound clip and see what differences you hear.

The intonation was still very good and it’s tone was very even and smooth throughout the range of the horn just like the Traditional model.

Ken Okutsu Traditional II Alto Sax Mouthpiece

The Ken Okutsu Traditional II alto saxophone mouthpiece was great to play. This is another great mouthpiece for players who want the best of both worlds……..a sound that can be used for traditional jazz and bebop or a bit brighter for lead alto or funk music. The extra brightness and power of the Traditional II seemed to give me more energy and excitement while playing which I really dug! You can listen to the sound clip yourself and decide if you like it for yourself…………..

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve

Ken Okutsu Traditional II Alto Sax Mouthpiece

Today, I am reviewing my fourth hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece from Ken Okutsu in Japan. It is the High Baffle model and has a 7 tip opening which is .079. I already reviewed four Okutsu tenor mouthpieces which were all excellent so I have been very curious to review these alto mouthpieces as well.

Four New Ken Okutsu Alto Saxophone Mouthpieces

Here is the description and features of the High Baffle alto mouthpiece from the Okutsu website:

Features

High baffle model has a bright and powerful contemporary sound.
Long and high step baffle with large chamber.
The large chamber makes very rich and spreading sound.
All mouthpieces are crafted by CNC machinery for incredible accuracy and finished by hand carefully.
Concave table. It makes the tone full and rich. The practical life span of reeds is lengthened.
Material is the highest quality ebonite (hard rubber).

Ken Okutsu High Baffle Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Okutsu mouthpieces are hard rubber and come in a protective plastic case. Within the case they are wrapped in a black velvet bag. I received four alto saxophone mouthpieces from Mr. Okutsu. The alto mouthpieces are the Traditional model, the Traditional II model, the Focus Core model and the High Baffle model. I kind of like how simplistic and straight forward the model names are. The Traditional model looks to be the darkest of the four, then the Traditional II looks to have a slightly higher rollover baffle. The Focus Core has an even higher baffle and the chamber is much smaller. Finally, the High Baffle model has the highest baffle as the name implies although the chamber is bigger than than the Focus Core model.

The mouthpiece looks great to my eye. The hard rubber is shiny and without any imperfections. The gold engraving is neat and clean. The rails, tip rail, table and baffle look very well crafted and even.

Ken Okutsu High Baffle Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The High Baffle model’s tip opening was a little larger than the other three Okutsu alto mouthpieces which all had a 6 tip opening (.075). I used the same Rigotti Gold 3 Light reed that I used on the other Okutsu alto mouthpiece reviews. The reed felt slightly harder because of the larger tip opening but it still played easily. I usually stay away from high baffle alto mouthpieces as the tone tends to get too bright and edgy for my tastes but I don’t mind a brighter sound if it is coupled with a fat big sound like Cannonball Adderley’s sound.

Many times, alto player’s email me asking for my suggestions for a great “lead alto” mouthpiece. My suggestion is to find a mouthpiece that gives you the power and brightness you want but is still fat and full sounding. Ideally, you want a mouthpiece that can scream in a big band setting but can still play in a small combo setting as well. Many time those high baffle “pea-shotter” type mouthpieces will be too edgy, loud and bright for a small group setting and in my opinion many times are too much for the balance and mix of a big band sound also. The key is to try some of these pieces and find a piece that can do the job but is also versatile. I say all this because I think the Ken Okutsu Traditional II, Focus Core and the the High Baffle models are good piece for that type of playing.

The Traditional II is like a brighter more powerful Meyer type sound.

The Focus Core is a brighter, edgier, focused, powerful sound. Not as fat as the Traditional II but more focused and powerful.

The High Baffle model is a mix of the Traditional II and the Focus Core. I think it can be as bright and edgy as the Focus Core but the tone is a bit fatter and fuller to my ears. It is still very focused because of the high baffle but the big chamber spreads out the sound a little. The Focus Core has a high baffle but small chamber which compresses the sound into a “laser beam” core of sound. That’s how I can best compare and describe those 3 models……….

Ken Okutsu High Baffle Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Ken Okutsu High Baffle model had a brighter tone as was expected. It had a very immediate in your face kind of sound, direct and focused. In my opinion it leans more to a bright Meyer sound than an edgy Dukoff sound, probably because of the large chamber. You can hear in the recording when I blow harder it does get a bit edgier and more aggressive in a Sanborn type of way but I could also lay back and ease off on the edge when wanted.

The intonation was very good on my Selmer Reference alto saxophone.

I talked above about “lead ” alto mouthpieces and I think this would be a nice choice although it does lean a bit towards the edgy side of an alto tone. That being said, I also tried some different reeds on it which were not as edgy for me like a Woodstone 3 1/2 and a Rico Select Jazz 3S which both played darker for me.

Ken Okutsu High Baffle Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Ken Okutsu High Baffle Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece was great to play. This is another great mouthpiece for players who want the power and brightness to cut through in a band setting. Lay into it to get a Sanborn type of sound or lay back to play some bright bebop lines. You can listen to the sound clip yourself and decide if you like it for yourself…………..

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve

Ken Okutsu High Baffle Alto Sax Mouthpiece

Today, I am reviewing another mouthpiece made by Benjamin Allen. I have reviewed a number of Benjamin Allen’s tenor mouthpieces which were all fabulous in my opinion. I now have in front of me a Benjamin Allen prototype of an alto mouthpiece that he has been working on. This is not the finished product but rather a “prototype” of a mouthpiece that he hopes to have available soon. I believe he is calling it the “Shema” (although I’m not sure if this is 100% nailed down…….I will change it here if it is something different)

Benjamin Allen Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

I won’t go into details on the outward appearance of the mouthpiece as this is a prototype and made from a blank of some sort I assume. There are no model markings or tip opening on the mouthpiece (although there is a mysterious 184 marked on the table). The rails and tip are nice and thin and even. It looks to have a substantial rollover baffle that then slides down into a medium chamber. The side walls don’t look scooped but rather open up smoothly into the chamber.

Benjamin Allen Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

I used a Rigotti Gold 3 Medium reed on the Benjamin Allen alto mouthpiece and that seemed to work well. The tip opening is .070 which is a bit smaller than I usually play as I like alto mouthpieces in the .075-.080 range usually. I tried some softer reeds but they were all too soft for me on this .070 tip opening.

Benjamin Allen Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Benjamin Allen alto mouthpiece has a bright sweet sound to it. It was easy to play although the smaller tip opening took some getting used to. The piece blew very smooth throughout the range of the horn. Playing fast sounded smooth and like butter to me. The smaller tip gave it more of a focused sound in my opinion as opposed to larger tip openings that tend to give a bigger more spread sound. To be honest, this mouthpiece reminded me of a vintage NY Meyer mouthpiece I tried years ago. It also had a smaller tip opening like this mouthpiece and played with a bright sweet sound also. I felt like it had a unique tone and vibe to it and wanted to buy it but the owner wanted 500.00 for it which I thought was ridiculous back then. (This was in the early 2000’s sometime……..if only I knew what they would go for today……..)

On the Benjamin Allen mouthpiece, the top notes on the horn just had this beautiful singing quality about them that I loved. “Sweet and pure” are the perfect words I think. With a little vibrato added they were perfect……….

Benjamin Allen Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Benjamin Allen Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece was fun to play. After reviewing all of Ben’s tenor mouthpieces and now his alto prototype it is obvious that he knows what he is doing! I can’t wait to try this mouthpiece when the final product comes out in a bigger tip opening that I am more comfortable with.

If you like the sound of the clip below and the mouthpiece catches your interest then please contact Ben and get on the list to get one when it comes out! You can contact Benjamin Allen at his website at Allenmouthpieces.com. Tell him Steve sent you………….Great work Ben!!

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve

Benjamin Allen Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

Today’s review is of a very used Ted Klum London model tenor saxophone mouthpiece that a friend of mine was nice enough to let me try. Ted Klum is a great sax mouthpiece maker and refacer who has a great reputation among saxophone players. His site is www.tedklummouthpieces.com. It has been quite a while since I have reviewed one of Ted Klum’s saxophone mouthpieces and he has come out with a variety of models since I first reviewed one of his mouthpieces way back in 2009.

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The day I received this mouthpiece in the mail, I also received an email from the sender warning me that it might be wise to wear ear protection as I test this mouthpiece out! I already had a pretty good idea that this mouthpiece would pack a serious punch from looking at the height and shape of the baffle coupled with the small chamber.

The first thing I noticed when taking this mouthpiece out of the package was that this is one of the heaviest sax mouthpieces I have tried. This is a solid piece of brass! Much heavier than the other metal mouthpieces I have that is for sure……..

As you can see from the picture below, the table on this mouthpiece is pretty worn out from lots of playing I assume. It is not uncommon for saliva to eat away at the plating on different mouthpieces over time. The rate at which this happens is also connected to the body chemistry of the player I would imagine. The mouthpiece still played well and got a seal with reeds so if the wear has any affect on the facing of this mouthpiece I could not tell.

Addition: I heard from a friend that what causes the corrosion on the table is leaving wet reeds on the mouthpiece. Here’s what he wrote: “P.S. Regarding the cause of the corrosion on the table: It’s not saliva, per se, it’s the fact that it is wet. It sets up a local galvanic cell that corrodes the plating.” This makes sense as I had the same thing happen to an old Sugal SGI mouthpiece and I left a reed on that almost always………

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I refer to the type of baffle in the Ted Klum London model as a scooped out baffle or bullet baffle. You see this kind of baffle a lot in Berg Larsen mouthpieces typically. The baffle is a high smooth rollover type that has a scoop out of it at the bottom in the shape of a bullet. The sidewalls are straight and don’t open up until they reach the chamber. I would consider the chamber to be small in my opinion.

The affect of this high baffle and small chamber is that you get an extremely powerful and focused sound to the tone. The high baffle and small chamber give the air and sound less of a space to travel through and when they reach the horn I feel like it is similar to when you put your finger over the end of the hose as water is coming out. It speeds up the water and you get a more focused and powerful stream.

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I first tried the London model mouthpiece with a 2 1/2 strong Rigotti Gold reed but found that to be too soft. I then tried a 3 Light which seemed perfect to me. My first thought as I played a few notes was “Yep, this is really loud!” The danger with high baffle and small chamber mouthpieces is sometimes the sound can be thin in the upper register. I didn’t feel that with the London model though. The tone was brighter and could be edgy but it still sounded fat and big to me.

Because of the high baffle and small chamber, the London model needed to be further out on my neck cork than a typical Otto Link style mouthpiece. I would say that this mouthpiece sat at about a 1/4 to 1/3 of a ways on my cork to be in tune.

I would put this saxophone mouthpiece in the same category of sound as some of the great Berg’s I have reviewed on this site or the Drake Pete Christlieb mouthpiece. The baffle and chamber shape are very similar in all those pieces…………

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I made one clip of this mouthpiece but decided to offer one version dry and one with a little bit of reverb. Nothing fancy, just the general reverb that garageband has. You could hear in the clips below that the altissimo was pretty easy to get. There is a quality in the altissimo notes that I really liked. As I write this and listen to the clip it’s hard for me to find the right words to describe it. It sounds bright, edgy at times and a bit aggressive. The tone has almost a ringing metallic sound to me. That really doesn’t make any sense but that is what comes to my mind as I listen back to the clip.

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Ted Klum London Model is a great sax mouthpiece for those looking for volume to cut through the mix on the gig. I would consider it a great mouthpiece for R&B sax playing or soloing where you have to cut through a loud band playing modern music. You can hear in the clip where I lay back a bit and it is workable for some jazz playing. It’s important to mention that I was in know way playing at 100% volume during any portion of this clip. I think I took it to maybe 80% at times. This is the kind of mouthpieces that you can really push to get that extra volume when needed that is for sure………..

If you enjoy the clip, don’t be dissuaded by the worn table picture above. Contact Ted Klum and get a London Model saxophone mouthpiece for yourself. I know Ted Klum puts out the very best sax mouthpieces and your London model will be sparkling new and perfect!

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Dry

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Reverb

Today I am reviewing another great mouthpiece by Rafael Navarro. This is a hard rubber “Bob Mintzer” Bop Boy model. I have reviewed most of Rafael Navarro’s tenor models in the past. In the beginning, he was kind enough to send me a bunch to review but after a while he started getting busier as his business picked up. At a certain point, I really wanted to review the Bob Mintzer “Bebop Special” and “Bop Boy” but every time I talked to Rafael he didn’t have any available for me to review. I finally tracked down a Bebop Special a year or two ago but the Bop Boy has been more elusive for me to get my hands on. Persistence does pay off however as I finally found one last week!!

Rafael Navarro “Bob Mintzer” Bop Boy Tenor Mouthpiece

This is a hard rubber Bop Boy with a 7** tip opening which is the perfect tip opening for my tastes as I prefer tips around .105-.115. It appears to be in mint condition to my eyes as I don’t see a mark on it and the table, rails and tip look perfect to me.

The Bop Boy has an almost Guardala height rollover baffle in it that then descends down into the back of the chamber of the mouthpiece. The baffle looks pretty flat as I look at it from the tip but when it starts descending into the chamber it has a scooped shape to it as it meets the rounded curve of the round chamber walls. The roof of the chamber underneath the table looks to be expanded outward also making the chamber bigger.

Rafael Navarro “Bob Mintzer” Bop Boy Tenor Mouthpiece

Now, you would think with a baffle that high that the Bop Boy would be incredible bright but I did not find that to be the case at all. Yes, it has some brightness and edge when pushed but much darker and fatter than I had anticipated especially when played at lower volumes. I would consider this another middle of the road type mouthpiece that straddles that line between a hard rubber Otto Link and a Guardala type concept. The Bop Boy joins these two extremes and attempts to meet somewhere in the middle.

Even though I have reviewed quite a few of these middle of the road type mouthpieces in the past, there can be a variety of differences between each of them. One will lean to the bright side, one might lean to the dark, one might be more spread, one might be more focused, etc……… These differences are what each player must wrestle with to find his mouthpiece and sound.

Rafael Navarro “Bob Mintzer” Bop Boy Tenor Mouthpiece

I ended up on a 3 Medium Rigotti Gold reed for the clip below. I didn’t try a D’Addario Select Jazz but now that I’m writing this review I’m wondering what that would do to the sound. In general, I find that the Select Jazz reeds tend to darken the tone and take some of the edge off of the sound of the Rigotti Gold reeds. I’ll have to try those out at a future date.

As I start the sound clip, you can hear that the mouthpiece has a spread darker almost more classical sound to it. At the :52 mark I put some more air into the piece and it gets a bit more powerful and brighter. At 2:14 I put more air through it and it gets even more focused and even brighter. It seems that at softer volumes the Bop Boy has more of a spread sound to the tone but when pushed like at 3:14 it becomes more focused to my ears. At 3:47 I start messing with perfect fourths a bit (I’ve been practicing them for the last few months………)

The point of my detailed description of the sound clip above is that the Bop Boy can be played in a variety of ways to produce a variety of tones. At 3:14 I am pushing it at about 85% but this mouthpieces can be pushed even further if you so desire.

Rafael Navarro “Bob Mintzer” Bop Boy Tenor Mouthpiece

The intonation on the Navarro Bob Mintzer Bop Boy was terrific in my opinion and the mouthpiece played really smooth and evenly throughout the range of the saxophone also.

The altissimo was especially easy on this mouthpiece as you can hear from the sound clip below. I really liked the balance of the dark spread sound that could get more focused and bright when pushed! Seems like a good candidate for a mouthpiece that you could play a solo on “It Had to Be You” and then rip into “Respect” for the next song of the set.

Rafael Navarro “Bob Mintzer” Bop Boy Tenor Mouthpiece

The Rafael Navarro “Bob Mintzer” Bop Boy Tenor Mouthpiece was a complete joy to play. If you like the sound of the clip below and the mouthpiece catches your interest then give it a try. You can contact Rafael on his website.

Tell him Steve sent you………….

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve

Rafael Navarro “Bob Mintzer” Bop Boy Tenor Mouthpiece

In an effort to mix things up a bit, I am now reviewing a new J7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Fred Lamberson. Earlier this week, I reviewed the Ted Klum London model tenor mouthpiece which was probably one of the loudest and brightest mouthpieces I have played but now I turn my attention to the darker side of the saxophone tone.

I have always been a fan of Lamberson mouthpieces and throughout the years I think I have owned all of his models at one time or another. I have a J7 that I think was probably one of my first reviews on this site going back to 2007. Original Lamberson J7 Review If you look at that review, I think it’s pretty funny how far I have come in my reviewing skills. The original review is one paragraph, one picture and one :25 second sound clip. I didn’t even know what to write about. I basically said “It’s awesome!” Check it out!”

As I say in that old review, that J7 Lamberson is a very versatile mouthpiece for me. I’ve played tons of jazz gigs on that piece plus lots of dance sets. Looking at it, you wouldn’t think it could cut a loud dance set but I could get enough highs and edge out of it to make it work. Here’s a clip of the old J7 with a loud wedding band.

Lamberson J7 1920 Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

A few weeks ago, I heard from a friend that Fred Lamberson had a few J7’s he had just made ready to be bought. I immediately jumped on that as I loved mine so much I wanted to try some more. As Fred and I exchanged emails, he said he was experimenting with a new hard rubber for him called “1920” hard rubber. He was still feeling it out but he said it seemed darker and more resonant than the old hard rubber he had been previously using. I was immediately interested as my old Lamberson seems to really like soft 2 1/2 reeds and tends to get a bit bright when pushed. I was hoping to find something with the same texture and character of tone but slightly darker so I ordered a 1920 J7 to try out. Fred cranked out the 1920 J7 and I got it a couple of weeks later.

Lamberson J7 1920 Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I immediately opened the package when I received it. The mouthpiece looked great and had that same hard rubber smell all his hard rubber pieces do. (I love that smell…….)

Many times the chambers on Lamberson mouthpieces have signs of being worked on. You can usually see scratch marks and sanding marks where Mr. Lamberson had been working on them. I don’t mind this as it is the way a sax mouthpiece plays that is important to me. My original J7 mouthpiece has marks all inside it and the chamber is not perfectly round but it plays incredibly well and is one of my favorite pieces so who cares!

The truth be told, I kind of like the idea of each mouthpiece being different and unique. We live in a world these days where everything is CNC produced to a cookie cutter mold and a perfect design replicated a thousand times……There is nothing wrong with that but there is something about owning a mouthpiece that is unique and individual. A mouthpiece that is the only one like it in the world! That is kind of cool. Fred Lamberson has high standards from what I can tell after playing so many of his sax mouthpieces but I get the distinct impression that each of his mouthpiece is a unique creation in it’s own right.

It makes me wonder if Mr. Lamberson works on a piece, plays it, works on it, plays it, etc…..and at some point plays it and says “That is perfect! That is what this hard rubber was meant to be! I’m not going to touch it anymore.”

Lamberson J7 1920 Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Although there are signs of work inside the chamber, the outside of the mouthpiece looks perfect. Beautifully made and perfectly engraved. The tip, rails and table are perfect.

My original J7 sax mouthpiece plays well with Vandoren Java 2 1/2 reeds so I tried one of those on this new J7 mouthpiece but it was way too soft. I started trying different Rigotti Gold reeds on it and ended up with a 3 Light that was perfect. That is what I am playing on in the sound clip below.

Lamberson J7 1920 Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

This piece plays very DARK for me. If Batman, Darth Vader or Sauron played saxophone, I’m pretty sure this is the mouthpiece they would use. (Sorry,,,,,,,,nerd reference to Dark Knight, Dark Side of the Force and Dark Lord) I don’t know if it is the 1920 hard rubber or the design of this specific mouthpiece but it is about as dark a piece as I have played. Even up high in the range of the saxophone and into the altissimo the piece still stayed dark, full and vibrant.

Lamberson J7 1920 Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The sound is very even throughout the range of the horn and the intonation is very good. I could get pretty loud with the volume although I think the lack of higher partials in the sound make the loudness less cutting to my ear and the tone more subdued. It still sounds rich and textured to me in the sound clip though.

Lamberson J7 1920 Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

One of the number one questions I get asked by seekers of new mouthpieces is “Steve, I’m looking for a super dark mouthpiece, what do you suggest?” This Lamberson J7 1920 is definitely in that category. That being said, a mouthpiece with this kind of dark lush tone probably isn’t the best choice for a loud rock band but if you are into a darker jazz type sound (think Mark Turner/Seamus Blake) this might be a good choice for you. If the sound clip below interests you, you can contact Fred Lamberson through his website at www.lambersonmouthpieces.com.

Lamberson J7 1920 Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Today, I am reviewing the new Bill Evans Signature Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece. Now, before I go further I must add a disclaimer:

Warning: This is one the most expensive mouthpieces on the market that I know of right now. (1695.00 US) If you do not want to be tempted by a mouthpiece that you can’t possibly afford: Do not read further! Do not listen to the sound clip below! Neffmusic.com does not accept any liability for any debt you may incur after reading this review.

There, I have done my civic duty, now lets get on with the review……………

Bill Evans Signature Series 1AO Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The good thing about having a saxophone website and doing a lot of reviews, is that I get to meet a ton of sax players online everyday. A couple of weeks ago, one of these friends of mine emailed me and asked “Hey Steve, would you want to do a review of the new Bill Evans Signature mouthpiece? I have one I can let you borrow.” I immediately responded knowing that I would probably never buy one of these at the price point it is being sold at and said “I would love to!” I guess would be similar to having a friend call me up and say “Hey Steve, Want to borrow my Lamborghini for a week and drive all around town?” “Hell, Yeah!!!”

Bill Evans is a sax player I have been following since back in the 80’s. I believe I first heard of him when he was playing with Miles Davis. Since that time I have bought many if not all of his solo recordings. I’ve always loved his playing!

Bill Evans Signature Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

When the Bill Evans’ saxophone mouthpiece was first released, it caused quite a controversy on social media. SOTW and Facebook were aflame with commenters that are seemingly defender’s of keeping consumer products within a certain range of affordability. People were aghast that anyone would have the nerve to ask such a high price for a mouthpiece. As people tend to do when they can’t have something, they started to find reasons why they didn’t want this new expensive mouthpiece. Comments such as “why’s he asking so much for a mouthpiece and why is he wearing a bandana? He’s hiding something!” I won’t go into the rest of the assorted comments but let’s just say that none of the people commenting had even tried the mouthpiece that I could tell.

The mouthpiece is called the 1AO model which Bill Evans says stands for his “one and only”. Here’s a quote from his website:

“1AO – I call it the “One and Only” because it’s the only mouthpiece I’ve played throughout my entire career.

In 1980, Michael Brecker spent many months painstakingly working with a craftsman creating a totally “handmade” mouthpiece. They meticulously refined all of the things Mike didn’t like in other mouthpieces : stuffiness, too open or too closed, too much high end or too much low end, ease of playing in the altissimo, etc.

They created a mouthpiece that was extremely dynamic and freeflowing, truly one of a kind. In 1981, I was fortunate enough to try this mouthpiece and it immediately blew me away. At that moment the love affair began and has been going strong ever since. With much enthusiasm and permission from Mike, I was able to buy this mouthpiece. I’ve been playing it ever since that first day I tried it in 1981. Over time I made a few small changes to make it even better, and VOILA!

It’s super refined design makes it very easy to get a good reed as well (as horn players, you know exactly what Im talking about).

At every step of the manufacturing process this mouthpiece was meticulously attended to by the finest of tradesmen including : machinists, design engineers, polishers and platers. It took over 4 years to complete this process.

I’ve tried most of the mouthpieces on the market today, and if something played better, I’d be playing it. 35 years in, I still haven’t played a better mouthpiece. Period. -Bill Evans

Every mouthpiece has been personally tested and hand finished by Bill himself.

This mouthpiece is guaranteed lead free with 24 carat gold plating and is constructed of only the highest quality brass.”

Bill Evans Signature Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Just to clear things up, in the description above the “craftsman” mentioned was Dave Guardala. Evidently, Mr. Guardala made Michael Brecker this perfect mouthpiece and Mike was nice enough to sell it to Bill when he asked if he could buy it. Bill Evans had a few changes made to the piece over the years and now the 1AO is available to any who may wish to have it (and that have 1695.00……)

Also, notice in the quote above that Bill Evans hand finishes each mouthpiece himself which is quite impressive in my opinion. I didn’t know that mouthpiece refacing was one of Bill’s hobbies…………

Now to the review, the Bill Evans’ 1AO that I am reviewing today has been played by at least two players that I know of and is used so there are some signs of use on it. Marks on the body from the ligature, slight scratches on the table and slight marks on the tip rail and side rails.

The mouthpiece comes with a red mouthpiece cap with Bill Evan’s name on it as well as a gold ligature with the Bill Evans’ name. The ligature body looks exactly like a Selmer 402 alto ligature but gold. The screws are a different shape than the Selmer 402 but everything else about the design looks the same.

One point of contention is that the Bill Evans’ ligature on this piece seems too big. Maybe one of the last owners cranked down on the screws and stretched it out but right now with the screws all the way closed, the ligature is barely tight enough to hold the reed on. In fact, when I adjust the mouthpiece on the cork, the ligature would move on the mouthpiece. Like I said, this isn’t new so I can’t speak for how they fit brand new but it would be nice to see them built a little smaller so they can’t stretch to be ineffective.

The baffle is a typical Guardala shaped shelf baffle but is rounded off at the ledge as it descends down to the chamber. The sidewalls look straight to my eye.

The big difference between this Bill Evans’ sax mouthpiece and every other Guardala mouthpiece I have tried is the tip opening. The Bill Evans’ mouthpiece feels like it is around a .105 tip opening which is a 7*. Every Guardala I have owned and played has been around a .115 tip opening. The Bill Evans’ website is a bit vague when it comes to the tip size in that it says the tip of the 1AO is somewhere between a 7 and a 8. (I’m hoping whoever is working on the mouthpieces is a bit more precise than that!)

Bill Evans Signature Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Bill Evans Signature series 1AO tenor saxophone mouthpiece threw me off at first. I assumed that at a .105 tip opening that a harder reed would be the best bet on it so I tried a Rigotti Gold 3 Light…..too hard. 2 1/2 Strong……too hard. 2 1/2 Medium……too hard. Finally, I decided to try a Vandoren Java 2 1/2. I had one last new one that I found laying in the depths of my saxophone case luckily. I put it on and it was perfect in my mind. That is what I played on the recording below.

Bill Evans Signature Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The biggest difference between the other Guardala type pieces I have played and this one is the tip opening. In my mind the .105 tip makes the Bill Evans 1AO much easier to play and more focused I think. I had no problems morphing between louder R@B type playing and jazz playing. The mouthpiece can be played so that the tone is warm and round or you can push it to get more brightness and edge out of it. You can decide for yourself as you listen to the clips below.

The articulation was clean and crisp and the altissimo was a breeze. The intonation was very good also. The tone was very even up and down the horn and between the registers.

Bill Evans Signature Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I’ve provided two samples of the same clip below. One is a clip with added reverb and the other is a dry clip in a moderate sized room. I think it’s important to add the reverb clip just so people can get a sense of what the sound is like with a little bit of that added affect since most studio recordings of Bill Evans and Michael Brecker have some reverb added.

I tried to add a variety of styles and sounds to the clip. To be honest, when I recorded the clip, I pushed record and then played for awhile. When I went to edit it, it was 30 minutes long. I couldn’t believe it. I had a hard time editing it down as I thought I played a lot of cool ideas on it. In the end I got it down to about 6 minutes. More than my usual clips but I got carried away a bit………Sorry!

Bill Evans Signature Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Bill Evans Signature saxophone mouthpiece is right up there with some of the best high baffle tenor mouthpieces I have played on. For me, I think this piece and the Shizhao Pilgrimage I reviewed a few weeks ago are my favorite high baffle mouthpiece I have played to date. Like I have said numerous times already, these sell for 1695.00 so if you read this review, listen to the clip, look at your bank account and decide this mouthpiece is worth a try, you can purchase one on the Bill Evan’s mouthpiece website.

Now, that being said, after one of these review I always get emails “Steve, is it worth it?” “Is it that much better than so and so mouthpiece?” “Should I buy it?” I can’t answer those questions for you, all I can say is that it is a very good mouthpiece. I would even say great mouthpiece. I would take it hands down over any of the Guardala pieces I have owned over the years. For me, it’s about being comfortable with that .105 tip opening. This piece feels like home for me as far as tip opening which is nice. That being said, I don’t have 1695.00 laying around somewhere waiting to get spent so I’m not off to order one tonight. (3 girls coming up on their college years so I have other stuff I should be saving for…….) I do fully acknowledge however that I would like to own one of these. Maybe someday when I’m rich and famous…….

Congratulations to Bill Evans for making an excellent well crafted mouthpiece! Great Job!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and if you get a Bill Evans’ Signature Series saxophone mouthpiece be sure to come back and let us know what you think below……..Thanks!!

Bill Evans Signature Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Dry

Bill Evans Signature Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Added Reverb

Vigilante Detroit Rock Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Phil-Tone & Theo Wanne Mosaic Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece (Updated)

RS Berkeley Legends Dexter Gordon Tenor Sax Mouthpiece

9 Great Tenor Saxophone Mouthpieces to Compare

Lamberson J7

SP Link (BP refaced to .110)

JVW STM Link .110 (JVW baffle)

EB HR Link (BP reface to .110)

Ponzol SS M2 .110

Florida STM 8 (refaced to .105 by BP)

Brian Powell Modern STM (.108)

Phil-Tone HR .105

Ken Okutsu High Baffle Tenor Mouthpiece Review

Features

David Mann’s Tenor Saxophone Robusto Blues Transcription

David Mann’s Tenor Saxophone Robusto Funky Solo Transcription

Bejamin Allen Dagradi Model Tenor Mouthpiece Review

BULLET POINTS ABOUT THE DAGRADI MODEL:

Vandoren V16 T7 Medium Metal Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

BULLET POINTS ABOUT THE VANDOREN V16 T7 MODEL:

Vandoren V16 T7 Large Metal Tenor Mouthpiece Review

BULLET POINTS ABOUT THE VANDOREN V16 T7 MODEL:

10mFan Robusto Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

“ROBUSTO” HARD RUBBER: FOR ME, THIS IS GREATEST ALL-AROUND HARD RUBBER JAZZ MOUTHPIECE I’VE EVER PLAYED

Ken Okutsu Traditional Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Features

Ken Okutsu Focus Core Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Features

Ken Okutsu Traditional II Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Features

Ken Okutsu High Baffle Mouthpiece Alto Saxophone Review

Features

Benjamin Allen Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Rafael Navarro “Bob Mintzer” Bop Boy Tenor Mouthpiece Review

Lamberson J7 1920 Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Bill Evans Signature Series Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review