Hey JF. I read your piece on the Guardella MP’s and am excited but am wondering about a few points particularly about how you can say with such conviction that they are the ONE for us all. Given the confused state I am in right now about MP science how can we be sure that this is THE ONE for opening, sound we are seeking and our playing ability. Don’t get me wrong, I (we) all trust your view almost implicitly but it’s a big gamble if you fork out $600 and you can’t play it! Is it the case you would want to have been playing for a couple of years and be settled on your embouchure and technique first? Can’t wait to hear the demos. Make them a good few minutes long and please play a range of styles which I am sure you will.

@ sxpoet, yes! I have the King for tenor as well. that’s the one I’d recommend for alto for the brighter sound and the Studio model as well.
what did you pay for it last year?

@ Dazza, I can’t argue those great points with you, we’re all different. these are not cheap mp’s, that’s the whole point though. If you’ve been bouncing around from this and that not-so-great-mp’s then you’ll most likely be amazed when you blow into one of these…that’s what happened to me. I can’t imagine anyone that’s been playing for a few years not being able to play one, rather the opposite.

But I never meant to imply that they’re the one for everybody. Those just starting out need not jump on these yet!

Dazza, how long have you been playing and what are you playing on now, and what were you playing on before?

Dazza, you bringing up a good point. I am going to go to a local music store here in Hollywood California to try out different mouthpieces. Hopefully they will have some vintage mouthpieces like what Johnny plays or has been playing that I can try out. Like I was told,” a mouthpiece is like buying a pair of shoes. They must fit, feel comfortable, and have the performance that I like”. I bought a mouthpiece a year or so (berg Larsen 110) and now I have to buy another one because it’s not bright in tone but a deeper darker tone. I think it’s good for softer mellow playing if that makes sense. So, here I go spending more cash for a new mouthpiece. So, I’ve learned to play the mouthpieces first before I purchase a medium or higher priced mouthpiece. I think Johnny would agree but on the other hand I’ve never tried a high end mouthpiece before ($600-900). So, I will try to see if the music store will let me play the high end mouthpieces. If I play a vintage mouthpiece like Johnny has and I like it. I will surely like the discount that Johnny can get us. I believe you must play the mouthpiece first since we are learning and not quite pro’s. That’s my take on this subject.

Hi Sxpoet, I would just like to thank you for your comment regarding the difference between playing the Tenor and Alto. When I was playing the Tenor the other day I experimented whilst playing the reed, and discovered that with much lighter pressure the reed performs better. Johnny also advised me to play with the MP deeper in my mouth, and all these tips have made a major improvement to the quality of my tone. Thanks for the solid advice guys!