which mouthpiece

[george moody]

hello jonny , ive got two Tenors Selmar Paris 111 and the other is a Buescher Atistocrat 200 and i need a bit of advice on which mothpiece to buy, at the moment i am using a metal bobby dukoff d 5 but it reaching the end of its life so it needs replacing, i want that little bit more when it comes to the high screaming notes and a full warm rich tone which is lacking at the moment and i'm thinking more for the Selmar than the Buescher what would you go for say on a budget of £250, many thanks for this great site.george

[john]

Hi George, well, I've written and talked about a few mouthpieces but to this day my favorite for all-round playing is the Guardala.

There are so many out there now it can make you dizzy. The hard part is trying to get your hands on them to see for yourself.

I get my rock and blues sound from Dave Guardala mouthpiece with a Vandoren Jazz cut #3 reed. This has been my set-up for many years. It's not like I haven't tried anything else, just haven't tried anything I've like better.

Having said all that, everyone is different and this set-up might not be your perfect one. The only way is to try things for yourself.

Here is my article on Guardala pieces, and yes they are under your price range I think…
https://howtoplaysaxophone.org/guardala-mouthpieces

[Saxfella]

An observation I would make regarding the question about what mpc to beg,borrow, buy or steal. It would seem that is the eternal question for saxophonists and one usually gets a guarded reply which to me is correct. Given everyone’s particular oral cavity shape, the absence or present of x number of teeth, make of sax, reed choice and mpc there can be no definitive answer. One has just got to experiment.
The real question is more likely where do I find a source for all the experimentation that must take place. If you live in the Halifax, NS area, as I do, one is basically out of luck. One can order mpcs from the one major music store but this is a very laborious process. Insofar as finding a used mpc source I’m not sure those wonderful source people that existed years ago have not moved on to greener pastures.
Saxophonists seem to believe that they will be “touched” in some way, but there is no silver bullet. That thought, while depressing is realistic.
Some or most of us have several mpcs, which while not working for us, might work for someone else. But how can we help each other? Forum members may choose to weigh in and I would welcome your observations

[john]

It’s tough thing for people that live in an area that doesn’t have a major store to actually go and try a mp. We can order online but until you try it you’ll never know, no matter how many other have raved about it. But the same goes for reeds. It’s trial and error until you find the one that works best. I think we all have to just try several along the way until we have a small collection of our own to judge from, and then looking at your favorite’s characteristics, eg, facing, bore, chamber etc you are now more educated for what your next one must have. From there it’s a matter of zeroing in on the most popular brands and makes that are out there. You basically have the old established ones and the newer up and coming names that you hear some positive comments from.

We can help each other by sharing experiences on what we are using. If you mean in some way to trade, lend, sell etc then sure, but that can get a little complicated and you’d have to have some trust with who you are dealing with I suppose. I’m sure most of us hear are honest people but there is nothing set up to guarantee safe transactions etc.

[Tj]

Believe it or not, I have been searching for that perfect rock sound, but right now I have resorted back to my hard rubber Yanigasawa, pls excuse the spelling if incorrect. It seems to sound as good as my other metal ones which are a Berg Larson, Ney York Otto Link, and a SR Tech. I also am admitting I am a long shot from being pro but the yani mpc still has some bite and projection to it. It is also very easy to control. I will be in the market to try a metal Guardala or a V16 as soon as funds are available and as I improve I will keep using my Berg Larson but for now just want to sum up that the Yanigasawa is a great mpc

[john]

Yes, the rock sound isn’t only achieved with a metal mp, many players get it with several hard rubber ones and some will even hail them over metal. I’m sure if I took the time to keep the search going I’d eventually find one I like almost or as good as my Guardala. The last time I blew thru a few it was the Theo Wanne ones that were really nice, but they were priced around $600 so I stayed put.

[Fergus O Sullivan]

I agree totally with tgeorge68, as it’s a Yani T902 I play I get a great tone from the hard rubber mpc that came with mine the only other mpc I’ve tryed
is a Morgan no 6 which I didn’t like at all, the tone was away too thinny for my liking so I’ve stuck to the Yani mpc and even got a few comments on how nice a tone I had, but not from sax players just regular joe soaps at my gigs!!!!!!!!!!!

[john]

Ha, joe soaps,. I like that. You don’t need a metal mp to get a good rock sound, they were doing it in the 40′ and early 50’s before the metal ones were around.
Here’s a good read and look at some old classic mp’s from Theo’s site:
http://theowanne.com/knowledge/mouthpiece-museum/selmer

[Bob Inglis]

Hi,
I’ve just bought a Charles Lakey Black Aluminium Tenor mpc 6, having read some good write ups on the net. It definitely lives up to the reviews.
Easy Blowing and a great tone. I have also a Bari Hawk 7* which I find difficult to play, very edgy.
I also have a Hard Rubber Eugene Rousseau Jazz Model JDX6 Which I find very good too.
If anybody fancy a Bari Hawk make me an offer!!

[Bob Inglis]

PS. The Charles Lakey was compared favourably to the Theo Wanne mpc’s but at less than 50% of the price, mine was discounted from the RRP.

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