This is a Vandoren tenor sax mouthpiece I picked up in a local music store for a student of mine. I tried a Vandoren T7 and this Vandoren T6 and I liked this T6 quite a bit more on my tenor. It has a long roll over baffle that continues right down into the chamber. The chamber looks smaller to me than a hard rubber otto link so it gives it a bit more focus and pop to the sound.
This T6 plays very well with a nice crisp sound to it. I have heard some people say that these new V16′s are similar to old slant signature hard rubber links. This one has a nice middle of the road sound. You can play softer and get a bit darker and mellower sound for those tenor ballads or if you lay into it you can get a pretty bright and loud sound for the wailin’ rock tenor solos. Vandoren mouthpieces have always been one of the more consistent brands out there. I’ve never played a bad Vandoren. I think my student is really going to love this piece. It’s a great step up from his Yamaha 4C he has now. Let me know what you think. Listen………
It does have a very nice sound, do they have any for the alto
Hey Steve and commenter,
I have a T9 and an A8- so yes it is available for alto (T stands for tenor, A stands for alto in their system).
I really like the sound. The only problem with the narrower tip openings seemed to be a lack of volume- but that’s only an issue if you play with loud groups.
Nice sound! Does the T7 and T8 (that Kirk Whalum plays) have the same long roll over baffle?
I played a T7 that I didn’t care for at all. It didn’t have a nice core sound to me. All mouthpieces are different though so I might try another T7 that is amazing. I have learned not to judge a mouthpiece line on one mouthpiece that I tried.
wow, nice tone. What reed / reed size are you using here?
I was using a Java 3 on that mouthpiece. I sold it to a student of mine and he sounds pretty darn good on it!
I’m going down to Long and MqQuade today to pick up this mouthpiece, lets hope I make somethin’ out of it!!!
I like the overall sound of this. Steve is spot on about it being mellow or bright edgy whichever the player wants. Altissimo notes are also easy on this piece, it just pops out.
Funnily enough I just tried a T7 and a T6 today and was surprised to find the T7 much smoother, with a fuller core.. whereas the T6 seemed empty. But that’s just what Steve was saying.. right?
I think I said I liked the T6 better compared to the T7 that I tried………………
What I meant is that each mouthpiece is different, especially these V16s that are hand finished. The T6 lacked pop for me whereas the T7 I tried was full of itself.
Thanks for you help Steve.