MacSax FJIII Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

If you look at the pictures here of the FJIII and compare them to the pictures of my Warburton LA tenor mouthpiece review (also made by Eric Falcon), you can see some similarities between the two mouthpiece designs.  Both have a similar body and long elongated window.  The baffles seem to be a similar length but if you look closely you can see that there are some differences.  The baffle in the FJIII is lower than the LA mouthpiece.  It also has a straight edge at the end of the baffle where the LA model has a little trench or pit.

Although, I loved the LA models volume and fatness, in the end I thought it was a bit too bright for what I’m looking for in a tenor mouthpiece.   I was very interested in trying the FJIII because it has the lower baffle which I knew would give it a darker sound.

MacSax FJIII Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Boy was I right,  the MacSax FJIII is a much darker mouthpiece than the Warburton LA model.  Besides how incredibly free blowing it is,  I didn’t find much in common with it and the LA.  I don’t know what Eric does with these mouthpiece to get them to blow so easily but they are incredibly freeblowing. Personally, I  like a bit of resistance when I play the sax so playing this mouthpiece was a bit of an adjustment for me.  It is an 8 (.110) tip opening.  Usually when I play .110 tips,  a 2 1/2 reed works great.  The first 2 1/2 I put on blew like a wet noodle.   There was nothing to it.  I tried a few other 2 1/2′s and experienced the same thing.  When I moved up to a 3 I expected it to be too hard but even the 3′s were too free blowing for me.  What I really wanted was a 3 1/2 but I didn’t have any so I had to make due with the Rigotti 3 that I played on this clip.  It was slightly harder than the others in the box and I thought it was a good match for this mouthpiece.

The tone of this mouthpiece is very dark in my opinion.  It does have a bit of kick and guts to it when you really blow but the overall tone is thick, rich and dark.  The response and intonation were good.  The volume was ok for me.  I couldn’t get as much as I would like but it was certainly enough to play a smokin’ jazz gig with.  The lack of brightness in the tone would make it hard to play a loud R&B or rock gig on this piece in my opinion.

The free blowing aspect of the mouthpiece was the hardest thing for me to wrestle with.  I feel like a certain bit of resistance lets me push against the sound and mold it easier.  In that way, I can be more expressive.  I did gain some resistance with the harder Rigotti 3 reed but still wasn’t feeling the resistance that I normally like when I play.  I would think that over time, I could get used to the way the mouthpiece blew and be able to adjust to it.

MacSax FJIII Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The mouthpiece comes with a neat looking Rovner Platinum ligature that looks cool and hip.  I’m not a big fan of ligatures that clamp on the outside edges of the reed.  This is what the Rovner did.  To me, it made the tone more hollow sounding.  When I put on the Rovner Eddie Daniels ligature the tone was much more centered and focused sounding for me.   This is just my opinion so you guys that think ligatures don’t matter can do what you want with this opinion.

Overall,  I believe this is a very good mouthpiece if you like free blowing and dark.  This would be an especially good choice for any of you who have tried the Warburton LA model but found it too bright for your tastes.  This has the same free blowing feel of the LA mouthpiece but is quite a bit darker and lusher sounding.  If your interested in trying one of these mouthpieces yourself, visit MacSax.com.  and talk to Eric Falcon yourself.  Thanks so much to Eric and MacSax for sending me this FJIII tenor mouthpiece to review.

MacSax FJIII Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Marmaduke Large Chamber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

This Marmaduke LC (Large Chamber) tenor saxophone mouthpiece looks great.  The tip and rails are thin and even. The tip matches the shape of my Vandoren reeds perfectly.  The mouthpiece has a slight rollover baffle. The chamber  looks to be similar in size to a hard rubber Otto Link size chamber.

Marmaduke Large Chamber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The 7* (.105 tip opening) had a very rich complex sound to my ears.  In comparison to the normal Marmaduke mouthpiece in the review above,  I feel that this mouthpiece is a bit darker and richer in tone.  I played a Vandoren Java 2 1/2 reed on it and that reed was perfect for it. The intonation was normal and the response was clean and immediate.  The low end had a smokey round quality to the tone.  I had a lot of fun sub-toning on this mouthpiece.  I loved the rich low end.

Many times, with a large chambered piece you will gain a darker richer tone but lose a bit of volume and brightness from other mouthpieces that have a smaller chamber and/or higher baffle.  This mouthpiece had a nice full tone and volume  even with the larger chamber.  I don’t think I would choose it for a loud rock gig because of the darker tone but this would be a great mouthpiece to go out and play a burning jazz set with.

Marmaduke Large Chamber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

If your interested in trying one of these mouthpieces yourself, visit Marmaduke Mouthpieces and talk to Alex Miyatake yourself or you can also get them at Saxccessories.com.  Thanks so much to Alex for sending me this LC tenor mouthpiece to review.

Marmaduke Large Chamber Tenor Mouthpiece

About a year ago, I reviewed  the Kanee O7 and V7 custom tenor mouthpieces.  These were great playing mouthpieces that were introduced to the market at a very affordable price. These first models were called the custom series.  The florida model I am reviewing today is from the professional series which is a new line from Kanee.

The new Florida models are made out of a brushed hard rubber instead of the shiny glossy hard rubber of the O7 and V7.  Also,  the side walls are rounded so that these new pieces are more akin to the vintage Otto Link style of mouthpieces.

The Kanee mouthpieces are made by the Kanee company is China. The company was founded in 2004 and specializes in woodwind accessories manufacturing.

Kanee “Florida” Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Kanee Florida model I have is a 7 tip opening.  It came in a nice wood box with a sliding top on it.  Inside the box, the mouthpiece is well protected by cushioning on all sides of it.

The mouthpiece looks to be very well made.  Like I said  above,  the rubber isn’t shiny and glossy like the Kanee “custom” models but has more of a brushed look to it.  I personally think that this look is pretty cool although the rubber does seem to mark easily from ligatures and mouthpieces patches.  The table looks flat and the rails and tip look even.  The shape of the tip is very close to  the shape of my Vandoren Java reed tip which is a good sign.

Kanee “Florida” Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

This mouthpiece has a nice and high rollover baffle right at the tip that is very short and then descends down into the medium to large chamber.  The baffle and chamber look to be very similar to my Early Babbitt Florida link.  To my eye they look to be very close.  The only difference that I can see is that my EB Florida link looks to have a larger bore to it.
The mouthpieces played well and I found it smooth and even up and down the horn.  The high rollover baffle at the top of the baffle gives the tone  some nice highs and power.  It has a bit of a “zing” and “sizzle” to the tone.  The low notes are nice and full sounding.  They have a bit of graininess to them that makes the tone more complex sounding to my ear.  It was easy to subtone down low.  I usually prefer a 7*-8 tip opening so this mouthpiece felt a tiny bit more closed than I am used to but it played great.

Kanee Custom Florida Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

These mouthpieces are very reasonably priced for the quality that you get.  To get wider market recognition and feedback, the Kanee company is starting another passaround of these mouthpieces on SOTW (Sax on the Web).  I can’t speak for the overall quality of every Kanee piece but the fact that they will send their mouthpieces out to sax professionals and enthusiasts  to try………… is a sign that they are confidant in their products.

I’m looking forward to what other sax players that try these mouthpieces have to say.  It’s great to see a quality mouthpiece out there at an affordable price.  Keep up the great work Kanee.   If you would like to try one of these mouthpieces check out the free pass around (you just have to pay for shipping) on SOTW.   You can also visit the Kanee website to find out more about these mouthpieces.

Kanee Custom Florida Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Phil-Tone mouthpieces are made by Phil Engleman.  Phil has been making and refacing mouthpieces for a number of years now.  I have had him reface a couple of mouthpieces for me and a number of my students play his mouthpieces.

Phil-Tone Equinox Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Phil-Tone Equinox and Eclipse mouthpieces both look great.   Phil always does excellent work on his mouthpieces.  The table, tip and rails look perfect.   The tips line up perfectly with the reeds I used. The engraving and logo is nothing fancy but it does the job. The Equinox has a slightly higher and longer rollover baffle in comparison to the Eclipse mouthpiece.    Also, the Equinox’s baffle declines straight down evenly to the back of the chamber.  The Eclipse has more of a scooped out chamber to it.  This makes the Eclipses chamber larger than the Eqinox chamber.  They both have curved sidewalls and both have chamber and baffle work that looks great.

Phil-Tone Equinox Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here is a description of the Equinox mouthpiece from the Phil-Tone website:

As you would expect because of the higher rollover baffle and smaller chamber the Equinox had a brighter sound than the Eclipse.  It was very focused sounding and had a nice buzz to the sound.  It was very easy to play around the horn.  The intonation was great and it had a lot of power when you pushed it.  The sub-tone was nice down low.  The tone seemed drier to me than the Eclipse.  You can hear the difference when you listen to the sound clips.

Phil-Tone Equinox Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Eclipse was close to the brightness of the Equinox but it seemed to have a fatter and wetter tone to me.  More spread sounding.  To put these words in perspective…….the Equinox reminded me more of a Coltrane type sound.  A tight dry core to the sound that leaned to the brighter side.  I think you can hear these differences when you listen to the clips.  The Eclipse sounded fatter and more spread tone wise.  One isn’t better than the other, which one you like is a matter of personal choice.  They both played great!

Here is what Phil says about the Eclipse mouthpiece on the Phil-Tone website:

“When the moon moves across the sun, the earth is enveloped in a sweeping darkness lit by a powerful, illuminating edge.  For a brief moment in time both light and shadow become one.  It is in that spirit that the Phil-Tone Eclipse is crafted.  It is a powerful mouthpiece with a rich, medium-dark core that has roundness and warmth, but with a scintillating brightness at its edge. This powerfully resonant piece can carry you through ballads or your loudest gigs.  It will take all the air you can give it without breaking up or losing its warm focus, and has an unparalleled dynamic range.  The highs sing out with rich harmonics, and the low end is broad and expansive. The Eclipse allows the player to shape their tone with ease of play and unparalleled richness. Discover your own sound with the most robust tenor piece in the Phil-Tone lineup.”

Phil-Tone Eclipse Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

These mouthpieces are very reasonably priced. Right now, I have 4 of my students playing on Phil-Tone mouthpieces and refaces.  If you like the Phil-Tone Equinox or Eclipse sound clips then visit Phil Engleman’s website and check one out for yourself! (or maybe both………)  http://www.phil-tone.com/.

My ratings above are only for the Equinox mouthpiece as I have rated the Eclipse in a past review.  Let me know what you think in the comments below.  If you have the Equinox yourself and want to review it, feel free to do so below with the comments and stars.   Thanks,   Steve

Phil-Tone Equinox Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Phil-Tone Eclipse Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

SAXZ  “Vintage 1950″ Model Tenor Mouthpiece

This mouthpiece has an 8 tip opening (.110).  The table, rails and tip look good.  The baffle is a medium rollover baffle that ramps down smoothly into a medium large chamber.

This mouthpiece played very well.  When played at a low or medium volume is produced a nice dark sound that was robust and thick.   The sub-tones were really nice on this mouthpiece as you can hear on the recording.  The  response was fast and even throughout the whole range of the horn.  When you listen to the clip below you can judge for yourself.  I know I felt very comfortable on it and didn’t have to fight the mouthpiece at all to play the way I wanted.

Here are some words about the mouthpiece from Sax-ccessories.com which sells the mouthpiece:

SAXZ “Vintage 1950″ Model Tenor Mouthpiece

Like the alto mouthpiece, this is a great mouthpiece to play on.  It gives you that lush ’50′s tenor sound if you want it but it has plenty of power when you push it.  When I think of 1950 tenor players you have quite the list.  John Coltrane, Ben Webster, Lester Young, Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins, Hank Mobley, George Coleman…………

This mouthpiece won’t make you automatically sound like any of these guys.  That’s up to you. I do think this mouthpiece can get you in the ballpark sound wise though.

“Sax-ccessories” in CA is carrying SaxZ mouthpieces and some other accessories. Brian at Sax-ccessories was kind enough to let me borrow this mouthpiece and a few others to review. If you like the “Vintage 1950′s SaxZ” sound visit his website and check one out for yourself! http://www.sax-ccessories.com/ .

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

SAXZ  “Vintage 1950″ Model Tenor Mouthpiece

Phil Barone Super New York Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

This is what Phil Barone had to say about the Super New York on SOTW (Sax on the Web):

I’m extremely happy to announce that after a year and a half of working on the Super New York model tenor mouthpiece that I’ve finally completed the very first one and it is way beyond my expectations. We started with a model then went to a prototype then we scanned the prototype and made a CNC program and finally after tweaking the program we finally made the very first mouthpiece which I then hand-finished it and it is an absolute monster, a MONSTER. I guess the last time I was this excited about a mouthpiece was when I made the Hollywood and that was mouthpiece history.

It’s a dark mouthpiece but loud as hell and very free-blowing and it gets a little brighter as you push into it but not much and physically it has a very large chamber with a nice rollover baffle but while the sound is dark it’s also very bold and vibrant. This is an unusual combination. If you and I have a phone consultation before purchasing one and you end up not liking the mouthpiece I will give you a one hundred percent refund. I have to do it this way because I will have a limited number of pieces so I have to be careful of who I send them to until I have a substantial number of mouthpieces.

You will love one of them if you play an Otto Link, metal or rubber or even if you have a higher baffle mouthpiece and are frustrated with the quality of the sound. This is a VERY free-blowing mouthpiece and I’m very certain you will be happy with it. A waiting list is forming so call 212.686.9410. Phil Barone

Phil’s description really piqued my curiosity.  In the past, I had loved the darkness of the Jazz models but had sold the ones I owned because I couldn’t get the highs and volume I needed in today’s modern funk and rock world.   I tried the New York and Hollywood models and they  had that brightness and volume I needed live but I also found them a bit too bright for what I wanted.  I was always looking for something in between the Jazz models and the New York and Hollywood models.  In my opinion, this is that mouthpiece.  It has that dark core to the sound that is thick and full sounding.  It could take all the air I could give it and get mighty loud.  You can’t hear it on the clip but I tried to record a clip before this one and when I played full blast I would max out the mic levels.  For the sample below I had to keep it at a low to medium volume to not max out the mic.  When I really pushed it it did get brighter but not too much in my opinion.  I think it is bright enough to hold it’s own in a modern loud band situation when you push it though.

I have to say that the intonation on this mouthpiece was amazing.  Usually, my middle E is quite a bit sharp.  I am used to that and adjust to fix it.  With the Super New York I didn’t have to adjust at all.  The octaves were close to perfectly in tune.  You can hear it in the clip when I play a little bit of “Pure Imagination”.  The melody jumps to an E at one point and I was expecting it to be sharp and it was perfect.  That was a nice surprise.  The altissimo was easy to play and was easy to keep in tune also.

Phil Barone Super New York Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I ranked this mouthpiece a 5 in every area except construction (No plating and bite played not glued on)  Phil did tell me this before hand as this is the prototype model and wasn’t finished to sell.  I didn’t rank that category just because I didn’t think it was fair to Phil as this isn’t a final product.  To be honest,  I could care less about the plating and the bite plate…….what matters to me is the way it plays.  This Super New York plays great.  I felt instantly at home and comfortable on it.  I’ve played it for a week straight now and loved the sound of it as much today as I did last week.

For tone I gave it a 5 because I loved the lush full thick sound it had all over the range of the horn.  There wasn’t a thin note anywhere on the horn.  The tone had a lot of character to it also.  The thickness of the tone reminded me of a Dexter or Eric Alexander kind of sound.  Nice and thick and full.

For response I also gave it a 5.  It had some resistance but it was a good resistance. It lets you shape the sound and push against something.  It would take all my air and get super loud.  Usually response goes hand in hand with how comfortable I feel on a mouthpiece.  I felt very comfortable.  The more comfortable I am, the more creative I am.  I’m not thinking about the mouthpiece and sound but I’m just playing and focused on creating.  That’s a 5 for me.

For value I gave it a 5 also.  I don’t even know what these will sell for but the mouthpiece plays so well that to me it is worth the price to get this sound and response.

This mouthpiece that Phil Barone sent me is the first one that he has made.  It hasn’t been finished and the bite plate isn’t even glued on yet.  I have a regular New York in my possession now and that mouthpiece is much brighter than the Super.  When I look at them side by side the Super looks to have a slightly higher roll over baffle but looks to have a faster decline to the chamber.  The chamber and bore look bigger than the New York model I have.  This combination of baffle with large chamber gives the mouthpiece a beautiful balance of power and a thick fat tone.  Maybe in the future I can do a comparison clip of the New York and Super New York side by side so you can hear the differences.

Thanks to Phil for letting me try this mouthpiece and review it.  If you like this clip and my review contact Phil Barone by phone  212.686.9410 or by his website.  I believe he has the first run of these in production even as I type this so hopefully they will be available very soon.  If you get one of these feel free to come back and write your own review down below………………

Phil Barone Super New York Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Tenor Madness 42 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I received the mouthpiece in the mail a couple of weeks later from James Bunte.  Mr. Bunte is an accomplished saxophone player as you can tell from reading his website and listening to the clips when you visit it.   I’m all that much more impressed at the fact that he can make his own mouthpieces!

This is what Saxquest says about this mouthpiece:

“This is the new TM 42 mouthpiece for tenor saxophone, designed in the spirit of the vintage hard rubber Brilhart mouthpieces. These mouthpieces are designed with long facings, medium large chambers and have a slight roll on the baffle for improved projection. They are all play tested and hand finished by Dr. James Bunte of the Oasis Saxophone Quartet.

Saxquest has spent a lot of time play testing these pieces against other current production mouthpieces and vintage pieces. The results are in and we are extremely impressed with the product. The TM 42’s play with a warm resonating sound that is rich in color and overtones. Projection on this mouthpiece is also quite exceptional due to the quality work on the inner chamber and baffle.

Dr. Bunte believes it is very important to provide progressive students and professionals with a more affordable option when it comes to a quality hand finished mouthpiece. Typically professional level mouthpieces start in the $250 to $350 area. The new TM 42’s are selling for a very the reasonable cost of $180. This price is a reflection of Dr. Bunte’s philosophy and not the quality of the mouthpiece itself.

These pieces are currently only available in the 7* tip opening.”

When I received the mouthpiece in the mail,  I was confused because the mouthpiece I received had a large brass ring on the back end of it.  The mouthpiece pictures I saw on saxquest didn’t have this big metal ring.  Mr. Bunte said he was experimenting with it on his mouthpieces.  It was a different concept for a hard rubber mouthpiece than I had seen before.  Mr. Bunte let me know that the metal ring could be removed from the mouthpiece and he was curious to see what I thought of it.

When I took the mouthpiece out of the package, the first thing I thought was that it was really heavy.  This is because of the metal ring.  The metal ring itself seems to weigh more than the mouthpiece.   When I looked at the mouthpiece,  it had a pretty high beginning baffle that  sloped down into a medium chamber.  It reminded me a lot of some slant signature links and early babbit links I have played.  The table looked to be flat and the tip and rails were well shaped to match the reeds I was playing.  It was a 7* tip opening and at this time the TM 42 is only offered in a 7* tip opening.    I tried a Vandoren Java #3 reed on it and it played perfectly right out of the box.

Tenor Madness 42 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

My first thought as I blew into this mouthpiece was “Wow, this is powerful!”  It had a tone that leaned to the brighter side of the spectrum but was full and fat sounding.  It played smoothly and evenly throughout the range of the horn and was very easy to play.  I felt very comfortable on it within minutes of trying it.   The intonation was very good and the projection was excellent.

The first clip below is with the bare hard rubber mouthpiece without the ring on it.  The second clip is with the ring added.  I didn’t change anything on the mouthpiece.  I slipped it off the cork and put the ring on and then slid it back on to the same place on the cork.  Any change or differences you hear or don’t hear are due to the metal ring.  Mr. Bunte asked me what I thought.  I was a bit skeptical that a metal ring on the outside of the mouthpiece would make any difference whatsoever.  If I did perceive a change I thought that it would be purely psychological.  Sure enough,  my opinions of the tone were that with the metal ring it was deeper, thicker, heavier and fuller sounding.  At first I had no doubts but then I started second guessing myself and thinking that the metal ring made the front end of the horn feel heavier and thicker and maybe I was  projecting this on to my impressions of the tone.

I can’t give you a definitive answer either way.  When I played the mouthpiece in my practice room I felt like the metal band made the tone thicker and fuller sounding.  On the other hand, without the ring it felt like the piece vibrated more and a bit more buzz and ring to it.  When I listen to the sound clips I’m not sure if I hear this difference.   Give it a listen yourself and let me know what you think.  I’m very curious to know………..Can a thick metal ring outside of the mouthpiece have an impact on the sound of a mouthpiece?  Whoa!

Saxquest  is carrying the TM 42 7* tenor saxophone mouthpieces.  Tenor Madness is also carrying them and you can order one by phone if you call  319 234 3561.   These are worthy contenders for a happening tenor piece that won’t break the bank price wise.  These are great mouthpiece for the 180.00 they are selling for at the time of this review.  Contact the shops above and give them a try yourself.  If you happen to try one come back and write your own review below so others can see what you think of them.

Tenor Madness 42 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Tenor Madness 42 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece with Metal Ring

]]> http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2011/09/tenor-madness-42-tenor-saxophone-mouthpiece/feed/ 3 http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2011/08/lebayle-lrii-tenor-saxophone-mouthpiece/ http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2011/08/lebayle-lrii-tenor-saxophone-mouthpiece/#comments Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:59:10 +0000 steve http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/?p=4922 Read More...]]> Today, I am reviewing a Fred Lebayle LRII tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  The last time I played a Lebayle tenor mouthpiece was about 8 years ago.  I bought a wood Lebayle Jazz mouthpiece to try.  The mouthpiece totally blew my mind.  I fell in love with it and was ecstatic to play it.  I played it for about two weeks on every gig I had and it sounded killer!  On the third week, I took it out to play a gig and it would not play.  It wasn’t responding and when it did it would squeak.  I was devastated!  The only thing I could think of was that the wood had warped and was messed up.  I sent it back to Mr. Lebayle and he was nice enough to reface it and send me another mouthpiece when he sent it back.  The other mouthpiece was a wood LR model.  Both mouthpieces played great but to be honest, I was so messed up from the issue with the wood warping that I was afraid to play them.   I ended up selling them and haven’t tried a Lebayle tenor mouthpiece since then. (nor another wood mouthpiece)

Lebayle LRII Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I received this mouthpiece from Brian at Sax-ccesories in California.  He was kind enough to let me try a few mouthpieces that I haven’t tried  yet.  I was pleasantly surprised by this rhodium plated Lebayle LRII.  I’ve been wanting to try one of these for quite a while because I have read that Branford Marsalis uses one on tenor.  I loved his sound on the album “Eternal” and was very curious as to what he was playing on after I heard that album.

The Lebayle LRII  has a smooth rollover baffle that squeezes  together a bit as it enters the chamber.  I don’t think I’ve seen a mouthpiece with this exact baffle before.  The chamber looks huge to me.  It looks cavernous coming from the baffle and sidewalls.

The sound of this mouthpiece is on the darker side of the tone spectrum.  It has a strong thick core to the sound that seems to have soft edges to it.  I know all these strange descriptions are a bit nebulous when you read them but I’m trying to put into words what I’m thinking when I played it so bear with me………..The low register is beefy and thick.  The high register brightens up a little but not much.  It was still quite dark sounding to me.  I often get emails from players asking me to recommend a dark mouthpiece that is powerful.  This is on the top of my list for those of you looking for that sound.  Check out the clip below and you can decide for yourself.

The intonation on the Lebayle LRII was quite good on my Selmer SBA tenor.  I think the large chamber really complements the bore size of the SBA as the notes were much easier to play in tune than on other mouthpieces with higher baffles and smaller chambers than the LRII.

Lebayle LRII Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

“Sax-ccessories” in CA is carrying Lebayle mouthpieces and some other accessories. Brian at Sax-ccessories was kind enough to let me borrow this mouthpiece and a few others to review this week. If you like the sound of the Lebayle LRII  visit his website and check one out for yourself! http://www.sax-ccessories.com/ .

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

Lebayle LRII Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

]]> http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2011/08/lebayle-lrii-tenor-saxophone-mouthpiece/feed/ 14 http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2011/08/ishimori-woodstone-7-hard-rubber-tenor-sax-mouthpiece/ http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2011/08/ishimori-woodstone-7-hard-rubber-tenor-sax-mouthpiece/#comments Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:01:03 +0000 steve http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/?p=4910 Read More...]]> I have an Ishimori Woodstone hard rubber tenor sax mouthpiece to review and play for you today. This is a 7* tip opening (.105) hard rubber mouthpiece. I have been eagerly wanting to play one of these Ishimori mouthpieces for quite a while.  I reviewed an 8 tip last week and wanted to try a 7* to see how it compared.

Ishimori Woodstone 7* Hard Rubber Tenor Mouthpiece

Over the past few months, I have heard of Ishimori Woodstone mouthpieces from a number of players on the web. They were all raving about how good these mouthpieces were which really peaked my curiosity. I had a problem though, when I searched around for these mouthpieces I couldn’t find them anywhere except for the Ishimori site in Japan and the whole site was in Japanese. (I am not fluent in Japanese) I gave up after that but then a month later I heard another player raving about them again. This time I decided to try contacting Ishimori directly through their website. I sent them an email asking about their mouthpieces and a few days later received a courteous response from Norikiyo Yaguchi who handles Overseas transactions for Mr. Ishimori. He was nice enough to send me 5 mouthpieces to review- 2 alto, 2 tenor and one soprano mouthpiece.

This tenor sax mouthpiece is beautiful. It has a perfect looking facing curve and tip. The baffle is medium low and slopes down to a medium to large sized chamber. The shape of the baffle is similar to the classic Otto Link Slant Signature mouthpieces that play so great. The baffle slides smoothly and evenly down into the chamber and there’s not an edge or blemish anywhere. Absolutely perfect looking.

 The sound of this Ishimori 7* is dark and rich sounding to my ears. The tone seems to be more compact and thicker than the 8 I tried last week.   It has a sweetness to the sound that I really liked.  The subtone was beautiful sounding and was very easy to attain.  To me it has that dark rich sound that is a classic tenor sound. (Think Hank Mobley)  Compared to the .110 tip Ishimori I reviewed last week I felt like this .105 and a tighter more compact sound to it.  I also felt like it was a bit darker than the .110.  Now when I go back and listen to that clip I feel like the .110 has more of a spread and hollow sound compared to this .105.  Listen to both clips and I think you can hear what I’m talking about.

Ishimori Woodstone 7* Hard Rubber Tenor Mouthpiece

I used a Woodstone #2 1/2 reed on it which was perfect for this mouthpiece. As you listen to the clip below, I think you can hear the rich thick sound this piece has. This would be a perfect mouthpiece for those of you who like that “slant” link type sound and want to sound great on a jazz set.  It’s on the darker side of things but at the same time it is very rich sounding which I really loved.

The intonation was also great on this mouthpiece as it has been on every Ishimori mouthpiece I have tried so far.

Every mouthpiece and reed that I have received from the Ishimori company has been perfect. They pay attention to the smallest details and it is obvious when you see and play their products. Believe it or not, I have played about 40 of their Woodstone reeds and haven’t found a bad one yet. They all played great right out of the box!

“Sax-ccessories” in CA is carrying Ishimori reeds, mouthpieces and some other accessories. It is the only shop at present where people can buy the reeds and the mouthpieces in the U.S. http://www.sax-ccessories.com/ . If you like the clip below contact Sax-ccessories and give them a try.

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

Ishimori Woodstone 7* Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Ishimori Woodstone Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Over the past few months, I have heard of Ishimori Woodstone mouthpieces from a number of players on the web. They were all raving about how good these mouthpieces were which really peaked my curiosity. I had a problem though, when I searched around for these mouthpieces I couldn’t find them anywhere except for the Ishimori site in Japan and the whole site was in Japanese. (I am not fluent in Japanese) I gave up after that but then a month later I heard another player raving about them again. This time I decided to try contacting Ishimori directly through their website. I sent them an email asking about their mouthpieces and a few days later received a courteous response from Norikiyo Yaguchi who handles Overseas transactions for Mr. Ishimori. He was nice enough to send me 5 mouthpieces to review- 2 alto, 2 tenor and one soprano mouthpiece.

This tenor sax mouthpiece is beautiful.  It has a perfect looking facing curve and tip.  The baffle is medium low and slopes down to a medium to large  sized chamber.  The shape of the baffle is similar to the classic Otto Link Slant Signature mouthpieces that play so great. The baffle slides smoothly and evenly down into the chamber and there’s not an edge or blemish anywhere.  Absolutely perfect looking.

I love to try hard rubber tenor mouthpieces that play great.  This is a great example of one.  The sound is dark and rich sounding to my ears.  Even though it is on the darker side of the tone spectrum, it has a crispness and focus to the sound that is great. The subtone was beautiful sounding and almost brought tears to my eyes. I love the first note on the recording.  To me it has that dark rich sound that is a classic tenor sound. (Think Hank Mobley)  The .110 tip was a bit bigger than I liked but I have a 7* on the way even as I write this.  I’m very excited to try that one as I’ve been preferring .105 tips over .110 for the past 6 months or so.

Ishimori Woodstone Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The mouthpiece came with a Woodstone #2 1/2 reed on it which was perfect for this mouthpiece. As you listen to the clip below, I think you can hear the rich thick sound this piece has.  This would be a perfect mouthpiece for those of you who like that “slant” link type sound and want to sound great on a jazz set.  It’s on the darker side of things but the high notes really ring through and are not dull or dead sounding at all.  They are nice and crisp and pop right out.

The intonation was also great on this mouthpiece as it has been on every Ishimori mouthpiece I have tried so far.

I hope to have some more clips and reviews up in the next few days of the rest of the Ishimori mouthpieces I have so stay tuned for those. Every mouthpiece and reed that I have received from the Ishimori company has been perfect. They pay attention to the smallest details and it is obvious when you see and play their products. Believe it or not, I have played about 40 of their Woodstone reeds and haven’t found a bad one yet. They all played great right out of the box!

“Sax-ccessories” in CA is carrying Ishimori reeds, mouthpieces and some other accessories. It is the only shop at present where people can buy the reeds and the mouthpieces in the U.S. http://www.sax-ccessories.com/ . If you like the clip below contact Sax-ccessories and give them a try.

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

Ishimori Woodstone Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece