This is from a new mouthpiece maker out of Japan. I must say that who ever owns this company pays attention to the details. The packaging of the piece is beautiful and it even comes with cork grease and a mouthpiece patch. The mouthpiece looks perfect. It’s got that quality hard rubber look to it like Lamberson mouthpieces look and the piece looks perfectly made. To be honest, at first I was afraid that the tip rail was too thin. When I first looked at it it looked so thin that I was worried. The piece plays great though.
I think the thin tip rail might help to give it a bit of kick and edge to the sound. This piece is supposed to be a copy of an old NY Meyer and I can see that. I’ve played a few over the years and this reminds me of that kind of sound. The piece does have more resistance than I’m used to from other alto pieces I’ve tried but after playing it for a few minutes you get used to it. I think the added resistance helps to shape the sound and gives me something to push against and manipulate. This feels like the kind of piece that would really grow on me as I play it. The 6 tip is a .077 tip which feels a bit small to me…..I’m thinking maybe I should have gotten the 7 which is an .081 tip opening. I’m seriously thinking of doing a blind alto mouthpiece poll now that I have enough alto pieces to do it. I’m looking forward to the tenor pieces coming out.
Hey Steve i love your tone on this piece, but I am wondering if you are going to try one of the Aizen NY Alto pieces soon.
Jack Li
I didn’t have plans to. Finances are a bit tight after the Holidays. Maybe later in the year I can. Steve
Alright cool, what is the difference you perceive while playing on this piece and the MouthpieceCafe NYC.
Thanks for replying Jack Li
The NYC piece is fatter and a bit darker. The Aizen is brighter. More of a Phil Woods kind of sound. The NYC is more Cannonball to my ears.
Thanks a lot Steve you seem to always have the answer I am looking for on a thread on SOTW or on your site. it’s always a pleasure talking to you.
Thanks Jack Li
Thanks once again Steve, for putting up the only high-quality recordings on the web. There are so many YouTube videos that are distorted and useless. We can always depend on yours for an honest listen.
I’m looking to replace my old Alto Meyer 6M (1979) and it seems like the Mouthpiece Cafe or the Aizen will be the winner. Thanks to you so much for letting me compare so many pieces before I have to ‘put in an order’.
P.S.: It would be useful to hear you do a bit more altissimo in your demos too… Thanks
When that mouthpiece poll comes out, I just want to make a recommendation that it would be nice to hear some faster playing to complement whatever else you might have. I feel like slow playing let’s people know the tone of the piece, but speed lets us know how it response to situation.