• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Website of Steve Neff

  • BLOG
  • SHOP
  • MY ACCOUNT
  • RAVES
  • CONTACT

Search Neffmusic

You are here: Home / Reviews / Mouthpiece Reviews / Alto Mouthpiece Reviews / Alto High Baffle Reviews / Drake Vintage Resin Contemporary Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

Drake Vintage Resin Contemporary Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

July 14, 2010 by Steve 13 Comments

I’m starting to get overwhelmed by how many great mouthpieces are out there today.  This morning  I received a box from Aaron Drake at Drake Mouthpieces.   I couldn’t open it fast enough.  Inside were 3 brand new vintage resin alto saxophone mouthpieces for me to try.  I’ve been wanting to try these for months now and I was very excited.  The first one I played was this one.  It is the contemporary model and has a 6 tip opening (.080).  It has a high long baffle in it  that scoops into the chamber sort of like a Berg or RPC mouthpiece would.  There’s no edges on the decline of the baffle into the chamber.  The high baffle gives this mouthpiece a brighter, punchier sound that is great for modern playing…………………..

Drake Contemporary Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

  • Appearance:

The tip and rails of this mouthpiece are perfect. The tip curve matches my Vandoren Java reeds perfectly. The baffle is high and long as you can see in the pictures and is completely even.  The chamber has a smooth horse shoe shape to it that reminds me of some hard rubber Berg Larsen’s and RPC’s  I have played.  I’m not sure what size the chamber is?  It looks to be the same size as a medium Meyer.  The difference is that the baffle extends into the chamber and then slopes down into it.  The mouthpiece as  a nice copper band around the shank end and the engravings on it are neat and nice to look at.

  • Tone:

You can make your own decision from listening to the clip,  but I would place this mouthpieces tone in the brighter end of the spectrum.  It’s not as bright as some other alto mouthpieces I have tried but it’s getting close.  I like the fact that you can back off  of it with your air and it mellows out a bit.  This has a great tone for that modern Sanborn type sound that so many alto players love.  I play a few jazz lines on it also and it sounds great with those also…….just a little brighter to me.  When listening to the clip try to imagine a little bit of reverb and effects on the sound.  I recorded it with no effects to taint the sound but if I were playing this live on a gig I would be sure to have the soundman put some nice effects on this to sweeten it up even more.

  • Intonation:

Intonation was great with this mouthpiece and within normal limits.  My Selmer Reference alto saxophone has a tendency to go sharper on middle D,Eb and E when I play high baffled mouthpieces and it was sharper on those notes.  That’s not a big deal though as I am used to bringing those notes down in pitch anyways.

  • Control:

This was a very easy mouthpiece to play and control. It is very even sounding up and down the horn.  The altissimo notes were much easier on this mouthpiece because of the higher baffle.

  • Volume:

Powerful!  I could feel it when I blew in it. Even at  a medium air flow it was LOUD!  When I pushed it, it was even louder!  I could push as much air as I wanted through this piece.  I actually had to take a step back from the microphone because it was recording so “hot”.

Great job Aaron Drake!  If you are curious about trying Aaron’s mouthpiece you can visit his website at www.DrakeMouthpieces.com for more information.

https://www.neffmusic.com/images/mp3/Drake%20Contemporary.mp3

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: aaron drake, alto mouthpiece, Alto Saxophone, contemporary, Drake Mouthpieces, vintage resin

Steve

About Steve

Steve Neff has been playing and teaching saxophone and jazz improvisation around the New England area for over 30 years. He is the author of many best selling jazz improvisation methods as well as founding the popular jazz video lesson site Neffmusic.com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarDerrick says

    August 29, 2010 at 7:22 pm

    Hey you sound great on this mpc! I was wondering do normal alto ligatures fit that piece? Would the FL Ultimate ligature fit on that?

    Reply
    • stevesteve says

      August 29, 2010 at 11:30 pm

      I Don’t have it here anymore. I think I used a Vandoren Optimum on it but I can’t remember 100%. I don’t think it was small. You might want to email Aaron Drake and ask him.

      Reply
  2. AvatarJoaquin says

    February 3, 2012 at 10:01 am

    Hi Steve,
    Congrats on the blog, it’s really interesting and useful!
    Do you know how does this mouthpiece compare to a Vandoren Jumbo Java?
    Which is “brighter”, “harsher”, “huskier”, “edgier” -whatever?
    Thanks a lot, best regards.

    Reply
    • stevesteve says

      February 4, 2012 at 11:24 pm

      I’m not sure. I haven’t played a Jumbo Java in like 14+ years I think. I don’t remember anything about it. Sorry I couldn’t help more.

      Reply
  3. AvatarJoaquin says

    November 4, 2012 at 6:30 am

    Just to contribute something: I finally could compare a Drake Contemporary 7 with a Jumbo Java A45, both around 0.085″. The Contemporary has a more open, more agressive, buzzier and brighter sound, with tons of harsh power. But it’s also easier to control, and responds better, “as it should be”, in every register. It roars like a wild tiger and obeys like a well trained dog. The Jumbo Java is a bit darker, rounder -keeping in mind that both are very bright mouthpieces. Also, there’s a big difference regarding beak design: the Contemporary has a lower profile, thinner beak. If you prefer the traditional, thicker design, go for the Jumbo Java. Thanks again for all the useful info, best regards.

    Reply
  4. AvatarAlex says

    March 12, 2014 at 7:13 am

    Steve I just bought the alto contemporary piece. And the altissimo is really hard on this piece. I currently use Beechler bellite and diamond sometimes and the altissimo is a breeze on those. What do you think?

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      March 12, 2014 at 4:53 pm

      Alex, Not sure. I don’t remember having any particular issues with the Drake piece when I tried it. I believe the Beechler is a smaller chamber so maybe you are really used to that smaller chamber. Sometimes going to a larger chamber is a bit of adjustment. Sorry I couldn’t help more. How do you like the tone of the Drake compared to the Beechler in general?

      Reply
  5. AvatarRoberto Jimenez says

    November 25, 2014 at 2:52 pm

    I m actually playing a 7 tip opening Drake Contemporary alto sax piece. I love it! my set up with it is a fibracell #4 reed and I can play it at any volume and register at ease. What a great Mouthpiece!

    Reply
  6. AvatarAndrej says

    March 20, 2015 at 5:32 am

    Hi Steve,

    As always you sound great. I am considering buying this piece from Aaron but am a bit cautious on the tip size. You are playing 6 here while Aaron is recommending 7 to me. I am new to the alto world, but on tenor I usually play pieces between 6* and 7* with 3 soft reeds (either Hemke’s or Rico JS). Do you think it would be hard to play size 7 with, for example, Rigotti 2.5 on alto? The only alto mouthpiece I own is Phil Tone’s solstice 0.76 tip with which I use RJZ 3S reeds. Just bought my alto few months ago, but have been playing tenor for ~11 years. Not a pro, just an engineer who enjoys playing… Thanks!

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      March 24, 2015 at 9:58 am

      This Drake Contemporary mouthpiece has a pretty high baffle so I think a 7 is a safe bet for this one. The high baffle balances out the bigger tip opening so it doesn’t seem as big usually. Steve

      Reply
  7. AvatarAndrej says

    March 24, 2015 at 11:37 am

    Thanks Steve! 7 is on the way….

    Reply
    • AvatarVern says

      September 18, 2024 at 4:29 pm

      How did you end up liking it?

      Reply
      • SteveSteve says

        October 28, 2024 at 6:12 am

        It’s a great mouthpiece choice for a modern alto sax sound. All of Aaron Drake’s mouthpieces are excellent!

        Reply

Leave a Reply to Andrej Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Cart

Subscribe to the Neffmusic Newsletter for the latest reviews and best deals delivered straight to your inbox every month. Join now and you will also receive my 40 Ultimate Michael Brecker Licks free!

Select list(s) to subscribe to


Thanks for joining!


NEFFMUSIC PRINTED BOOKS

Testimonials

Thank You Steve. I think that I will be busy for years. Thank You for your great contribution to jazz music. Your books, more than teaching “how to play jazz”, actually teach “how to speak jazz”. I wish I found your methods years ago.  

Jean-Eric
I bought Steve’s dominant bebop book and took a couple of online lesson from him. I really appreciated Steve’s careful listening of what I wanted to get done in a lesson and his clear, concise ideas on next steps to improve my playing and musical interpretation.  His mastering  the Dominant Bebop Scale has lots of exercises to use a scale that addresses the largest percentage of chords I come across in pop/blues music. The dominant V7.  Needless say it has improved my playing.  I teach and a… Read more
Keith
Steve really changed my way of practicing: I got a whole lot of new ideas for my playing the tenor.  His lessons are really helpful, give a lot stuff to practice and give clear answers to complicated stuff.  Steve has a lot of humor and I wish I had laughed so much in my former days with the horn.  All topics, from Blues to Approach note are dealt with clearness that wet ones appetite to play and practice that great ideas.
Uwe
I have NEVER seen material like yours.  Amazing!!
Jerry
I want to let you know that your instructional material is transforming my playing.  It is an immense pleasure to learn and play now, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am. The instructional material I got from you is by far the best of any I own (and I have over 100 books, DVDs, and what not). I literally can’t thank you enough! Deric
Deric
Two years later I began a search for a sax teacher and happened to come across Steve Neff when I was searching YouTube for sax teachers.  I went to neffmusic.com and was very impressed with the lessons Steve Neff was offering.  The concept of selecting lessons was an approach that I thought was unique and purchased a few lessons.  I liked the lessons so much that I signed-up for a 6 month package. I was very happy with all the lessons I selected.  I also purchased Steve’s book Mastering the B… Read more
Michael
Thank you for the wealth of helpful lessons you’ve provided over the years.  I truly feel as though it has improved my playing more than the 4 years I spent at Berklee… and that’s not a slight on the school as I loved my experience there.
John
John

Your material is great! I got your New Altissimo Lesson 6 months ago and I have learned more from that than in all my 44 years of playing! I appreciate your down to earth teaching method and I really appreciate the heart that you teach with. I have been a subscriber to your lessons for the past 6 months and I have learned a great deal. Over that period of time I have had some questions and you have never failed to respond. Thanks! I have already recommended your lessons to a number of players in… Read more

Michael Byington
It is so refreshing to have a great player, who can provide lessons and examples in a manner which is understandable to most any enthusiastic saxophonist who is ready to improve. not just the, do this, do that, memorize this, memorize that… while all that is absolutely necessary, you go on to give reasons and examples to explain and validate why you have to do all of these things, the benefits, if you will… that is the key for me, you tell, explain, demonstrate, explain some more, you give perso… Read more
Cedric
I just wanted to write a thank you note to you for this website. I play and teach saxophone, but I have always been intimidated by the gear aspect. Your website has helped me become a lot more knowledgable. Your knowledge is staggering! I’m telling all my students about your website. Pierre
Pierre

Love your lessons!  I have been using your lesson packages for many months now, and am learning a lot.  It is so perfect for me with a very busy adult schedule and difficulty in taking jazz/improv music lessons from reputable instructors who live and hour or more away from me.

Lenore

I must say again how much I appreciate all your material. Including the video tutorials. It help keep me focused and knowing what to aim for. And your laid back teaching style appeals to me too. 

Thanks

P

P
By the way, BIG COMPLIMENTS to you, Steve! Not only are you a great player, you are also a great teacher! I, too, am a woodwinds player/teacher. I have new inspiration to play and teach because of you. The concepts and “thinking” is similar to what I already learned in College, but hearing you explain and PLAY the concepts REALLY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE! Also, your written patterns are more interesting than other books I have seen! Keep up the good work. I will be recommending your sit… Read more
I will be recommending your site to others!

After reading your story I will never feel quite right about complaining about any of my MINOR health issues!!    God bless Steve and I really hope that your health doesn’t stop you from fulfilling your calling.    These books have been such a help to open up my jazz vocabulary…   Thanks so much for sharing your story and for providing these great teaching tools…   John Leclerc   Saxophonist / composer/ EWI player and professional working musician of 35 years….

John Leclerc
Thank you so much for the great job you are doing to help further our jazz studies. Though I make my living as a repairer of musical instruments I am a student of jazz and have been fortunate enough to be involved with a big band and a combo for the last several years. As my children began to leave “the nest” I had decided to dedicate the next half of my life to a more serious study of the sax but I didn’t know exactly how I would go about doing this until a friend of mine turned me onto your si… Read more
Jon

Hello Steve, I’m getting so much out of your lessons and books, amazing how much one may think one knows, there is always a new frontier or new way to view something you think you had somewhat down. You have taken it all to a new level and am so grateful. Your lessons are so down to earth and understandable and clear!  Thanks so much Steve! Cheers, Eddie

Eddie Parente

Steve,  Just want to say thanks for all you are doing for all of us. I’ve learned more from you than anyone else in my 40 years of playing.

If you can give some tips on One Note Samba, Ceora, and Wave… that would be cool.  I really like learning how you apply your concepts to actual songs!

Have a great year,

Kevin Ledbetter

I've learned more from you than anyone else in my 40 years of playing.
Steve- I joined your site this month and have downloaded 4 lessons and also purchased your new book and video on diatonic patterns. I just want to say I am very pleased with your approach and teaching techniques. I am getting back into playing after laying off for some time. The information you offer on your site is of great value and I am enjoying being a member. Thank you for what you are doing for the saxophone community.
Tony

I want to thank you for your “Ultimate II-V-I Primer”  which has sent me off on a much better path to improvisation.  The primer and the four bound books I have will keep me busy for a long time.  I like your lessons for two reasons.  The lessons work and THEY ARE FUN.  Thanks again.

Robert

Robert
For anyone living in remote areas away from live jazz sax teachers, Neff is the way to go. In fact this is a great resource for anyone seriously interested in mastering the sax. I’ve never been disappointed in a lesson.
Oliver

I am enjoying your style of teaching, and you’ve done a great job with the videos….good sound quality and well constructed lessons.  Balances the more guitaristic material found on the majority of guitar based programs.  Jazz vocab is what I’m all about at this point in the journey.  I especially dig the fact that you’ve studied with Bergonzi…helps me see his voluminous output in a more bite sized way.

Milton
I would like to say that in the last year my sax playing has progressed loads from your lessons. I have had a sax for about 20 years and dabbled with lessons from a few teachers and have learnt very little from them. As you have said in your lessons many teachers tell you to use the blues scale and leave it there, not even showing you the resolution points!!. I am now believing I can in time become a good improviser.
Thanks again,
Shane
Shane
Hey Steve! I hope you and your family are well.  I’m just writing to say thank you so much for all the resources you have made available to the saxophone community. I have been using your material for many years and I always come back to it… in fact I just took a break from practicing to write this…( reviewing “CreatingModern II-V-I Lines with simple pentatonics”.) I am, and continue to be, one of your raving fans! Blessings to you and your family this holiday season! Wishing… Read more
Gerry Aylward
Thank you for all the educational information you provide.  I am a classically trained musician.  Professionally, I am a 4th and 5th grade band teacher.  I have played piano and sax for many years, but now I am starting to gig out more. I have always improvised by ear in the past. I have gotten by with my strong sense of pitch, rhythm and melodic contour. However, I want to go deeper. I want to play with a greater variety of melodic and rhythmic ideas to pull from.  I have studied to gain a … Read more
Ray

Featured Video Lessons

  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $19.99 Original price was: $19.99.$14.99Current price is: $14.99.
  • The Secret to Modern Outside Jazz Lines Lesson-Minor The Secret to Modern Outside Jazz Lines Lesson-Minor $9.99
  • Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson
    Rated 4.91 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Secret to Altissimo (no one has ever told you about before) Lesson The Secret to Altissimo (no one has ever told you about before) Lesson
    Rated 4.75 out of 5
    $9.99

Now over 600 video and audio lessons to choose from!

Free Lessons

  • Free Lesson on The New Ultimate II-V-I Primer-Major Keys
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering Altered Pentatonics
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering the Blues Scale Volume 1 & 2
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering the Dominant Bebop Scale and Language Book 1 & 2
  • Free Video Lesson on Approach Note Velocity Book

Recent reviews

  • Bebop Scale-Altered Scale II-V-I Practice Lesson Bebop Scale-Altered Scale II-V-I Practice Lesson by Noah
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) by Andy
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Russ
  • Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Timothy
  • The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Ray Holland

Footer

Recent Comments

  • Perry on Will the Real Michael Brecker’s Sax Mouthpiece Please Stand Up?
  • Steve on Will the Real Michael Brecker’s Sax Mouthpiece Please Stand Up?
  • Perry on Will the Real Michael Brecker’s Sax Mouthpiece Please Stand Up?
  • Dominique on Otto Link Super Tone Master Florida V Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Felipe on Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Top rated products

  • Mastering the Major Bebop Scale & Sound (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Major Bebop Scale & Sound (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $14.99
  • Tune of the Week-Softly as a Morning Sunrise Lesson Tune of the Week-Softly as a Morning Sunrise Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Style of Dexter Gordon-Lady Bird Lesson 1 The Style of Dexter Gordon-Lady Bird Lesson 1
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Tune of the Week-Days of Wine and Roses Lesson Tune of the Week-Days of Wine and Roses Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Tune of the Week-Invitation Tune of the Week-Invitation
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99

Product tags

alto sax alto saxophone approach notes audio lesson bebop scale beginner beginner saxophone blues blues licks blues patterns blues scale blues scales diminished scale dominant chords ear training fundamentals II-V-I improvisation jazz improvisation jazz lines jazz patterns jazz sax jazz saxophone jazz standard jazz standards licks Mastering the Blues Scale Michael Brecker modern improv modern improvisation online lesson patterns playing outside practice habits reading music sax basics sax lessons saxophone scales smooth jazz steve neff tenor sax tenor saxophone video lesson video lessons
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • SUPPORT

Neffmusic © 2005–2025