This is a Warburton J series hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I am reviewing today. This tenor saxophone mouthpiece has an .110 tip opening. These are made by the great mouthpiece refacer Eric Falcon down in Florida. I had done a review in the past of the Alto and Soprano models and Eric was kind enough to send me a tenor mouthpiece to try.
Warburton J Series Hard Rubber Tenor Sax Mouthpiece
The Warburton J series tenor mouthpiece looks great. The hard rubber looks terrific and it has a beautiful gold band around the shank. The tip, rails and baffle look as even as can be. The tip is very close to the exact shape of the reeds I tried on it. The chamber looks to be a medium to small chamber to me. It’s quite a bit smaller than my EB hard rubber link but that has a pretty huge chamber. The baffle has a nice rollover to it that drops down to the chamber nice and smoothly.
Here is what the Warburton website has to say about this mouthpiece:
“The J series is comparable to the most common jazz mouthpieces on the market. The major advantages are being more flexible and more reed friendly due to being completely hand finished. The chamber size allows the player to shape the sound more easily via reed choice and air-stream while always maintaining a strong and warm core. The hand facing and baffle work combine to assure the player a reed friendly (meaning more playable reeds per box) and free blowing mouthpiece with excellent articulation. These mouthpieces are designed for players and educators wanting a traditional round chamber design and the highest quality possible. “
When I played this mouthpiece I really liked it. I immediately thought that the tone was rich and thick which I love on tenor. It took all the air I could give it and the altissimo was very easy to get on it. When I backed off on the clip and sub toned it had a nice fluffy tone to it but when I blew harder it really filled right up. A big full round room filling sound. The notes and a nice pop to them because of the smaller chamber but the tone wasn’t small or bright at all. If anything the smaller chamber gave more of a focused concentration to the notes when I blew harder.
Warburton J Series Hard Rubber Tenor Sax Mouthpiece
In my opinion, this is another great example of a hard rubber mouthpiece that plays great. I know that there are so many out there now that it can make your head spin but if you like the sound of this clip do yourself a favor and try one of these out yourself. If you want to find out more about these great mouthpieces visit the Warburton Website for more info. Let me know what you think below. Thanks, Steve
Here is a clip with a Vandoren Java 2 1/2. This reed is a little soft for this mouthpiece.
This is a clip played with a Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Medium. It’s a bit harder and I liked playing this one better than the Java above although you can make your own decision.
About Steve
Sounds great! Are going to review their new LA metal piece?
Yes, I have one coming in the mail as I write this. Looking forward to trying it.
Have you tried the D series mpc? Thanks.
I did but didn’t like it as much as the J series that I did a review of. I remember that is was darker and didn’t have the punch and focus I found in the J series.