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

Website of Steve Neff

  • BLOG
  • SHOP
  • MEMBER’S AREA
    • JOIN
    • FAQ
    • MEMBER LOGIN
    • Member Monthly Lessons
  • RAVES
  • CONTACT
You are here: Home / Reviews / Mouthpiece Reviews / Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews / Tenor High Baffle Reviews / Pete Thomas PPT Metal Tenor Mouthpiece

Pete Thomas PPT Metal Tenor Mouthpiece

June 18, 2012 by Steve 7 Comments

This is a new metal tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Pete Thomas.  The  PPT metal mouthpieces have similar internal dimensions to the Onyxite PPT that I reviewed a few years ago.  The facings are based on Ed Pillinger’s original facings, and are machined from solid brass.  They are then hand finished by Morgan Fry.  Morgan Fry is a great mouthpiece refacer over in England.  This tenor saxophone mouthpiece is the brushed gold mouthpiece and looks beautiful.

 

 

Pete Thomas PPT Metal Tenor Mouthpiece

 

The mouthpiece I received to review is a 8* and is absolutely beautiful.  I really like the brushed gold finish of the piece as it gives it a bit of a vintage look.  The design of the mouthpiece is unique in that the body and bore of the mouthpiece all seem to be one flowing design.  There are no lines to separate them so it gives the mouthpiece a very modern look.  The tip and rails are very thin and precise.  It looks to have a normal sized window on it.  The metal PPT has a high baffle on it much like the Onyxite PPT I  reviewed a number of years ago.  The baffle has a high plateau to it that slopes down into a scooped large chamber with scooped sidewalls.

 

 

Pete Thomas PPT Metal Tenor Mouthpiece

 

You can see the high baffle in the picture below.  My first thought was that this mouthpiece was going to be loud and extremely bright.  The PPT Onyxite I had bought for the last review played great (that’s why I bought it) but in the end I felt it was leaning too far to the bright side of things for my personal tastes.  I expected this new metal PPT mouthpiece to be similar to that Onyxite mouthpiece.

 

 

 

 

Pete Thomas PPT Metal Tenor Mouthpiece

The factor I forgot to account for was the tip opening.  Whereas the Onyxite was a 7* tip,  this metal PPT mouthpiece is an 8*.  The tip opening is a major factor for high baffled mouthpieces.  A high baffle speeds up the air being blown through the mouthpiece so that the sound can be louder and many times brighter when you push it.  It seems like a closer tip opening brings the reed closer to that high baffle and the sound is brighter.  When you play the same model mouthpiece in a larger tip opening many times the tone is less bright.  I’m not sure of all the acoustical and design  reasons for this but I have experienced it many times. I was nicely surprised by the metal PPT mouthpiece.  I used a Vandoren Java 2 1/2 reed on it with a Selmer 404 metal ligature.  It was not as bright as the Onyxite 7* I had played but it still had a nice thick sound to it with lots of character.  It is still much brighter than a lower baffled piece like an Otto Link but you can listen to the clip below and judge for yourself.  I did feel the tone had a dry character to it.  I’ve played other mouthpiece with this same characteristic like my Theo Wanne Gaia alto mouthpiece.   When I listen to this clip of the PPT it sounds dry to me.  I’m not saying this is good or bad…….just a word I would use to describe the tone.  Because of the larger tip and high baffle, you can get tons of volume out of this mouthpiece so it would be great to use in a rock or blues band.  It was also very easy to get the altissimo notes and the intonation was great on the mouthpiece.

 

Pete Thomas PPT Metal Tenor Mouthpiece

 

I really enjoyed playing the Pete Thomas PPT Metal Tenor Mouthpiece.  If you like the sound and look of this mouthpiece contact Pete Thomas .  There are some more mouthpiece clips of the PPT metal and Onyxite side by side so you can compare them next to each other.

 

I would also like to add that all of Pete’s profit from the sale of these PPT mouthpieces as well as other endeavors on his website are contributed to charity.  He has given thousands of dollars over the years to APEC, LeukemiaBusters, Red Cross, Band on the Wall and now Gorton Education Village.  It’s great to see another sax player  and teacher giving so much of himself to further music and the saxophone and at the same time giving so much to those who need it.  Great job Pete!

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

Pete Thomas PPT Metal Tenor Mouthpiece

https://public.neffmusic.com/PPTMetal.mp3

Filed Under: Tenor High Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Ed Pillinger, morgan fry, Pete Thomas, PPT, sax mouthpiece, tenor saxophone

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. AvatarMark Rybiski says

    July 1, 2012 at 2:50 pm

    Steve, I really like your tone with this mouthpiece. Did you use any reverb or effects? Just wondering I think the piece has a great versatile fat tone…of course much is due to your ability as a player too!

    Reply
    • stevesteve says

      July 1, 2012 at 3:21 pm

      Thanks Mark. No effects. I record all the review clips totally dry.

      Reply
  2. AvatarJohn Turner says

    July 4, 2012 at 5:26 pm

    Steve
    Have you compared this PPT metal mouthpiece to the equivalent PPT standard (non metal) ? I have a PPT plastic that I really like but it’s rather large in its outer dimensions. I am wondering if the equivalent metal PPT plays and sounds the same as the non-metal. I assume that the inner chambers are equivalent. Do you have any comments or experience on that?

    Reply
  3. AvatarCliff Tetle says

    July 21, 2012 at 11:44 pm

    Nice playing Steve

    Reply
  4. AvatarWalter says

    June 9, 2013 at 4:22 am

    Hi Steve,

    thankYou for another great review! With Morgan Fry involved in the finishing and plating, there are similarities concerning baffle/chamber-concept. How would You compare the PPT to Morgan Fry’s Rhodium plated large chamber Tenor piece?

    Reply
    • stevesteve says

      June 17, 2013 at 11:06 am

      Walter, the Rhodium MF piece had a rounder, darker, sweeter sound than the PPT. Not as much power. The PPT was definitely brighter and more powerful. It wasn’t Guardala bright but had a more of a thicker tone to it than a Guardala………hope this helps. Steve

      Reply
  5. AvatarVince Salerno says

    May 1, 2019 at 9:34 am

    I was fortunate to get a mint condition 9* metal mouthpiece about 5 years ago for less than half of its retail price. I’ve been using as my main mouthpiece since I got it but it’s had to face some strong competition from 3 different Ponzols, 3 Bergs and a metal .120 Boss mpc.
    I just recorded a CD using this mpc on one of my Super 20s. It’s on the bright side of the spectrum but if I think fat, low and breathy I can achieve that. I like the Boss a lot too but the altissimo is blood curdling intense on the PPT and good but not great on my Boss. The PPT is very worthy of consideration for anyone considering this type of mouthpiece. It’s not very well known and I think more people would be using these if it wasn’t a mouthpiece that you buy off a website in Great Britain.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Cliff Tetle 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

I want to say something about Steve Neff’s series of lessons, Beginner Jazz Improvisation. For a couple of years I tried many beginner lessons and my problem was that there was a gap between lessons that were fairly simple and ones that I was not quite ready for and my progress stalled out. That problem was solved with the series Beginner Jazz Improvisation. He guides you step by step along the way and builds a foundation for learning jazz and blues. He leaves no question about what to practice … Read more
Pete

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
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
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 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
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
I can’t say enough about my membership at Neff Music. Steve has taken the mystery out of playing the saxophone well and improvising both jazz and rock music. Like most struggling players I have a load of all sorts of books on my shelf just gathering dust. Books that I didn’t understand or know how to put to use…or just have the time to go threw them. Steve’s lessons really simplify things and he puts it in a way that I can understand. They inspire me to keep pushing and having him as my guide or… Read more
Ken
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

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
Your lessons on playing the blues is so clear . I have been through many books on blues playing and not one of them explains as clear as your lessons . Most of them say “Play the same blues scale over all three chords of a 12 bar blues ” Its very misleading .     Thanks
Martin

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
I’ve been having ‘ online’  lessons with Steve for a few months now. Being a teacher myself I had had some reservations with the idea at first and the practicalities of it .  Let me just say that my playing has taken a huge leaps forward while studying with Steve and continues to do so.Steve studied with some renowned player/teachers such as Bergonzi and Garzone– this in itself is invaluable but Steve teaches from his own books, which cover a a vast amount of  jazz language. Steve h… Read more
David

Hi Steve,

First, I want to thank you for all of your great lessons. They are like a “For Dummies” version of all the books on my shelf. The lessons break things down into manageable pieces, and give me the confidence that I’m practicing the right pieces. I’m starting to make progress.   Thank You,   Kim

Kim
I can see from your instructional videos that you are a fantastic teacher – one that can truly relate to all ages – humble yet very positive in approach – never coming across as superior and yet so totally capable of demonstrating the principles and techniques that you seek to impart to the students. I have gained so much confidence in my playing from “pouring over” time and again these invaluable lessons. Invaluable not only in musical content, but also in human interaction content. I am absolu… Read more
Ron

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
Steve’s monthly lessons are entirely valuable. Without brow beating, he tells you all the stuff you deep down know you really should be working on, instead of just relying on the same old patterns. In spite of the fact that you’re taking a video lesson, Steve’s presentation is comfortable and “real”. In a little more than a year, he’s developed a library of lessons that seem to offer any player a lifetime’s worth of practice material. I’m just glad I stumbled upon it.… Read more
Grant

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.
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!
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

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

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 have been a member of Neffmusic for more than a year now and have enjoyed every minute of it! I have not only been going thru the Dominant Bebop Scale lessons and book (OUTSTANDING!) but the mouthpiece reviews, solo clips and transcriptions are very interesting. Steve approach to beginning and intermediate improv have given me many new pathways to teach my high school jazz ensemble students. Congratulations Steve, great product!
Craig

Never really had lessons before just kinda worked things out on my own. Was in a rut but your lessons are really helpful in opening melodic possibilities. Ur an awesome resource to the saxophone community. Thanks for sharing. 

Anthony
First, I’m really excited about your materials! This site is a vast resource for any aspiring (and maybe already inspired) jazz musicians. I’m not a sax player, I play mandolin and fiddle, but have been learning jazz and playing weekly with a quintet for the past 6 months and have been struggling with all of the issues you get into in your lessons. I bought several books and lessons and plan to continue with some others as soon as I organize my practice routine. Thanks again for a great site … Read more
Tony Galfano

Featured Video Lessons

  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $19.99 $14.99
  • The Secret to Modern Outside Jazz Lines Lesson-Minor $9.99
  • 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
    Rated 4.91 out of 5
    $9.99
  • 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!
BECOME A MEMBER TODAY AND SAVE BIG ON EACH LESSON!

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

  • 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
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Ray Holland
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Lloyd Whitty
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Murray Middleman
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Paul

Footer

Recent Comments

  • David on Ponzol M2 Gold Tenor Mouthpiece
  • Giuseppe C. on 10mFan Celebration Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Bryan Chatham on Avel Sound Concept (ASC)-Mistral Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Steve on Geller Blackbird Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Can Turkmenoglu on Geller Blackbird Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Top rated products

  • The Dorian Mode Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Cool Piano Voicings Lesson 1
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Best II-V-I's Overview Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Straight No Chaser-Jazz Articulation Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Overtones-The Path to Altissimo Lesson
    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 © 2005–2023