• 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 / Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews / Tenor High Baffle Reviews / Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

June 1, 2016 by Steve 13 Comments

Today’s review is of a very used Ted Klum London model tenor saxophone mouthpiece that a friend of mine was nice enough to let me try.   Ted Klum is a great sax mouthpiece maker and refacer who has a great reputation among saxophone players.   His site is www.tedklummouthpieces.com.   It has been quite a while since I have reviewed one of Ted Klum’s saxophone mouthpieces and he has come out with a variety of models since I first reviewed one of his mouthpieces way back in 2009.

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The day I received this mouthpiece in the mail, I also received an email from the sender warning me that it might be wise to wear ear protection as I test this mouthpiece out!  I already had a pretty good idea that this mouthpiece would pack a serious punch from looking at the height and shape of the baffle coupled with the small chamber.

The first thing I noticed when taking this mouthpiece out of the package was that this is one of the heaviest sax mouthpieces I have tried.  This is a solid piece of brass!  Much heavier than the other metal mouthpieces I have that is for sure……..

As you can see from the picture below, the table on this mouthpiece is pretty worn out from lots of playing I assume.  It is not uncommon for saliva to eat away at the plating on different mouthpieces over time.  The rate at which this happens is also connected to the body chemistry of the player I would imagine.   The mouthpiece still played well and got a seal with reeds so if the wear has any affect on the facing of this mouthpiece I could not tell.

Addition:  I heard from a friend that what causes the corrosion on the table is leaving wet reeds on the mouthpiece.  Here’s what he wrote:  “P.S. Regarding the cause of the corrosion on the table: It’s not saliva, per se, it’s the fact that it is wet. It sets up a local galvanic cell that corrodes the plating.”  This makes sense as I had the same thing happen to an old Sugal SGI mouthpiece and I left a reed on that almost always………

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I refer to the type of baffle in the Ted Klum London model as a scooped out baffle or bullet baffle.  You see this kind of baffle a lot in Berg Larsen mouthpieces typically.  The baffle is a high smooth rollover type that has a scoop out of it at the bottom in the shape of a bullet.  The sidewalls are straight and don’t open up until they reach the chamber.  I would consider the chamber to be small in my opinion.

The affect of this high baffle and small chamber is that you get an extremely powerful and focused sound to the tone.   The high baffle and small chamber give the air and sound less of a space to travel through and when they reach the horn I feel like it is similar to when you put your finger over the end of the hose as water is coming out.  It speeds up the water and you get a more focused and powerful stream.

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I first tried the London model mouthpiece with a 2 1/2 strong Rigotti Gold reed but found that to be too soft.   I then tried a 3 Light which seemed perfect to me.  My first thought as I played a few notes was “Yep, this is really loud!”   The danger with high baffle and small chamber mouthpieces is sometimes the sound can be thin in the upper register.  I didn’t feel that with the London model though.  The tone was brighter and could be edgy but it still sounded fat and big to me.

Because of the high baffle and small chamber,  the London model needed to be further out on my neck cork than a typical Otto Link style mouthpiece.  I would say that this mouthpiece sat at about a 1/4 to 1/3 of a ways on my cork to be in tune.

I would put this saxophone mouthpiece in the same category of sound as some of the great Berg’s I have reviewed on this site or the Drake Pete Christlieb mouthpiece.  The baffle and chamber shape are very similar in all those pieces…………

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I made one clip of this mouthpiece but decided to offer one version dry and one with a little bit of reverb.   Nothing fancy, just the general reverb that garageband has.  You could hear in the clips below that the altissimo was pretty easy to get.  There is a quality in the altissimo notes that I really liked.  As I write this and listen to the clip it’s hard for me to find the right words to describe it.  It sounds bright, edgy at times and a bit aggressive. The tone has almost a ringing metallic sound to me. That really doesn’t make any sense but that is what comes to my mind as I listen back to the clip.

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Ted Klum London Model is a great sax mouthpiece for those looking for volume to cut through the mix on the gig.   I would consider it a great mouthpiece for R&B sax playing or soloing where you have to cut through a loud band playing modern music.   You can hear in the clip where I lay back a bit and it is workable for some jazz playing.  It’s important to mention that I was in know way playing at 100% volume during any portion of this clip.  I think I took it to maybe 80% at times.  This is the kind of mouthpieces that you can really push to get that extra volume when needed that is for sure………..

If you enjoy the clip, don’t be dissuaded by the worn table picture above.  Contact Ted Klum and get a London Model saxophone mouthpiece for yourself.  I know Ted Klum puts out the very best sax mouthpieces and your London model will be sparkling new and perfect!

https://cdn.neffmusic.com/2016/Klum%20London.mp3

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Dry

https://cdn.neffmusic.com/2016/Klum%20London%20Reverb.mp3

Ted Klum London Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Reverb

Filed Under: Tenor High Baffle Reviews Tagged With: high baffle, London Model, sax mouthpiece, Ted Klum, 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. AvatarSimon peat says

    June 3, 2016 at 6:01 am

    This sounds great ….. The best high baffle piece I’ve heard! Loads of body to the sound as well as crispness and focus! I’ve never liked Berg type pieces but may have to try one of these! Thanks for reviewing this Steve.

    Reply
  2. AvatarAlex says

    June 4, 2016 at 5:37 pm

    Sounds good Steve! Very nice and full sound!

    Reply
  3. Avatarhagay melamed says

    July 5, 2016 at 6:44 pm

    wow!amazing stakto steve.i buy jody jazz dv 8* now.can you give us your playing on jody’s like it

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      July 10, 2016 at 9:44 pm

      Hagay,
      I’ve never played a JJ DV. Sorry. Steve

      Reply
  4. AvatarMickey says

    August 29, 2017 at 10:28 pm

    Thanks for the review Steve. I ordered a London piece in solid silver from Ted after reading your review. It is now my main mouthpiece. I ordered in size 102, it is so easy to play high and low. Altissimo is so easy. My higher notes in general are more powerful and makes me feel comfortable to hang around the upper register more. The low notes have the complexity and crunch that the link does not offer. Now my JVW STM link becomes my spare.

    Reply
  5. AvatarNemo says

    October 31, 2017 at 12:29 am

    The chamber looks almost exactly like my Barone Traditional/Contemporary. Though it’s always hard to tell from recordings, it seems to sound very similar as well. What do you think?

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      October 31, 2017 at 8:01 pm

      Nemo, I wouldn’t know as I haven’t played a Barone Traditional/Contemporary that I can remember. Steve

      Reply
  6. AvatarNemo says

    October 31, 2017 at 9:56 pm

    Recordings are tough to evaluate. You don’t know what the piece feels like to play. Even so, I played your recordings of this piece through my stereo so I could listen to it in the same room I practice in. I turned up the volume to match the volume of my live playing. Your recording and my sax with the Barone Traditional/Contemporary with Rigotti Gold 2.5 hard reed had a very similar timbre I thought. Very similar. I’d be interested on your take of that Barone T/C.

    Reply
  7. AvatarMickey says

    April 23, 2018 at 4:19 am

    I like the London in solid silver so much that I order another piece in Rhodium plating brass size 7** for spare. Having both pieces side by side, I do notice that the whole solid silver thing is not a hype. It does give a response more silky smooth not sure if the audience can tell a difference, but It does feel different enough on this side of the horn. It took out some of the hashness of brass in term of response and sound, very hard to put it into words, but I wholeheartedly believe it is worth the premium, at least for me.

    Reply
  8. AvatarRobert Jones says

    November 10, 2019 at 6:20 pm

    What is the tip opening on this one?

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      November 10, 2019 at 11:38 pm

      Robert, It looks like I forgot to put the tip opening in the review. One of the photos looks like it has a 109 engraved on it so I think that might be the tip opening. I emailed the person I borrowed it from to see what he says the tip opening was. Sorry for forgetting to post that…….. Steve

      Reply
  9. AvatarMickey says

    November 10, 2019 at 11:31 pm

    solid silver was 103 which is perfect for me. Ted recommended 107 which is 7** for my brass spare , a little too open for me. I am generally half a size below average pro tip size so i would say his recommendation is ideal.

    Reply
  10. AvatarFelipe says

    September 16, 2023 at 1:24 pm

    Hi, Steve, how do you know if a reed is too soft?

    Reply

Leave a Reply 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

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
Hey Steve, My name is Jason Freese and I play keyboards and sax in the band Green Day.  I grew up taking sax lessons from Eric Marienthal when I was a kid and got out of it for a long time. I ran into you on youtube while searching for sax stuff. I bought a whole bunch of your lessons and have been loving it! Thanks! Here is my wikipedia so you can see the albums I’ve played on….Thanks again. It’s sparked my interest in practicing again.   Jason
Jason Freese (sax player for Green Day)

Hello Steve,

I just want to say thank you so much for your unbelievable work, it is just mind opening, thanks for sharing it.

Wolfgang from Berlin

Wolfgang from Berlin
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
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

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
Just to say thanks for your advice and lessons.  I’ve just read your amazing story.  I really appreciate what you do in regards to teaching.  I have bought a couple of your lessons and frankly they’re undersold.   I’ve learned much more with these two lessons than with 2 years of sax teachers.   Thanks so much………..
Mike
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

Steve,

I have played for many years and have enjoyed going “back to the basics” in some of your lessons!  You have such a gift for explaining concepts.  As I have gotten older, some of the basic things have gotten muddled because I just play, not knowing why.  As I refresh myself with “why”, it increases my confidence and expands my playing.  Thank you so much for using your gift!  You are a blessing!

Julia
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
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 just joined Neff Music last month. I can’t tell you how excited I’ve been to be able to pick back up on lessons. I’ve been in a rut and you got me out! I’ve especially appreciated the Lesson Path section. It was so clear I knew exactly where to jump in and start. Many many thanks!
Karin

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
I have found your videos and publications inspiring and your contribution to the world of saxophone playing is immense. Paul
Paul
I’ve been downloading your lessons for 4 months now (20 lesson) and I have noticed tremendous growth in my playing thus far! I’m so happy that I stumbled upon your site!
Bob
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
Hi Steve, I live in a gorgeous but rural area of Oregon-no music store within 80 miles. Your lessons are my lifeline!  Truly the best there are anywhere online. Love your playing. Love your teaching.  Thanks again. Ed
Ed Woodmansee

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

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.
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 want to thank you again, because, not only are you an inspiration to listen to, you are a fine teacher!

I have been teaching sax and other winds for over 20 years, and you give me that “push” to give my students more!

Mark Peotter

Mark Peotter
Hi Steve, I have been shedding your materials for quite a while now and I love them! They are extremely well organized and presented and there are tons of ’em! I really appreciate your methodical approach and find myself referring students to your resources often.  Thanks so much!  
Kenyon Carter

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
Thanks so much for putting all this great learning material out there. I don’t often have the time to take a lesson with a teacher, so the ability to download lessons is really invaluable. My playing has improved enormously (I think :)) – and the lessons are so varied there’s always something to be inspired by. Incredible value too!
Roger

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