Westcoast Sax MOAM .105 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Today, I am reviewing the Westcoast Sax “MOAM” tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  You might remember that I reviewed the Westcoast Sax “MOFO” tenor mouthpiece last year and I just reviewed the MOAM alto sax mouthpiece earlier today. Matt Lee at Westcoast Sax is always picking interesting and understated names for his sax mouthpieces and this is no exception.  The name MOAM stands for the “Mother of all Mouthpieces”.  I believe he got the idea for the name from MOAB (Mother of all Bombs) which was in the news quite a bit as the most powerful non-nuclear bomb the US has. I like Matt’s description below where he says it has an explosive sound!  Hahaha………

Matt let me borrow two prototypes of his new MOAM tenor and alto mouthpieces that have not been gold plated yet to review.  This tenor sax mouthpiece is a .105 tip opening and the MOAM alto sax mouthpiece is a .086 tip opening.

Westcoast Sax MOAM Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The mouthpiece is designed and sold by Matt Lee and Theo Wanne. If you don’t know Theo’s work, it is amazing.   I have reviewed a ton of mouthpieces by Theo Wanne over the years and they were all great.  Not a defect, scratch, bad finish, uneven rail or tip in all of them. His attention to detail is amazing.

The MOAM tenor saxophone mouthpiece is no different.  The engraving is bold and beautiful.  The table, rails, tip and baffle look precise and perfect also. Although these prototypes are raw brass and not gold plated yet, you can bet that the gold plated versions will look even more amazing.

The baffle on the MOAM is unique in that I haven’t seen a baffle configuration like this before in all the mouthpieces I have reviewed.  It has a very high straight baffle that angles slightly as it travels away from the tip.  Then slopes up a bit and then continues straight until it hits the chamber. That upward slope adjustment in the middle of the baffle is what I don’t see very often. (I did see a variation of it once before on a Mark Spencer Silver Tenor Mouthpiece that I reviewed in the past)

Westcoast Sax MOAM Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here’s a description of the MOAM mouthpieces from the Westcoast Sax Facebook page:

The MOAM (Mother Off All Mouthpieces) displays a contemporary sound with explosive power, color, and depth. From Beautiful Ballads to Screaming Solos… “The MOAM allows the player complete freedom of expression and is down right a blast to play.” Matt Lee

Matt Lee personally designed The MOAM Mouthpiece with a medium facing (Super Responsive), thin rails, bullet style baffle, and a medium chamber. Theo Wanne is the master at bringing my inspiration and vision to life.

The MOAM is made by mouthpiece Guru “Theo Wanne” right here in the USA. Quality and Craftsmanship is at the highest level. Each mouthpiece is made out of 24K Gold Plated Brass.

If you are looking for a mouthpiece that allows you full expression, emotion, and a personalized sound… Look No Further!

MOAM Mouthpiece Sizes:

Soprano Sax – #7 .065 and #8 .070

Alto Sax – #7 .080 and #8 .086

Tenor Sax – 7* .105 and #8 .110

I will have 10 Mouthpieces per tip opening available. Grand total of 60 Mouthpieces. Please allow 45 days for delivery… mouthpieces are in line for  production at Theo Wanne as we speak. Anticipated Delivery Date will be around 10-31-2017

All Mouthpieces will be made out of 24K Gold Plated Brass. Soprano $450 – Alto $475 – Tenor $500 – Includes a Rovner SS Ligature, Cap, and Mouthpiece Bag.

* Regular Price Items: Include a 5 day return policy (You pay shipping both ways if you return) and must be returned in Brand New Condition (No Scratches or Flaws) No Exceptions. Also Includes: Cap, Rovner SS Ligature and Mouthpiece Bag

* Pre-Order Items: No Returns or Exchanges due to the $100 Discount. Cap and Rovner SS Ligature Not Included. You can add the Cap and Ligature for an additional $25. Mouthpiece Bag is Included.

Receive Special Artist Pricing of $100 off if you Pre-Order + Free Shipping in the USA. Expected Delivery October 31st.

PM or Call 951-805-5611

Cheers, Matt Lee (General MoFo)

Westcoast Sax MOAM Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I found the MOAM tenor saxophone mouthpiece to be darker in tone than I had anticipated it being from looking at the baffle.   I thought it was going to be a super bright paint peeler of a mouthpiece but the tone wasn’t that at all. It does get brighter and more edgy when pushed but it also has a nice fatness and depth to the tone that I really liked.   In comparison to the MOFO I reviewed last year, I found the MOAM to be a bit darker and fatter sounding to my ears.  The tone is still very focused and concentrated but it has more of a smoothness to it than I remember the MOFO having.

A couple of times during the clip I found my self just holding notes and enjoying the tones I was hearing (1:30-2:05). I just kinda found myself immersed in the tone as I was listening to it.  This might sound strange but something about the MOAM tenor mouthpiece reminds me of the tone of Boney James.  I’m not much of a smooth jazz listener but I always thought Boney’s tone was cool because he has a darker prettier sound than most smooth jazz tenor players out there.  It has a smooth roundness to the tone that can be leaned darker or brighter which Boney does a great job of.  Check out his version of “Sleigh Ride” on Youtube for what I am talking about.  The MOAM reminds me of that kind of tone for some reason…….

I tried to play a variety of styles and volumes in the sound clip below so you could hear it in a few different settings.  I thought the intonation and playability of the piece were great also!

Westcoast Sax MOAM Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Right now, the MOAM tenor saxophone mouthpiece is only made in two tip openings (.105 and .110).  Although I reviewed the .105 tip opening, I think I would prefer the .110 tip opening as I feel more comfortable with that tip opening with baffles this high.  Matt says he will send me a .110 tip when they are done so I hope to review that tip opening also and we can compare the sound clips to each other.

I used a Rigotti Gold 3 Light reed on the MOAM tenor mouthpiece and a generic metal ligature.  I have also used this same ligature on Guardala sized mouthpieces to give you an idea of how big it is.

Westcoast Sax MOAM Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I’ve provided two samples of the same clip below.  One is a clip with added reverb and the other is a dry clip in a moderate sized room.  I think it’s important to add the reverb clip just so people can get a sense of what the sound is like with a little bit of that added affect since the added reverb tend to soften the edge a bit.  If you listen to the dry clip you can hear that the MOAM tenor mouthpiece is not too bright and edgy like many high baffle pieces can be on a dry recording.

The MOAM tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Westcoast Sax is a great example of a well crafted high baffle tenor mouthpiece.  If you have been on the search for a tenor sax mouthpiece that will give you a powerful contemporary tenor tone this is one you should consider.

Congratulations to Matt Lee and Westcoast Sax for creating the MOAM mouthpiece! If you are interested in the MOAM you can call Matt at: 951-805-5611 or Email: WestCoastSax@Yahoo.Com.  You can also order directly from the Westcoast Sax website, Westcoast Sax Facebook page or Matt Lee’s Facebook page where he also has more audio samples and videos of this mouthpiece.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and if you get a MOAM saxophone mouthpiece be sure to come back and let us know what you think below……..Thanks!!

Westcoast Sax MOAM Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Added Reverb

Westcoast Sax MOAM Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Dry