Today, I am reviewing another Westcoast Sax “MOAM” tenor saxophone mouthpiece. A few months ago, I reviewed an unplated .105 tip opening MOAM. Matt said he would send me a plated model of the MOAM when they were finished and I asked if I could get the .110 tip opening. I wasn’t planning on doing another review of the .110 version but now that I have it, I think it is also worthy of a review for those of you who are not sure what tip opening to get.
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 last year. I like Matt’s description below where he says it has an explosive sound! Hahaha………
Westcoast Sax MOAM Tenor & Alto 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. The gold plating on this mouthpiece looks amazing and about as perfect as you can get! Not a blemish or fault anywhere on this piece. I almost don’t want to play it because it looks so perfect!
The baffle on the MOAM is unique in that I haven’t seen a baffle configuration like this 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.
Westcoast Sax MOAM Tenor & Alto 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
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
PM or Call 951-805-5611
Cheers, Matt Lee (General MoFo)
Westcoast Sax MOAM .110 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.
As far as the difference between the .105 MOAM and the .110 MOAM tenor sax mouthpiece, I found the .105 to be sweeter sounding and more focused in tone. I felt the .110 could give me more volume when needed as I could get more air through it because of the bigger tip opening. I could also get more aggressive and hardcore sounding with the .110 than I felt like I could get on the .105.
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 .110 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
Right now, the MOAM tenor saxophone mouthpiece is only made in two tip openings (.105 and .110). I reviewed the .105 tip MOAM a few month ago. At the time, I thought I would prefer the .110 tip opening as I feel more comfortable with that tip opening and I was right, the .110 is much more my style.
I used a Rigotti Gold 3 Light reed on the MOAM tenor mouthpiece and a Rovner E-1RVS Soprano Sax ligature that fit the MOAM perfectly. I have also used this same ligature on Guardala sized mouthpieces to give you an idea of how big it is. I preferred the Rovner ligature to a metal ligature as it seemed to take away a little bit of the bright edge I heard in the sound when playing at full volume.
Westcoast Sax MOAM .110 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.
Westcoast Sax MOAM .110 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The MOAM tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Westcoast Sax is a great example of a well crafted high baffle tenor mouthpiece. It has tons of power as you would expect so if you are looking for something to compete with your guitar player this might be just the ticket. 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 .110 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Added Reverb
Westcoast Sax MOAM .110 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Dry
About Steve
Michael Brecker’s solo on “Happy Days,” off of the McCoy Tyner record ” Infinity”! Love it. Sounds great, Steve!
Craig, did you see the transcription I put up of it?
The MOAM is an easy playing mouthpiece. Nice demo Steve
For the little that matters, I can be wrong, I have the impression that the type of sound and music for which the MOAM is suitable, is more or less the same as the Theo Wanne Slant 2 ; however, between the two, I prefer the Theo Wanne Slant 2.
Giuseppe,
The MOAM and the Theo Wanne Slant 2 are about as different as you could possibly get between two mouthpieces. Night and day difference. The MOAM is pretty bright and in your face focused. The Slant 2 is not as bright and loud as the MOAM and is much more spread sounding. Steve
Nice sound indeed, Steve. My impression is that the 105 MOAM is a bit more lively than the 110. Although there is some serious edge on the 110. Do you think the 110 is much louder than the 105?
So I was wrong; however, from the slide of your review of Slant 2, listening (playing it is different) regardless of the type of sound that this versatile MPC can have, I had the impression, obviously wrong that, in the specific type of use, was the same kind of sound you used Slant 2 Theo Wanne, Breckerian 90s, rithm and blues … I worry about my ear!
I went to listen again the audio sample of your review of Slant 2 Theo Wanne and, in fact, hearing it not as I remembered it after days but in comparison, the MPCs are very different and the difference is exactly what you indicated; in my defense I can say that however, the sound of Slant 2 is rather brighter and less full-bodied than a normal Link; or am I wrong yet?
The sound of this MOAM seems to me, listening to it, a bit similar, even if more colorful and, probably, easier to play, to a modern Dukoff S that I bought in the nineties; at least as my computer perceives it.
With reference to my previous comment on the MOAM MPC, a comment that I still can not see because under moderation, I precise that, if I was not clear, I meant that the MOAM seems to me, to the ear, to have a more colorful sound and that, probably, it sounds, so it seems to me from the sound clip, more easily than my Dukoff S!