• 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 / Saxophone Stuff / Vermont Wooden Toy Factory Saxophone Mouthpiece Stand Review

Vermont Wooden Toy Factory Saxophone Mouthpiece Stand Review

July 1, 2022 by Steve 8 Comments

A bunch of you have asked me about these beautiful wooden mouthpiece stands I have been using lately on social media.  They are made by a friend of mine up here in Vermont whose name is Pat Slater.  I met Pat at church one Sunday and as we were making small talk, I asked him what he did for a living. Pat responded saying that he had a small business called Vermont Wooden Toy Factory and that he made unique and cool wooden toys.

Later that day, I was thinking about what Pat did for a living and how cool that is, and the thought crossed my mind that this new friend of mine could probably make a pretty cool wooden mouthpiece stand.  I pitched the idea to him on one of the following Sundays and after a few discussions, starting with answering the question: “What is a saxophone mouthpiece?”, we were off and running.

Vermont Wooden Toy Factory Saxophone Mouthpiece Stand (Long Post Style)

Pat showed up to church a couple of weeks later with a big grin and the mouthpiece stand shown above.  He proudly told me that the base was hardwood maple and that he made the beveled pegs out of walnut.  Pat also put a leather base around each peg for extra protection so that the mouthpiece sits on the soft supple leather.  He came up with that idea after our discussion about how much a saxophone mouthpiece can cost.  He had no idea how crazy we saxophone players are about our mouthpieces!

I asked how much Pat would charge for a mouthpiece stand like this and after calculating the cost of the wood and adding his very reasonable ( I think too low) hourly rate, he told me that 69 dollars would be fair.

Vermont Wooden Toy Factory Saxophone Mouthpiece Stand (Long Post Style Full of Tenor Mouthpieces)

When I got home, I tried out my saxophone mouthpieces on it and the tenor and alto mouthpieces fit on the long posts perfectly.  The soprano sax mouthpieces fit on the pegs but they sat up high on the pegs because the soprano mouthpiece is so much shorter.  The next Sunday, I asked Pat if I could get another one with shorter pegs in the front row for soprano mouthpieces.

Right now, I have four of these great saxophone mouthpiece stands. Three long post style stands and one mixed post style mouthpiece stand.  I love how stable these stands are and how nice the mouthpieces look on them.   My wife just rolls her eyes every time she walks past them, but I love them!

Vermont Wooden Toy Factory Saxophone Mouthpiece Stand (Mixed Post Style)

Each mouthpiece stand holds 13 mouthpieces.  The pegs are spaced so that you can easily make out the details of each mouthpiece when perusing through them.  The base is solid and stable.  The walnut pegs are bevels so there are no sharp edges to them.

Here is how Pat at the Vermont Wooden Toy Factory describes his three models of wooden saxophone mouthpiece stands on his website at Vermont Wooden Toy Factory:

There are three styles. 

Shorter post style has a shorter post height and accommodates 13 mouthpieces.  Both front and rear rows have shorter posts and  accommodate soprano and alto mouthpieces. The stand measures 11″ wide, 3″ deep, and 1″ thick and is made with a hardwood maple base and walnut pegs.  Each peg has a leather pad that the sax mouthpiece sits on.

 Mixed post style has a mixed post height and accommodates 13 mouthpieces. The back row has pegs that are 1.5″ long for tenor, baritone and most alto sax mouthpieces. The front row pegs are 5/16″ shorter and  accommodate soprano and alto mouthpieces with smaller chambers. The stand measures 11″ wide, 3″ deep, and 1″ thick and is made with a hardwood maple base and walnut pegs.  Each peg has a leather pad that the sax mouthpiece sits on.

 Long post style has a long post height and accommodates 13 mouthpieces. All pegs are 1.5″ long for tenor, baritone and most alto sax mouthpieces. (Soprano and alto mouthpieces with small chambers will fit on the pegs but will rest up higher on these posts and not touch the leather base) The stand measures 11″ wide, 3″ deep, and 1″ thick and is made with a hardwood maple base and walnut pegs.  Each peg has a leather pad that the sax mouthpiece sits on.

Vermont Wooden Toy Factory Saxophone Mouthpiece Stand (Mixed Post Style Full of Sax Mouthpieces)

I am overjoyed with these cool looking saxophone mouthpiece stands made by Pat Slater at Vermont Wooden Toy Factory.  I asked Pat if he would be interested in making more of these sax mouthpiece stands if I shared the news about them and he said he would.  In my mind, you can’t beat 69.00 dollars for a quality wooden mouthpiece stand like this.

Keep in mind that Pat is not a saxophone player so if you have any sax related questions about these great mouthpiece stands, feel free to send me an email and I will do my best to answer your questions.

If you are lucky enough to own a Vermont Wooden Toy Factory saxophone mouthpiece stand from Pat or have any thoughts, comments or questions on this review,  I would love to hear what you think in the comments below. Thanks,   Steve

Disclosure: I received the four mouthpiece stands mentioned above for free because Pat and I are pretty good friends and he refuses to take my money for them.  I also receive a small commission when you purchase a mouthpiece stand from the link provided in this review that helps to support this site. Regardless, I only review saxophone products that I enjoy using and believe will be good for other saxophone players to try also. Steve

Filed Under: Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: alto mouthpiece, mouthpiece stand, Pat Slater, review, sax, saxophone, soprano mouthpiece, tenor mouthpiece, Vermont Wooden Toy Factory, vtwoodtoy, wooden

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. AvatarAlan Turner says

    July 2, 2022 at 8:19 pm

    Great idea! I’ve wanted something like this for years to keep my pieces organised.
    I hope Pat will ship internationally, as I ‘m in Adelaide, South Australia.

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      July 5, 2022 at 11:25 am

      You’ll have to ask Pat on that one. I know international shipping can be troublesome because it is so expensive and there is no tracking available once it leaves the US.

      Reply
  2. AvatarGiuseppe C. says

    July 3, 2022 at 4:31 am

    Nice artifact …
    If I can add an idea, I would propose a lid with darkened transparent material in order to avoid that the light could possibly ruin the hard rubber of the mouthpieces, as is used in the cabinets for pipes.

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      July 5, 2022 at 11:28 am

      That’s a great idea!

      Reply
  3. AvatarJim Lamb says

    August 20, 2022 at 4:34 pm

    I ordered the mixed version. It shipped quickly. It looks great and works as it should nicest mouthpiece stand I have seen. BYW the price went up by $10, still a good value.

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      August 22, 2022 at 11:00 am

      Thanks for the heads up, Jim. I increased the price in the review to reflect the increase. Glad you like the mouthpiece stand!

      Reply
      • AvatarMiles Griffiths says

        September 5, 2022 at 3:11 pm

        Hello Steve, Can Pat make a peg for clarinet and bass clarinet mouthpieces?
        Just asking,
        Miles??

        Reply
        • SteveSteve says

          September 6, 2022 at 2:17 pm

          Miles, I just tried my two clarinet mouthpieces on the mouthpiece rack and they fit fine on both the short pegs and the long pegs. I don’t have any bass clarinet mouthpieces but I would assume they would fit fine as well if the bore of the mouthpiece is the same as a standard clarinet mouthpiece or tenor sax mouthpiece. I’ve never played bass clarinet so I wouldn’t know. Steve

          Reply

Leave a Reply to Steve 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

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
I’m an experienced player in the pop/soul/funk areas of music and, previously, classical.  Over the decades I’ve been playing, I’ve always felt that I could do what I needed in those styles of music.  However, recently I began to feel limited by my use of the same old licks. When I discovered Steve Neff’s website, and heard the audio examples based on the exercises in his books, I realized they were what I needed.  I purchased all of them and have been working on them since.  It’s very hard work… Read more
Paul
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 have found your videos and publications inspiring and your contribution to the world of saxophone playing is immense. Paul
Paul
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
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
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
Steve- I joined your site this month and have downloaded 4 lessons and also purchased your new book and video on diatonic patterns. I just want to say I am very pleased with your approach and teaching techniques. I am getting back into playing after laying off for some time. The information you offer on your site is of great value and I am enjoying being a member. Thank you for what you are doing for the saxophone community.
Tony

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’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
Hey Steve, I’m a 22-year-old from Australia. I thought it would be worth saying. You’re an absolute legend. I can’t thank you enough. You have helped me rekindle my love for the saxophone and music as a whole. All the best for the future, your work doesn’t go unnoticed. PS. I am loving your devastating minor lines pdf.
Sapph
I like so many other subscribers feel so encouraged by Steve’s learning techniques; you will enjoy reading the comments of praise others have left as you too will feel that you share a common view and path. I feel very lucky to have come across Neffmusic and that feeling will remain with you as you search through a treasure trove of learning materials on offer, you will quickly find the lessons that you are suited to. You will instantly recognize the unparalleled quality of Steve’s teaching … Read more
Stephen
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)
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
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

Steve, just a note to say thanks.

I’ve been playing a long time, but your material, laid out in such a thoughtful way, helps me to understand concepts in a new and deeper way.

You are a true gift to the jazz community.

60 lessons and going strong,

Kevin Ledbetter

Kevin Ledbetter

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
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

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
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
I’ve been a member of Steve’s site for about six months now and the difference it has made to my playing is immeasurable. The (many) benefits of this membership are that you can have lessons at time convenient to you, they work out A LOT cheaper than face-to-face lessons with a teacher of the same calibre and you can replay them ad infinitum. I don’t know how many times have I had lessons in the past where I’ve ended up covering the same concepts when really a ‘replay’ of the last lesson would h… Read more
Nick
Your major diatonic patterns book is great. I”m studying the first twenty patterns (first twenty pages) each day with different articulation each day and slowly increasing the tempo each week or so.  There is a noticeable improvement in finger coordination across all keys and its amazing how much more secure I feel on the difficult keys when attempting to play pieces with 5+ flats/sharps. I’m able to sort out the fingerings for these pieces now much more quickly than before, often in one or two … Read more
Geoff
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 Steve. I think that I will be busy for years. Thank You for your great contribution to jazz music. Your books, more than teaching “how to play jazz”, actually teach “how to speak jazz”. I wish I found your methods years ago.  

Jean-Eric

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

  • Steve on Revisiting a Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Thor on Revisiting a Lamberson J7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • 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?

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