Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Today, I will be reviewing the Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece from the new Theo Wanne Essentials collection of saxophone mouthpieces that was released in the fall of 2024.

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Essentials Collection of saxophone mouthpieces by Theo Wanne are described as offering “exceptional quality and superior craftsmanship, while still being affordable”.

The Theo Wanne Essentials collection includes three models for alto and tenor saxophones including the Concert, Jazz and Contemporary models and two models for soprano and baritone saxophones including the Concert and Jazz models.

Before we get to the review, here is some info from the Theo Wanne website on the Theo Wanne Essentials collection of saxophone mouthpieces:

“Traditionally, saxophone mouthpieces were either budget-friendly but low-quality, or high-quality but expensive. The ESSENTIALS COLLECTION changes all of that, by offering exceptional quality at an accessible price point. Theo’s lifelong goal has always been to deliver the best of both worlds—superior craftsmanship and affordability.”

The ESSENTIALS COLLECTION features a comprehensive range of saxophone mouthpieces designed for Soprano through Baritone, catering to every type of player. Each mouthpiece is meticulously crafted side-by-side with Theo’s renowned Signature Collection at our state-of-the-art factory in Bellingham, Washington, USA.

Key highlights include:

• Industry-First Additive Manufacturing Process (A.M.P.): A breakthrough in Additive Manufacturing, our innovative process ensures precision and consistency.
• Proprietary Material: Our new material delivers outstanding tone and response, with a resonance, density and feel reminiscent of hard rubber.
• Rigorous Quality Control: Unmatched consistency in manufacturing eliminates the need for extensive trials, as you no longer need to try ten to find a good one.

Theo Wanne Essentials Saxophone Mouthpieces for Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone Saxophone

Introducing the ESSENTIALS Collection

About the Essentials Collection

A Mouthpiece for Everyone:

• Concert model: Designed for classical and band use, featuring a warm round tone, and easy playability.
• Jazz model: Perfect for most genres of classic and modern jazz. It has medium projection and brightness.
• Contemporary Model: A high baffle, edgy, mouthpiece for when you need lots of projection and edge.

Quality and Innovation:

• Crafted side-by-side with Theo’s SIGNATURE mouthpieces at our factory in Bellingham, USA
• Made with our proprietary, industry-first, Additive Manufacturing Process (A.M.P.™).
• The material is also proprietary, producing an incredible resonance and has a similar density and weight to vintage hard rubber.
• Quality control is held to the same high standard as our most expensive SIGNATURE models. Unlike most other affordable mouthpieces, the ESSENTIALS Collection is consistent, eliminating the need to try ten to find one “good one”. 
• Advanced Technology: Designed by Foremost Expert Theo Wanne: these are most consistent, advanced, and high-quality saxophone mouthpieces ever made.
• Made to fit every budget: The ESSENTIALS Collection was engineered to be high quality and affordable, all at once.
• Made In USA: Theo Wanne is known for making the world’s best mouthpieces, and many of the top saxophone players play his designs. They are manufactured using only the best materials and the most advanced machining.

Theo Wanne Essentials Full Line of Saxophone Mouthpieces

The Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece was shipped with the usual high standards of the Theo Wanne company.  The Contemporary 7 alto sax mouthpiece comes in a perfectly designed box with stylish gold printing on it with all the details of the mouthpiece inside.  Inside the box is a black velvet drawstring bag that holds and protects the Essentials Contemporary alto saxophone mouthpiece during shipping.

The Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece doesn’t come with a ligature included.  I used a Theo Wanne Enlightened alto sax ligature that I have in my collection of ligatures that worked great.  The Essentials Contemporary alto mouthpiece is a little bit thinner in size compared to a standard alto saxophone mouthpiece like a Meyer.  I tried a bunch of alto saxophone ligatures on the Essentials Contemporary mouthpiece and although they all had to be tightened a bit more to hold the reed, they all worked on the Contemporary alto sax mouthpiece without issues.

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Essentials Contemporary alto sax mouthpiece material looks and feels similar to the Black A.R.T. material that the Theo Wanne Water classical alto saxophone mouthpiece are made of.  I’m not sure if this is the same material or something different because “Black A.R.T.” is not mentioned in the description of the Essentials line of mouthpieces.  It sure looks very similar except that the material of the Water mouthpiece is more shiny so maybe it is different.   In the description later in the review, the material is describes as a “proprietary bio-safe polymer”.  Regardless of the materials name, the material the Essentials mouthpieces are made of looks and feels solid and stable.  Theo describes the material as having a similar weight and density when compared to hard rubber.

The shank of the Contemporary alto sax mouthpiece has a gold band around it that has “THEO WANNE” engraved into the top of the band and “Made in USA” on the bottom of the band.  The Theo Wanne logo is painted in gold on the top of the mouthpiece.  Since it is painted and not engraved, I would think it would wear off over time from the frequent placement of the ligature on the mouthpiece every time the mouthpiece is played.

On the body of the mouthpiece is engraved a serial number on one side of the table, and “CONTEMPORARY” on the other side of the table.  Beneath the table is engraved the tip opening of 7.  This 7 tip opening equates to a .081 tip opening.

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here is some more information from the Theo Wanne website on the new Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary alto saxophone mouthpiece:

ESSENTIALS: Contemporary Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Contemporary Alto is designed for players needing a mouthpiece that is big, bright and cuts through when power and projection is needed. Great for rock, pop, smooth jazz, worship and other contemporary styles. Lead alto players love it too!

It is available in 2 popular tip openings:

Size 5: 0.071″ or 1.80mm

Size 7: 0.081″ or 2.06mm

Material: A.M.P. – Proprietary Bio-Safe Polymer

Baffle: Medium-High Step Baffle

Chamber: Medium Chamber

Ligature Fit: Standard Hard Rubber Alto Ligature (Check Out Our Theo Wanne Selection)  *ligature not included

What’s Included

• ESSENTIALS Collection Mouthpiece
• User replaceable Bite Pads
• Velvet Mouthpiece Pouch

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 alto sax mouthpiece tip, rails, baffle, table and chamber all look well made and functional. The side rails and tip rails are surprisingly thin considering this new A.M.P. manufacturing process that Theo is using to create these Essential saxophone mouthpieces.  The table looks flat, even and well made although the reed does hang off the rear of the table slightly.  Interestingly, the window of the Essentials Contemporary 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece has a slightly squared off curve to it at the bottom.  When comparing the window to the Essentials Jazz model which I also received,  the Jazz model window has more of a traditional rounded curve on the bottom and the window is longer than the Contemporary window.

The Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary alto sax mouthpiece has what I would describe as a high baffle.  The Theo Wanne website describes the Contemporary alto mouthpiece baffle as “medium-high”.  The baffle looks pretty straight to my eye as it travels the one inch from the tip to the baffle edge.  There is a curve within that space that you can see in the photo above.  Although I don’t see a change of angle after that curve, I think I feel a slight change of angle after that curve when touching that area with my pinky.

After the baffle edge approximately one inch from the tip rail, the baffle travels down towards the chamber at a greater angle.  The bottom of the baffle has a scooped out area reminiscent of a Berg Larsen type scooped out baffle bottom.  That scooped out baffle bottom is hidden in darkness in the photo above and the photo below, but you can see it clearly in the third photo below with the lamp behind the mouthpiece.

The sidewalls are straight and angle inwards as they approach the chamber entrance. The sidewalls continue straight through that scooped out bottom of the baffle area and then the sidewalls open outward as they approach the chamber area underneath the bottom curve of the window.

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The mouthpiece chamber after the scooped out baffle bottom and widening sidewalls looks to be about the same diameter as the bore of the mouthpiece.   Theo Wanne describes this chamber as being a medium chamber BUT if the standard for a medium chamber is a Meyer medium chambered alto saxophone mouthpiece, this mouthpiece seems like more of a medium-small chamber to my mind.  It really depends on where you believe the chamber starts.  If it is after the first edge in the baffle, then I would describe this chamber as medium-small.  If the chamber starts after the scoop in the baffle bottom, I could see how that might be considered a similar size to a Meyer medium chamber area.   The roof of the chamber is nice and thin.

Before I even played the Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece, I had a pretty good idea that this mouthpiece would be pretty bright sounding.  The combination of that high baffle, flat sidewalls and medium-small chamber was a recipe for a bright, focused and powerful alto saxophone sound.

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece played great with a variety of reeds and passed the suction test with every alto saxophone reed that I tried on it.  I ended up using a BetterSax Jazz Cut Unfiled #3 alto sax reed for this review because it played very well.

As anticipated, the Essentials Contemporary alto sax mouthpiece produced a brighter tone that was focused and could be very powerful.  I thought for sure,  that the Essentials Contemporary alto mouthpiece would be good for one thing, a bright “Dave Sanborn” kind of sound, but the Contemporary 7 alto sax mouthpiece surprised me in that it sounded great on the jazz lines and melodies I tried playing on it as well.  It was brighter than a typical Meyer alto saxophone mouthpiece type of design but while I was playing the Essentials Contemporary mouthpiece, I was thinking that it could be a pretty terrific lead alto saxophone mouthpiece due to it’s brighter tone and the power and volume it could produce.

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece played pretty evenly and smoothly throughout the range of the alto saxophone.  I loved how smooth and flowing the fast lines sounded as I was playing but also when listening back to the sound clips.  The articulation on the Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary alto saxophone mouthpiece was clean and crisp and playing bebop lines sounded great as you could articulate the offbeats while keeping the line connected and smooth sounding.

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

The intonation of the Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 alto mouthpiece were within normal parameters which was a relief because many times high baffle mouthpieces can mess up the intonation on my Selmer Reference 54 alto saxophone.  My guess is that Theo Wanne has worked hard to create a balance between this high baffle and the chamber size so that the intonation is still excellent.

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

I don’t know how Theo did it, but the low notes on the Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece were excellent as well.  I had no problem popping out the low notes at full volume which produced a nice and thick full bodied tone down low.  The low notes weren’t as hefty and rich as those produced by an alto sax mouthpiece with a larger chamber and lower baffle but they were pretty full sounding nonetheless.  Sub-toning was also effortless and made the low notes more velvety and lush sounding.  My tendency is to over use the sub-tone effect down low but one thing to notice in the sound clips is how soft the fade out could get at the end of those lines down low when sub-toning on the Essentials Contemporary alto saxophone mouthpiece.

I usually don’t play the altissimo register on the alto saxophone because of my hearing issues but I thought I would venture a little bit up there on the second sound clip.  The Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary mouthpiece performed great up in the altissimo register of the saxophone.  The notes were bright and at times edgy but still fat and round sounding.  I could push more edge into the sound and get more of that “Sanborn” sound if I wanted to as well.

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

On the sound clips below, I try to give a good range and variety of alto saxophone sounds and textures so that you can hear how the Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece performs in different styles.  I demonstrate the sound of the Essentials Contemporary alto mouthpiece with all my usual lines and melodies so if you want to compare it to my other sound clips and reviews, you should be able to find many of the same lines to compare this sound clip to.  The first sound clip is recorded dry and the second and third sound clips have reverb added.

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

In my opinion, the Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece is a great high baffle alto saxophone mouthpiece for those looking for a brighter more powerful alto sax mouthpiece that doesn’t just pigeonhole you into an automatic “Dave Sanborn” sound but gives you more power and brightness while still having a fat sounding tone.  The Essentials Contemporary alto saxophone mouthpiece can be used for contemporary music as the name suggests but is also flexible enough to be used for jazz, big band and small group settings (not for classical music probably…..).  Theo Wanne and his team have done a terrific job designing a mouthpiece perfect for modern music while still being relatively affordable compared to most of the other options out on the market today.

If you like the sound and look of the Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece by Theo Wanne, you can find them at Theo Wanne’s website (save 15% by using this link). I have agreed to be an affiliate for Theo Wanne so if you purchase a Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary alto saxophone mouthpiece from this link (save 15% by using this link), Neffmusic will receive a small commission on the sale.  This helps to support my site and keep the saxophone related reviews, articles and transcriptions coming to you.

If you are lucky enough to play a Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary alto saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.  Thanks,  Steve

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece – BetterSax #3 Jazz Cut Unfiled Reed – No Effects

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece-Altissimo – BetterSax #3 Jazz Cut Unfiled Reed – Reverb Added

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece – “On the Sunny Side of the Street” –  BetterSax #3 Jazz Cut Unfiled Reed – Reverb Added