Today, I will be reviewing the brand new and very modestly priced JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece made by JS Custom Saxophone in Normal, Illinois. I recently reviewed the JS Custom Nova 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece and the Nova 6 alto saxophone mouthpiece and was really impressed with both, so I am excited to review the JS Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece next.
I was shocked when I saw how low the price of these 3D printed JS Custom saxophone mouthpieces are. I don’t post prices here at Neffmusic but click here to find out the price of the JS Custom Aura alto saxophone mouthpiece (hint: a mouthpiece costs less than what two boxes of Rigotti Gold alto saxophone reeds are going for right now……) I’ll remind you again at the end of the review in case you want to read the review and listen to the sound clips first……
JS Custom Aura 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece
JJ at JS Custom Saxophones had reached out to me a number of times over the last couple of years asking if I would be willing to try out his line of saxophone mouthpieces. Unfortunately, every time he reached out, I was swamped with mouthpieces sitting on my desk waiting to be reviewed and had to turn him down. Truth be told, I turned JJ down after his last email to me but he was so confident in his mouthpieces, his craftsmanship and his growing client list (Bob Mover, Adam Larson , James Carter….) that he convinced me to give them a try.
JJ sent me four mouthpieces to try out: a JS Custom 7* (.105) Nova tenor saxophone mouthpiece (already reviewed), a JS Custom 8* (.115) Aura tenor saxophone mouthpiece, a JS Custom 6 (.076) Nova alto saxophone mouthpiece (already reviewed) and a JS Custom 7 (.081) Aura alto saxophone mouthpiece that I am reviewing today.
Here is some information about the JS Custom Aura alto saxophone mouthpieces from the JS Custom Saxophone website:
JS Custom AURA Alto Saxophone Mouthpieces
Power, projection, and modern edge—refined by hand
The JS Custom AURA series is built for players who need to cut through loud stages without sacrificing control or feel. Designed for rock, pop, fusion, and modern guitar-band settings, AURA takes our proven 3D-printing precision and pushes it further with a higher baffle profile for added projection, clarity, and presence.
Like every JS Custom mouthpiece, AURA is fully hand-finished after printing. While others stop at the machine, we refine every rail, tip, facing, and table by hand—ensuring consistency, response, and playability that rival traditionally made mouthpieces.
AURA delivers an immediate, energized response with a focused core and strong upper harmonics. It speaks instantly, projects effortlessly, and stays stable when pushed hard—perfect for amplified environments, dense mixes, and players who need their sound to lead.
Why AURA stands apart
Higher baffle design for enhanced projection and cutting power
Fully hand-finished after 3D printing — rails, tip, facing, and table meticulously refined
Fast, immediate response with strong articulation
Modern tone — bright, focused, and powerful without losing control
Designed to thrive in loud bands, electric settings, and contemporary styles
Many 3D-printed mouthpieces chase volume. AURA delivers controlled power. AURA mouthpieces are made of food-certified PLA.
Built to last — for life
Every JS Custom AURA mouthpiece comes with a lifetime warranty.
If anything ever happens to your mouthpiece, we will replace it at no additional cost.
No fine print. No compromises. Just confidence.
AURA is for players who demand modern projection, consistency, and authority—without giving up precision or craftsmanship.
Alto Tip Openings: A1 (0.076″), A2 (0.081″), A3 (0.085″)
Tenor Tip Openings: T1 (0.095″), T2 (0.105″), T3 (0.115″)
JS Custom Saxophone Mouthpiece Soft Velvet-Like Bag and Box
The JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece was shipped well packaged and protected. The mouthpiece comes in a JS Custom Saxophone designed box. Inside the box, the JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece is in a soft black velvet-like drawstring bag to protect the mouthpiece during shipping.
The Aura alto saxophone mouthpiece came with a black 3D printed round ligature that you slide on over the mouthpiece to hold the reed on the mouthpiece. As I have stated in other reviews, I am not a big fan of these ligatures because it limits the adjustments the player can make to the ligature in regard to the ligatures placement on the reed, as well as how tight or loose the ligature is on the reed. I adjust these two ligatures variables quite often depending on the reed response so I decided to use one of my own ligatures (Vandoren Optimum ligature) on the JS Custom Aura alto saxophone mouthpiece.
JS Custom Aura 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece
The JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece is similar in size to a standard hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece like a hard rubber Meyer and all the ligatures that fit a standard hard rubber Meyer sized alto saxophone mouthpiece should work on the JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece.
The beak height of the JS Custom Aura alto saxophone mouthpiece is also similar to the beak height of a Meyer hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece so it feels similar to playing a hard rubber Meyer alto saxophone mouthpiece in regards to your embouchure and oral cavity position.
JS Custom Aura 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece
The JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece is 3D printed with PLA (Polylactic Acid), a material with which many players are already familiar. In terms of density and weight, PLA is very similar to hard rubber, giving the mouthpiece a natural feel, weight and familiar balance.
JS Custom mouthpieces are made with a food-safe grade PLA, and although the food-safe material costs approximately three times more than standard PLA, JS Custom is willing to pay that extra price to assure the safety of their customers who are putting these mouthpieces in their mouths.
The body, beak, bore and baffle of the JS Custom mouthpieces all have a texture to them that you can see and feel by touch. The one exception is the mouthpiece table and rails that feel very smooth to the touch because they have been worked on by hand.
JS Custom Aura 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece
On the body of the JS Aura alto saxophone mouthpiece is engraved the JS Custom Saxophone logo as well as the model name of “AURA” on the top of the mouthpiece body. “JS” is engraved on both side of the shank. Beneath the table, on the shank of the mouthpiece, is engraved a “2”. The “2” on the Aura alto saxophone mouthpiece stands for the 7 (.081″) tip opening which you can see from this chart:
Alto Tip Openings: A1 (0.076″), A2 (0.081″), A3 (0.085″)
Tenor Tip Openings: T1 (0.095″), T2 (0.105″), T3 (0.115″)
I was confused by the number and asked JJ what it meant and he told me it stood for the A2 tip opening above and that he wanted to simplify the tip opening convention. This makes no sense to me as it seems that if you are going to the work of engraving something there, you might as well just engrave the tip opening numbers that every saxophone player is already familiar with. That is just my personal opinion though.
JS Custom Aura 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece
The JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece has surprisingly thin side rails and a thin tip rail considering that it is 3D printed. I assume this is due to the Aura mouthpiece being worked on by hand after it is printed. The baffle, table and chamber all look well crafted, symmetrical and even. The table looks flat, smooth and even.
The JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece has what I would describe as a high shelf baffle. The shelf baffle travels for about 7/8’s of an inch from the tip where it meets a curved ledge before the baffle after the ledge drops down quickly into what I would consider a small chamber.
The inner sidewalls are straight for almost the whole length of the sidewall’s distance from the tip to the small chamber entrance. The chamber is smaller in diameter compared to the diameter of the bore of the mouthpiece. The roof of the chamber is a medium thickness under the mouthpiece table.
JS Custom Aura 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece
The JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece played with a bright and more focused core sound than the JS Nova alto saxophone mouthpiece I recently reviewed. Similar to how I described the JS Custom Nova alto saxophone mouthpiece, the notes of the JS Aura alto mouthpiece seemed to have even more brightness with the tone sounding even more focused and concentrated compared to the tone of the JS Custom Nova alto saxophone mouthpiece.
When you get into describing tone as focused or fat sounding, you have to realize that there are trade-offs for every description. If a tone is more focused and concentrated like the JS Custom Aura alto sax mouthpiece is, then it isn’t as fat sounding like the JS Custom Nova mouthpiece sounds.
Compared to the JS Custom Nova alto mouthpiece, the tone is more brilliant, edgy and more brightly concentrated sounding. There is always a trade off, so deciding between the JS Custom Nova or JS Custom Aura alto saxophone mouthpieces comes down to deciding how much brightness and power you need or want (JS Custom Aura alto saxophone mouthpiece) compared to how fat and full you want your sound to be (JS Custom Nova alto saxophone mouthpiece).
JS Custom Aura 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece
As far as intonation, the intonation of the JS Custom Aura alto saxophone mouthpiece was pretty good on my Selmer Reference 54 alto saxophone. The one exception for me was that the middle D, Eb and E were a bit sharp (10-15 cents). Most of the other notes on my Selmer Reference 54 alto saxophone were pretty close to 0 on my tuner. This is not uncommon with high baffled and small chambered alto sax mouthpieces on my Selmer Reference 54 alto saxophone so it is not unexpected. Once aware of this tendency, the sharpness on the middle register D, Eb and E can be adjusted by intentionally voicing those notes lower in pitch while playing.
The JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece had plenty of power and volume available to it. I would rate it as an 9-9 1/2 on my 1-10 volume scale for alto saxophone mouthpieces. I believe the high shelf baffle combined with the small chamber really allowed the air to turbo flow into the small chamber to create that powerful focused tone that could be pushed to greater volume and brightness quite easily. The tone is definitely brighter than the JS Custom Nova alto saxophone mouthpiece.
Mouthpieces with small chambers can sometimes run the risk of causing too much back pressure and resistance for my air stream but I did not experience this while playing the Aura 7 alto mouthpiece. The Aura 7 took all the air I could give it with the only downside being that it could get so loud that I was afraid of losing some more my hearing…… (I’m not joking….)
The higher range of the saxophone was full and round sounding at medium volumes but not as fat sounding as the JS Custom Nova alto saxophone mouthpiece in my opinion.
The articulation was clean and crisp and the JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece performed well on fast legato jazz lines and staccato phrases while applying articulation. Fast lines were smooth and flowing because of the smooth articulation and uniformity between the notes. Even though the Aura 7 is a brighter mouthpiece, I felt that it performed excellently on the fast bebop lines I played during the sound clips.
Vibrato and the bending of notes was easy to achieve and the extra power and brightness available on the JS Custom Aura really allows the mouthpiece to be pushed in more of a Dave Sanborn, Dave Koz or Warren Hill kind of modern alto saxophone sound. At the same time, the Aura alto saxophone mouthpiece isn’t so bright that you couldn’t use it for some straight ahead or big band lead alto playing if you dig a brighter alto saxophone sound.
JS Custom Aura 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 JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece performs in different styles. I demonstrate the sound of the JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone 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 a 3′ 50″ sound clip with no reverb added to the mix on a BetterSax Jazz Cut #3 alto saxophone reed and Vandoren Optimum alto saxophone ligature. This is a dry recording so you can hear how the Nova alto saxophone mouthpiece might sound in a dry room with no natural reverb in the room. This sound clip sounds great to my ear.
The second sound clip is the same 3′ 50″ sound clip recorded with reverb added. I like the reverb sound clip because I think it just sounds terrific. The reverb sound clips give you an idea of how the JS Custom Aura alto saxophone mouthpiece might sound in a big hall, bathroom or garage with a robust natural reverb going on. I feel like the reverb gives more fatness and roundness to the bright overtones and edge in the tone. I absolutely loved the sound of the JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone with that reverb added to the mix.
The third sound clip is of some bluesy lines with reverb added. The sound clip of the bluesy lines sounds great in my opinion. The brighter tone is not so bright and edgy that it gives a “Dave Sanborn” kind of vibe (although it could), but more of a “Warren Hill” alto saxophone tone, which is fatter sounding and more versatile, in my opinion.
The fourth sound clip is of the simple melody of “When I Fall in Love” with reverb added with a few added licks as well.
JS Custom Aura 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece
In my opinion, the JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece is a powerful and brighter budget friendly alto saxophone mouthpiece for alto sax players looking for a focused alto sax sound that has boosted brightness and added brilliance to the tone to cut through the mix of a big band or to compete with electronic instruments.
Compared to the JS Custom Nova alto sax mouthpiece, the Aura 7 offers more brightness, power, and edge. That extra brightness and edge can be shaped and controlled in the moment, allowing players to mold the tone to fit the musical situation.
The JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece is a great and very affordable choice for jazz, big band section playing, lead alto playing, small group settings or contemporary music (definitely not classical music). Although it leans to the brighter side of the alto saxophone tone spectrum, this is a great budget friendly alto saxophone mouthpiece choice for any professional or student who needs an alto sax mouthpiece that can be bright and project enough to wail out an alto saxophone solo that cuts straight through the mix of the band.
If you like the sound and look of the JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece by JS Custom Saxophone Mouthpieces, you can find them at the JS Custom Saxophone website. I was shocked when I saw how low the price of these JS Custom mouthpieces are……. I don’t post prices here at Neffmusic but click here to find out the price of the JS Custom Aura alto saxophone mouthpiece (Hint-a mouthpiece costs less than what two boxes of Rigotti Gold alto saxophone reeds are going for right now……) Wow!
If you are lucky enough to play a JS Custom Aura 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve
JS Custom Aura 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece with BetterSax Jazz Cut #3 Reed
JS Custom Aura 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece – No Reverb Added – BetterSax Jazz Cut #3 Reed
JS Custom Aura 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece – Reverb Added – BetterSax Jazz Cut #3 Reed
JS Custom Aura 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece – “Bluesy Mix” with Reverb Added – BetterSax Jazz Cut #3 Reed
JS Custom Aura 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece – “When I Fall in Love” with Reverb Added – BetterSax Jazz Cut #3 Reed
Thanks for another great review on the JS Custom AURA alto mouthpiece. I need to mention that the printing quality has gotten better since I made this mouthpiece for Mr. Neff. If you order one, you will find the finish is better, and of course, each mouthpiece is hand-finished.