Comparing Fifteen Tenor Saxophone Mouthpieces from Ellis Music in Vermont

This will be interesting!   Today, I will be comparing fifteen tenor saxophone mouthpieces I borrowed from Ellis Music in Royalton, Vermont.  Ellis music is a family run business and has been the foremost music store in Vermont since being founded in 1946.  Some of the mouthpieces I am reviewing today are classical tenor saxophone mouthpieces and some of them are jazz tenor saxophone mouthpieces.  My goal is to demonstrate the differences in tone, timbre, volume and ease of expression between all of the tenor saxophone mouthpieces while playing the same melody throughout.

Ellis Music Store in Royalton, Vermont

Ellis Music has what they call “Mouthpiece Kits” that contain a variety of step-up mouthpieces that schools around the area can borrow so the students can try out a variety of mouthpieces and (in this case) step-up to a better tenor saxophone mouthpiece than the beginner Yamaha 4C or 5C tenor saxophone mouthpiece they started on (you can also stop by Ellis Music to try these mouthpieces in a practice room as well).  The goal of the mouthpiece kit is to give the students some quality mouthpiece choices that play excellently, are acceptable tip ranges and are still affordable for students.  Although the mouthpiece kits were put together mostly for students, these mouthpieces can also be great mouthpiece choices for adults and professionals as well.

There are mouthpiece kits for tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet and brass instruments.  The tenor saxophone mouthpiece kit shown below looks serious.  I felt like I was walking out of Ellis Music with the nuclear football.  The kit is well made and the mouthpieces are separated by padded compartments.  There is also a thick pad of foam that lays over the compartments before you close the kit to assure the mouthpieces don’t bounce out of their compartments and get damaged in transit.

Ellis Music Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Kit

My idea for this blog post was to borrow the kit for a day and record myself playing one song as similarly as I could on every mouthpiece.   The song I chose was the jazz ballad, “My One and Only Love” which I have been playing on mouthpiece clips for the last 20 years! These are not extended and varied sound clips like I usually do but just the melody was played to compare aspects of tone, volume and expression.

I started with the classical mouthpieces and basically worked my way through the mouthpieces from the smaller tip opening darker mouthpieces to the larger tip opening brighter mouthpieces using the same LaVoz medium hard tenor saxophone reed.  My intention was not to use the same saxophone reed on every mouthpiece but the Lavoz medium hard tenor saxophone reed worked with every mouthpiece so that is what I did.

At first, my goal was to try to play at a similar volume on all the clips but I found that to be completely impossible with the classical mouthpieces.  So instead, I was aiming for trying to play with an equal amount of resistance.  I basically blew enough air where I was getting a full sound and felt a certain level of resistance that was still comfortable for me.  If a mouthpiece felt too resistant because the air was getting bottlenecked by a smaller tip or smaller chamber, I tried to not overblow the mouthpiece but stay where the mouthpiece resistance felt comfortable for me.

Inside of the Ellis Music Tenor Sax Mouthpiece Kit

There are fifteen tenor saxophone mouthpieces in the kit,  six classical tenor saxophone mouthpieces and nine jazz tenor saxophone mouthpieces.   I will list them below with details and photos.  These fifteen tenor saxophone mouthpieces are what I would consider excellent step up mouthpieces for someone coming from a Yamaha 4C or 5C tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

There is nothing extreme in this case except the one Theo Wanne Contemporary tenor sax mouthpiece which has a very high baffle.  Potentially, this mouthpiece might cause a lot of frustration for a high school or middle school band director if it got in the wrong students hands! 😳  Other than that mouthpiece, the others mouthpieces are pretty standard fair, reliable and excellent step-up tenor saxophone mouthpieces.

Inside of the Ellis Music Tenor Sax Mouthpiece Kit

All this leads to the discussion of why it is important for a middle school or high school student to step-up to another saxophone mouthpiece during their development.  Here are a few reasons:

1.  A tenor mouthpiece with a larger tip opening and higher baffle can potentially give a student more volume and brightness to be heard above the sound of a band.  I saw a high school jazz band concert a few years ago where the tenor sax player stood up to play a solo.  It looked like they were on an old Selmer C* tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  Besides not being loud enough to be heard clearly, the student also did not have enough brightness in their tone to be heard over all the mid-range instruments playing in the background.  A tenor saxophone mouthpiece with a larger tip opening and rollover baffle would have helped this student immensely.
2. Moving to a step-up mouthpiece can improve a students tone immediately.   I have taught thousands of young saxophone players and know first hand the experience of seeing an alto saxophone player move from a Yamaha 4C to a Meyer 5 or 6 alto saxophone mouthpiece. The medium round chamber and rollover baffle immediately helps the student to achieve a rounder, fuller and richer sound as well as increased volume and presence.
3. Moving to a step-up mouthpiece allows the student to grow and mature more quickly.  There is a reason every professional saxophone player in the world is not still playing on the Yamaha 4C saxophone mouthpiece they started on.  These are great mouthpieces for beginners, but at a certain point a student should outgrow their beginner mouthpiece.  As they get older and bigger, they have the capacity to blow more air through the mouthpiece. As they mature musically, they begin to desire to sound a certain way.  Whereas a Yamaha 4C beginner saxophone mouthpiece might direct a student into a certain easily achieved tone, a step-up mouthpiece could open the doors to a whole new world of sound, volume and expression.
4. The psychological effect.  Getting a step-up mouthpiece will effect how you feel, think and perform.  When you move to a mouthpiece that opens those doors of sound you were trapped behind before you feel incredible.  You are free to explore what you hear and imagine musically and the sky is the limit.  You start to love the way you sound and then you can’t get enough of it.  You practice more with a smile on your face. You perform with added confidence and self assurance.  Some will discount the psychological impact but it is very real!

Those are just a few reasons I can think of, I could list more but lets get to the playing of the mouthpieces……..

1. Selmer S80 Series C* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Selmer S80 Series C* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Selmer S80 Series C* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Selmer S80 Series C* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – LaVoz Medium Hard Reed (same reed for entire review)

The Selmer S80 Series C* tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .075 tip opening, a facing length of 23mm, a square chamber and concave baffle.  The tip opening and facing length are much smaller than I am used to.

The Selmer S80 Series C* tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a beautiful, clear and pure tone that was dark and refined in tone.  It did not have close to the volume that I am used to in a tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  At the volume I was playing in this recording, it felt comfortable but if I pushed the mouthpiece to play louder I felt quite a bit of resistance and the tone would get overblown and more nasally sounding.

The tone of the Selmer S80 Series C* tenor saxophone mouthpiece seemed to box me in to a certain confined classical tone. This is perhaps beneficial for classical playing as you are expected to be within a certain boundaries of saxophone tone for classical tenor saxophone playing but I found the Selmer C* to be limiting as it was hard to bend notes, shape the tone as I desired and get the volume I wanted. On the positive side, the tone was very uniform throughout the range of the saxophone and the intonation was excellent.

One added observance that isn’t on the recording: I seemed to have trouble playing my normal fast jazz articulation.  I tried playing Donna Lee while warming up and for some reason just had a difficult time articulating the jazz 8th notes at fast speeds.  I had this issue with all the classical mouthpiece I am reviewing today so it is most likely due to a combination of the harder reeds, the smaller tip openings and the shorter facing curves of the classical tenor saxophone mouthpieces.

For more information and more detailed sound clips check out:  Full Review of the Selmer S80 Series C# Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

2. Selmer S90 Series 180 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Selmer S90 Series 180 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Selmer S90 Series 180 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Selmer S90 Series 180 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – LaVoz Medium Hard Reed (same reed for entire review)

The Selmer S90 Series 180 tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .071 tip opening, a facing length of 23mm, a square chamber and concave baffle. The tip opening and facing length are much smaller than I am used to.

The Selmer S90 Series 180 tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a beautiful, clear and pure tone that was darker in tone like the Selmer S80 C* tenor sax mouthpiece.  I made a note after playing the S90 180 mouthpiece that it sounded like it had a richer tone than the C* which had a more pure and simple tone.  The Selmer S90 180 mouthpiece had a more complex tone with more character in the tone.  That was my impression while playing it.

Like the Selmer S80 C*, the Selmer S90 180 did not have the volume that I am used to in a tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  At the volume I was playing in this recording, it felt comfortable but if I pushed the mouthpiece to play louder I felt quite a bit of resistance and the tone would get overblown sounding.

The tone of the Selmer S90 Series 180 tenor saxophone mouthpiece also seemed to box me in to a certain classical tone. This is perhaps beneficial for classical playing as you are expected to be within a certain boundaries of saxophone tone for classical tenor saxophone music but I found the Selmer S90 180 tenor sax mouthpiece to be hard to bend notes and shape the tone as I usually do.  I’m wondering if this will be true of all the classical mouthpieces I will be playing today…….

3. Selmer S90 Series 190 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Selmer S90 Series 190 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Selmer S90 Series 190 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Selmer S90 Series 190 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – LaVoz Medium Hard Reed (same reed for entire review)

The Selmer S90 Series 190 tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .075 tip opening, a facing length of 23mm, a square chamber and concave baffle. The tip opening and facing length are much smaller than I am used to.

The Selmer S90 Series 190 tenor saxophone mouthpiece also had a beautifully dark and rich tenor saxophone tone.  The tip opening was not much larger than the .071 of the S90 180 mouthpiece but the tone seemed bigger and more spread and open sounding compared to the Selmer S80 C* tenor sax mouthpiece and the Selmer S90 180 tenor mouthpiece.  Although the tone felt and sounded bigger, the tone didn’t sound as concentrated and detailed to my ears.  It seemed like it lacked some clarity and focus that I heard in the tone of the previous mouthpieces.

The Selmer S90 Series 190 tenor saxophone mouthpiece did not have the volume that I am used to in a jazz tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  At the volume I was playing in this recording, it felt comfortable but if I pushed the mouthpiece to play louder I felt quite a bit of resistance and the tone would get overblown sounding.

Like the previous two mouthpieces, the tone of the Selmer S90 Series 190 tenor saxophone mouthpiece seemed to box me in to a certain classical saxophone tone. This is perhaps beneficial for classical playing as you are expected to be within a certain boundaries of saxophone tone for classical tenor saxophone music but I found the Selmer S90 Series 190 tenor sax mouthpiece to be hard to bend notes, shape the tone and get the volume on the tenor sax that I am usually accustomed to.

4. Vandoren Optimum TL3 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Vandoren Optimum TL3 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Vandoren Optimum TL3 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Vandoren Optimum TL3 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – LaVoz Medium Hard Reed (same reed for entire review)

The Vandoren Optimum TL3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .069 tip opening, a medium short facing length (can’t find a measurement online), a round chamber and what I would consider a flat baffle.

The Vandoren Optimum TL3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece also had a beautiful refined classical tone.  It seemed slightly brighter to me than the previous three classical mouthpieces.  The tone didn’t seem as uniform throughout the range of the saxophone as the Selmer mouthpieces above as some notes jumped out as brighter sounding than others to me.

Like the other classical tenor saxophone mouthpiece I have played so far, the Vandoren Optimum TL3 did not have the volume that I am used to in a tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  At the volume I was playing in this recording, it felt comfortable but if I pushed the mouthpiece to play louder I felt quite a bit of resistance and the tone would get overblown sounding.

Like the previous classical saxophone mouthpieces, the tone of the Vandoren Optimum TL3 tenor saxophone mouthpiece seemed to box me in to a certain classical tone. This is perhaps beneficial for classical playing as you are expected to be within a certain boundaries of saxophone tone for classical tenor saxophone music but I found the Optimum TL3 to be hard to bend notes and shape the tone as I usually do.

5. Vandoren Optimum TL4 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Vandoren Optimum TL4 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Vandoren Optimum TL4 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Vandoren Optimum TL4 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – LaVoz Medium Hard Reed (same reed for entire review)

The Vandoren Optimum TL4 tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .077 tip opening, a medium facing length (can’t find a measurement online), a round chamber and what I would consider a flat baffle.

The Vandoren Optimum TL4 tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a bigger tone than the previous four tenor sax mouthpieces. The Optimum TL4 tenor mouthpiece had a richer and more complex sound than those four mouthpieces as well.  Just the first note sounds richer and more resonant to me than the previous four classical mouthpieces.   Although I would still consider it to have a darker tone,  it has a bit more brightness and sizzle in the sound.

This is the first classical tenor saxophone mouthpiece I have played today that feels closer to what I am used to.   The Vandoren Optimum TL4 mouthpiece is interesting because it feels comfortable to me but the tip opening is only .077 and is nowhere near my standard .100-.110 tenor saxophone mouthpiece tip opening size that I am used to.  I wonder if my comfortability with this mouthpiece above the others is more associated with the longer facing curve length.

The Vandoren Optimum TL4 tenor saxophone mouthpiece had more volume than the previous four classical mouthpieces and I felt like I could shape, control and manipulate the tone and phrasing easier.  I think you can hear the increased volume and ease of control in the recording.  There are more dynamics, bends and expression than the previous four classical mouthpiece that I described as boxing me into a certain corner with a classical saxophone sound.

This is also the first of the classical mouthpieces that I could play a fast Donna Lee with using my normal jazz articulation.   I described how I had difficulty with this articulation in my thoughts on the first Selmer S80 C* mouthpiece so maybe the difference in articulation I perceived was  related to the shorter facing curve of the previous four mouthpieces compared to this longer facing curve of the Vandoren Optimum TL4 tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  That’s very interesting!

6. Theo Wanne Essentials Concert 5 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Essentials Concert 5 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Essentials Concert 5 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Essentials Concert 5 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – LaVoz Medium Hard Reed (same reed for entire review)

The Theo Wanne Essentials Concert 5 tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .080 tip opening, a medium facing length (can’t find the measurement online), a horseshoe chamber and concave baffle.

The Theo Wanne Essentials Concert 5 tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a round dark tone that was more spread sounding to my ears.   The tone sounded more hazy around the edges making the tone less focused. Almost like the round shape of the tone was more diffused on the outside edges making it sound more lush and velvety.  This is a unique feature of this mouthpiece that I didn’t notice with the other classical mouthpieces.

As with the first four classical mouthpieces, the Theo Wanne Essentials Concert 5 tenor saxophone mouthpiece did not have the volume that I am used to in a tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  At the volume I was playing in this recording, it felt comfortable but if I pushed the mouthpiece to play louder I felt quite a bit of resistance and the tone would get overblown sounding.

As with the other classical tenor saxophone mouthpieces, the tone of the Theo Wanne Essentials Concert 5 tenor saxophone mouthpiece seemed to box me in to a certain classical tenor saxophone tone. This is perhaps beneficial for classical playing as you are expected to be within certain boundaries of saxophone tone for classical tenor saxophone playing but I found this confined tone to be limiting for jazz playing.

7. Theo Wanne Essentials Jazz 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Essentials Jazz 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Essentials Jazz 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Essentials Jazz 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – LaVoz Medium Hard Reed (same reed for entire review)

• The Lavoz medium hard reed felt a little too hard on this mouthpiece so I recorded another take with a softer BSS 3 Silver Label reed below.  The difference in brightness and edge between the takes is easy to hear.  The harder LaVoz medium hard reed has an edge to it that I don’t hear with the BSS 3 Silver Label tenor saxophone reed below.

Theo Wanne Essentials Jazz 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – Boston Sax Shop 3 Silver Label Reed (same reed for entire review)

The Theo Wanne Essentials Jazz 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .105 tip opening, a medium facing length, a medium round chamber and medium-height rollover baffle.

The Theo Wanne Essentials Jazz 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is the first jazz mouthpiece in this play test.  It is definitely brighter and louder sounding after coming from those six classical tenor saxophone mouthpieces.  This mouthpiece is more in the ballpark of what I am used to as far as the tip opening and baffle profile.  I prefer a mouthpiece with a larger chamber but the medium chamber on this Theo Wanne Jazz 7* mouthpiece is a good fit for many students as a step-up tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

The first sound clip with the LaVoz medium hard reed is a bit brighter and edgier than the second sound clip with the BSS 3 Silver Label tenor saxophone reed which has more of a roundness to the tone with less edge than the LaVoz medium hard reed.

Starting with this mouthpiece and moving forward, the mouthpieces have much more power and brightness available to them when pushed.

For more detailed information and longer sound clips check out: Full Review of a Theo Wanne Essentials Jazz 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

8. D’Addario Select Jazz D6M Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

D’Addario Select Jazz D6M Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

D’Addario Select Jazz D6M Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

D’Addario Select Jazz D6M Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – LaVoz Medium Hard Reed (same reed for entire review)

The D’Addario Select Jazz D6M tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .095 tip opening, a medium facing length, a medium round chamber and medium-height rollover baffle baffle.

The D’Addario Select Jazz D6M tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a clear and pure focused tone that leaned to the brighter side.  The 6 (.095) tip opening was easy to control and put out some substantial volume.  The tone seems rounder and more focused than the Theo Wanne Jazz 7* tenor sax mouthpiece.  The Select Jazz D6M had the most volume, brightness and focus of the mouthpieces played so far.

I absolutely loved the beak profile on these D’Addario Selct Jazz tenor sax mouthpieces.  It is lower than the other mouthpieces being reviewed today and feels really comfortable to me.  One added observation: the D’Addario Select Jazz tenor sax mouthpieces are much tighter on my neck cork than all of the others mouthpieces I have reviewed here today.

9. D’Addario Select Jazz D7M Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

D’Addario Select Jazz D7M Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

D’Addario Select Jazz D7M Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

D’Addario Select Jazz D7M Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – LaVoz Medium Hard Reed (same reed for entire review)

The D’Addario Select Jazz D7M tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .105 tip opening, a medium facing length, a medium round chamber and medium-height rollover baffle baffle.

The D’Addario Select Jazz D7M tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a bigger slightly more spread sound than the D6M which had a tighter more concentrated focus to the sound.  The D7M mouthpiece had a sound that that sat in the middle between the D6M’s focused sound and the D8M’s bigger sound (that I will play next).  The D7M combined the focus and concentration of the D6M sound with the bigger more textured character and sound of the D8M mouthpiece to give the player the best of both mouthpieces.

The D7M could take more air than the D6M could and seemed to have a bigger sound but I believe the tone was a little less bright than the D6M while also being more powerful and louder in my opinion.  I preferred the D’Addario Select Jazz D7M over the D6M as the D7M just seemed to have a more robust and strong tenor saxophone tone to my ears.  Although, I would understand a younger student going for the D6M because of the smaller tip opening.

For more detailed information and longer sound clips check out: Full Review of a D’Addario Select Jazz D7M Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

10. D’Addario Select Jazz D8M Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

D’Addario Select Jazz D8M Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

D’Addario Select Jazz D8M Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

D’Addario Select Jazz D8M Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – LaVoz Medium Hard Reed (same reed for entire review)

The D’Addario Select Jazz D8M tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .110 tip opening, a medium facing length, a medium round chamber and medium-height rollover baffle baffle.

The D’Addario Select Jazz D8M tenor saxophone mouthpiece had the biggest sound of the tenor sax mouthpieces I am reviewing today.  The .110 tip opening really allowed me to blow a lot more air through the mouthpiece for a room filling tenor saxophone sound.  As far as a step-up mouthpiece, a player would need to have a lot of air to blow through this mouthpiece to get a full and powerful sound coming from a Yamaha 4C (.067) or 5C (.071) tenor saxophone mouthpiece! Making this large jump in tip size would be a big adjustment for the average tenor saxophone student so it wouldn’t be surprising for a student first trying out the Select Jazz D8M mouthpiece to feel like it requires too much air for them.

The tone of the The D’Addario Select Jazz D8M tenor saxophone mouthpiece sounds like it is darker in tone than the D6M or the D7M mouthpieces.  It is my observation that when you take mouthpieces with the same baffle and increase the tip size, the reed is moved further away from the baffle and the tone becomes less bright.  This is certainly true of the Select Jazz D8M tenor sax mouthpiece.  The tone is big and fat sounding while being a bit more spread sounding than the D6M and D7M.  I really dug the tone and response of this mouthpiece and ended up buying this one from Ellis music after the review.

For more detailed information and longer sound clips check out:  Full Review of a D’Addario Select Jazz D8M Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

11. Vandoren V16 T6 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Vandoren V16 T6 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Vandoren V16 T6 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Vandoren V16 T6 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – LaVoz Medium Hard Reed (same reed for entire review)

The Vandoren V16 T6 tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .098 tip opening, a long facing length, a medium round chamber and rollover baffle.

The Vandoren V16 T6 tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a higher beak profile than the D’Addario mouthpieces and it felt a bit uncomfortable coming from that lower beak profile of the D’Addario tenor saxophone mouthpieces but I got used to it pretty quickly.

I have found that the hard rubber Vandoren V16 tenor saxophone mouthpieces are unique in this review as they seem to have the roundest tone of all the mouthpieces.  The tone just seems more fat, round and beautiful to me.  It’s like the tone has a softness enveloping it on the edges that is still focused but just with a beautiful roundness to the tone.

The Vandoren V16 T6 tenor saxophone mouthpiece seemed similar in focus to the D’Addario Select Jazz D6M tenor saxophone mouthpiece with the Vandoren V16 T6 sounding a bit darker in tone than the Select Jazz D6M mouthpiece.  I do think the Vandoren V16 T6 had a prettier more round tone whereas the Select Jazz D6M had a more concentrated aggressive tone if that makes sense.

For more detailed information and sound clips check out:  Full Review of a Vandoren V16 T6 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

12. Vandoren V16 T7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Vandoren V16 T7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Vandoren V16 T7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Vandoren V16 T7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – LaVoz Medium Hard Reed (same reed for entire review)

The Vandoren V16 T7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .106 tip opening, a long facing length, a medium round chamber and rollover baffle.

Like the Vandoren V16 T6 tenor sax mouthpiece, I found that the hard rubber Vandoren V16 tenor saxophone mouthpieces are unique in this review as they seem to have the roundest tone of all the mouthpieces.  The tone just seems more fat, round and beautiful to me.  It’s like the tone has a softness enveloping it on the edges that is still focused but just with a beautiful roundness to the tone.

The Vandoren V16 T7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece with the slightly larger tip opening sounds a little less focused in tone compared to the T6 tenor mouthpiece with the Vandoren V16 T7 tenor mouthpiece having a bigger more spread sound.  Because the tip opening of the V16 T7 is larger than the T6, I felt like I could push more air through the mouthpiece giving the tone a bigger room filling tenor saxophone sound.

13. Otto Link LA Model 7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Otto Link LA Model 7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Otto Link LA Model 7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Otto Link LA Model 7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – LaVoz Medium Hard Reed (same reed for entire review)

The Otto Link LA Model 7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .100 tip opening, a long facing length, a medium-small round chamber and clamshell baffle.

The Otto Link LA Model 7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a brighter and edgier sound than the D’Addario or Vandoren tenor sax mouthpieces already reviewed.  Due to the higher baffle taking up more room on the inside area of the mouthpiece, the Otto Link LA model mouthpiece had to be placed pretty far out on the neck cork.

The tone of the Otto Link LA 7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece was definitely more in-your-face and immediate. The 7 (.100) tip opening gave the tone some powerfully concentrated focus to the sound that makes the recording sound like I am closer to the microphone although I was not.  This would be a great tenor sax mouthpiece for a student that wants to lean more towards that “Brecker” type of brighter aggressive tenor saxophone playing.   It’s not like a Guardala but it is starting to lean in that direction of a brighter, more modern tenor saxophone sound.

14. Otto Link LA Model 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Otto Link LA Model 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Otto Link LA Model 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Otto Link LA Model 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – LaVoz Medium Hard Reed (same reed for entire review)                                                         

The Otto Link LA Model 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .105 tip opening, a long facing length, a medium-small round chamber and clamshell baffle.

The Otto Link LA Model 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece had a brighter and edgier sound than the D’Addario or Vandoren mouthpieces already reviewed.  Like the Otto Link LA 7 mouthpiece, the higher baffle taking up more room on the inside area of the mouthpiece, the Otto Link LA 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece had to be placed pretty far out on the neck cork.

Compared to the Otto Link LA 7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece, the Otto Link LA 7* tenor sax mouthpiece had a more broad and spread sound with more texture and character to the tone.  I could get a lot more volume and brightness out of the Otto Link LA 7* than I can usually get out of a typical Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece because of that higher baffle.

Like the Otto Link LA 7 tenor saxophone mouthpiece, the tone of the Otto Link LA 78 tenor saxophone mouthpiece was definitely more in-your-face and immediate.  This would be a great tenor sax mouthpiece for a student that wants to lean more towards that “Brecker” type of brighter aggressive tenor saxophone playing.   It’s not like a Guardala but it is starting to lean in that direction of a brighter, more modern tenor saxophone sound.

For more detailed information and longer sound clips check out:  Full Review of an Otto Link LA Model 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

15. Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece –  No Reverb Added – LaVoz Medium Hard Reed (same reed for entire review)

The Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a .105 tip opening, a medium facing length, a medium round chamber and a high shelf baffle.

The Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece definitely had the brightest, edgiest and loudest tone of the tenor saxophone mouthpiece kit.  Although I am playing at a moderate level for this melody, you can hear how this Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7* tenor sax mouthpiece is much louder, focused and brighter than the other clips.

The Theo Wanne Contemporary 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece would be fine for a player playing smooth jazz, funk and pop solo gigs but it would definitely be harder to blend the tone of this mouthpiece in a traditional band setting or even a big band.  There are plenty of popular saxophone players playing with a brighter sound like this but for a school music program, I think this would be a bit too much brightness and power coming out of the tenor saxophone section.

Inside of the Ellis Music Tenor Sax Mouthpiece Kit

That’s it for the fifteen tenor saxophone mouthpieces from Ellis Music.  In my mind, there is definitely a difference in tone, volume and expression between all of these tenor saxophone mouthpieces.  In some cases, it is radically different and in other cases the differences are more nuanced.  If you don’t hear a difference between two recordings, I want to assure you that there are differences you will feel and hear in person when trying out these mouthpieces.  That is the true test!

One point I also want to make,  this run through of fifteen mouthpieces was made with one reed.  Ideally, I would attempt to find the perfect reed for each mouthpiece which, honestly, might have produced very different results.  Because of time constraints, I chose just to stick with the same reed and I was honestly surprised that the same reed worked so well with all fifteen mouthpieces.  If you go to try out mouthpieces,  make sure you take a variety of NEW reeds and strengths to use throughout your playing session.  With these fifteen tenor sax mouthpieces, I was dealing with a variety of tip openings and facing curve lengths which all have a bearing on what reed and strength works best on them.

One last observation:  After spending time playing these excellent tenor saxophone mouthpieces for an afternoon, one conclusion becomes clear: the design differences between classical and jazz mouthpieces are not just subtle preferences, they fundamentally shape how the instrument responds, sounds, and feels to the player.

Classical saxophone mouthpieces are typically engineered for a warm, centered tone with a high degree of control and consistency across registers. They favor precision, blend, and a refined tonal palette that suits classical saxophone repertoire and fits well within ensemble settings like concert bands.  However, when you try to push that same mouthpiece into a jazz context where flexibility, edge, projection, and tonal color variation are essential, it can feel restrictive, almost like the mouthpiece is resisting your musical intentions.  You could probably hear that resistance in the sound clips of the classical tenor saxophone mouthpieces.

On the flip side, jazz saxophone mouthpieces are often designed to be more free-blowing, with larger tip openings and chamber designs that encourage brightness, projection, and expression. They allow for bending notes, adding grit and edge, and shaping phrases in a way that feels natural for jazz.  But that same freedom can become a liability in classical settings, where control, intonation stability, and tonal uniformity are critical. The sound may be too bright, lack focus, or simply not blend well.  Because of these inherent differences between the classical and jazz mouthpieces, trying to force one mouthpiece to convincingly cover both styles authentically can be frustrating and limiting.

If you’re serious about playing both jazz and classical saxophone music, the most practical and musically authentic approach is to use a dedicated saxophone mouthpiece for each style. This allows you to fully embrace the unique demands and expressive possibilities of both genres. More importantly, it frees you to focus on making music rather than fighting your equipment.

I want to thank Ellis Music Company for letting me borrow these tenor saxophone mouthpieces for a day.   If you live in Vermont (or within driving distance) and like the sound and look of any of the fifteen tenor saxophone mouthpieces in the Ellis Music tenor saxophone mouthpiece kit feel free to stop by Ellis Music in Royalton, Vermont ( off of Exit 3 on 89) and give them a try yourself.   They also have an alto saxophone mouthpiece kit with even more alto sax mouthpieces in it than the tenor saxophone mouthpiece kit!    Tell them Steve sent you……..