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You are here: Home / Archives for Reviews / Mouthpiece Reviews / Alto Mouthpiece Reviews / Alto Medium Baffle Reviews

Alto Medium Baffle Reviews

Theo Wanne Essentials Jazz Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

March 15, 2025 by Steve 5 Comments

Today, I will be reviewing the Theo Wanne Essentials Jazz 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece from the new Theo Wanne Essentials collection of saxophone mouthpieces that was released in the fall of 2024.  I recently posted a review of the Theo Wanne Essentials Contemporary 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece so will probably make references to that mouthpiece […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Essentials, jazz, review, sax mouthpiece, Theo Wanne

Phil-Tone Topaz Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

March 4, 2025 by Steve 10 Comments

Today I am reviewing another great alto saxophone mouthpiece made by Phil Engleman at Phil-Tone Mouthpieces.  I have reviewed quite a few Phil-Tone saxophone mouthpieces on this site already and am always interested when Phil announces a new Phil-Tone saxophone mouthpiece model.  Phil Engleman’s mouthpiece work is always top notch and he has created some phenomenal mouthpieces […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Cannonball Adderley, jazz sax, medium small chamber, Meyer, mouthpiece, Phil Engleman, Phil Woods, Phil-tone, review, Topaz

The Return of the Iconic Brilhart Ebolin Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

September 17, 2024 by Steve 18 Comments

Today, I am excited to be reviewing the return of the Brilhart Carlsbad Ebolin alto saxophone mouthpiece released by Conn-Selmer.  These new Brilhart Ebolin alto saxophone mouthpieces are advertised as being made from the same Brilhart Carlsbad-era molds that Arnold Brilhart used in the 1950’s to make these iconic saxophone mouthpieces. *It’s important to note […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Arnold Brolhart, Brilhart, Carlsbad, cool school, Ebolin, review, sax mouthpiece

Selmer Paris Jazz Flow 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

May 6, 2024 by Steve 14 Comments

Today, I am excited to be reviewing the new Selmer Jazz Flow 7 alto saxophone mouthpiece released by Selmer Paris.  A few months ago, I started reading some great customer reviews about these new Selmer Jazz Flow alto sax mouthpieces and just as my curiosity was peaking, Ryan Lillywhite, the woodwind category manager at Conn […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Jazz Flow, jazz mouthpiece, review, sax mouthpiece, Selmer Paris

Geller Blackbird Ebonite Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

November 9, 2023 by Steve 19 Comments

Today, I am reviewing an original and uniquely designed alto saxophone mouthpiece named the “Geller Blackbird” that I received from Max Geller in Munich, Germany. Max reached out to me a number of months ago to see if I was interested in trying his new Geller Blackbird ebonite tenor and alto saxophone mouthpieces.  The drawings […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Blackbird, ebonite, Geller, mouthpiece review, sax mouthpiece

Avel Sound Concept (ASC)-Mistral Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

January 19, 2023 by Steve 8 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the Avel Sound Concept (ASC) Mistral model alto saxophone mouthpiece made by Max Even at Avel Sound Concept Mouthpieces.  These are really reasonable priced, quality hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpieces that play incredibly well.  The hard rubber ASC Mistral alto sax mouthpiece I am reviewing today has a 6* tip opening […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, ASC, Avel Sound Concept, jazz sax, Max Even, Mistral, mouthpiece, review

BetterSax Burnin’ Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

November 14, 2022 by Steve 21 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the new BetterSax Burnin’ 6 hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece made through a collaboration between Jay Metcalf of BetterSax and Jody Espina of Jody Jazz saxophone mouthpieces.  I reviewed the BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece a few weeks ago and am equally excited to review this Burnin’ alto sax mouthpiece as […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, BetterSax, Burnin', hard rubber, Jat Metcalf, review, sax mouthpiece

Windy City Woodwinds 56 Mark II Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

October 11, 2022 by Steve 12 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the new Windy City Woodwinds 56 Mark II alto saxophone mouthpiece.  The 56 Mark II alto sax mouthpiece is the same design as the 56 Select alto saxophone mouthpiece I just reviewed last week (56 Select Alto Sax Mouthpiece Review) but the 56 Mark II mouthpiece is 3-D printed and at […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 56 Mark II, Alto Saxophone, Art Pepper, cool school, Dr. Wally Wallace, hard rubber, Paul Desmond, review, sax mouthpiece, Theo Wanne, Windy City

Windy City Woodwinds 56 Select Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

October 5, 2022 by Steve 9 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the new Windy City Woodwinds 56 Select alto saxophone mouthpiece.  The 56 Select alto sax mouthpiece is advertised as capturing the warmth and singing quality of the 1950’s “cool school” of alto saxophone playing in the style of Art Pepper, Bud Shank and Paul Desmond.  As someone who listened to a […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: 56 Select, Alto Saxophone, Art Pepper, cool school, Dr. Wally Wallace, hard rubber, Paul Desmond, review, sax mouthpiece, Theo Wanne, Windy City

Meyer Bros New York Connoisseur Series Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

August 11, 2022 by Steve 17 Comments

Today, I am reviewing two new Meyer Bros New York 7 and 8 Connoisseur series alto saxophone mouthpieces made by JJ Babbitt.  The Connoisseur Meyer Bros NY alto saxophone mouthpieces are advertised as being a reproduction of the original Meyer Bros New York alto saxophone mouthpiece that Cannonball Adderley played as described in this quote […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Connoisseur Series, JJ Babbitt, Meyer Bros, new york, review, sax mouthpiece

GetASax GS NEW YORK Meyer Bros NY Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Replica Review

June 30, 2022 by Steve 13 Comments

Today,  I am reviewing the GetASax GS NEW YORK Meyer Bros alto saxophone mouthpiece replica, that is an extremely precise copy of a Brian Curry’s favorite Meyer Bros New York alto saxophone mouthpiece. These cool white mouthpieces are made by Brian Curry at GetASax.com.  I have already reviewed the GetASax GS RESO tenor sax mouthpiece […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Brian Curry, Bros NY, Getasax, Meyer, new york, replica, review, sax mouthpiece

The SYOS Originals Smoky, Steady and Spark Model Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

March 15, 2022 by Steve 2 Comments

Today, I am reviewing and comparing three new SYOS Originals series alto saxophone mouthpieces.  SYOS mouthpieces has released this new Originals SYOS line of tenor, alto and soprano saxophone mouthpieces to give saxophone players a simpler way to order a quality saxophone mouthpiece at a more affordable price point.  I have already reviewed the SYOS […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, comparison, model, Originals, review, sax mouthpiece, smoky, spark, steady, SYOS

Gottsu Sepia Tone VI Marble Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

December 8, 2020 by Steve 12 Comments

If you like the sound of Paul Desmond, this review is for you.  Today, I am reviewing a hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece from Gottsu mouthpieces in Japan.  I had received some emails from a few different fans of my site who were impressed with the Gottsu sax mouthpieces they had played and I decided […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Gottsu, Paul Desmond, review, sax mouthpiece, Sepia Tone, VI Marble

Phil-Tone Orion Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

November 12, 2020 by Steve 25 Comments

Today I am reviewing another great alto saxophone mouthpiece made by Phil Engleman at Phil-Tone mouthpieces.  I have reviewed quite a few Phil-Tone sax mouthpieces on the site already and am always interested when Phil announces a new Phil-Tone saxophone mouthpiece model. A couple of months ago he announced that he had a new mouthpiece […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews, Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Orion, Phil Engleman, Phil-tone, review, sax mouthpiece

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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

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 would like to say that in the last year my sax playing has progressed loads from your lessons. I have had a sax for about 20 years and dabbled with lessons from a few teachers and have learnt very little from them. As you have said in your lessons many teachers tell you to use the blues scale and leave it there, not even showing you the resolution points!!. I am now believing I can in time become a good improviser.
Thanks again,
Shane
Shane
For anyone living in remote areas away from live jazz sax teachers, Neff is the way to go. In fact this is a great resource for anyone seriously interested in mastering the sax. I’ve never been disappointed in a lesson.
Oliver
Hi Steve, I live in a gorgeous but rural area of Oregon-no music store within 80 miles. Your lessons are my lifeline!  Truly the best there are anywhere online. Love your playing. Love your teaching.  Thanks again. Ed
Ed Woodmansee
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
First, I’m really excited about your materials! This site is a vast resource for any aspiring (and maybe already inspired) jazz musicians. I’m not a sax player, I play mandolin and fiddle, but have been learning jazz and playing weekly with a quintet for the past 6 months and have been struggling with all of the issues you get into in your lessons. I bought several books and lessons and plan to continue with some others as soon as I organize my practice routine. Thanks again for a great site … Read more
Tony Galfano
I am a music book junkie and I have to say that your books are the most clear, user friendly, and helpful books I own.  They are my absolute favorites and I only wish I had them years ago.  I wouldn’t change a thing about the experience I had in acquiring my degree at Berklee, but my playing has perhaps grown more in the time I’ve spent buried in your books and lessons.  Keep up the great work!!! Thanks, John
John

I must say again how much I appreciate all your material. Including the video tutorials. It help keep me focused and knowing what to aim for. And your laid back teaching style appeals to me too. 

Thanks

P

P
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
Just wanted to send you a quick note to say thank you for being you, your playing, your website and your desire to help others. I’m a professional musician in the US Army and I’ve visited your website almost every day since discovering it a couple of months ago. Your lessons are profound and easy to use. I’ve purchased most of your PDF books and now am starting to delve more into the video and audio lessons.  Thank you for being a great resource!
James
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
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

After reading your story I will never feel quite right about complaining about any of my MINOR health issues!!    God bless Steve and I really hope that your health doesn’t stop you from fulfilling your calling.    These books have been such a help to open up my jazz vocabulary…   Thanks so much for sharing your story and for providing these great teaching tools…   John Leclerc   Saxophonist / composer/ EWI player and professional working musician of 35 years….

John Leclerc

I want to thank you again, because, not only are you an inspiration to listen to, you are a fine teacher!

I have been teaching sax and other winds for over 20 years, and you give me that “push” to give my students more!

Mark Peotter

Mark Peotter
I have found your videos and publications inspiring and your contribution to the world of saxophone playing is immense. Paul
Paul
I have NEVER seen material like yours.  Amazing!!
Jerry

Hello Steve,

I have not received my alto yet but have already gone through 14 lessons. I love your approach, style, knowledge and competence. I now regret so much to have stayed away from playing the sax for the past 45-50 years…(I am 65).  But It is never too late to get back to your first love. After 23 years in compuer sciences and 22 years in finances…I am now back to music for the rest of my life.

Doing some research on the net, I found this:

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?1… Read more

Claude

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
It is so refreshing to have a great player, who can provide lessons and examples in a manner which is understandable to most any enthusiastic saxophonist who is ready to improve. not just the, do this, do that, memorize this, memorize that… while all that is absolutely necessary, you go on to give reasons and examples to explain and validate why you have to do all of these things, the benefits, if you will… that is the key for me, you tell, explain, demonstrate, explain some more, you give perso… Read more
Cedric
I bought Steve’s dominant bebop book and took a couple of online lesson from him. I really appreciated Steve’s careful listening of what I wanted to get done in a lesson and his clear, concise ideas on next steps to improve my playing and musical interpretation.  His mastering  the Dominant Bebop Scale has lots of exercises to use a scale that addresses the largest percentage of chords I come across in pop/blues music. The dominant V7.  Needless say it has improved my playing.  I teach and a… Read more
Keith
Absolutely the best learning experience in my 40 years of playing.These books are awesome!!
Alfred LaBella
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

Your material is great! I got your New Altissimo Lesson 6 months ago and I have learned more from that than in all my 44 years of playing! I appreciate your down to earth teaching method and I really appreciate the heart that you teach with. I have been a subscriber to your lessons for the past 6 months and I have learned a great deal. Over that period of time I have had some questions and you have never failed to respond. Thanks! I have already recommended your lessons to a number of players in… Read more

Michael Byington

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