{"id":110921,"date":"2022-11-14T16:48:03","date_gmt":"2022-11-14T21:48:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/?p=110921"},"modified":"2022-11-14T20:46:57","modified_gmt":"2022-11-15T01:46:57","slug":"bettersax-burnin-alto-saxophone-mouthpiece-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/bettersax-burnin-alto-saxophone-mouthpiece-review\/","title":{"rendered":"BetterSax Burnin&#8217; Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Today, I am reviewing the new BetterSax Burnin&#8217; 6 hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece made through a collaboration between Jay Metcalf of BetterSax and Jody Espina of <a href=\"https:\/\/jodyjazz.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jody Jazz saxophone mouthpieces<\/a>.\u00a0 I reviewed the BetterSax Burnin&#8217; tenor saxophone mouthpiece a few weeks ago and am equally excited to review this Burnin&#8217; alto sax mouthpiece as well.<\/p>\n<p>Jay Metcalf has a fantastic Youtube channel entitled &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/bettersax\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Better Sax<\/a>&#8221; with over 284K subscribers at the time of this review.\u00a0 Jay&#8217;s videos are well produced, entertaining and educational about all things having to do with the saxophone.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoTop.jpg\" rel=\"shadowbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoTop.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>BetterSax Burnin&#8217; Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Here is a description of the BetterSax Burnin&#8217; alto saxophone mouthpiece from the <a href=\"https:\/\/imp.i114863.net\/c\/3524263\/937020\/11319?prodsku=BSBurninTS7S&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sweetwater.com%2Fstore%2Fdetail%2FBSBurninTS7S--bettersax-burnin-tenor-saxophone-mouthpiece-7&amp;intsrc=PUI2_7338\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sweetwater website<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><em>The Burnin\u2019 alto saxophone mouthpiece stems from a unique collaboration between JodyJazz and BetterSax founder Jay Metcalf, one of the world\u2019s top saxophone educators and influencers. The result is a very free-blowing hard rubber sax mouthpiece that absolutely shimmers. Each mouthpiece is meticulously crafted with the same high standards as any other JodyJazz saxophone mouthpiece. The large chamber gives you the warmth and depth that lets you blend well with other musicians; however, thanks to the straight sidewalls and roll-over baffle, there\u2019s a surprising amount of power and brightness behind the sound, allowing you to stand out as a soloist. The 6 tip opening is also great for advancing sax players who want to put more air into their saxophone. With this BetterSax Burnin&#8217; saxophone mouthpiece, you&#8217;ll have all the projection you need to make your next sax performance a crowd-pleaser!<\/em><\/p>\n<h2><em>BetterSax Burnin\u2019 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Features:<\/em><\/h2>\n<ul class=\"webtext-block--colcount\">\n<li><em>Made in the USA by JodyJazz<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Roll-over baffle for power, projection, and brightness<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Large chamber for lush warmth and sonic depth<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Straight side walls for a free-blowing feel<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Matte finish exterior with hand-painted logo<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Hand-finished and play tested by professionals<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Available in three tip openings of\u00a0 5, 6 and 7<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoTable1.jpg\" rel=\"shadowbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoTable1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>BetterSax Burnin&#8217; Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The BetterSax Burnin&#8217; alto saxophone mouthpiece came well packaged and protected in a BetterSax box which was also protected with ample packing and cushioning around the box containing the mouthpiece.\u00a0 Jay Metcalf also sent me a Jody Jazz Power Ring ligature and cap that fit on the Burnin&#8217; alto sax mouthpiece to try as well.\u00a0 <em>*I might do a review of the Jody Jazz Power Ring ligature in a future review&#8230;&#8230;..<\/em><\/p>\n<p>My first impressions of the BetterSax Burnin&#8217; alto saxophone mouthpiece as I took it out of the box is that it is a really solid and well made mouthpiece.\u00a0 I have never had the chance to review a Jody Jazz made sax mouthpiece here on the site but this Burnin&#8217; alto sax mouthpiece and the Burnin&#8217; tenor sax mouthpiece I just reviewed a few days ago look fantastic upon first inspection.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoTable2.jpg\" rel=\"shadowbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoTable2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>BetterSax Burnin&#8217; Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The Burnin&#8217; alto saxophone mouthpiece is made with great looking hard rubber which is very smooth and polished to the touch. The gold engraving on the mouthpiece is clean and crisp.\u00a0 The side of the Burnin&#8217; alto mouthpiece has \u201cBetterSax\u201d engraved into the hard rubber and the other side of the mouthpiece has the tip opening of 6 engraved next to the table. The top of the Burnin&#8217; alto saxophone mouthpiece has a sax logo and \u201cBurnin&#8217;\u201d engraved in gold.\u00a0 There are two gold rings around the shank of the mouthpiece.\u00a0 The mouthpiece comes with a BetterSax mouthpiece patch already on the beak of the mouthpiece.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoTable4.jpg\" rel=\"shadowbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoTable4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>BetterSax Burnin&#8217; Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The BetterSax Burnin&#8217; alto saxophone mouthpiece has a perfect looking table, rails, tip and baffle profile.\u00a0 All these elements look smooth, even, symmetrical and beautifully machined.\u00a0 The tip rail is nice and thin as are the side rails as they head towards the tip.<\/p>\n<p>The Burnin&#8217; alto mouthpiece looks like the little brother to the Burnin&#8217; tenor mouthpiece I already reviewed. The design of the mouthpiece looks very similar to the Burnin&#8217; tenor mouthpiece but just on a smaller scale for the alto saxophone.<\/p>\n<p>The baffle is what I would describe as a medium high long gentle rollover baffle.\u00a0 The beginning of the medium high baffle extends about 1\/2 an inch into the mouthpiece before it slopes down into a steeper decline that is scooped from side to side.\u00a0 The baffle terminates underneath where the window of the mouthpiece ends.<\/p>\n<p>The roof of the chamber is thin where it starts next to the window but then thickens as it heads through the large chamber.\u00a0 The side walls are straight as they travel from the tip to the chamber and through it.\u00a0 The bore of the mouthpiece looks to be larger in diameter than the chamber area.\u00a0 After the straight sidewalls terminate, the the round bore begins.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoTip1.jpg\" rel=\"shadowbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoTip1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>BetterSax Burnin&#8217; Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The BetterSax Burnin&#8217; alto saxophone mouthpiece played great with Rigotti Gold reeds as well as Boston Sax Shop reeds.\u00a0 \u00a0For the sound clips below, I used a Boston Sax Shop #3 alto saxophone reed and on the third clip I used a Rigotti Gold 2 1\/2 Strong reed.\u00a0 This reed strength felt very comfortable for me on the 6 tip opening of the Burnin&#8217; alto sax mouthpiece.<\/p>\n<p>I have posted three sound clips of the BetterSax Burnin&#8217; alto saxophone mouthpiece below.\u00a0 The first is with a BSS #3 alto sax reed with reverb added.\u00a0 \u00a0Besides how great the clip sounds with the added reverb, I feel like the reverb accentuates the vibrato I use on the first couple of bent notes at the :20 and :26 mark of the recording and I really loved how those notes sound.<\/p>\n<p>The second clip is the same as the first sound clip except there is no reverb added to the recording so you can hear how it sounded in the room I recorded in.\u00a0 I like to add clips with reverb added to my reviews to give the listener a taste of what a mouthpiece might sound like with a little reverb added. This also gives the listener an idea of how the mouthpiece might sound when played in a big hall or theater with a natural reverb in the room.<\/p>\n<p>The third clip is recorded with a slightly softer Rigotti Gold 2 1\/2 strong alto saxophone reed.\u00a0 \u00a0I wasn&#8217;t planning on using this clip for the review but I dug how the clip sounded with the Rigotti reed and decided to post it as well.\u00a0 \u00a0At times, the sound on this third clip has an almost classical saxophone sound to it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoCham.jpg\" rel=\"shadowbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoCham.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>BetterSax Burnin&#8217; alto Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So, how did the BetterSax Burnin&#8217; alto sax mouthpiece play?\u00a0 \u00a0 Like the Burnin&#8217; tenor saxophone mouthpiece, I feel like the Burnin&#8217; alto mouthpiece shared the same characteristics in the way it transitioned from a darker, warmer and lighter alto saxophone tone at softer volumes to a brighter more focused alto sax tone at louder volumes.<\/p>\n<p>The high rollover baffle of the Burnin&#8217; alto sax mouthpiece gives it a nice brightness and power when pushed.\u00a0 The straight sidewalls gives the tone a nice focus and core.\u00a0 Finally, the large chamber gives the tone a big, full and round alto saxophone sound.\u00a0 These characteristics put together make the Burnin&#8217; alto sax mouthpiece very enjoyable to play but also to listen to.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoCham2.jpg\" rel=\"shadowbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoCham2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>BetterSax Burnin&#8217; Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The tone could be light and sweet like at the 1:33 mark on the first clip where I play a little of &#8220;On the Sunny Side of the Street&#8221;, or more tough and thick sounding like when I push it a little more on the blues changes at the beginning of that same clip.\u00a0 I really enjoyed how the tone was easy to bend and shape as I tried to demonstrate in the sound clips.<\/p>\n<p>The tone was smooth and even throughout the range of the saxophone which really makes the Burnin&#8217; mouthpiece fun to play fast lines with.\u00a0 The &#8220;smooth evenness&#8221; of tone give a quality to the lines where the notes just whip by really fast but seem so smooth and connected.<\/p>\n<p>The intonation on the Burnin&#8217; alto sax mouthpiece was excellent and within the normal parameters on my Selmer Reference 54 alto saxophone.<\/p>\n<p>The Burnin&#8217; alto mouthpiece reminded me of a Meyer type alto sax sound but with a bit more focused core to the sound than a typical Meyer alto sax mouthpiece has.\u00a0 \u00a0I also got the impression that it also gave a wider range from dark to bright tone when compared with a typical Meyer alto saxophone mouthpiece that seems to sit more in the middle of that dark to bright tone spectrum.\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoFront.jpg\" rel=\"shadowbox\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BSBurninAltoFront.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"501\" height=\"668\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>BetterSax Burnin&#8217; Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In my opinion, the BetterSax Burnin&#8217; alto saxophone mouthpiece is a great hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece for those looking for a versatile mouthpiece that can play with warmth and darkness to the tone at soft to medium volumes while also providing the option of pushing it to a more powerful and aggressive brightness of tone when needed.\u00a0 Check out the sound clips below to hear these qualities in action.<\/p>\n<p>If you like the sound and look of the Burnin&#8217; alto saxophone mouthpiece by BetterSax, you can find them for sale at <a href=\"https:\/\/imp.i114863.net\/c\/3524263\/937020\/11319?prodsku=BSBurninAS6&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sweetwater.com%2Fstore%2Fdetail%2FBSBurninAS6--bettersax-burnin-alto-saxophone-mouthpiece-6m&amp;intsrc=PUI2_7338\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sweetwater<\/a>. I have agreed to be an affiliate for Sweetwater so if you purchase a <a href=\"https:\/\/imp.i114863.net\/c\/3524263\/937020\/11319?prodsku=BSBurninAS6&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sweetwater.com%2Fstore%2Fdetail%2FBSBurninAS6--bettersax-burnin-alto-saxophone-mouthpiece-6m&amp;intsrc=PUI2_7338\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BetterSax Burnin&#8217; alto saxophone mouthpiece<\/a> from this link, neffmusic.com 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\u2026..). Sweetwater even offers the option to pay in three installments as well which is nice.<\/p>\n<p>If you are lucky enough to play a BetterSax Burnin&#8217; alto saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.\u00a0 Thanks,\u00a0 \u00a0Steve<\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-110921-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BurninAltoReverb24.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BurninAltoReverb24.mp3\">https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BurninAltoReverb24.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><strong>BetterSax Burnin&#8217; Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece &#8211; Boston Sax Shop #3 Reed-Reverb Added<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-110921-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BurninAltoBSS24.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BurninAltoBSS24.mp3\">https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BurninAltoBSS24.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><strong>BetterSax Burnin&#8217; Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece &#8211; Boston Sax Shop #3 Reed-No Effects<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-110921-3\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BurninaltoRigotti2.mp3?_=3\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BurninaltoRigotti2.mp3\">https:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2022\/BurninaltoRigotti2.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><strong>BetterSax Burnin&#8217; Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece &#8211; Rigotti Gold 2 1\/2 Strong Reed-No Effects<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 12px; background-color: #f0b646; line-height: 1.4;\">Disclosure: I received the sample mouthpiece reviewed above for free in the hope that I would try it and perhaps review it on my blog. I also receive a small commission when you purchase from the <a href=\"https:\/\/imp.i114863.net\/c\/3524263\/937020\/11319?prodsku=BSBurninAS6&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sweetwater.com%2Fstore%2Fdetail%2FBSBurninAS6--bettersax-burnin-alto-saxophone-mouthpiece-6m&amp;intsrc=PUI2_7338\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sweetwater link<\/a> provided in this review that helps to support this site. Regardless, I only review sax mouthpieces that I enjoy playing and believe will be good for other saxophone players to try also. Steve<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today, I am reviewing the new BetterSax Burnin&#8217; 6 hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece made through a collaboration between Jay Metcalf of BetterSax and Jody Espina of Jody Jazz saxophone mouthpieces.\u00a0 I reviewed the BetterSax Burnin&#8217; tenor saxophone mouthpiece a few weeks ago and am equally excited to review this Burnin&#8217; alto sax mouthpiece as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":110711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1123,46,487],"tags":[297,2129,2130,129,2136,658,117],"class_list":{"0":"post-110921","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-alto-medium-baffle-reviews","8":"category-alto-mouthpieces","9":"category-mouthpiece-reviews","10":"tag-alto-saxophone","11":"tag-bettersax","12":"tag-burnin","13":"tag-hard-rubber","14":"tag-jat-metcalf","15":"tag-review","16":"tag-sax-mouthpiece","17":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}