{"id":389049,"date":"2026-08-05T12:26:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T16:26:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/?p=389049"},"modified":"2026-08-05T12:26:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T16:26:40","slug":"bettersax-burnin-metal-alto-saxophone-mouthpiece-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/bettersax-burnin-metal-alto-saxophone-mouthpiece-review\/","title":{"rendered":"BetterSax Burnin’ Metal Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, I am excited to review the new BetterSax Burnin’ 7 (.082) metal alto saxophone mouthpiece made through a collaboration between Jay Metcalf of BetterSax and Jody Espina of Jody Jazz saxophone mouthpieces<\/a>.\u00a0 The BettersSax Burnin’ metal alto saxophone mouthpiece is made of brass that is beautifully gold-plated with a matte finish.<\/p>\n

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BetterSax Burnin’ 7 Metal Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece (with a rare Double Rainbow behind it)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jay Metcalf has a fantastic Youtube channel on all things saxophone related entitled “BetterSax<\/a>” with over 429K subscribers at the time of this review (He had 284K subscribers when I posted my review of his Burnin’ hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece almost four years ago).\u00a0 Jay’s BetterSax videos are well produced, entertaining and educational.\u00a0 I really loved reviewing the Bettersax Burnin’ hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece, <\/a>the BetterSax Burnin’ metal tenor saxophone mouthpiece<\/a> as well as the BetterSax Burnin’ hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece<\/a>.\u00a0 When Jay Metcalf contacted me writing that he now had a new metal Bettersax Burnin’ alto saxophone mouthpiece he was releasing with the help of Jody Espina at Jody Jazz, I was excited to review this new Burnin’ metal alto saxophone mouthpiece as well.<\/p>\n

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BetterSax Burnin’ 7 Metal Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here is a description of the BetterSax Burnin’ metal alto saxophone mouthpiece from the Sweetwater website<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“BetterSax\u2019s Burnin\u2019 Metal alto saxophone mouthpiece gives you the versatile tonality of the company’s signature Burnin\u2019 series, enhanced with superb projection potential from a solid brass foundation. While hard rubber mouthpieces have traditionally been the go-to for playing comfort and a rich, full sound, alto saxophone players have increasingly turned to metal alto sax mouthpieces for projection, brightness, and the ability to plow through a thick track. But the Burnin\u2019 Metal is far from your typical power mouthpiece. It\u2019s got nuance. Featuring a meticulously designed roll-over baffle and medium-small chamber <\/em>(I would call it more of a medium-large chamber)<\/span> architecture with straight side walls, the Burnin\u2019 Metal alto saxophone mouthpiece balances brightness with warmth and depth to generate a richly complex, yet focused and centered tone with excellent dynamic expression and articulation across all registers. Available in multiple sizes to suit your playing preferences, the BetterSax Burnin\u2019 Metal alto saxophone mouthpiece is a powerful, contemporary option for the modern sax player.<\/em><\/p>\n

Like its hard rubber stablemate, the Burnin\u2019 Metal alto saxophone mouthpiece is the fruit of a unique collaboration between world-class mouthpiece maker JodyJazz and BetterSax founder Jay Metcalf, one of the world\u2019s top saxophone educators and influencers. The result is a no-compromise, free-blowing metal mouthpiece that absolutely shimmers, both sonically and visually. Crafted from solid brass using precision CNC machining and hand-finished in a gleaming matte gold plating, the BetterSax Burnin\u2019 Metal model represents an evolution that integrates seamlessly into the Burnin\u2019 mouthpiece family while establishing its own distinct identity. Saxophone connoisseurs at Sweetwater have found that the playing experience on the Burnin\u2019 Metal is bolstered by a larger outer diameter, giving you a feel more akin to hard rubber without sacrificing an ounce of power. Carefully balanced for playing comfort and control, the BetterSax Burnin\u2019 metal mouthpiece gives alto players the cross-genre versatility for everything from big-band jazz to rock, funk, fusion, progressive metal, and beyond.”-Sweetwater website<\/em><\/p>\n

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BetterSax Burnin’ 7 Metal Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n

The BetterSax Burnin’ metal alto saxophone mouthpiece came well packaged and protected in a BetterSax box which was also protected with ample packing and cushioning around the mouthpiece.\u00a0 The Burnin’ mouthpiece also comes with a Rovner ligature as well as a mouthpiece cap.<\/p>\n

My first impression of the BetterSax Burnin’ metal alto saxophone mouthpiece, as I opened the packaging, was how beautiful and perfect the mouthpiece looked.\u00a0 I just stared in awe of how absolutely perfect the brushed gold plating and engraving looked.<\/p>\n

My second impression, as I took it out of the packaging, was its substantial weight.\u00a0 I don’t try metal mouthpieces on the alto saxophone very often, so I was genuinely surprised by how heavy the gold-plated brass BetterSax Burnin’ alto saxophone mouthpiece felt.<\/p>\n

My third impression was that the BetterSax Burnin’ metal alto saxophone mouthpiece appeared to be exceptionally well made, with excellent machining and craftsmanship. Kudos to Jody Espina at Jody Jazz mouthpieces for producing such a stunningly perfect mouthpiece for BetterSax.<\/p>\n

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BetterSax Burnin’ 7 Metal Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Burnin’ metal alto saxophone mouthpiece is made of brushed brass with a gold plating over it that is clean and about as perfect a mouthpiece as I have ever seen.\u00a0 There is not one imperfection or flaw.<\/p>\n

The shape and size of the BetterSax Burnin’ metal alto saxophone mouthpiece looks to be the same size and shape as the hard rubber version of the BetterSax Burnin’ mouthpiece.\u00a0 Many times, alto saxophone mouthpiece makers make metal mouthpieces a lot thinner compared to hard rubber alto sax mouthpieces.\u00a0 I have always felt a bit uncomfortable playing these thinner metal mouthpieces on the alto saxophone so I am glad the BetterSax Burnin’ metal alto sax mouthpiece is similar in size to the hard rubber version.<\/p>\n

The engraving on the gold mouthpiece is clean and crisp.\u00a0 The side of the Burnin’ alto mouthpiece has \u201cBetterSax\u201d engraved into the gold-plated brass and the other side of the mouthpiece has the tip opening of 7 engraved next to the table. The top of the Burnin’ alto saxophone mouthpiece has a sax logo and \u201cBurnin’\u201d engraved in black.\u00a0 There are two black 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

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BetterSax Burnin’ 7 Metal Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was curious if the BetterSax Burnin’ gold-plated alto saxophone mouthpiece was an exact copy of the hard rubber version I had reviewed four years ago so I sent Jay Metcalf an email asking if that were the case.\u00a0 This was Jay’s response:<\/p>\n

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“<\/em>I went into designing the BetterSax Burnin’ metal alto saxophone mouthpiece with certain expectations. In my experience, metal alto sax mouthpieces have mostly been for a particular sound and style. <\/em>However, as we were prototyping, I was very pleasantly surprised. By keeping a very similar sound profile to the original Burnin’ hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece, the metal model ended up delivering added projection, power and resonance while maintaining the warmth and ease of play that we love about the original. <\/em>As a player who loves a good metal mouthpiece on tenor but who has typically played hard rubber on alto, the BetterSax Burnin’ metal for the alto saxophone has converted me. It gives me the best of both worlds. I expect many other alto sax players will have a similar experience with it.”-Jay Metcalf<\/em><\/p>\n

Although I appreciate the quick response back from Jay, he really didn’t answer my question. From what I gathered from this informative BetterSax video below on the making and choosing of the prototype for the BetterSax Burnin’ metal alto saxophone mouthpiece, the new metal Burnin’ alto mouthpiece was created with the same design as the hard rubber Burnin’ alto mouthpiece but then Jody Espina made some slight alterations and tweaks to the design that Jay Metcalf had to choose from for the final version of the Burnin’ metal alto saxophone mouthpiece.<\/p>\n

Watch this video of Jay Metcalf trying the prototypes with Jody Espina.\u00a0 It is quite interesting.<\/p>\n