{"id":41402,"date":"2017-01-26T16:54:10","date_gmt":"2017-01-26T21:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/?p=41402"},"modified":"2022-11-17T10:58:52","modified_gmt":"2022-11-17T15:58:52","slug":"phil-tone-jz-alto-saxophone-mouthpiece-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/phil-tone-jz-alto-saxophone-mouthpiece-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Phil-tone JZ Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, I am reviewing another great mouthpiece by Phil Engleman at Phil-Tone mouthpieces<\/a>. \u00a0\u00a0 Phil Engleman is the founder of Phil-Tone mouthpieces and I have reviewed a number of his excellent mouthpieces in the past.\u00a0 The Equinox, the Eclipse, the Solstice, the Tribute, the Sapphire, the Mosaic, the Rift etc…………… Phil\u00a0has even more models that I have not had a chance to review yet but today I am reviewing a new model called the JZ Series alto\u00a0saxophone mouthpiece. \u00a0I reviewed the excellent JZ tenor mouthpiece<\/a> a couple months ago also.<\/p>\n

Phil emailed me a few months ago and said he was working on a new mouthpiece for players that couldn’t afford to pay three hundred plus\u00a0dollars on a mouthpiece. If you have been to my site before and researched some of the mouthpieces I have reviewed, \u00a0you might have noticed that finding a mouthpiece under three hundred dollars is getting harder and harder these days. Especially, \u00a0when you are looking for something that is custom made, \u00a0faced to exact measurements by hand, play tested before it leaves the shop and actually plays well.<\/p>\n

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Phil-tone JZ Series Alto\u00a0Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a teacher, it can be really difficult to \u00a0suggest a mouthpiece for a budding high school sax player. I can’t tell you the number of times a student wants a new mouthpiece and asks “What are you playing Mr. Neff?” \u00a0“Well Johnny, \u00a0this mouthpiece is very good but it is 300-800 dollars and if I tell your parents to get it they will have a heart attack.” \u00a0Usually, I talk about getting an Otto Link, Meyer or hard rubber Vandoren V16 mouthpiece but always with the ominous stipulation of \u00a0“You have to try a few out and make sure you get one that is good?” \u00a0Today, with fewer and fewer local music stores that can be next to impossible for many students. \u00a0 It’s kind of a pain to deal with if you really want the best for your students. \u00a0Because of all this, when Phil told me about this project of his, I was very curious to try these out and perhaps review them. \u00a0Phil was nice enough to send me a free sample of the JZ tenor mouthpiece and the JZ alto mouthpiece to review for all of you.<\/p>\n

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Phil-tone JZ Series Alto\u00a0Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I received the package from Phil and opened it\u00a0up, my first thought was that the mouthpiece looked pretty “bare bones”. Nothing special to entice the eye. No 14 karat gold engraving, no sparkling jewels or bite plate made from\u00a0a Javan Rhinoceros horn. \u00a0None of that. \u00a0Not even any engraving or other identification to be had except for a lightly written “Phil-tone” on the lower side of the body. Just a bare bones hard rubber alto\u00a0mouthpiece.<\/p>\n

Here is Phil’s description of the alto mouthpiece from Sax on the Web:<\/p>\n

The JZ Alto<\/u><\/b> is a lot harder to nail down in terms of description. It isn’t a Meyer, its not a link. I just think of it as a full sounding, rich alto piece that is expressive and has good power. Sidewalls are concave but not deeply cut so its not super spread. The chamber is medium. The floor is fairly straight and medium height…not an S curve. Its got a nice zippy feel and vibe.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Phil-tone JZ Series Alto\u00a0Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n

The JZ model alto sax mouthpiece looks to have great rails, table, tip and baffle. \u00a0Nothing out of the ordinary or out of whack. \u00a0The tip rail matches my Rigotti Gold reeds pretty closely. \u00a0It has a short rollover baffle that quickly rolls over and shoots straight down into the chamber. \u00a0The straight fall goes all the way to the back of the chamber area as opposed to ending at the beginning of the chamber. \u00a0The side rails are scooped out slightly. \u00a0The chamber looks very similar to a typical hard rubber Meyer\u00a0size chamber to my eyes although the side rails don’t look as scooped out as a Meyer. The hard rubber is polished to a satin sheen and is very smooth to the touch.<\/p>\n

The body of the JZ alto saxophone mouthpiece is smaller than most hard rubber alto sax mouthpieces out there. \u00a0I used a Rico Compass ligature because it was \u00a0one of the few\u00a0ligatures I could find that would fit it. \u00a0I also had a Rovner ligature and a couple of clarinet ligatures that seemed to fit as well.<\/p>\n

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Phil-tone JZ Series Alto\u00a0Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you read my review of the JZ tenor mouthpiece, \u00a0you will see that I was surprised by how good of a mouthpiece it was for being at a lower price point.\u00a0 I have to say that I am\u00a0just as\u00a0surprised by the Phil-tone JZ alto sax\u00a0mouthpiece also. \u00a0I played it with a 3 light\u00a0Rigotti Gold reed the other day\u00a0and recorded a clip with it. \u00a0The tone was focused and powerful. \u00a0I would say it leaned to the brighter side of an alto tone but it still has a very classic bop sound to the tone.<\/p>\n

I think the side rails and extended ramp of the baffle through the chamber give this mouthpiece a very direct in your face kind of sound. \u00a0 Some mouthpieces have a more spread kind of tone and I find myself having to play into a wall to hear the center of the tone bounce back at me. \u00a0I didn’t have to do this with the JZ alto mouthpiece. \u00a0It has enough focus to the tone that while playing it out into the room I could still hear the direct and focused sound when it reached my ears.<\/p>\n

I would feel great about recommending the JZ alto sax mouthpiece to any high school\u00a0student looking to step up from his Yamaha 4C or stock Meyer. \u00a0 I could get enough volume and power out of it that I feel like it could be used as a lead alto mouthpiece but it’s not so bright that it couldn’t be used in a small group setting.<\/p>\n

Just for kicks, I also tried the JZ mouthpiece with\u00a0a new Marca Superieure reed (I just got a bunch of the Marca reeds in to try out………) and did a second clip on that reed.<\/p>\n

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Phil-tone JZ Series Alto\u00a0Saxophone Mouthpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Phil-Tone JZ Series alto\u00a0saxophone mouthpiece was a complete joy to play and I’m glad I have had a chance \u00a0review it. \u00a0If you like the sound of the clip below and the mouthpiece catches your interest then give it a try. \u00a0Right now, Phil is selling this mouthpiece for 199.00.<\/p>\n

Now, before you start complaining about that price,\u00a0remember that many of the mass produced mouthpieces out there are selling in the 120-180 dollar range. \u00a0For a few dollars more, you are getting a piece that is handmade\u00a0to exact measurements and play tested. \u00a0It doesn’t come off a conveyor belt and put in a box for you to play test it after you buy it. \u00a0 If you are into a shiny gold mouthpiece then this isn’t the mouthpiece for you, but if you don’t care about that and you want a\u00a0more affordable mouthpiece that plays great, the JZ alto\u00a0mouthpiece is a great option to consider.<\/p>\n

You can contact Phil on his website at www.phil-tone.com<\/a>. \u00a0I don’t see the JZ model on his website yet but if you send him an email I’m sure he can hook you up with one. \u00a0Tell him Steve sent you………….Great work Phil!! \u00a0 I’m waiting for the Beyonce Series to be released………….<\/p>\n

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2017\/PTJZAltoR3L.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Phil-tone JZ Alto\u00a0Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Light Reed<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nhttps:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2017\/PTJZAlto.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Phil-tone JZ Alto\u00a0Saxophone Mouthpiece-Marca\u00a02 1\/2 Superieure\u00a0Reed<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I received the sample mouthpiece mentioned above for free in the hope that I would try it and perhaps review\u00a0it on my blog. Regardless, I only review mouthpieces\u00a0that I\u00a0enjoy\u00a0playing\u00a0and believe will be good for other saxophone players to try also. \u00a0 \u00a0Steve<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today, I am reviewing another great mouthpiece by Phil Engleman at Phil-Tone mouthpieces. \u00a0\u00a0 Phil Engleman is the founder of Phil-Tone mouthpieces and I have reviewed a number of his excellent mouthpieces in the past.\u00a0 The Equinox, the Eclipse, the Solstice, the Tribute, the Sapphire, the Mosaic, the Rift etc…………… Phil\u00a0has even more models that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":42025,"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":[297,716,1569,197,165,658],"class_list":{"0":"post-41402","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-jazz-sax","12":"tag-jz-mouthpiece","13":"tag-phil-engleman","14":"tag-phil-tone","15":"tag-review","16":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41402","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=41402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}