Recommended alto mouthpieces for advancing students

Ed

Ed

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Once a student has played for awhile it will be likely that they would benefit from a better mouthpiece.

Typically most student horns come with a cheap plastic mouthpiece. Investing in a quality mouthpiece is something that most students will benefit from over the long term. As always, it is best to confer with the personal instructor of the student about what they recommend.

Typically, a lot of instructors will recommend a Selmer S80 C* or C** mouthpiece. Personally I find these mouthpieces to be a bit on the bright side and lacking in a fullness of tone. I prefer the Selmer S90 C* or C** to the S80. In my opinion there are some even better choices out there. The Selmer Soloist mouthpieces are versatile pieces that in the C** opening can be played in either a classical ensemble or jazz band. The Vandoren AL3 is a nice alternative to the Selmer S80/S90. The AL3 is a high quality mouthpiece made for the classical saxophonist.

Two other mouthpieces that are readily available represent quality pieces at an affordable price. The Eugene Rousseau 3R or 4R and the Eugene Rousseau NC3 or NC4. I have been pretty impressed with the quality of the Eugene Rousseau pieces and know a number of classical players who use them.

One of my favorite pieces that is a little hard to obtain is the Morgan 3C. These pieces are "darker" than any of the pieces mentioned but have a wonderful full tone and are exceptionally hand finished.

Some players like to play one mouthpiece for both classical and jazz. Again, my favorite piece for that is the Selmer Soloist. For years I played a vintage Soloist on alto until moving to a custom piece (another discussion for another time). Other players prefer to play a different setup for classical and jazz. For those types of players I'll briefly discuss a few of the more popular jazz mouthpieces that are readily available.

The main piece that a lot of jazz players on alto use is the Meyer. A Meyer 5M, 6M, or 7M would be a wonderfully conservative choice for the jazz alto player. Meyer also makes the Meyer G which has a slightly different design but is still very much a straight ahead jazz piece. Vandoren came out with their "meyer clone" a few years ago. I prefer their medium chamber offerings so I would recommend the Vandoren A5 or A6. Personally I prefer the current Meyer's to the Vandoren's. Another nice option in the meyer type sound is the Runyon Custom. These are very good pieces and have a great vibe to them. Finally, there's the Bari Richie Cole mouthpiece. These are also in the vein of the Meyer but I find them to be a little less interesting sounding.

While all of the above pieces would be more than adequate there are some other higher priced choices that deserve some attention.

These include, the Jody Jazz HR*, Jody Jazz Classic pieces and the Morgan 5M. The Jody Jazz Classic pieces are going to be similar to the Runyon Custom in tone. The Jody Jazz HR* is a hard rubber vintage meyer clone that has been pretty well thought out and plays well. Finally, there's the Morgan 5M. The Morgan 5M is going to be a totally hand finished piece that may be the best vintage Meyer clone available today. When I'm looking for the Meyer sound this is the piece I put on my horn.

So to recap:

Recommended Classical Mouthpieces:
Selmer S90 C* or C**
Selmer S80 C* or C**
Vandoren AL3 or AL4
Eugene Rousseau R3 or R4
Eugene Rousseau NC3 or NC4
Morgan 3C

Recommended Classical/Jazz Mouthpieces:
Selmer Soloist C**

Recommended Jazz Mouthpieces
Meyer 5M, 6M, 7M
Meyer G
Runyon Custom
Vandoren A5M A6M
Bari Richie Cole
Jody Jazz Classic
Jody Jazz HR*
Morgan 5M


As with any purchase, I always recommend that people take the time to play as many pieces as possible to see what plays best for them. Everyone has an idea of what they want to sound like and their equipment should "get out of the way" and let them create that sound. This list is by no means inclusive of all of the mouthpieces on the market today but represent some easy to find choices that have established reputations.
 
My alto mouthpiece is a hard rubber Otto Link 7*. I rarely see this mouthpiece listed as an alto piece of choice on the forums. I played the Meyer 6m for a few years before moving to the Link, and I found the Link to be much better for my needs. I know that I'm not up on the latest trends and the newest products, but this is because the Link just seems to get better and better as the years go by. Plus, none of the new pieces I try are working for me.

I look for fatness of sound, warmth, power, and projection. I'm also looking for a nice ring to my sound, and the ability to change from a more piercing sound for playing lead alto, and that fat singing tone when playing with a rhythm section.

I've been playing this particular mouthpiece since about 1980 or '81, so it's not one of the newer pieces. I bought it new, probably in the mid '70s. I had it for a few years before I actually started using it.

This piece has got a lot of wear on it, it's getting thin where I bite down on it, so I might try one of the custom mouthpiece makers around NYC for a replacement. But for now, I'm loving my old Link.
 
sideC said:
My alto mouthpiece is a hard rubber Otto Link 7*. I rarely see this mouthpiece listed as an alto piece of choice on the forums. I played the Meyer 6m for a few years before moving to the Link, and I found the Link to be much better for my needs. I know that I'm not up on the latest trends and the newest products, but this is because the Link just seems to get better and better as the years go by. Plus, none of the new pieces I try are working for me.
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I love Otto Link metal pieces, but oddly I've never cared much for their hard rubber pieces. The ones I've played on were horribly stuffy. Who knows, maybe if I found a good one I'd be a fan. I really like the Meyer 7M as far as hard rubber goes.
 
I have always felt that the Yani metal pieces are really thin sounding.
 
I once owned a metal Yanagisawa alto piece. LOUD is the best way to describe how it played for me. I also had difficulty controlling reed-chirp with it (and yes, I tried a number of different reeds and ligatures). It's gone now and I don't miss it. DAVE
 
The Yani metal pieces seem more like rock pieces to me. Loud and brash. Lots of volume. I still own a couple on bari but rarely play them.
 
That Don Sinta hard rubber (or is it plastic?) alto mouthpiece you sent me, Ed, is every bit as powerful as the metal Yanagisawa.

But to me there is a difference between LOUD and POWERFUL. The Sinta (I think it is a Zinner blank, at least ZINNER is faintly stamped on the side) is everything the Yanagisawa should have been but wasn't. It is a pistol, alright - and smooth as glass. DAVE
 
The Sinta piece is a Zinner hard rubber piece. Their catalog number on it is 61S.
 
Thanks Ed. That is a very comprehensive and well thought out list. You have included a variety of good mouthpieces to accommodate different concepts of sound and playing styles. I would just add that for a student on a budget, a Hite Premier or a Yamaha 4C would be a good inexpensive intermediate step up until that student could afford one of the mouthpieces on your list.

John
 
I would suggest adding Vandoren A35 to the list. It is very versatile and can be used for classical as well as Jazz.
 
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