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.
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.