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by Bruce P Ottawa
(3 posts)
11 years ago

Want advice buying Alto mouth piece

HI,
My Wife just bought me a Yamaha YAS26 to go with my tenor, which I have played since 1978.
I have a Berg/Larsen 95/2 sms mouthpiece for the tenor and am looking for an alto mouthpiece. Made the mistake of buying an Otto STM metal 6* and brought it back to the store after an hour. Something $200-$500 range. Suggestions? want similiar caracteristics to the Berg 95/2 tenor. 

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  2. by paulbrier
    (2 posts)
    11 years ago

    Re: Want advice buying Alto mouth piece

    The tenor and alto saxes are two completely different animals! I play a berg 110/2 on my tenor, an otto linc 6 on my bari, but alto deserves a selmer 6 star. Try one, or something close, I think you will like it. DO NOT play a berg on your alto - tuning problems, issues with playing quietly (think Paul Desmond) - major difficulty. 

    follow your heart, but ask the ones better than you if you might have a chance, and listen to their opinions.

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    1. by Bruce P Ottawa
      (3 posts)
      11 years ago

      Re: Want advice buying Alto mouth piece

      Thanx for the info!

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  3. by peter090
    (155 posts)
    11 years ago

    Re: Want advice buying Alto mouth piece

    I'd suggest a Meyer 6 or 7 or one of modern mouthpieces based on them.

    SR Legend etc. It might not be what you are looking for but it is a good starting point for alto.

     

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    1. by Saxquest
      (420 posts)
      11 years ago

      Re: Want advice buying Alto mouth piece

      Meyer is a great suggestion for that classic Cannonball "Blue Note" era lead alto sound. I agree to stay away from metal Berg alto pieces if you're not used to then. However, I know several players who play hard rubber Berg Larsen on alto and get a wonderful tone. Just check out a bit of Dick Oatts and you'll be reassured at what a hard rubber Berg can sound like. Its can actually be a bit more dry (West Coast-ish) than a Meyer. Best of Luck!!

      Cheers,
           Mark Overton
           www.saxquest.com

       

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    2. by Hermeto06
      (1 post)
      11 years ago

      Re: Want advice buying Alto mouth piece

      Whay about Lebayle alto sax mouthpieces. I know that they are differents models for diferents sounds. Somebody about this theme?

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      1. by peter090
        (155 posts)
        11 years ago

        Re: Want advice buying Alto mouth piece

        This is one persons opinion and should be taken with a grain of salt.

        Trying to develop your sound by trying different gear is doing it backwards. Figure out what you want your sound to be like. Use a middle of the road mouthpiece and you should be able to get most of the way to "your sound"

        At that point you can try a bunch of mouthpieces and find out which ones make it easier to play with "your sound"

        If you can't get reasonably close to "your sound" with just about anything you've got more work to do.

         

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        1. by Saxquest
          (420 posts)
          11 years ago

          Re: Want advice buying Alto mouth piece

          True enough! It's the old verbiage that Doc Tenney always used. He'd say, "I don't sell chops in a box."

          That being said, you do want to make sure you've got a mouthpiece that is in proper balance and working effectively. I would recommend any of these in hard rubber as a starting point: Meyer, Selmer C*, Vandoren V16, or Jody Jazz. I've a firm believer that as a begginner, if you're playing on good equipment you'll develop faster. Fighting bad equipment is hard even for professionals. In beginner, it only servers to frustrate and entrench bad compensating habits.

          Cheers,
               Mark Overton
               www.saxquest.com

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