Saxophone Forum


by TechSci
(2 posts)
18 years ago

Classical Tenor Mouthpiece

My youngster, playing for only a few months, wants to move up from the Yamaha 4C mouthpiece on his Yamaha 62II, to a better mouthpiece. I've read articles that say the Selmer C* recommended by many actually has too small an opening. It is actually .70 which is very close to the alto .66, and something closer to .80 would be better... like the Selmer D, or others. See: www.saxontheweb.net/Coats/mouthpiece.html#sizes What are your views on mouthpiece upgrade from Yamaha 4C. He is doing very well in band.

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  1. by MarkLavelle
    (300 posts)

    18 years ago

    Re: Classical Tenor Mouthpiece

    I'm no expert, but I switched to a Yamaha 5C shortly after starting to play and thought it was a step up. I'm pretty sure it cost me less than $25, too (somewhere online)... As Yamaha says: 'Provides a somewhat richer tone with greater variety of colors than 4C and excellent flexibility and response. Popular with soloists.' (OK, I might have left out the 'excellent,' but I guess they're gonna brag no matter what!)

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    1. by connsaxman_jim
      (2336 posts)

      18 years ago

      Re: Classical Tenor Mouthpiece

      With a Yamaha YTS-62Series II, I would suggest either the Selmer Larry Teal mouthpiece in a D* facing or a Brilhart Ebolin 4* tenor mouthpiece. I agree, the Selmer C* would not be a good choice, and I absolutely would not recommend a Selmer S-80. For the price, the Brilhart is pretty hard to beat!

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      1. by connsaxman_jim
        (2336 posts)

        18 years ago

        Re: Classical Tenor Mouthpiece

        I checked into the Larry Teal a little more. I've never tried one personally, but I have a friend who is a classical player who really likes that mouthpiece. Apparently they only come in one tip opening which is also very close like the C*, and a long facing. For more information, here is the link to WWBW www.wwbw.com/Selmer-Paris-Larry-Teal-Tenor-Sax-Mouthpiece-i76002.music I play mostly jazz and swing, and this is NOT the mouthpiece for me, but if classical is what you're after, I do believe this is one of the best mouthpieces on the market. Usually with a close tip mouthpiece like this, I would use a stiffer reed; maybe a 3.5.

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        1. by Tsaxkid
          (29 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Classical Tenor Mouthpiece

          The Selmer Larry Teal mouthpieces look pretty good. But if you want to be able to get a slightly bigger tip opening, I would try the E. Rousseau New Classic NC5 or NC4. I've never tried either the Larry Teal or the Rousseau myself, but I've heard people get good sound out of both. There's a good selection of mouthpieces at wwbw.com and at music123.com

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        2. by sax_maniac
          (984 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Classical Tenor Mouthpiece

          LT's are great on alto for legit, but I feel they are a bit buzzy and bright for tenor. If the baffle was a little lower in those, they'd be better. A Selmer S80 in a D facing is good on tenor. C*'s are too closed. I'd also recommend trying a Yamaha 5CM or 6CM in hard rubber - similar in design to the S80.

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      2. by skifast
        (2 posts)

        18 years ago

        Re: Classical Tenor Mouthpiece

        C* is a good mouthpiece for classical Alto sax... but is not the best for Tenor. For Tenor, try a Eugene Rouseau 4R. I bought mine over 20 years ago and never touched the C* again.

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