Comment on Selmer S90, Larry Teal and Vandoren AL3.

[thepay]

I tried Vandoren AL3 and found it darker & smoother than Selmer S80 C*. How about Selmer S90 & Larry Teal comparing with Vandoren AL3?

[YAY SAXOPHONE]

Personally, i have tried a Larry Teal, S80 C*, and the AL3. I have not tried the S90, but I believe it is almost the same the S80, as it is basically the same design but with a larger chamber. For me, the Optimum AL3 came out on top. The S80 was just too bright and thin for my tastes. For me, it had very poor response and was very inconsistent tone across the horn. The Larry Teal is much darker than the S80, and added a slight edge to my sound. At times, it felt thin but the response was also good. I would probably still have this piece as a backup if I didn't have serious intonation issues with it. My upper octave was always 30 cents flatter than the lower. The AL3, for me, had instant response (especially in the low end), and a very dark and full tone. It really opened up my sound and allowed my upper octave to really sing and not sound like a moose in heat:). I recommend trying all four of these mouthpieces. I think the main reason the Selmer's did not play well for me is because I play a Yamaha. Those mouthpieces were designed to work with Selmer horns, and the Vandoren just fits my sound concepts better (dark, full, warm, but still responsive, not tubby). Hopefully you find something useful in this stuff....:)

[nitrosax]

AL3 and AL4 are VERY consistent and well-made mouthpieces...however, if you find a great C* ..those can be outstanding as well...much MORE flexible than any vandoren...

R

[Kini]

+1 on nitros comment. A good S80 will have more tonal depth than an AL3/4. But it's much easier to find a good AL. I've found the S90's to bright and strident in general, although they have be excellent on 2 Yanagisawa 992's.

Again, this is highly variable, and your expereince could be completely different.

[J.Max]

If the Teal came in a different facing, I think more people would use it. It's a bit too closed off. I think that's why the AL3s and AL4s are so popular; they're very similar to the Teal, but with much better facings and better quality rubber. (I don't know what it is about the rubber on the Teals. It's a lot softer than the rubber used for the S-80s and the S-90s.)

As far as the comment about a good S-80 being more tonally complex than the Vandoren, I can't agree. Its a different sound and some people can get a fantastic sound from them, but they require far more effort to get a good sound than the Vandorens. I agree that YMMV though.

[hellas]

I'm using AL3 now and have some interests to try S90. Should I try S90 190 or S90 170? Any big differences?

[dalmeida]

there it goes my theory:

Play 10 selmer mpc, find one good...

the rest; vandoren are consistent, but not my thing; Larry teal mpc that I have tried was very closed; and I still prefer a good s-80 D to a S90... so play it all and get your own opinion...

[bruce bailey]

I also prefer the S-80 D. In the S-90, the 170 is really closed and the 190 is about a C* tip at around .067".