Mouthpiece help please - newb alert =)

[zoelynn13]

Okayy, so, I'm looking into the purchase of a PMSA-202, I've been playing a Bundy II from my school for awhile now.

Anyways, I was wondering; Is the mouthpiece that comes with the PMSA-202 any good? I generally play jazz, but I've started playing classical in sr.band too. And since I'm getting a new sax, I thought it might be worth it to splurge and buy a mouthpiece too. Any help would be appreciated, at the moment I have no clue about mouthpieces at all hehe.

Thanks so much in advance <3 Sorry if this is kind of confusing, I have to go to bed soon so I rushed xD

[Jazz House]

You will find that many stock mouthpieces are of very low quality and sometimes produce very "interesting" sounds. If you have a good stock piece, I find that it's good to replace the mouthpiece once you are confident what you want from your horn. Alternatively you could replace it now with something like a Yamaha 4C or 5C if your mouthpiece is appalling.

[SaxPlayer1004]

Check out Sax Alley. They have a PMSA-67 that is a better horn. It's a few years old, but for that price, it's well worth it. Junkdude also has Mauriat horns that are great.

A Meyer 5m or 6m should fit the bill for your mouthpiece needs. They are pretty much the standard mouthpiece for altos for Jazz. C* gets the classical standard.

I know these aren't new, but IMHO they are better horns for the money.

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?t=104864
There is a YAS-62 for 1200. Better horn IMHO than the Mauriat and is in the price range.

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?t=104836&highlight=alto Another alto for around the same price. You can probably offer him $1000 and he might bite.

[SaxyJ]

I would recommend a Hite Premiere or a Kessler NY. Professionals use them as well, as they are consistent and have excellent quality. More importantly, they can easily be used for both classical and jazz.

They can be purchased for a low price ranging from $25-30.

[zoelynn13]

Thanks for your help everyone =) I'll be sure to give all of these mouthpieces a try next time I get the chance!

[NissanVintageSax]

I really like the vintage Selmer Soloist C* for classical, and Runyon metal Spoiler (#7-played w/out the spoiler) for Jazz/Rock/R&B.

Both are easy to control, and the Runyon is inexpensive.

[CraigH]

Since you are a young player (High School ?), I would also recommend the Meyer 5m for jazz and the Selmer S-80 C* for concert band/classical. These are mouthpieces that will suite your needs well and help you to continue developing good tone production habits.

[jpluidl]

Play it and see. It may work for you. Mouthpieces are like saxophones. They all have their own features that make them unique in relation to you, the horn and the reed. Learn to blow correctly first on your student horn with whatever mouthpiece you've got. If you can't blow correctly, it doesn't matter what mouthpiece/horn/reed combo you use. Once you've done that, then go out and try some different mpc's.

The only reccommendation I would make is don't go to big or to small. On tenor try out something in the .110 range and then experiment from there. On alto, the same something like a Meyer 5 to 7M. Remember, sizes for these mouthpieces have changed. A Meyer 7 now is close to a 5 from say 20 - 25 years ago.

[barrett tsuji]

Try a Vandoren optimum al3 or 4. I got an al3 and even though its designed for classical, I get a decent jazz tone out of it.

[wkusax87]

Try a Selmer Super Sessioin. I have one with a D-facing. They can be used for classical and jazz. Mine is hard rubber, cheaper alternative to expensive metal jazz mouthpieces.

[bruce bailey]

Me too.....Super Session D which is good for all types of music. Kind of expensive now at about $150. I had a Meyer 6M for years along with a Selmer S-80 D and the Super Session replaced both. Very open sound.