Ref 54 Alto Mouthpiece

[David B]

Have had my Ref 54 Alto for about 6 months now.....love the horn, but I think my sound with the Super Session D mouthpiece it came with is "thin/stuffy". I have a small oral cavity (narrow vault) which I'm sure contributes some to this. I would appreciate any mouthpiece suggestions to get my sound a little more free blowing and dark...ie: vintage sounding. Would a piece with a large chamber help mellow out the tone? Also, what about tip opening? I play mostly in concert band and church band....occaisionally in a large jazz ensemble.

Thanks

[Mango Birkie]

David, I play a Lamberson FMaj7 piece on my Ref 54 alto. It has an open chamber and no baffle. It's a nice full sound. Hope that helps.

[king koeller]

Also tryout the Morgan Jazz 7Mvery free blowing with nice vintage fullness and body.
"sounds like a shampoo commercial."



BIRD LIVES

[Dave Dolson]

David B.: I prefer a Meyer 6S-Medium Chamber on my Ref 54 alto, but the new Selmer Soloist F and Super Session F gives me the kind of sound you discribe. DAVE

[Saxland]

I tried a Bari brand alto sax mouthpiece and really liked the sound on a Reference demo I tried in a music store once. I only liked the Reference with this mouthpiece. Very unique and warm sound with a bit of edge.

[saxmanglen]

I went through a few mouthpiece trials once I got my 54. I've settled on a LeBayle 8* hard rubber jazz model. It plays well for me. I've got a few clips of my alto and that piece on my site (actually all the clips/songs are with that piece). Check it out if you wish.

[semipro]

And although I like the SuperSession D that came with the horn my favorite is my Meyer G Series 6M. Very dark.

[singlereed]

I use a Soloist - a modern one on mine. That does the job.

[Reference]

Recently I use this combination with my Ref54: Meyer 5M + BG L10 Lig + Vand Java #3, which works well for me.

[jivemutha]

David B.: I prefer a Meyer 6S-Medium Chamber on my Ref 54 alto, but the new Selmer Soloist F and Super Session F gives me the kind of sound you discribe. DAVE

Dave: How similar are the Soloist and the Super Sessions? Thanks in advance.

[Dave Dolson]

Jive: There is a meaningful difference between Soloists and Super Sessions, both in physical appearance and how they play for me.

The Soloist is longer for one thing. The Soloist's interior chamber-opening has a horse-shoe shape while the SS has a more round interior chamber-opening. Both of mine are F-facing and I use soft reeds (shaved Java 2).

Playing-wise, the Soloist is more focused and projects better while the SS is more spread and the feeling of projecting isn't as good. The SS is the easier blowing of the two.

DAVE

[sweetsax]

Hey David B,
For what it's worth, I noticed a big difference between the D and E opening with those super sessions. I also had the impression that the D was very stuffy, and I couldn't get the sound to open up. The E opening on the super session was way better for me. Of course, this could have been due to differences in those specific mouthpiece I tried.

[Dr_sax]

I play a guardala king with phat reeds #2. I love it bright and full.

[Mike F]

Dr G,

I have a Guargala King (and a Studio) for alto as well. I use Java 2.5's and a Harrison lig. The Ref 54 really roars with this setup. Big, loud, full and bright sound. I love that sound too - great for contemporary music (gospel, commercial stuff).
I get the impression reading here though that I'm a bit out of date in that respect. Most people seem to want to sound as dark as possible.
However, when I use a C*, the Ref 54 can sound dark and smooth - great for classical music. It's a very flexible horn.

[Mike F]

Sorry Dr Sax, I meant to address the above post to you of course!