Will I be able to sound the way I want to sound like on a beechler S7S diamond inlay?

[Saxman96]

I am playing on a used meyer 7M mouthpiece with a shaved 3 reed, sometimes 2.5s on alto sax.

I want to move on to a small chamber mouthpiece. I came across the beechler S7S diamond inlay mouthpiece online. I was wondering if I will be able to sound good on it. I am looking for a bright tone.

I feel my 7M isn't giving me enough focus or brightness on my tone. I feel my tone is too dark for my tastes.

[Pete Thomas]

How can we answer that question?

First, you haven't actually said what you want to sound like (apart from good and bright), and second, even with the best mouthpiece you won't sound good unless you are a good player, in which case you'll sound good on most mouthpieces.

As for bright, well, one can sound bright on a Meyer 7M, so is your question really about whether the Beechler is brighter than the Meyer?

I haven't compared the two side by side, but my gut feeling is that there is very little in it, nothing that a little embouchure practice or change of reed might not supply. And there is always the chance the sound will not be as good.

[Buck Laughlin]

I came across the beechler S7S diamond inlay mouthpiece online. I was wondering if I will be able to sound good on it.

Yes, you will be able to sound good on it. Whether you actually will sound good on it is another issue altogether. And yes, you may be able to "sound the way you want to sound like" on it -- depending entirely, of course, with how it is that you actually want to sound.

[Danstr]

If the S7S does not work well, you may want to try the M7S. I believe that the first letter refers to the length of the facing curve and the second letter refers to the chamber size. A slightly longer facing curve should make the piece a little more reed friendly. At least that has been my experience. I used to play on a M7S for a number of years. It was a great piece.

As a side note, at one point last year, I ordered 4 of the HR Diamond Inlay M7S's to try out and found the quality of the facing work to be extremely poor. Without going into all of the details, lets just say that I returned all of them. Personally, if it were my name on those pieces, I'd be embarassed to put out product like that.

Now, one may say that you get what you pay for which is very true. However, I've seen stock Meyers & Vandorens that looked and played a heck of a lot better. Then again, those pieces may be more expensive than the Beechler HR. Not sure about the pricing.

Dan

[Saxman96]

How can we answer that question?

First, you haven't actually said what you want to sound like (apart from good and bright), and second, even with the best mouthpiece you won't sound good unless you are a good player, in which case you'll sound good on most mouthpieces.

As for bright, well, one can sound bright on a Meyer 7M, so is your question really about whether the Beechler is brighter than the Meyer?

I haven't compared the two side by side, but my gut feeling is that there is very little in it, nothing that a little embouchure practice or change of reed might not supply. And there is always the chance the sound will not be as good.

I've sounded bright on my meyer 7M once, then the tone changed. Don't know why.

[Nefertiti]

I have to say, I tried a bunch of Beechlers last year and I had such a hard time with them that I couldn't even write the review on them. Not sure if they are all like that or just the 3 I played. The facings did not seem right to me that is for sure. I did play a S5S through college and that mouthpiece killed it. Tons of power and projection and I got a nice fat sound out of it on a Couf alto. If you try one make sure they have a return policy. Maybe WWBW?

[MM]

Danstr, It's the other way. The first letter is chamber size (Small, Medium or Large), then the number for tip opening, then the last letter for facing length (Short or Long, though some report having seen a Medium.) For alto, the MnS and SnS (where n is a number, usually 5,6,7or 8) are the most common. I like the M chamber which is a bit brighter than a Meyer Medium Chamber.

Yes, unfortunately Beechler's facings are not always so good. I did pick up an M5S from Ebay recently that plays well, so some good ones are out there.

Getting back to the original post, it is difficult to answer your question as mouthpieces are very personal. Best is going to a store that has many different types to try, or swapping around with other players/teachers. If you can't do that, order several different models from an online store with a good return policy.