I've read very good reviews of ebay's "top_eseller" horns. Just wondering if his < $50 metal tenor sax mouthpieces are worthy of the same accolades.
An upgraded tenor sax mouthpiece is the next item on my list of essential gear and I'm considering one of his vs the same cost for a Yamaha 4C tenor or Selmer 7713:
I have a >cheap Chinese mouthpiece tip 10< that I could playtest before buying (I took it over from a friend) and it doesn't play bad at all, but the change on a bad one is high (my friend ordered a 12 and that one was crap)! I don't use mine because I've much better mouthpieces. I personally wouldn't take the risk and save my money for a good piece.
Having said all that ^ .... I got a v similar gold Baritone MP ( tip no 6 ) and it works great, was only about £30 !.. so you can't go too far wrong taking a punt for that kind of money IMHO ( and you can always Re-ebay it if you don't like it ! )
I'm sure this is a noob perception but isn't it basically a piece of shaped metal with no moving parts?
Provided that the mold is a near exact replica to an existing popular mouthpiece, shouldn't it produce similar or near exact sound characteristics to the more expensive mouthpiece, all other things being equal (ie, table, facing and rails)?
I'm sure this is a noob perception but isn't it basically a piece of shaped metal with no moving parts?
Provided that the mold is a near exact replica to an existing popular mouthpiece, shouldn't it produce similar or near exact sound characteristics to the more expensive mouthpiece, all other things being equal?
No, because even if it is a near replica as you say, the quality of replication is often low, meaning that the table, facing, and rails may not be even and can reduce playability. Not all mouthpieces are created equal.
Mouthpieces are instruments. They generate sound. Simply because you can change your mouthpiece does not make it any less a part of your horn than the keys, pads and springs. Mouthpieces (despite web page positioning) are not accessories.
While the mouthpiece itself has no moving parts, the critical sound-producing moving part (the reed) is attached to it, making it essentially one thing. So just as an axle shaft may not rotate (the wheel mounted on it does), that doesn't mean that you don't care what shape the axle shaft is (round would be good, square would be bad). I have had mouthpieces that were almost impossible to blow, and others whose sound I just did not like; there is a difference between good and bad mouthpieces.
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