Sax on the Web Forum banner

Recommend some MPs to try for a bebop style on a The Martin?

3K views 20 replies 13 participants last post by  trecht 
#1 ·
I play a The Martin alto with a Meyer 7M. I realized recently that this piece is too open for me -- the low register tends to play flat or subtone. I switched to a softer reed (Rigotto medium soft), which helps to some extent but doesn't totally solve the problem, and anyway I prefer a medium to medium-hard reed. So I'm shopping for a mouthpiece. Since the Meyer is the only alto piece I've played at all extensively, I'm planning to order a bunch of mouthpieces, say half a dozen, from a store with a good return policy and keep the one I like best. Mouthpiece gurus of SOTW, please share some ideas for what to try!

For what it's worth, the sound I'm after is a classic bebop tone -- think Cannonball or Lou Donaldson. In terms of tip opening: I tried my teacher's Mouthpiece Cafe NYC piece, which is a 5 with an opening of .072" (compared to my Meyer's .081" or so), and that played very easily. I could probably go a little more open, so I'm thinking anything in the .072"-.076" range or so could work. (I liked the Mouthpiece Cafe and it's one of the pieces I'm considering, but I figure it can't hurt to try out some others.) Price wise I'm hoping to stay around $200 or so (so no vintage Florida Link for me, sadly).

What are some obvious choices to try? And what's a good online store to try them from? WWBW and Weiner Music both seem to have good selections and a trial/return policy -- where else?
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Contact one of the great mouthpiece techs on the forum like Phil-tone, Mojo, or Ed Zentera and see if they have a used Meyer blank that they could finish to a 6 tip for you, or put out a wanted listing in the marketplace for a used Meyer to send to them or one finished by one of them. Or even easier, send one of them your existing Meyer and ask them to close it down a little and make it play well. You can do that for way less that $200.
 
#5 ·
For under $200 new, your best bets probably would be either the Vandoren, or (and I would recommend) the d'Addario Select Jazz alto in either 5 (.073) or 6 (.077) tip size. Consider trying out both the 5 and 6 tip d'Addario mpcs from 'Woodwind and Brasswinds', and keep the one that works best for you, returning the other. While there are many other makers that have quality mouthpieces (and I have a number of these myself), usually you'll have to pay well over $200 new for these. The d'Addario piece is like a good Meyer vintage piece, with excellent and consistent workmanship (CNC facings), so you don't have to worry about choosing the best out of 4 or 6 pieces, nor will you need later to have it perfected by one of the mouthpiece experts. Good luck.
 
#6 ·
Not trying to challenge you, but just what IS a bebop tone? Are you confusing technique with tone? Seems to me that a good alto sound can work in any form of alto sax music. Take away the notes being played (and the frantic nature of bebop) and concentrate on the sound. All the good altos over the years sound like altos to me from Hodges to Gallodoro to Dorsey, etc.

So, if you like the sound of your Meyer now, why not down-size the tip-opening? And, if you don't already know this, Meyers come in a variety of chamber sizes, lengths-of-lay, and tip-openings. Most everyone recommends the 6M-M, but I've liked my 6S-M the best of all the Meyers I've owned. Just something to think about as you go on the hunt. DAVE
 
#8 ·
Not trying to challenge you, but just what IS a bebop tone? Are you confusing technique with tone? Seems to me that a good alto sound can work in any form of alto sax music. Take away the notes being played (and the frantic nature of bebop) and concentrate on the sound. All the good altos over the years sound like altos to me from Hodges to Gallodoro to Dorsey, etc.
I understand your point but you have to admit that Johnny Hodges, Lou Donaldson, Art Pepper, or Paul Desmond did sound differently from each other, although of course each was clearly identifiable as playing alto.
 
#10 ·
FWIW, I play a Ponzol Hard Rubber Classic, about a #6 size that had some work done on it by Ed Zentera (SOTW). It's based on classic bepop-used mouthpieces by Meyer and Link of the 50s and 60s. Great mouthpiece.

Just curious. Did you precede this post with a look at already existing threads on this topic? There are only about a bazillion already posted.
 
#11 ·
Maybe he does - and maybe he doesn't - like his Meyer. I like mine, though and after going through the drill, settled on the 6S-M. But I don't play bebop.

But whoa - what does THAT matter? Any of the players known for their alto work sound good, even if they may have sightly different tone. I'll throw in the classical players, too - change the method they use to get the notes out - and they all SOUND good. To me, bebop is a style, not a tone.

I also have other alto mouthpieces that I've used over time . . . Sinta, S-80C*, Soloist C*, Soloist F, Super Session F, Brilhart Ebolin 3*, Morgan-Bilger 6, etc. Any of them work for me. And having them available to play on a whim adds to my saxophone enjoyment. DAVE
 
#19 ·
Check out some videos of Cameron Wallis, Canadian player based in Montreal who plays a Selmer super session on his Martin. Fantastic bebop-esque style and tone and he sounds fantastic on a piece that not a lot of people play these days.
I picked up a Selmer Super Session D for my The Martin alto recently on bruce bailey's rec. Really nice jazz piece for that horn: very clear and full in the middle and upper register, with a nice woody heart lower down, and just a touch of edge. For rock or blues, I prefer my Klum Acoustimax, which is louder and edgier.
 
#15 ·
My take on it is that it's not the mouthpiece model, you're just driving it with to hard reeds. I would find softer reeds for that Meyer and work on the embouchure for a month. If you go down in opening you will not change the way you sound, it will only feel a little different and you will have less flexibility over tone.
 
#16 ·
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone -- please keep them coming.

I like the sound of the Meyer, so a smaller Meyer is definitely one thing to try. But mainly I want to try out a range of pieces, so am looking to put together a shortlist before ordering. I figure it can't hurt to get some experience playing a variety of mouthpieces before settling on one.

Dave, your point is well taken about bebop being more of a style than a tone -- I totally agree with that. Still to me there is something more rich and muscular about the tone of a lot of bebop players that sets them apart from West Coast players like Pepper/Desmond and also from "prettier" swing players like Hodges; also from most modern players, whose tone concept tends to be different, though maybe that's more about things like vibrato and articulation than actual tone. This is overgeneralizing wildly and maybe there's nothing in it. So to be more specific let's say I'm looking for the kind of piece that pulls more towards a Cannonball or Lou Donaldson tone (who aren't the same of course, but still strike me as being in a similar sonic territory).
 
#18 ·
I'd also vote for Vandoren V16, whatever size you feel comfortable with. And reeds with some buzz. I recall being happy with ZZs or LaVoz, but this was before I moved to synthetics, a good decade ago.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top