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Cheap good mouthpiece for alto sax?

10K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  silveraven 
#1 ·
Hi everyone. I'm a returning beginner on the sax - used to play in the school band/state orchestra then went on a 10-years hiatus when I went to uni, moved countries etc.. I've recently joined a community concert band and will be getting a used Yamaha YAS-275 which doesn't seem to come with a mouthpiece. I'm familiar with the Yamaha 4C mouthpiece but I am wondering if there is anything better for less than ~$50? An alternative I'm also looking at is the Clark W Fobes Debut which doesn't seem to be considered much around here. Has anyone used both and have a preference? Thanks. :)
 
#4 ·
Thanks for all the links! I'll check them out. My mouthpiece choice at this point is really just influenced by how much they cost. I've given it some thought since I posted and I may stretch my budget a little bit more and get a mouthpiece I can grow into. I don't want to get an el cheapo then spend a whole bunch of $$ again next year on something else.
 
#3 ·
(I use a Sumner I got off ebay that cost about $35, but it was pure luck that it worked w/o having to be refaced.

A close second would be a Woodwind Co. for about the same. That ebay process is a crap shoot and takes time, also.

My alto is a Conn NWII.)
 
#5 ·
Hi Silveraven,
welcome to the forum! I compared the Yamaha 4c and the Clark Forbes Debut on Clarinet and Bass Clarinet - and both times I liked the Debut much more. This doesn't answer your question because you are looking for alto sax. But both should work well very for beginning/returning and blending in a concert band sax section. Buy one of them (Hite Premier is a mpc often mentioned in this context as well), experiment a bit with a variety of medium strenght reeds and have fun!
 
#6 ·
I use a Vandoren V16 that I bought used here on SOTW for $40... Of course that always comes with some risk.

I don't have much experience with new mouthpieces under $50, but one thing I would recommend is some retailers offer "open box" discounts (e.i. mouthpieces that have been used but are in new condition).

Check out wwbw.com. They make it easy for you to buy both and return whatever you don't like.
 
#7 ·
Well, Click's list there covered about everything. So likely many a good answer in those threads.

For those preferring something other than a Yama 4C for cheap, I usually suggest either a contemporary Brilhart Ebolin 4 or a Bari Esprit, both dirt cheap (under $40) and they sound much better than a Yama 4C.
 
#14 ·
Well, Click's list there covered about everything.
If Click would do the same for topics like "stuffy/warbling low D" and "is this a re-lacquer?," we could cut the posts on SOTW in half.

As to vintage Riffault pieces, I just met with Maurice Riffault's daughter a couple weeks ago. She worked at Riffault et Fils from 1953 until the company was sold in 2001. She explained to me some of the differences about the Riffault pieces over the years. I'm working on a blog for those mouthpiece geeks that might be interested. I also visited the business that purchased Riffault and was surprised to learn that two Riffault sax models are still in production, although they had sold out of their last production run of saxophone pieces and had only clarinet pieces (which were unbranded and being finished for a third party).

As to finding a good alto mouthpiece, do like everyone else and buy a mouthpiece a month for a several years. You might find a good one, at least for a while. That seems to be how it works.

Oh, I see that my advice may have come too late. Or maybe not. We will see in a month.

Mark
 
#16 ·
Oh, I see that my advice may have come too late. Or maybe not. We will see in a month.
Haha yes, we shall see. 10 years later I'm still a poor student (doing postgrad studies) just scrapping together enough to get back into playing music! This might be my setup for a while :)

And yeah, thanks again Click for all the links. I did use the search function, but there were not much out there about the Fobes Debut which I was (and still am) curious about. But since I have limited disposable income, I thought I should buy a good mouthpiece once, rather than buy several okay-ish mouthpiece over the next few months.I really appreciate the suggestions though! I'll definitely keep an eye out for these good cheapies and ask to try them out if members in the my concert band have them.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the suggestions! I'll look into the mouthpieces that were mentioned. I posted a reply to click earlier but it seems that my replies need to be approved by an admin before it appears on the thread, so apologies for seeming rude (disappearing after posting a question etc.). My band director - who also happens to be a saxophonist - suggested the E. Rousseau NC4 as a cheaper alternative to the more popular Selmer S80 C*. I may go for this instead.
 
#10 ·
Dear Silver,

Thank you for your courtesy. I think that the old woodwind company and riffault mouthpieces (the ones with the rounded shank end) tended to have the most hand finishing, and the least likely to need touching up by a refacer (if they are in original condition).

See: https://forum.saxontheweb.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=82511&d=1475744191

Check out this guy playing a stock Brilhart Ebolin 3:



It would prolly be the Yamaha 4C or Brilhart 3 for me if I knew what I knew now and had no mentor on hand.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Ah. No wonder I couldn't find any Woodwind Company mpcs in the stores - they are vintage! I'm trying to avoid used ones at the moment as there are no refacers where I live (a small town in far north Queensland, Australia). Also, thanks for the link to the sound clip - I don't think I'm good enough to do much freestyle jazz at this point, but I'll definitely check out Brilharts at the stores if they are available.
 
#12 ·
Ponzol C* "silver line", currently $20.

https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Ponzol...=UTF8&qid=1507950503&sr=8-1&keywords=ponzol+c

His website suggests he hand finishes his mpcs, and I don't know if it includes these but I just received one today and am impressed with it so far. Brighter than the S80 C* and I'm guessing it is a little more open on the tip. The ligature isn't great and the shank is a little tighter than Selmer pieces I have, but I think response is better and high notes sound a little fuller........
 
#13 ·
Thanks everyone for your feedback! After much deliberation, I pulled the trigger on a Rousseau NC4. It seems like a good intermediate between the Yamaha 4C that I'm currently using on a loaned sax, and everything else that I can't afford. Looking forward to growing with this mouthpiece. :)
 
#15 ·
"If Click would do the same for topics like "stuffy/warbling low D" and "is this a re-lacquer?," we could cut the posts on SOTW in half."

Well, I hope not!

Could be good to check out some material already out there, though, in case it might prove useful.
 
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