Alto Sax Mouthpieces

Alto Sax Mouthpieces

I’m excited to share that I finally own a saxophone of my own (Yamaha 875EX Custom Alto Sax) and am looking forward to bringing my sax chops back to the forefront.  Special thanks goes to my mother who graciously assisted in this major purchase.  I’m very happy with this horn and am looking forward to future events with Jethro (looking at you A Christmas Story and Addams Family)!

I used to play a Selmer C* back in my Baylor days, but that mouthpiece is long and gone.  I presently have a Rousseau New Classic 4 (NC4), but am not head over heals about it.  I’m presently trying out a few mouthpieces from Weiner Music: Selmer S-80 C*, Selmer S-90 180, and Vandoren Optimum AL3.

I don’t think I’m a fan of the S-80 C* (however, I heard that they aren’t consistent across the board and you would need to try quite a few), but am liking the S-90 and AL3 so far.  We’ll see if my thoughts change over the next few days.

Main things I am listening for while trying out these mouthpieces are: sound, feel/resistance, and intonation.  Today was focused on feel/resistance.  Two of the six mouthpieces have been eliminated, which leaves four to try.  Next up will be intonation.

Patricia Crispino