More presence in 400-500 hz with the metal mouthpiece and more resonance in the upper register. Rubber mouthpiece gives a more flat/neutral or balanced sound quality overall all. Love the Rubber sound in low register but prefer the metal mouthpiece overall.
I liked the sound of the ebonite mouthpiece more when there was lots of reverb but I thought the metal mouthpiece sounded better when there was not much reverb. I like both equally
I loved the intro music! The two Vandorens sounded the same to me indicating that material doesn’t make any difference. IMHO it’s the internal dimensions and facings that account for differences IF they are identical between the two pieces which they might not be in many cases. Great video.
I think in most cases the internal geometries are different except for Theo Wanne mpcs. The Wanne pieces look exactly the same however the mass of the mouthpieces are different. I've found that the Wanne HR pieces are brighter and edgier than the metal ones. My how times have changed.
Now I've never tried a rubber "jazz" mouthpiece, more of a I only recently got into gear thing. Played a E. Rousseau for a long time. Stopped playing for 20yrs, came back and found it extremely resistant. Bought an Otto link alto standard. Loving it but as Theo wanne is selling off his old stock of Gaia 3 at a huge discount considering grabbing a rubber one of those. Excellent video by the way, and always helpful.
The 2 Vandoren mps sounded similar, but the metal sounded a little more "focused". On alto I usually play an Otto Link hard rubber mp, but recently I started using a B&S 210 metal mouthpiece. I wanted a brighter sound with more projection so I (followed Kirill Poudavoff's suggestion and) built in a baffle, which gave me the desired change.
@@Sirvalorsax :)) I've always tried to avoid the 'you sound just like' thing but...... Blimey; it is freaky how much he does sound like Dexter Gordon. And even his embouchure is identical.
HR 5:06 Metal 6:19 For me the Metal one is more "in your face" and a bit brighter, especially in the lower register. The large chamber could be interesting to tame that? And thanks for all your videos!
Great job! I like the hard rubber a little more because of the bigger and darker sound. It's probably just me but l think the hard rubber has a warmer tone quality and I really think that works on ballads for me.
You are a great sax player! This is the first video of yours that I watched. That heavy reverb section should have been omitted, because this is a product demonstration, not an effects plug-in demonstration. Playing dry into the mic was all I need. Well done!
I prefer metal, but honestly listening to this it seems that it just depends on the combination of your mouthpiece and Reed. I just have played on metal so much I really have to try that ebonite mouthpiece.
I have tried to get what I want from a non-metal mouthpiece on tenor, but I just can't feel comfortable. I play a 160 (stainless steel & bronze ) Berg on tenor & a 130 (stainless steel & bronze) Berg on alto. However, on soprano I play a hard rubber ( Couf)John.
These "newer" hard rubber mouthpieces are fantastic in that regard but.... they are super expensive. If you get a chance, I would recommend that you at least try some Theo Wanne hard rubber pieces if you haven't already done so. If I buy another Theo piece, it will be a hard rubber one.
My brother good day. The ebonite is slightly darker. The metal is brighter than ebonite but they are both good a personal individual taste will rule but they not far from each other. Piece of cake.
By the way, I love your videos. You are the only sax-player I hear who plays the upper register similar to myself. Keep up the good work. Adrienne. John.
Sirvalorsax Is there such thing as breaking in a reed? I threw out a whole box of V16's. My green box's play great so it's not my mouthpiece. Are Red Javas a good choice ? Green Javas seem a little too crazy
The blue box V16's are designed for classical saxophone. I like the Reds more than the Greens for the mouthpiece that I have. The have a slightly darker quality to them. I use the blue box V16's to play jazz on my smaller tip opening pieces. To answer your question though, YES, there is a break-in period for reeds.
Woodwind/Brasswind has better deals than Musician’s Friend. I like a good hard rubber mouthpiece. But I am curious about metal mouthpieces. I think both have advantages and can be used for specific purposes such as jazz, r&b, Latin, rock & roll, blues, country/western, pop, reggae, ska, new wave, classical, contemporary classical, film scores and world music. Both mouthpieces can, with the right Reed and ligature, can be used. The demonstration in the back hallways gave me the impression of the late Phil Spector’s Wall Of Sound. It was rumored that The Phil would sit in a dark room and listen to a single note for a few hours to compose music. Happy Holidays!😎🎷✌️
I used the same reed and EQ for both mouthpieces which was the same for my speaking voice for the video room test. The stairwell tests were not all done with the same reed
I been meaning to tell you that too but I gotta get on your level sax wise before I can start telling the goat his sfx too loud.😂😂😂😂@@Sirvalorsax And by the way if you could checkout my new Jazz song I released titled "By My Side" and give a lil feedback I will spare you this time sir. 😄
Well for me I can't tell the difference between metal or hard rubber mouthpieces I've been using hard rubber and I think I will stick to hard rubber as always thanks be safe God bless everyone🎼🎵🎶🎷🙏🙏👏👍💯🤛🏹H.
You know Valor, my wife is laughing her face off right now because I'm kinda pissed man. I've been hearing you tell me I can buy you cake in your videos for a while now. I finally tell her about it and say im going to check out the link. You know, maybe hook a brother up with a nice slice of gourmet cake. No no I was wrong. I just had an existential crisis over here. I thought you were out there getting legit cake. 🍰. I honestly wish I never questioned it.
I haven't seen enough "OBJECTIVE" reviews on these pieces to really make up my mind. If there were more people that actually bought and paid for them out of pocket with their own money doing the reviews, I would be more inclined to have a definitive opinion on them. It seems like the people that play them are the people with their own signature version of them or people that have been sent pieces for free to boost their channel. They might be awesome but I'm too skeptical at the moment to spend my own money on one. I don't like that the table isn't smooth on them though. I had issues with my metal Brilhart's ridged table. The reeds would warp around the ridges and would only sit in one position.
Really enjoy your channel. Question, changing your setup (mouthpiece / reels) so often, does it help or hurt your development as a player? Also, I purchased your book "Intro to Altissimo for Alto Sax". Wish this book was around 10 years ago, nicely written.
I am very used to playing a lot of mouthpieces but keep in mind, I played the metal brilhart exclusively for around 15 years. Most sax players will use a different mouthpiece for different styles of music so it shouldn't be a problem but.... I would recommend first trying to master the fundamentals on the mouthpiece that came with the sax and adjust the reed selection. In high school I used one mpc for concert band, another for state solo and ensemble, another for marching band and another for jazz band. They were all pretty cheap pieces but they got the job done. I guess the simplest answer is that it can hurt if you let it but if you have a very clear idea of what kind of sound you want, it should help at the very least, eliminate the ones you don't like.
You sound so amazing! What do you think about the mouth feel of the rubber vs metal mouthpieces? I've been playing for a year on rubber mouthpieces but have always had a feeling of the mouthpiece being too large in my mouth. Do metal mouthpieces feel smaller?
I played on a Vandoren v16 s+ a6 for 2 years, my instructor recently lended me his Otto link super tone master 6 gp and I can say they are smaller. Although my experience is on alto.
Thank you for sharing this video. I’ve always looked and tried to get different opinions on this topic. I’ve been playing on a metal dukoff, but recently found a Theo wanne Durga 3 blue art. I’m curious if you’ve heard about that piece. I heard you mention about dialing in on any kind of material and found that very interesting. I’m kind of scared bc I don’t know what to expect but I don’t know if you can put the blue art in the same category as hard rubber. The t6 metal is definitely brighter and has that edge and bite and sounds so good. My dukoff is bright aggressive and kinda difficult to control sometimes. I was also in hopes to have a little more control and a little better sound quality with the Durga blue art. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again. Thank you for sharing this video!
I have heard of the Blue Art but I never got a chance to play one. It's some super secret blend according to Theo Wanne. I was looking to get one along with the wooden ones he made but they don't make them anymore
As always looking and sounding great .. My two cents.. some folks just don’t like the feel of metal in there mouth and seek out other materials to emulate the dynamics that metal offers … that’s why we came up “Metallica” line .. Personally I still love your sound on metal ..… of course a bit prejudice the way u especially sound on them silver /gold TAMs.. G
Hi Gary Sugal! I have purchased a few of your mouthpieces, many years ago. So glad to hear that you are still in the business! If you read this, please explain this mystery for me. After playing about 40 years, and trying at least 40 mouthpieces, I have decided that some pieces I just "can't play". I think it has something to do with the arc of the lay matching the player's embouchure and air flow?
The question "Hard Rubber vs metal" is a wrong question. The good question is : "Plastic vs metal". Many mouthpieces are made of synthetic materials that are not hard rubber, such as the famous Yamaha 4C that is probably the most widely sold mouthpiece.
Well yeah, but that’s more of a beginner mouthpiece, people that are at the level where they should start caring about gear in general are 99% of the time going to be in a hr or metal
If I could sound like that I wouldn’t be watching this. I like your vids. Thanks!
The song you put at the beginning of the video was very beautiful by the way
It's the Brahms Clarinet quintet
More presence in 400-500 hz with the metal mouthpiece and more resonance in the upper register. Rubber mouthpiece gives a more flat/neutral or balanced sound quality overall all. Love the Rubber sound in low register but prefer the metal mouthpiece overall.
I liked the sound of the ebonite mouthpiece more when there was lots of reverb but I thought the metal mouthpiece sounded better when there was not much reverb. I like both equally
I loved the intro music! The two Vandorens sounded the same to me indicating that material doesn’t make any difference. IMHO it’s the internal dimensions and facings that account for differences IF they are identical between the two pieces which they might not be in many cases. Great video.
I think in most cases the internal geometries are different except for Theo Wanne mpcs. The Wanne pieces look exactly the same however the mass of the mouthpieces are different. I've found that the Wanne HR pieces are brighter and edgier than the metal ones. My how times have changed.
I love my T6. So versatile; soft ballads and big band solos. Also use the V16 reeds in a 2.5 although red box javas are also mixed in.
Cool
Now I've never tried a rubber "jazz" mouthpiece, more of a I only recently got into gear thing. Played a E. Rousseau for a long time. Stopped playing for 20yrs, came back and found it extremely resistant. Bought an Otto link alto standard. Loving it but as Theo wanne is selling off his old stock of Gaia 3 at a huge discount considering grabbing a rubber one of those.
Excellent video by the way, and always helpful.
I'm thinking of getting one of those Gaia's also!!! Thanks
The 2 Vandoren mps sounded similar, but the metal sounded a little more "focused". On alto I usually play an Otto Link hard rubber mp, but recently I started using a B&S 210 metal mouthpiece. I wanted a brighter sound with more projection so I (followed Kirill Poudavoff's suggestion and) built in a baffle, which gave me the desired change.
Yo I love that guy
That is the Dexter Gordon guy right?!
@@Sirvalorsax Yes.
@@Sirvalorsax :)) I've always tried to avoid the 'you sound just like' thing but...... Blimey; it is freaky how much he does sound like Dexter Gordon. And even his embouchure is identical.
HR 5:06
Metal 6:19
For me the Metal one is more "in your face" and a bit brighter, especially in the lower register. The large chamber could be interesting to tame that?
And thanks for all your videos!
There you are! Happy Holidays!
Thanks
Fantastic to see your technique, you hardly lift your fingers off of the keys. I still have a long way to go to get there .........
Yeah I’m impressed by anyone who does that. I play open handed. Some professionals also play more open.
Thanks, That's how I practiced for years
Great job! I like the hard rubber a little more because of the bigger and darker sound. It's probably just me but l think the hard rubber has a warmer tone quality and I really think that works on ballads for me.
Awesome! Was getting worried, hadn't seen you in a while lol. Mic set-up sounds great btw.
Hey, thanks! I've been waiting for my video app to update so I could use better recording equipment
Metal gives the sound a nice buzz.
You are a great sax player! This is the first video of yours that I watched. That heavy reverb section should have been omitted, because this is a product demonstration, not an effects plug-in demonstration. Playing dry into the mic was all I need. Well done!
I try to do all my mouthpiece reviews in a variety of acoustic settings so the listener can judge how much room or effects are in the recordings.
I prefer metal, but honestly listening to this it seems that it just depends on the combination of your mouthpiece and Reed. I just have played on metal so much I really have to try that ebonite mouthpiece.
I have tried to get what I want from a non-metal mouthpiece on tenor, but I just can't feel comfortable. I play a 160 (stainless steel & bronze ) Berg on tenor & a 130 (stainless steel & bronze) Berg on alto. However, on soprano I play a hard rubber ( Couf)John.
These "newer" hard rubber mouthpieces are fantastic in that regard but.... they are super expensive. If you get a chance, I would recommend that you at least try some Theo Wanne hard rubber pieces if you haven't already done so. If I buy another Theo piece, it will be a hard rubber one.
I feel like you are a metal mpc guy even though you sound great on HR too 👍 thanks for the inspiration Sensei 🙌
Love the sound !
Thanks
Reed? Nice sound!
My brother good day. The ebonite is slightly darker. The metal is brighter than ebonite but they are both good a personal individual taste will rule but they not far from each other. Piece of cake.
By the way, I love your videos. You are the only sax-player I hear who plays the upper register similar to myself. Keep up the good work. Adrienne. John.
Sirvalorsax Is there such thing as breaking in a reed? I threw out a whole box of V16's. My green box's play great so it's not my mouthpiece. Are Red Javas a good choice ? Green Javas seem a little too crazy
The blue box V16's are designed for classical saxophone. I like the Reds more than the Greens for the mouthpiece that I have. The have a slightly darker quality to them. I use the blue box V16's to play jazz on my smaller tip opening pieces. To answer your question though, YES, there is a break-in period for reeds.
@@Sirvalorsax Thank you!
Woodwind/Brasswind has better deals than Musician’s Friend.
I like a good hard rubber mouthpiece. But I am curious about metal mouthpieces. I think both have advantages and can be used for specific purposes such as jazz, r&b, Latin, rock & roll, blues, country/western, pop, reggae, ska, new wave, classical, contemporary classical, film scores and world music.
Both mouthpieces can, with the right Reed and ligature, can be used.
The demonstration in the back hallways gave me the impression of the late Phil Spector’s Wall Of Sound. It was rumored that The Phil would sit in a dark room and listen to a single note for a few hours to compose music.
Happy Holidays!😎🎷✌️
Thanks, wwbw and musician'sfriend are under the Guitar Center banner but they have differentiated form one another over the last couple of years.
Awesome comparison. Thanks so much. Just wondering what horn you’re playing ? Thanks!
Are there other ligatures that could fit metal v16?
Beside silverstein, fracouis louis and the optimum
Vandoren also has there own ligature
The metal has a little more presence or edge. I play the same but T8’s.
The metal piece sound likes someone rolled off the low frequencies with eq.
I used the same reed and EQ for both mouthpieces which was the same for my speaking voice for the video room test. The stairwell tests were not all done with the same reed
You got paper copies of the altissimo book? How do I order?
Only digital
That intro bass scared the shit outta me on my studio monitors had the volume up too loud 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Lol
I been meaning to tell you that too but I gotta get on your level sax wise before I can start telling the goat his sfx too loud.😂😂😂😂@@Sirvalorsax And by the way if you could checkout my new Jazz song I released titled "By My Side" and give a lil feedback I will spare you this time sir. 😄
Metal!!!!!❤️❤️❤️
I personally prefer the ebonite, and that's what I play (on alto though).
I play the V16 S+ on alto. Nice core.
Well for me I can't tell the difference between metal or hard rubber mouthpieces I've been using hard rubber and I think I will stick to hard rubber as always thanks be safe God bless everyone🎼🎵🎶🎷🙏🙏👏👍💯🤛🏹H.
Cool
Una pregunta las de metal solo son más caras
rubber for winter, but metal for recording and summer.
You know Valor, my wife is laughing her face off right now because I'm kinda pissed man. I've been hearing you tell me I can buy you cake in your videos for a while now. I finally tell her about it and say im going to check out the link. You know, maybe hook a brother up with a nice slice of gourmet cake. No no I was wrong. I just had an existential crisis over here. I thought you were out there getting legit cake. 🍰. I honestly wish I never questioned it.
Oh man, that is 😂 hilarious
I wonder, what your thoughts are on these Shape Your Own Sound (SYOS) mouthpieces everyone is trending on?
I haven't seen enough "OBJECTIVE" reviews on these pieces to really make up my mind. If there were more people that actually bought and paid for them out of pocket with their own money doing the reviews, I would be more inclined to have a definitive opinion on them. It seems like the people that play them are the people with their own signature version of them or people that have been sent pieces for free to boost their channel. They might be awesome but I'm too skeptical at the moment to spend my own money on one. I don't like that the table isn't smooth on them though. I had issues with my metal Brilhart's ridged table. The reeds would warp around the ridges and would only sit in one position.
Really enjoy your channel. Question, changing your setup (mouthpiece / reels) so often, does it help or hurt your development as a player? Also, I purchased your book "Intro to Altissimo for Alto Sax". Wish this book was around 10 years ago, nicely written.
I am very used to playing a lot of mouthpieces but keep in mind, I played the metal brilhart exclusively for around 15 years. Most sax players will use a different mouthpiece for different styles of music so it shouldn't be a problem but.... I would recommend first trying to master the fundamentals on the mouthpiece that came with the sax and adjust the reed selection. In high school I used one mpc for concert band, another for state solo and ensemble, another for marching band and another for jazz band. They were all pretty cheap pieces but they got the job done. I guess the simplest answer is that it can hurt if you let it but if you have a very clear idea of what kind of sound you want, it should help at the very least, eliminate the ones you don't like.
You sound so amazing!
What do you think about the mouth feel of the rubber vs metal mouthpieces? I've been playing for a year on rubber mouthpieces but have always had a feeling of the mouthpiece being too large in my mouth. Do metal mouthpieces feel smaller?
I played on a Vandoren v16 s+ a6 for 2 years, my instructor recently lended me his Otto link super tone master 6 gp and I can say they are smaller. Although my experience is on alto.
@@keananok Great! Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences :)
Thank you for sharing this video. I’ve always looked and tried to get different opinions on this topic. I’ve been playing on a metal dukoff, but recently found a Theo wanne Durga 3 blue art. I’m curious if you’ve heard about that piece. I heard you mention about dialing in on any kind of material and found that very interesting. I’m kind of scared bc I don’t know what to expect but I don’t know if you can put the blue art in the same category as hard rubber. The t6 metal is definitely brighter and has that edge and bite and sounds so good. My dukoff is bright aggressive and kinda difficult to control sometimes. I was also in hopes to have a little more control and a little better sound quality with the Durga blue art. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again. Thank you for sharing this video!
I have heard of the Blue Art but I never got a chance to play one. It's some super secret blend according to Theo Wanne. I was looking to get one along with the wooden ones he made but they don't make them anymore
As always looking and sounding great .. My two cents.. some folks just don’t like the feel of
metal in there mouth and seek out other materials to emulate the dynamics that metal offers
… that’s why we came up “Metallica” line .. Personally I still love your sound on metal ..…
of course a bit prejudice the way u especially sound on them silver /gold TAMs.. G
LOL, Metallica is a great name!!
@@Sirvalorsax Yes ! .. This 3D FDM metal filament is great stuff to work with. .. offers the best of both worlds.
Hi Gary Sugal! I have purchased a few of your mouthpieces, many years ago. So glad to hear that you are still in the business! If you read this, please explain this mystery for me. After playing about 40 years, and trying at least 40 mouthpieces, I have decided that some pieces I just "can't play". I think it has something to do with the arc of the lay matching the player's embouchure and air flow?
The sound of the metal piece to my ears seemed to play with a tad more authority.
The question "Hard Rubber vs metal" is a wrong question.
The good question is : "Plastic vs metal". Many mouthpieces are made of synthetic materials that are not hard rubber, such as the famous Yamaha 4C that is probably the most widely sold mouthpiece.
Well yeah, but that’s more of a beginner mouthpiece, people that are at the level where they should start caring about gear in general are 99% of the time going to be in a hr or metal
Prefer the metal. More focused.
FIRST??!?!??!!
no much difference
°○°○° I wud CALL POLICE have him arrested for DISTURBING the peace playing in that apartment stairwell all that ANNOYING jazz.
Lol, it's on a cruise ship backstage where there are no cabins