Top Tips for Choosing a New Saxophone Mouthpiece

16th February 2021

Upgrading your Saxophone mouthpiece can help you produce a variety of tones and achieve the sound you want. There are a wide range of models available and it can be overwhelming. Of course our team are here to help and in this blog & video top UK player Justin Swadling give his TOP 3 TIPS for testing Sax Mouthpieces…

Before You Buy: Where To Start

There are a LOT of Saxophone mouthpieces for sale, so how do you know where to start? Our first bit of advice is to actually start by thinking about what you want to change or improve in your current tone/set-up. For example, are you looking for a darker, fuller sound or something brighter with more projection? Try and jot down the 2 or 3 main things you’d like to address with a mouthpiece change.

Then, speak to us! Our team of experts have been helping people just like you choose the right mouthpiece for years. We will listen to your aims and match you with 2 or 3 options that will be best suited.

You can then try them at home (or in store when possible) and you can make use of our 14 day approval period to choose which one you prefer and return the others for a refund, less £5 re-stocking fee. *Check out our Covid-19 safety and return policies at the bottom of this blog.

Justin’s TIP 1: Keep It Simple: Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd

Once you’ve narrowed down which mouthpieces you want to try on approval, make sure you don’t overwhelm yourself with choice. It’s very easy to get in a tangle trying lots of different things and you’ll loose sight of what’s doing what. Each time try between 2 mouthpieces in your test and eliminate one at a time. ie If A beats B, test A vs C and pick the winner.

Justin’s TIP 2: Reed Choice

Always try new mouthpieces with new reeds. Your old reeds will have ‘bedded in’ to the facing of your old mouthpiece which may mean they’re not totally flat anymore. This will mean an old reed may not sit perfectly on a new mouthpiece and thus not be a good test. So, try new mouthpieces with a new reed, of the type you normally use to start with.

Justin’s TIP 3: Warm Up as Normal & Keep a Reference Point

It’s important to warm up on your existing set-up. You can use the new reed on your old mouthpiece and get your embouchure warmed up. The reed won’t take on any of the old mouthpieces characteristics over such a short period but it will get you feeling ‘normal’ to start with. This will then act as your control combination to compare other mouthpieces against.

What About Hygiene?

We know that it’s difficult to buy a single mouthpiece ‘off the page’ with no option to test or return. As such, we offer home-trial for 14 days on mouthpiece purchases. Any returned mouthpieces are sanitised, then quarantined then re-sanitised before re-stocking. All mouthpieces are sent out with a mouthpiece cushion to protect the tip.

All mouthpieces are sanitised, quarantined and re-sanitised before re-stocking
You can try up-to 3 mouthpieces on a 14 day home-trial
If you would prefer a ‘sealed’ new mouthpiece you can choose that, but these are non-returnable and not covered by the 14 day home-trial
If you have any questions please contact us to discuss your requirements