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Wood Stone Alto Saxophone Ligatures

25th April 2023

The Wood Stone range of Saxophone Ligatures are exclusive to Dawkes Music in the UK. They are made by the Ishimori company in Japan to the highest standards. Wood Stone ligatures are available to fit a vast array of Sax mouthpiece sizes. They also offer three main models which affect the tone & playability.

In this blog with accompanying video we discuss and demonstrate the Wood Stone Saxophone Alto Sax ligature range with professional Saxophonist Alastair Penman.

Wood Stone Ligatures: The Range

There are three main ligature models from Wood Stone for Saxophone. The Original, Kodama II and Classic models make up the range. Each offers a different design which affects the tone, response and feel of your set-up. The Original and Classic are metal and come in a variety of different finishes to finesse the tone and response. The Kodama II is leather and feels like quite a different style.

The ‘Original’ Wood Stone Ligatures

Available in either Selmer fit or Meyer fit, the Original was the first ligature Wood Stone created. The Alto Sax original version has a two screw design with two rails that rest evenly on the reed to help it resonate freely yet with control. It is available in a variety of finishes including; brass, brushed satin, gold plate and silver plate.

Alastair’s thoughts: “With this particular model…it made the sound somehow bigger and richer, it was as though without me putting in any extra effort I sounded better.”

The ‘Classic Wood’ Stone Ligatures

Also available in two sizes for Alto Sax; The #1 model is designed to fit best on Meyer/Link, Wood Stone, Vandoren V16, D’Addario Select Jazz and Claude Lakey mouthpieces. The #4 model for Alto Sax is best suited to Selmer, D’Addario Reserve, Vandoren Optimum and Francois Louis mouthpieces.

The Classic model ligature features a single screw mechanism with plate underneath. This ensures the reed is balanced and held evenly on the facing of the mouthpiece. We generally describe the Classic ligature as a little brighter sounding, with less resistance than the Original model although they are very similar sounding.

Alastair’s thoughts: “They’re very similar (vs Original)…maybe the Classic is a little more focussed but it’s minimal. There is a certain attraction to having the single screw mechanism.”

The ‘Kodama II’ Wood Stone Ligatures

Made of a leather core material, the Kodama II is also produced in the Selmer fit and Meyer fit. There is a choice of 3 leather colours; black, brown and camel. It has a classic one screw design for quick and easy adjustment. One interesting feature of this ligature is the Massaranduba wooden touch plate which sits on the reed to help it resonate with strength and freedom.

Alastair’s thoughts: “I would normally expect a leather ligature to be a bit duller but I found this really focussed. I think this is the most direct and most responsive of the three.”

Equipment Used In Testing