Mouthpiece

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"Contempo" Alto Mouthpiece

$295.00 Mindi Abair 

The Contempo mouthpiece is the alternative choice for any musician who is still looking for that ultimate contemporary sound. Easy blowing and quick on response, it produces a powerful, lively, yet deep tone. The extra wide embouchure "sweet spot" allows

What the Pros Play  – Saxophonist Eric Marienthal Woodwind & Brasswind Contributing Writer  – Greg Vail

Eric Marienthal is an amazing saxophone player with a long list of credits that speak to his creativity and talent. I spoke with Eric and discussed his set up on soprano, alto and tenor saxophones, with the goal of  understanding why he uses each product and how these choices shape his sound.

Marienthal is best known as an alto saxophone player. He has played the same Selmer Mark VI alto sax since he was 15 years old. It is 100% original, with the original neck and lacquer, Selmer resonators, and a few minor ergonomic adjustments to fit his hands better: Eb and F palm keys and side E key built up, and an Oleg low Bb extender. In Eric’s own words, “This alto is just ME! It blows free and unrestricted - it is my sound.”

Eric’s mouthpiece setup is a Beechler, metal #7 mouthpiece with a brass, soprano sax Rico H ligature on it. He says the soprano ligature fits the metal Beechler alto mouthpiece pretty well, but it does need a little extra care to get the reed to fit snug. The ligature is in the shape of an H with 4 primary reed contact points at the outer corners. It would appear that the H ligature is a sound driven choice, and that the freedom and tone Eric enjoys offsets the slight size difference between the ligature and mouthpiece.

Flexibility seems to be a reoc curring theme for Marienthal as he talks about his sax gear, commenting a few times, “the flexibility to play any style without needing to change my set up.”

Eric has played Vandoren saxophone reeds for decades now. He prefers the Traditional Vandoren 2½ reed and plays the same on every saxophone. Eric first praised Vandoren for their quality and then added, “The Vandoren reeds give me an open feel that allows me to explore the full dynamic range of  the horn.”

I asked Eric how much time he would guess he plays each of the different saxophones and he said, “I think I am on alto about 50% of the time, soprano 30% and te nor 20%.” Most of us know Marienthal as primarily an alto saxophonist but have enjoyed hearing him on soprano sax as well.

Eric has played a Yamaha YSS-62S, silver-plated soprano saxophone for 25-years. He said he got it the same time Dan Higgins purchased his Yamaha soprano, and has played it eve r since.

The soprano mouthpiece is a Selmer Super Session H hard rubber that John Reilly modified to smooth and darken the tone a little bit. This mouthpiece is open sounding and blends really great playing with a section. The ligature is a brass Rico H, played withTraditional Vandoren 2 ½ reeds.

Marienthal’s tenor set up includes an old Selmer Mark VI 63xxx with original neck and lacquer. His tenor mouthpiece is a Berg Larson 100 over 2 . This mouthpiece is a great mix of, not too bright or too dark a sound. Combined with the Traditional Vandoren 2 ½ reeds and held by the Brancher brass ligature, the tone, blend and dynamic range is just what he wants from a tenor. I believe the Brancher is a single screw ligature with two small bands of m etal that attach to a plate over the reed; basic and free while holding the reed securely.

Eric is a passionate and expressive saxophone player that continues to be active wherever great music is being made. There are a few words he used over and over to explain why he liked a particular piece of  gear in his set-ups for each saxophone. I believe they are very reve aling in defining what is really important in his philosophy of sound. “Free, open, full dynamic range, flexible, unrestricted, one universal set up for any music style, blend for section playing, stand out for lead playing” – Marienthal wants it all, and it seems to all be work great for him.

You can hear some of Eric’s music using the above setups on his website  –www.ericmarienthal.com.

Woodwind & Brasswind is proud to offer high-quality musical saxophone straps and accessories for all musicians. All items are backed by The Woodwind & Brasswind's 60-day satisfaction guarantee, assuring that you'll love your purchase. Los Angeles based freelance saxophonist Greg Vail is among the most versatile woodwind players on the west coast. His work in  jazz, pop and contemporary gospel music spans over 30-years. Greg maintains an active digital presence at www.gregvail.com While Woodwind & Brasswind compensates writers for their editorial reviews, the views expressed by the writers in those reviews are their own.

What the Pros Play  – Saxophonist Dave Koz Woodwind & Brasswind Contributing Writer  – Greg Vail Dave Koz is one of the premier saxophone players and instrumental music advocates in the wor ld today. He is a Yamaha artist and is c urrently playing a silver-plated YAS-62 alto saxophone he purchased over 20 years ago! It was actually a backup sax until his car was stolen and a few of  his instruments were lost at that time. The silver 62 has been his main alto since 1997, recently overhauled with new metal resonators.

Koz plays a metal Beechler #8 mouthpiece with some baffle work done by John Yoakum from Los A ngeles, CA. He also uses Rico Royal plasticover #3 reeds with the standard Beechler ligature and said he plays #3 Plasticover on all of his instruments. He has been endorsed by Rico for m any years and is fortunate to have Rico handpick reeds for him, based on his specific taste and need. He says the Plasticover reeds give him a little more consistency and extra brilliance that he doesn’t find in a traditional cane reed.

Dave is aware he is known for the typical bright pop sound, and doesn’t tend to change that up very often, but did admit he has a few other mouthpieces he uses from time to time to get a darker sound when needed. Koz definitely understands he has created a voice that many love and expect. Dave says, “Primarily, I am known for that sound (bright), that alto sound, and I kinda go with it.”

Dave’s tenor saxophone is a classic Selmer Mark VI tenor, circa 1963 (104,xxx). The neck was stripped and silver-plated but the rest of that sax is standard Selmer issue. He noted that the plating added a little more of a brighter sound and a little more immediacy to that hor n. He has a few other tenor saxophones that are beautiful, like the new Ishimori tenor, but says the VI has unbeatable warmth that he has loved since high school. “It’s just pretty special,” Dave says.

His mouthpiece is a Berg Larson hard rubber 110 with baffle work done by John Yoakum again. He has played a few different tenor mouthpieces, but he has been playing this piece for over 20 years now for its “beautiful, warm, exact sound.” He uses a Winslow ligature and Rico plasticover #3 reeds . He is self  admittedly not a gear head, and not too aware of all the trendy new stuff. “Generally speaking, I’m not much of a tinkerer. If it’s working, if it’s feeling good, I just go with it until further notice. I’ve been playing on the same mouthpieces for a long time because they’re working!”

Dave Koz is well known for his soprano saxophone sound and actually has 2 different soprano saxophones he regularly uses. The recording soprano is a beautiful Yamaha YSS-62S, silver-plated and straight. He has used this soprano on all his re cords and loves the sound.

Dave fell in love with the curved soprano sax for live shows years ago, and has owned 2 old nickel-plated Conn curved soprano saxophones from around 1914. He says they are a little hit and miss from that era, but this particular one he is now playing has an amazing sound about it. He has a few o thers that just aren’t quite the same. “That one is just special. It has a beautiful sound.”

Dave uses a plastic Couf #8 mouthpiece t hat is the same as the Runyon mouthpiece with no added baffle, with aRovner ligature and plasticover #3 reeds. He feels like the curved soprano is just easier to use in live settings - the sound works really well with the bell facing up for hearing the pitch. Not surprisingly Dave likes the sound with a clip-on microphone better live.

Koz doesn’t play baritone saxophone very often, but does have the Yamaha YBS-62 bari sax , standard lacquer, that is used on recordings on occasion. His mouthpiece is a Berg Larson plastic mouthpiece with the included ligature and plays Rico Royal Plasticover #3 reeds.

Dave has a number of excellent recordings available. You can learn more about his music and listen t o some of his most recent tracks on his website:www.DaveKoz.com.

Woodwind & Brasswind is proud to offer high-quality musical saxophone straps and accessories for all musicians. All items are backed by The Woodwind & Brasswind's 60-day satisfaction guarantee, assuring that you'll love your purchase. Los Angeles based freelance saxophonist Greg Vail is among the most versatile woodwind players on the west coast. His work in  jazz, pop and contemporary gospel music spans over 30-years. Greg maintains an active digital presence at www.gregvail.com While Woodwind & Brasswind compensates writers for their editorial reviews, the views expressed by the writers in those reviews are their own.