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What mouthpiece for a beginning soprano player?
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Author:  paulrace [ Wed Jul 05, 2017 5:06 pm ]
Post subject:  What mouthpiece for a beginning soprano player?

A reader writes:
After reading your comments about newbies and the soprano sax, I'll begin by saying I just purchased a ninety+ year old Brussels-made C Soprano sax restoration project on eBay. I played a Yamaha alto in school, but that's been thirty years ago. My sax came with a broken mouthpiece, so my question, once I complete restoration in about a year, is: can I use a Bflat soprano mouthpiece with this instrument? Recommendation? My online research had me leaning toward a Selmer Paris S80 D.

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You don't say where you live. If you're in the US, try to get a used pro Selmer Bb soprano mouthpiece on eBay for $35 or so, rather than springing for a new one. The C* is the most common in that category, and it's close enough to a D to give you some idea.

Why Used? Because you may need to carve the back of the mouthpiece to get it to go on far enough to give you proper intonation. As much as 1/4" or more. My C* went on my Martin C soprano all the way to the octave key, and it could have stood to go a smidge farther.

You're probably on the right track; I just want to caution you to do your experimentation on something that doesn't cost very much.
BTW, a C* is usually a little easier to play than a D, so if this is your first sax playing in a while, that's a consideration, too.

Out of curiousity, what's the name on the bell?
Have a great week - Paul

Author:  paulrace [ Wed Jul 05, 2017 5:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What mouthpiece for a beginning soprano player?

The reader writes back:

Thank you very much, Paul. I'm in Jacksonville FL. I'll get on eBay this evening. My sax was made by JB de Prost of Brussels, a custom instrument maker, between 1908 and 1926.

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Great, you should be able to find something that doesn't cost too much soon. Let me know how things work out - Paul

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