Services
About Mouthpieces
Trying to find a great mouthpiece is as hard as trying to find a needle lost in a haystack. Throughout my years of playing saxophone professionally, my experiences lead me to understand the mouthpiece as the crucial component of the saxophone sound. In the process of finding the optimal mouthpiece for myself, my curiosity lead me to understand the intrinsic details of what made a mouthpiece play better than a similar counterpart. Instead of fighting my mouthpiece, it became a tool for achieving my own personal and unique sound. I was finally playing a mouthpiece with ease rather than against it.
Through the intensive study of craftsmanship of the by-gone era as well as the modern designs available to saxophonists today, I have gained knowledge which allows me to understand the factors that make a mouthpiece great. Rather than simply giving my clients a standard cookie-cutter approach for a one-works-all type of mouthpiece, I have developed a personal one-on-one system for understanding what works for each individual and their ultimate desires in sound.
My philosophy is simple. Find your comfort zone which allows you to sound like the best version of yourself. If you wear size nine shoes and insist on wearing size eleven, you get blisters and sore feet. Playing the saxophone should be a fun and enjoyable experience. My job is to make your musical life easier. By playing a balanced and efficient setup, fatigue will not be an issue during performance and you will enjoy playing your saxophone at a much higher level.
Choosing me to work on your mouthpiece is investing in something much more than just simply making your mouthpiece play better.
Mouthpiece Service List
Make It Play
Mouthpiece Services - ($200 per mouthpiece + shipping costs)
Standard Hard Rubber, Brass, or Stainless Steel Refacing Service includes tip opening changes, baffle shape and height adjustments, matching the corners of a specific reed choice, tip and side rail work, and chamber adjustments as needed on a case-by-case basis
Dent repair
Baffle Inserts & Wedges
Bite Plate Replacement and Color Match
Shank Repair
Mouthpiece Sales and Consignment
Consultation
Restore My Bite Plate
Often times, bite plates are worn over time by use or the re-plating process. With years of experience, I have developed a new technique to restore and color match the original look of the vintage biteplates on older Florida links or Dukoff models.
My Process
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1. Initial Analysis
Mouthpiece is measured and play tested upon arrival (I like to get an idea of how the mouthpiece feels so I can understand what the client is generally accustomed to and feels in their mouthpiece set-up) (30min)
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2. Client Feedback
A call, email, or text is sent to the client informing my analysis of the mouthpiece and my thoughts on what work will be done to improve its playability. When the green light is given between me and the client, the work begins.
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3. Refacing
Mouthpiece is faced using the finest Swiss files, tools, and sandpaper (usually 2-3 hours of labor)
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4. Play Test
Mouthpiece is play-tested extensively (I like to bring certain mouthpieces with me on my gigs to try in a “live” setting in addition to blowing on it in my workspace) (30min-1hr)
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5. Final Adjustment
Final adjustments are made and play tested again (30min). Total time spent per mouthpiece: 3-4 hours of labor and play testing.
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6. Delivery
Customer receives polished, cleaned mouthpiece in person or through mail and given a grace period for a free one-time adjustment.
Disclaimer**
There is no magic bullet mouthpiece that will solve all issues for you. A great mouthpiece will not replace hours spent in the practice room or live performances.
Certain mouthpieces connect with horns and necks differently, which can lead to a varied sounds and results.
To completely evaluate your mouthpiece at the highest level, you should have a fresh, balanced reed. Your saxophone should be in relatively good adjustment without leaks to eliminate further variables when play-testing and A-B’ing mouthpieces.