Selmer Paris S80 Series Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

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Recently I was asked to double on alto saxophone for performances of Moussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition; I am usually bassoon III/contrabassoon. I hadn't played any saxophone for several years, alto saxophone in even longer and all that the orchestra could afford to rent for me was a band instrument from the local music store. So, I purchased the S80 C* mouthpiece and a Rovner ligature and was extremely impressed that using the exact same reeds (Vandoren #3, regular purple box) the instrument went from sounding like the local middle school marching band to something I could actually play symphonically. No, it didn't magically make it into a Selmer Mark VI, but everyone in the woodwind section and the conductor noticed immediately. The saxophone is getting returned to the store when the rental is up, but I'm keeping the mouthpiece for the next time I need to double!

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The C* is still the best classical sax mouthpiece. If you are playing anything from solo works to concert band music this is the sound you want. The sound is full-bodied and slightly dark. If you own only one classical mouthpiece make it this one. Incidentally, as with any mouthpiece, order more than one of the same model to try out as they all will play a little different (manufacturing tolerances?).

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All new Saxes come with "junk" mouthpieces because they know that the buyer will eventually buy their own mouthpiece. I recommend this S80 / C* "C star" opening as a great starter. It's worth the money especially if you have invested in a new sax or a pro vintage Mark VI. I'm a private teacher and I have parents of young students buy this mouthpiece because it's noticeable right away that the tone is darker, more mellow, more pleasing to the ear. Even parents who know nothing about music or the sax notice the difference. The reason is that the mouthpiece is made of hard rubber - not plastic. To add to my previous comment - I will even have students as young as 5th, 6th grader buy this because some of my students have chair placement tests even at that young age and when they test well - it's encouraging to them, they enjoy music, they practice more! So if you are going to invest in buying a sax, stretch your pocketbook out just a little more for this mouthpiece. Don't be cheap - it's that old saying - "penny wise, pound foolishö (Later add a Meyer mouthpiece for jazz when the player matures). Hope this helps!

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At my teacher’s suggestion, I bought this mouthpiece about a year and a half ago and immediately noticed a drastic improvement in my tone quality from the cheep mouthpiece I’d been using previously. Though the S80 is designed for classical playing, I found it versatile and durable enough for marching band as well. I have dropped it (regrettably) several times, and it has yet to be seriously damaged. My only two complaints are that it can be hard to keep clean and that it can be hard to reach the extremes of the dynamic range with it. I use a Rovner dark ligature and 3.5 Rico Royal or 3 Vandoren reeds.

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I find this mouthpiece to be a beautiful first step towards a great classical sound if you are a High School or Middle School player. However, once at a University, I believe it is very important to find a mouthpiece which will exemplify the type of player you want to be. If you are a jazz player, you will have to find a better mouthpiece for jazz- this will not do. If you will be primarily a classical player, you need to decide if you will be playing mostly Broadway-type gigs, band gigs, or orchestral gigs. I do not find the Selmer C* (or the Larry Teal) to be appropriate- in my case- for the dark, rich sound needed to blend and tune with an orchestra. For that, I recommend a mouthpiece with a much larger chamber, and not a small chamber (such as the LT or C*) shaped either in a circle or square (as these two mouthpieces are). I have found the Caravan mouthpieces to blend with orchestra and produce a rich, dark sound- not found with this mouthpiece. In fact, I have even been told my sound is "too dark" in some cases... One more suggestion, if you are in MS or HS and are considering buying any new mouthpiece, be sure to buy about 3 at first, try them out, and then return the two you didn't like. WWBW has a great policy with this and it is the ONLY way you should buy any mouthpiece. It is quite possible to get a "dud" mouthpiece (relatively speaking) and to counter this, try 3 out first!!