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After 4 years of college I finally came across the Optimum Al3 and all my struggles were resolved. Working on tone is something that is very frustrating for all and automatically it produced a clean and dark tone that the C* and Larry Teal could not give me. Even though those two very popular mouthpieces are chosen by hundreds of thousands of players, this mouthpiece is more affordable and offers a much more rich tone that everyone is seeking. Don't waste your time with the expensive LT, go straight for this mouthpiece. I play them on soprano, alto, and tenor and have got tons of compliments on my rich dark tone.

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This is a GREAT mouthpiece - I've played a couple others but none of them give as good of a sound. I get a lot of compliments on my tone now and I think it has a lot to do with the Optimum. It's really clear, dark, smooth, rich, direct - it's great for classical but definitely not for jazz because it's so clean sounding. I got the AL3 and I've had it for about 2 1/2 years and it still sounds great, but the smaller facing is starting to feel like there's not enough flexibility, so I would definitely say for really experienced players or anyone playing on harder reeds (4 or above) that the AL4 would be the way to go.

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I bought the Vandoren AL3 mouthpiece about two years ago. It was one of the best investments I've ever made. Not only did it make my playing more fun, but my sound has improved tremendously. I wouldn't recommend this mouthpiece to a beginner, but for an intermediate or higher level player, it's amazing. It's a great step from a stock set-up. I wouldn't recommend any other mouthpiece.

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I received the AL4 my sophomore year right before school ended. It produced the best tone I have ever had!! I played it with the Vandoren select reeds, strength 3 and the optimum and leather ligatures and it was a dream come true. For almost two years I had been searching for my unique sound and I achieved it with this mouthpiece. The tone was rich and extremely colorful. I couldn't believe I had never tried it before! Shortly I was getting way more compliments on my tone than I thought I deserved! My solos in honor bands drew a lot of attention to me from the other band members, the audience and even band directors from other schools! I play on a Yanagisawa 901 alto with the 992 neck and it sings like an angel. Then last Christmas my mom got me the AL3 and I experimented with that a little. I use that one more now because my private teacher and band director say that my tone is even clearer and more focused. I use 3 1/2 reeds with it because the 3s sounded too bright for me on that mouthpiece. Overall, the optimum series is a very wonderfully made mouthpiece that is sure to give you the saxophone sound of your dreams!

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If you are looking for a smooth, mellow, dark, rich tone you owe it to yourself to try this one. Like some of the other posts here, I ordered several mouthpieces from WWBW to do a side by side comparison. The Vandoren AL4 won hands-down! The tone I got from it was absolutely amazing. I continue to get compliments on my tone from amateur?s and pros alike. I recommend using it with a Rovner 1RL Dark ligature and Vandoren # 3 or better reeds. Plan on spending a week or so experimenting with the ligature placement. I found the best positioning for me was placing the ligature towards the back of the chamber then "cocking" the ligature forward and tightening. Have fun!