by Steve 24 Comments
Today, I am reviewing a new mouthpiece from D’Addario called the Select Jazz alto saxophone mouthpiece. I heard about the D’Addario Select Jazz model from a friend of mine who ordered one from Sax Quest and was blown away by it. His email and raves were enough to rouse my curiosity and review one of these so here it is……………..
D’Addario Select Jazz Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece
The D’Addario Select Jazz is advertised as being a mouthpiece that captures the feel and tone of the legendary mouthpieces from years past………. Here is a snippet from the Saxquest website about the D’Addario Select Jazz mouthpiece:
Saxquest is super pumped to be able to present the latest in great hard rubber mouthpieces for alto sax. This is the new Select Jazz Alto Sax mouthpiece by D’ Addario. We have been play testing these pieces extensively and put them side by side with our best vintage Meyer’s and have been blown away every time. These pieces are made from high quality rod hard rubber. Their build features a medium opened chamber with a medium facing length, available in 3 facing sizes 5, 6 and 7.
The Select Jazz mouthpiece plays with a strong and very rich core sound. Its full warmth is consistent and balanced across the entire range of the instrument. The low end response as well as the ease and clarity of the altissimo register is notably exceptional. Its superb flexibility allows the piece to be used in a multitude of musical situations. Rather you are looking for a warm jazz sound or are in need of more cut for lead work the Select Jazz is a fine choice.
Listed Below are the Mouthpiece spec by D’Addario
-D5M .073” (1.86mm)
-D6M .078” (1.98mm)
-D7M .083” (2.10mm)
- 100% precision-milled, vintage-inspired jazz mouthpieces
- The Select Jazz line is milled not molded, from solid rod rubber, using D’Addario’s precise computer-controlled mouthpiece-making technology
- Classic sound and response, with even intonation across the entire range of the saxophone
- Features medium chambers and facing lengths
- Available in three tip openings: 5, 6, and 7
The Select Jazz alto saxophone mouthpiece looks great to the eye. The side rails and tip are nicely cut and even. The D7M model that I have looks to have what I would call a medium-low rollover baffle on it. The baffle slides down smoothly into what I would consider a medium small chamber. (It looks a little smaller than a JVW Meyer medium chamber as I compare the mouthpieces side by side) The side rails are slightly scooped out and look smooth and even. The roof of the chamber is thicker and also similar to my JVW Meyer as I compare it by eye.
D’Addario Select Jazz Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece
The D’Addario Select Jazz played well with a Java 2 1/2 reed on it. The .083 tip seemed to favor a softer reed for me. I tried a few 3’s of different brands but they felt too stiff for my tastes. I used a Vandoren Optimum metal ligature on the sound test also.
For me, the Select Jazz had a classic Meyer sound to it. It definitely leaned to the brighter side of tone for me. The tone had a nice tight core to it and a dryness and lightness to it. I had no problem getting a classic bebop sound out of this mouthpiece. It was smooth throughout the range of the horn and the intonation was excellent. I could get a respectful volume out of the Select Jazz also which is nice.
D’Addario Select Jazz Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece
My only negative about the Select Jazz is that the bore of the mouthpiece is smaller than most alto mouthpiece bores. I have probably 10 alto mouthpiece in my office now and they all fit on my alto neck pretty similarly. The Select Jazz is quite a bit tighter. This is nothing a little cork grease won’t fix but is kind of a pain if you plan on playing other mouthpieces. (My fix in case you don’t know it is to dip the cork into boiling water for 2 seconds. The heat expands the cork back to it’s original size……..)
D’Addario Select Jazz Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece
I think D’Addario has done a great job recreating a great Meyer vibe at a reasonable price. At this moment, the Select Jazz alto mouthpiece is retailed at 149.00 at Saxquest.com. That is a great price for this mouthpiece in my opinion. I wish I could have had a mouthpiece like this to choose from when I was a student in high school many years ago.
I haven’t tried the 5 and 6 Select Jazz but I am also curious as to how they compare and play. I would imagine that they are a bit brighter and even more focused sounding. I would have no problems recommending this alto mouthpiece to some of my high school alto students looking for that next step up mouthpiece…………..
D’Addario Select Jazz Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece
If you like the sound of the D’Addario Select Jazz alto saxophone mouthpiece clip below and the mouthpiece catches your interest then give it a try. You can get more information and purchase the D’Addario Select Jazz to try at www.saxquest.com Tell them Steve sent you………….!!
Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve
D’Addario Select Jazz Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece
