I did a review a few weeks back of the new Theo Wanne Gaia 2 soprano sax mouthpiece and have had a few people ask if I could make a comparison between the original Gaia mouthpiece and the Gaia 2 soprano mouthpiece. I have been playing the original Gaia for about seven years now and it has been one of my favorite soprano mouthpiece for volume and ease of play (I have also been playing the Gerber LC soprano mouthpiece for when I want a sweeter and warmer sound on the soprano sax). That being said, the Gaia 2 has me questioning my loyalty to my original Gaia …… So, this comparison is as much for me as it is for those of you that have asked me for it.
Theo Wanne Gaia Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
First up is the original Gaia soprano mouthpiece. For the sake of this review and comparison I am calling it the Gaia 1. My favorite reed on this mouthpiece has been a Vandoren Java 3 1/2 soprano reed. I have been using those for years and have been pretty happy with them on the Gaia 1.
For this comparison, I am making two clips of each mouthpiece and playing similar ideas. One clip is with a Vandoren 3 1/2 reed and the other is with a Vandoren 3 reed. This comparison is a bit skewed because even though both mouthpieces are 7 tip openings, the Gaia 1 feels most comfortable with the 3 1/2 reed while the Gaia 2 feels most comfortable with the 3 sized reed. I decided that even though the Gaia 1 feels too soft with the 3 reed and the Gaia 2 feels too hard with the 3 1/2, that I would include those sound clips in this comparison also so that you could hear how the differences in reed strength effect the sound on both mouthpieces.
In the past, I have recorded my soprano clips with the mic pointed straight at the bell but many times that can sound overly bright and edgy when recording soprano so this time I recorded with the bell of the sax off center and a couple of feet away from the mic. I think the recording is much better.
Feel free to listen to the clips below and please let me know what you think in the comments. I have my own thoughts and observations but would love to hear what others think. Thanks, Steve
Theo Wanne Gaia Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
Theo Wanne Gaia Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece -Java 3 1/2 Reed(preferred reed)
Theo Wanne Gaia Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece-Java 3 Reed (feels too soft)
Theo Wanne Gaia 2 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
Theo Wanne Gaia 2 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece-Java 3 1/2 Reed (feels too hard)
Theo Wanne Gaia 2 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece-Java 3 Reed (preferred reed)
To be honest, I woke up this morning and was going to send the Gaia 2 back as I have been happy with the original Gaia for the last 7 years. At the last minute, I decided to record them side by side. Although the original Gaia is easy to play and has loads of power, many times I find it a bit edgy and bright in the upper register. The Gaia 2 seems warmer and fatter sounding to me. It gives up a bit of the power of the original Gaia but now that I listen to the clip it sound much more pleasant and warm to me. At this point, I am leaning towards keeping the Gaia 2 and replacing my Gaia 1. What do you think?
The main comparison to make is the Gaia 1 3 1/2 reed compared to the Gaia 2 3 reed. Those are the clips I am most comfortable on with both mouthpieces. Thanks, Steve
I agree with you Steve. The original is a little brighter compared to the Gaia2. I say keep the Gaia 2 and say goodbye to the original. More color with Gaia and that’s what I prefer. Great job with comparisons! 🙂
Hi Steve,
I like the way you sound on both of them, but I agree about the edginess in your sound on the Gaia vs. the Gaia2. I tried a Gaia2 for a few hours during the last couple of days, but decided to send it back. The Gaia2 has a nice sound and the same range as the Gaia1, but I did not like the darkness of the piece. Both are easy to play and respond very well; however, I prefer to have more overtone sounds than the Gaia2 was providing. They are both great mouthpieces, and because the Gaia1 is no longer made, I’d recommend the Gaia2 to anyone who has not bought a Gaia1 previously. You and I play different setups and different types of music, so that could cause a difference in our perception about mouthpieces’ response. I play a size 11 with a Hemke 2 reed. Thanks for your review and the comparisons.
Heath
Heath, Holy Cow! A size 11!! Yeah, that is like a totally different mouthpiece than a 7. That’s huge! Thanks for your input………Steve
Hi Steve,
I am using Gaia 1 (and preferred the 1 over 2) mine is #8. It has more projection, focus and very free blowing for me. And both still in a concept of “Haunted” sound on soprano. Legere Signature #3 suit me the best on Gaia 1 size 8 too. However, I use the metal Durga for soprano #8 more recently.
From my opinion, I preferred your sound on Gaia 1 over 2 too.
Many thanks,
BirDz
From the recordings I definitely prefer the Gaia 2.
They both sound good to me. I agree the Gaia 1 is a bit brighter. For my own taste I like the sound of the Gaia 2 a bit more, it sounds a bit more pleasant to me but that’s just a matter of personal taste. I’ve got several soprano mouthpieces that I’m trying out. I have a classic Morgan which I’m working with now. It plays every bit as easy as the Gaia 2 I have and for a fraction of the price. I also have Missing Link which has a very sweet sound ala Zoot Sims. I also have Ted Klum which is similar to the Morgan. In fact I like them all and will probably keep them all. I’m spending a lot of time on each, been playing the Morgan for about three months now and will spend many months on each. I may never decide which is better, they all play great with a nice sound and good intonation. After dropping one of my favorite tenor mouthpieces and chipping the tip rail I’ve decided that having several really good mouthpieces is not a bad thing at all. An interesting and embarrassing aside is when I put new batteries in my chromatic tuner (I use it to spot check preferring to develop my ear in other ways) I forgot to reset it to A440 and all of a sudden when checking myself with it my intonation had gone all to hell and I couldn’t figure out why until I noticed my tuner wasn’t set to A440. Panic attack! Even my flute’s intonation had mysteriously gone out the window, WTF! No woodwind plays perfectly in tune, my middle E on the saxophone usually tends to be a little sharp which I compensate for. One thing I practice for intonation on the sax is I do major triads starting with D Major beginning on middle D with a medium volume and play up the arpeggio increasing my volume with the loudest on the upper D. I find by listening carefully with my eyes closed I can tell when I’m in tune or not. I do this exercise up to F Major. Trust your ear but make sure your tuner is set to A440! Once I get to the highest note of the triad I open my eyes and look at the tuner (with practice I find I’m almost always good with the intonation) just to check myself and internalize that pitch so that I don’t need the tuner. This has always served me well. I can tell you though that by not having the tuner set to A440 it sure threw a monkey wrench in my confidence. It was like all of a sudden I couldn’t play any more. At any rate why not keep both? They both sound great and you never know what can happen like dropping one and chipping it. You’ll be glad you have another great mpc on hand.
That’s funny Rob. I did that once but it only lasted about half an hour. I went to tune up with my tuner and was really flat. What the heck! I have never been that flat. I had to push in so far it was ridiculous. I was totally confused as I knew I was wicked sharp. Finally, I looked at the tuner and the number on it was 444. Somehow I had pushed the calibration button without knowing………..
I did that once in a sax quartet rehearsal – it was very embarrassing! It’s encouraging to hear you’ve done it too!
Hey Steve, both mouthpieces sound very good, a very slight difference in overtones, to my ears the Gaia 2 sounds a little bit warmer. But I prefer your sound with the Gerber LC! (Sounds more like a Slant Sig Link HR to me) By the way what soprano did you play?
Did you ever try a Buescher series II or a Martin Handcraft? To my ears IMHO the Martin has the most beautiful sound. Thanks for your great and interesting reviews. All the best, Aad Overeem
Hi Steve,
I had tried Gaia2 and I didn’t like it as well as I like my Gaia1. I recently bought a used
Gaia2 for a good price and I do like it. Unlike your experience, I find that my Gaia2 requires a slightly harder reed than my Gaia1 does. They both have a good range, blow easily, and are comfortable to play. Thanks for your excellent reviews of the Gaia1 and Gaia2. I’m working with Joe Giardullo at Soprano Planet to get a Metropolitan. I think that it’s going to be an excellent mouthpiece. I’m also intrigued by their Gerber LC, based on your reviews. I’m going to need a storage facility for my soprano sax mouthpieces! I hope you’re doing well. Best, Heath
With these records, i would prefer Gaia 2
Which java reeds, red or green box?
Green Java reeds
have you tried Rigotti Gold on the Gaia?
Pete, I haven’t ever tried Rigotti Gold soprano reeds. I was thinking of ordering some. Have you tried them? If so, do you what size would be similar to Java 3 1/2 soprano reeds?
If you prefer a little more bright mouthpiece best the Gaia; if you prefer a little dark mouthpiece, best the Gaia 2.
Green java reeds Vandoren? I hate them, in my opinion, and in my mouthpiece, they sound as plastic! Instead, in my opinion, the Java red plays very well. There is written french cut but, in reality, the cut is very short.
Steve, now I realise that my opinion on green or red Java refers to the tenor; the soprano I does not play it and, therefore, could have a different response!
Being as I like a rounder sound, the Gaia 2 is the better sound…
And I like the sound on the 3 1/2 better than the 3… do they make a 3 1/4???
I’m using a Legere European Cut Signature Clarinet reed on my custom Yanigasawa HR… and right now Beta Testing Silverstein’s Alta synthetic… LOVE it…
Clarinet is only one for Beta right now but they told me are going to have Alto reeds at Anaheim NAMM… now all I need is access to a ticket… lol. The group I used to get them from is no more… 🙁
Hi Pat, I was invited to go to NAMM last year. I have never been to it. I turned it down at the time just because I feel like my normal everyday life is a mini-NAMM everyday. You should see how many mouthpieces are on my desk! Haha! Steve
Hi Steve. Though you did this comparison in April of 2017, I just stumbled on it. I like the way you sound with the Gaia 2 a little better than with the original Gaia. The original Gaia seems to emphasize frequencies in the 800 hz to 1600 hz range. The Gaia 2 sounds more balanced to my ear. Not darker. Just better balanced. Thanks for posting your comparisons.