Today, I am reviewing a tenor saxophone mouthpiece from a fairly new company called SYOS mouthpieces in France. This company hit the saxophone mouthpiece scene not too long ago and immediately caught the world’s attention by producing these really bright colored 3D printed saxophone mouthpieces made of plastic. I remember thinking they were strange looking and looked like something one of my fourth grade saxophone students might have walked into their sax lesson with.
I must admit, that at first, I was very skeptical. First, these bright colored sax mouthpieces looked like Legos to me. Like something I might give my nephew, who just turned one year old, as a toy he could play with. Secondly, they look like plastic. I have been reviewing mouthpieces for about 14 years now and if it’s one thing I know, it’s that sax players like their sax mouthpieces made of costly materials like hard rubber, gold plated brass, stainless steel, ebony, silver plated brass, sterling silver, WWII bombshell casing brass and anything exotic that they can claim makes their mouthpieces special, more resonant, metaphysically angelic and godlike. Sax players do not buy saxophone mouthpieces made out of plastic. No way! I thought that this company was doomed to fail even as they got out of the gate.
Chad LB on his SYOS Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Signature Sax Mouthpiece
But then, I started seeing some really great sax players playing these SYOS saxophone mouthpieces on Youtube. “What was going on? Why are these really great players playing on a plastic mouthpiece? And why are these mouthpiece bright green, bright yellow, bright red, bright purple, bright orange and even…..Easter egg pastel purple (you know that color, just imagine a purple Easter egg…..) How can this be happening?!”
I was stubborn! I fought off the temptation for a year at least. I finally threw in the towel while watching a video of Chad Lefkowitz-Brown playing on his SYOS tenor sax mouthpiece. Chad just sounded too good on this plastic sax mouthpiece! I contacted SYOS to see if I could review a few of these mouthpieces………
SYOS Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Signature Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
SYOS was pretty quick to respond and asked me which sax mouthpieces I would like to review. I didn’t want to go down the custom sax mouthpiece road so I told them I would be interested in trying their Chad LB (short for Lefkowitz-Brown) and Tivon Pennicott models ( I really like Chad and Tivon’s playing…….) They also threw in a Godwin Louis alto sax mouthpiece to try out. I had never heard of Godwin Louis but I was willing to try it out.
The Chad LB tenor sax mouthpiece is white and is an 8* like Chad reportedly plays on. The Tivon Pennicott tenor sax mouthpiece comes as a 9 which is what Tivon plays but I asked for an 8. I have never had great luck with trying sax mouthpieces with a tip opening over an 8* so I thought the 8 would be a safer bet. The Godwin Louis alto saxophone mouthpiece is a 6* tip opening.
SYOS Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Signature Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
Before we get to the playing of the SYOS Chad LB tenor sax mouthpiece, let me give you a few tidbits of info from the SYOS website on these sax mouthpieces.
First of all, you have two choices when you visit the SYOS website and order a sax mouthpiece. You can order a “SYOS Signature Mouthpiece” which is basically what the mouthpiece that the player whose name is on the mouthpiece plays.
If, however, you want to be unique and are on a quest to find your own unique sound, you might want to pick the second choice of ordering a custom mouthpiece from SYOS which I have to say looks like a pretty cool process. Here’s what you do on the SYOS website:
- First, you choose what saxophone you play. Soprano, Alto, Tenor or Bari Sax
- Second, you choose whether you are a beginner, intermediate or professional sax player
- Third, you choose what type of music you play (you can pick more than one category)
- Fourth, this is the coolest part, you choose your sound preferences. There is a slider for tone that goes from very dark to very bright. You can choose where in that tone spectrum you feel you would like to be. There is also a slider to choose how powerful you want to be. The slider goes from soft to powerful. Now here’s the coolest part because as you are reading this you might be confused about how you might choose what you want or you might be confused about what your preferences are. SYOS gives you a bunch of examples with sound clips! How cool is that? The following list of player are listed and rated for tone and power. Ben Webster, Chris Potter, Coleman Hawkins, Dexter Gordon, Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz and Wayne Shorter. (Can I just point out at this point, how awesome Chris Potter must feel about being included in this list!)
- You click “Submit” and wait by your mailbox for your custom mouthpiece that will answer all your dreams to be delivered.
SYOS Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Signature Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
Here is a quote from the SYOS mouthpiece website on the specifics of ordering a custom mouthpiece from SYOS:
SYOS is the first custom mouthpiece maker to use a high-tech process to design its products. It is different from all the other brands who only make standard series of mouthpiece models. SYOS gives you the possibility to have your custom mouthpiece created on-demand according to your needs and preferences.
- You are helped by an acoustic expert who will help guide you in your sound research.
- You can test the mouthpiece(s) at home or in rehearsal without having to go in to a shop.
- You can try your custom mouthpiece for 30 days, with the possibility of requesting adjustments on its shape to modify the sound, to get it even closer to your need.
Simply fill out the customization form on our online shop: you tell us about your saxophone level, the music you like, your favorite sound, which kind of sound you are looking for (bright? Dark? Powerful? Warm…) and we design your mouthpiece based on that. With Syos, satisfaction is guaranteed. If you have any question, we can answer you on the mouthpiece chat, or you can give us a call: we will help you define your requirements.
Here is a few comments about the material SYOS mouthpieces are made from in case you are curious:
We use ABS plastic to craft our mouthpieces: this material allows us to get the highest degree of precision, with an improved resistance and durability. And you can get that in 18 colors to build a perfect style on stage!
The plastic we use to make SYOS mouthpieces has been certified non-toxic in laboratory (EN 71 and CE 1907/2006 standards). In fact, the same kind of plastic is used to make toys for children, which can be put in mouth without any risks. At the opposite, with the “ebonite” plastic, some sulfuric acid releases are observed when the mouthpiece is old, which gives it a yellow-green color.
And finally, here is a quote about the manufacturing process and how the minute details affect your tone which I found interesting:
For wind instruments, it’s the internal geometry of the bore that gives all the acoustic properties. We work at 1/100th millimeter to adjust the shape and the length of the baffle, the chamber section and size, the tip opening, the facing length… We study and compute the effect of all these parameters on the sound, to predict the timbre of each combination of them.
SYOS Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Signature Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
Ok, so let’s get to the sax mouthpieces I received. The first thing that surprised me when I opened the box was that all three sax mouthpieces were in a “SYOS” drawstring bag just laying next to each other without any cushioning, wrapping, bubble wrap, velvet bags or anything like that. They were just hanging out in there all loose and free. Three mouthpieces together. That surprised me and made me a bit nervous about these mouthpieces. What if when they were coming from France, the box fell off a shelf or was thrown into the plane, thrown out of the plane, fell off a conveyor belt, etc…… What if these mouthpieces had just been bumping and grinding against each other for a week straight!
I checked the mouthpieces each very closely and saw no signs of damage, nicks or abrasions. They looked good to go. Maybe I am being a bit paranoid. It is just plastic, but it still seems like they should be separated by something to me.
SYOS Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Signature Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Chad LB tenor saxophone mouthpiece was the first mouthpiece I looked at. The mouthpiece felt really light as you would expect a plastic mouthpiece to feel. The table had some texture to it that I could feel with my fingers. Whatever process they use to make these sax mouthpieces does leave some texture marks on the mouthpiece. You can see fine lines going across the table and fine lines going down the baffle as if the machine that cut the mouthpieces left these lines on the plastic.
The mouthpiece looks pretty well made. The table, rails and tip look well made and even. The baffle is a high shelf baffle that meets an edge and then changes direction until it meets the bottom of the rear of the chamber. The floor of the baffle during this descent also narrow as it head to its termination at the rear of the small chamber.
When I write “small chamber”, I am not implying that the chamber is the size of a pea. From the bore end of the mouthpiece, the chamber looks like a typical Otto Link sized chamber. However, when you look from the front of the mouthpiece, it is pretty easy to see how the high baffle that cuts through the chamber is limiting the size of it substantially. SYOS calls this a small chamber so I will stick with their description. If they didn’t call it a small chamber I might call it a medium small chamber.
The side walls are scooped out nicely. Everything looks neat, tidy and smooth. There is a bit of a seam that is on the top of the mouthpiece at the shank. It’s closed up and seems solid but there is a line that runs an inch or two that seems like it might be part of the manufacturing process.
There is also a nicely engraved S on the top of the sax mouthpiece and a signature on the side of the saxophone mouthpiece which I assume is Chad’s signature although I can’t make out what is written at all.
SYOS Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Signature Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece with Ligature
The SYOS tenor sax mouthpiece comes with a SYOS ligature which fits the mouthpiece nicely when it has a reed on it. I was a bit skeptical of this ligature but it actually holds the reed on the mouthpiece pretty firmly when the ligature is slid all the way down and is tight around the reed.
I will warn you that the ligature can move when you have to adjust the mouthpiece on the cork so I quickly realized that if I need to adjust the sax mouthpiece for tuning, that it was best to grab it around the shank of the mouthpiece to move it on the cork.
SYOS Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Signature Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The first sax reed I tried on the SYOS Chad LB tenor sax mouthpiece played surprisingly well and is the reed I used for the sound clip. It was a used Rigotti Gold 3 Light reed. It’s pretty rare that I put a random used reed on a mouthpiece and it just smokes but that is what I felt the SYOS Chad LB sax mouthpiece did.
From the first blow, it just played with a strong clear tone. It was powerful and bright as a high baffled sax mouthpiece would be expected to be but it wasn’t thin at all in my opinion. When pushed with maximum air it could really scream and the altissimo was incredibly easy for me on it. At softer volumes, the bright highs in the tone tended to back off and the thick body of the tone was left which I liked quite a bit.
Although, the SYOS Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Signature Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece had an 8* tip opening, it felt incredibly comfortable to me. Usually for an 8*, I have to pick a 2 1/2 reed, but the Rigotti Gold 3 Light reed played great on it. I usually play 7*-8 size tip openings but this sax mouthpiece felt right at home to me at the 8* tip opening.
SYOS Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Signature Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The tone of the SYOS Chad LB signature sax mouthpiece was even throughout the range of the horn and the intonation was excellent. Usually with a high baffled sax mouthpiece, I am a bit nervous about intonation issues but the SYOS sax mouthpiece just seemed to play within the expected intonation tendencies of my saxophone.
On the SYOS website, it doesn’t give the scale number for the Chad LB mouthpiece that I can see but it does have a picture of the scales and the Chad LB mouthpiece looks like it is rated at about an 8 for brightness and an 8 for power. This doesn’t surprise me as I could get loads of both brightness and power out of the SYOS Chad LB tenor sax mouthpiece.
Even with all the power and brightness, the Chad LB signature tenor saxophone mouthpiece didn’t seem inappropriate or obnoxiously bright on standards at softer volumes. I go into a little bit of Stella By Starlight. Moose the Mooche and Donna Lee and I think it sounds great on those lines.
I do play a few more R&B style lines on this sound clip and I think the SYOS Chad LB saxophone mouthpiece would absolutely kill on those types of solos. It has the power and crisp brightness to really cut through the mix in those loud playing situations in my opinion and the altissimo range of the horn just cranks!
One thing I have to admit to being curious about is, is whether the SYOS sax mouthpiece made out of plastic would sound different than an exact mouthpiece made out of hard rubber or metal. Many people say mouthpiece material doesn’t matter, but as I imagine playing this exact same mouthpiece in hard rubber or metal, my mind seems to really believe that there would be a difference in sound. As of right now, I think the sound of the SYOS Chad LB tenor sax mouthpiece is pretty awesome so I’ll let my inquisitive mind relax a bit…….
SYOS Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Signature Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
If you like the sound and look of the Chad Lefkowitz-Brown signature tenor sax mouthpiece by SYOS, you can find them at the SYOS website. Neffmusic also gets a small commission from each sale using this link which helps support this website.
The SYOS website has a ton of artists and signature models available so if the Chad Lefkowitz-Brown model isn’t your cup of tea, there are a ton of other sax mouthpieces to choose from including the Tivon Pennicott signature model that I will be reviewing later this month.
Or, like I wrote above, you can be courageous and go for a custom sax mouthpiece made specifically for you. The amazing thing is that SYOS has a 30 day return policy which is unheard of in the sax mouthpiece industry.
The other great thing about the SYOS saxophone mouthpieces is the price point. As of today, the signature model sax mouthpieces are at about 185 USD, which in my mind is a great price for a sax mouthpiece that plays this well. The custom model sax mouthpieces are 277 USD, which is still a great deal for a custom sax mouthpiece that is made to your preferences. From what I read on the SYOS website, you can send your custom sax mouthpiece back for adjustments if you want tweaks made to it also which is amazing.
If you have played or end up playing a SYOS Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Signature Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments about this review, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve
SYOS Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Signature Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Light Reed-Slight Reverb Added (I like this clip with reverb the best…….)
SYOS Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Signature Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Light Reed-Dry Recording with no Reverb at all
Steve, I play on a 8 Chad LB. my playing experience is very similar to your review. Love this piece, also got a Eddie Rich model which for me is another great mouthpiece too.
I purchased the Mornington Lockett Alto mouthpiece very recently, I love it, I chose my own tip opening, I sold two mouthpieces after I got this one, I might purchase another soon, It is fun for me to play
Vinny
Tried a whole bunch of their tenor mouthpieces when in Paris this past spring. Got a ‘blue’ one, and I don’t even know what the details are, but the piece is one of the best I have ever had. It is now my go-to mpc, superceding a Lamberson 7SB and a Francois Louis 235. Chad turned me on to the D’Addario mpcs, and they are also really excellent (especially for the price). The euro fluctuates in value, but mine was 200 euro, which came to about $225 US.
Hi Steve-i´m glad you reviewed this SYOS mouthpiece and overcame your skepticism.
I have been on them 9 or 10 months. I love them and the people at SYOS are really
cool.
Bright Moments, Bob
Hi Steve
Thanks for another informative mouthpiece review. I’ve been playing the Tivon Pennicott signature tenor mouthpiece (size 8) for about 7 months and love it. Recently bought the Jure Pukl sig tenor mouthpiece (also size 8) which is also fantastic. An interesting piece in that on the Syos tone and power scale it was rated as dark but with alot of power. Indeed this is achieved by having an extra small chamber with a medium flat baffle (ie not a step baffle). Also been playing the Dayna Stevens soprano piece (60 thou openning) which is fat and powerful. Syos are great people to deal with and are fast to answer any enquiries.
Best
Ralph Franke
What horn are you using the SYOS on ? I have a Mk VI but am thinking of a Yamaha.
I use a Selmer “SBA” Super Balanced Action.
Steve, clips sound great as always. How do you find the seal between the mouthpiece and the reed? I got a couple pieces from them when they first started out and I remember they played well but I didn’t feel I got the seal I get from a piece with a nice flat table. Also the shipping method put me off. My bag of loose mouthpieces in a standard mailing envelope got stuffed into my mailbox slot by the post man. I sent the pieces back in the end since I didn’t feel comfortable recommending them. Since then of course lots of my favorite players are adopting these, and loving them. I played on one of Bob Rockwell’s pieces last week and have to admit we both liked the sound a lot. Maybe it’s time I give them another try…
That sounds extremely bright to me, reminiscent of a Claude Lakey as expected, given the parameters of the selected design. I didn’t find that it had any warmth at all or variation in tone. On the plus side, I agree with you that the altissimo appears to be effortless and I also noted that you were able to sub tone down to the lowest note on Donna Lee easily. I found a bit of hiss or air leakage in the tone but I’m only listening on my phone speaker and maybe it’s due to that. I’m wondering if this company would make a true large chamber or even a double chamber for a Conn New Wonder alto, but I suppose I have to take that up with them. Do they make black models as well? The Dayglo thing isn’t my bag.
Jeffrey, I would try listening to the clip with better computer speakers. There is no way you can hear the details of tone and timbre through the iPhone (at least not the iPhone I have which is a 6S, don’t know about more recent models) There is a huge variation in tone between say the opening line and when I play the first line of Body & Soul (at least in my opinion) It is a brighter mouthpiece for me as I write in the review but I felt like I could get some different variations in tone also. Steve
I will do that, Steve.. I’ll use my good AKG headphones. Today, many people listen to music on their phones, often with earbuds or the airpods or whatever they are …. When I was a college freshman, I interned at Henry Mancini’s studio and we recorded and mixed a song on 1970s equipment…. but I remember distinctly that we had to do two mixes: one for really good studio monitors and the other for small monitors that they told us emulated car speakers because that’s at the time what most people listened to music on…
and of course the mix is completely different..m so as to my listening to this particular sound clip or anything for that matter on my phone which is simply an LG Stylo 4 with what I will call not too good speakers although it sounds fine with headphones, is probably more of the experience that the casual listener will get rather than $200 headphones or thousand dollar speakers or my 1971 JBL L100 studio monitors. It would be interesting to hear you review their “Ben Websterish” piece!
I tried a Morgan NW Excalibur on my Conn NW 1.5 (Chu without the nail file), but it hurt my TMJ, and believe it or not, a Vandoren V16 SMALL chamber sounds better. But these horns are in tune better with with large chambers.
Sounds great Steve! A good deep core, with a warm sound, but still edge.
I have a Pennicott and a Zem Audu tenor, both in 9. Very different, but both great. The Pennicott is my preferred for jazz. The Audu is edgy and great for pop and rock. Also have a Dayna Stephens soprano in 6*. So sweet and it outplays my Bari and Jody Jazz HR* soprano pieces.
For those who question the flatness on the table. All 3 have a perfect seal. Even with the enclosed ligature, there is no problems at all.
Hi Steve,
I don’t have to tell you this but you know that all your followers appreciate the time that you take over the years to appraise all the saxophone mouthpieces and accessories in the saxophone world.
With all due respect to you, this SYOS article in my opinion was total “Information Overlload”
As well know, that in today’s world time is of the essence. It took me 23 minutes to read and play the sound recordings that you supplied us in your article.
I feel that that amount of time is too long! Half the amount of time would have been sufficient for the reader to grasp the article and fully understand your points being made.
Love and peace God bless your entire family.
Thanks Angelo. I can certainly cut the reviews down. When I started, the reviews were only one paragraph. I’ll keep this in mind for future reviews although many people seem to like the level of detail, the detailed information and personal details I add so I’m not sure how to draw that line of enough detail but not too much detail. I also don’t want it to be dry and boring either…… Maybe more readers will chime in here with their opinions……I’m happy to write less as it would give me more time to play my sax hahaha……thanks for the input. Steve
For this review I think more was better, due to the unique product / manufacturing process. I’m going through trying to find a mpc for my 1924 Conn New Wonder alto, and the whole chamber size thing is extant.
So, the detail for this company’s products is appreciated. I’ll repost my thoughts on the sounds of the CLB mpc once I listen with good headphones.
Steve, is this one of those mouthpieces you would consider as your #1 piece.
Kevin
Kevin, Honestly, after trying so many mouthpieces, I have no #1 mouthpiece anymore. I have about 20 pieces that sound and play killer for me, but they are all different. Darker, brighter, fatter, more focused, etc….. All play great but they are all different with different strengths and weaknesses. This SYOS Chad LB is definitely one that is in the running for my case of favorite mouthpieces. I want to keep it which says a lot! The truth is that I want to keep most of the pieces I give a great review to but I can’t play them all so I have to let some of these mouthpiece I think are great go on to a player that will play them and get the most out of them. This SYOS mouthpiece is a great choice in my opinion though!!…..
Great review Steve – I got a SYOS custom made, that has a long flat baffle, not as high as this one you reviewed, but still on the bright side for me. I got a 6* opening. It’s a great mouthpiece!
You sound wonderful as always, although I must say I prefer the no-reverb clip, there’s a slight ring to the reverb that emphasizes a kind of honky-ness to the tone.
I’m really impressed with SYOS, they’ve created a really interesting approach to mouthpieces, and obviously their research has paid off.
BTW, I like the longer reviews too…
Steve, Yeah, I wish I was more knowledagle about reverbs and affects in general. This is just a random reverb I picked in GarageBand that I thought sounded good about a year ago and I still use it. Steve
Steve,
I always appreciate your mouthpiece posts.My go to is a Theo Wanne Slant Sig 2 7* with Vandoren Jazz Redbox 2.5-3 reeds. I was looking for something a little edgier with more projection for outdoor gigs. I tried both the Gaia 3 hard rubber and the Syos Eddie Rich models in a 7* opening and found I required more air to get them to respond than I liked and both sounded a little tubby to me. The Chad LB model sounds like more of what I’m looking for and when the Syos staff get back from vacation, I’ll see what they can do on an exchange. However, I am somewhat mystified about the right tip opening. I assume I need to go smaller. Years ago, there were a number of mouthpiece exchange venues but those days are long gone (sanitation?).
I’d like to reiterated Jay’s question about the seal between mouthpiece and reed. I have no problems playing the same model you’ve tested; I like it, in fact. But I’m perplexed at the lack of seal. Did you have the same experience? Thanks.
Harry, The seal on my SYOS LB mouthpiece is working fine. Hearing about different peoples mouthpieces not sealing is not good. I would think SYOS would swap it out if you contact them. Steve
Steve,
How was the finish work compared to Vandoren products? Also , are you going to review the Tivon piece as well?
Thanks,
Bob
Bob, The finish work is fine. It does have a bit of a texture to it because of the machine process to make it so it isn’t as smooth as the Vandoren on the table for instance but my reeds sealed fine and it played great. I will review the Tivon Pennicott tenor sax mouthpiece also. Steve
I am Spanish and my English is very bad, I know this.
I want to thank you for your blog and the mouthpiece reviews. I love that you focus on the details. The quality and knowledge of your opinions is also appreciated.
The review of the SYOS mouthpiece has been very useful.
Thank you.
Antonio
Steve,
Great review as usual.
I bought a Tivon Pennicott tenor and a Godwin Louis alto mpc from SYOS several months ago. Both had a ‘ridged’ table and I just couldn’t get a reed to seal on it (just like Jay Metcalf mentioned). Also they played sort of ok but nothing special. So I took a bit of 1000 grit wet and dry paper to it, flattened the table, got a great seal on the reed and now both play fantastically well. The Pennicott piece has a wonderful tenor sound and has power when you need it.
Now that they have had the table worked on they are both my favourite mpc’s.
I get the more ‘traditional’ players turning their noses up at it – these are the same guys who don’t accept a good synthetic reed. But I don’t care – it sounds great to me. I’m 61 and am all in favour of progress.
If SYOS can work each piece with a really flat table then it’s a game changer.
Bonjour Steve. J’ai lu l’article avec plaisir, et écouté les extraits sonores de ton jeu que je trouve magnifiques, très riches. J’envisage de faire bientôt une commande et espère un son un peu comme le tien. je joue sur bec otto link 7, anche rico royal 2,5. Il est essentiel pour moi de ne pas jouer en force, mais en souplesse, avec un son projeté. Penses tu que ce bec me conviendrait stp?
Translation:
Hello Steve. I read the article with pleasure, and listened to the sound clips of your review that I find beautiful, very rich. I plan to make an order soon and hope for a sound a bit like yours. I play on an otto link 7 mouthpiece, reed rico royal 2.5. It is essential for me not to play in force, but flexibly, with a projected sound. Do you think this mouthpiece would suit me?
Gerard,
I think this would be a great mouthpiece if you want something that plays with more power. I would get a larger tip opening so if you are used to 7 maybe get an 8 SYOS mouthpiece. It will be a bit brighter than the Otto Link but it projects well and has loads of power so I think it might be a good choice for you. Steve
Hey Steve,
As someone who is wanting a more clarity and responsiveness from their mouthpiece, is there anything you’d recommend? Playing sax has felt like a bit of a battle recently and my current setup is stuffy and very unresponsive (Jody Jazz HR 7).
I’m looking at either getting a SYOS Jure Pukl, or a slant replica (mouthpiece cafe or retro revival slant model), or a mouthpiece cafe primo – do you think any of those would give me better results?
Also, what characteristics of a mouthpiece lend themselves to more responsiveness? As in baffle, chamber size etc.
Thanks very much,
Josh
I’ve been on a quest for 20+ years to find the ultimate mouthpiece, and recently purchased the SYOS Chad LB Tenor mouthpiece. It’s by far the best mouthpiece I have ever played.
I like the science-based approach of this company.
I just received the SYOS Chad LB … it is a killer mouthpiece IMO. Crisp tone with lots of projection, amazing altissimo and and … probably the best articulation I ever could get on any tenor mouthpiece. I am currently testing it Vs a Sakshama MB1 CNC … very difficult to make a final choice 🙂 Both pieces are excellent for Jazz and Funk IMO.
That’s great to hear Marc. Yes, I agree that it is a really great mouthpiece! Thanks for coming by and adding your opinion to the comments. Glad you love the SYOS Chad LB! Steve
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the review. You’re an amazing player!
I will be placing an order for a SYOS mouthpiece but I have an issue in my playing that I hope to overcome or minimize with this mouthpiece.
Here’s my issue: I am inconsistant when playing the lower notes on my tenor sax… Specifically, the low Bb, B, C, C# don’t always come out on initial attack or they come out in an “overtone”. Because I’ve only been playing 4 years and I would clasify myself as a beginner this issue may be due to my embouchure. However, what characteristics should I be looking for in a mouthpiece to help me or assist me in overcoming this problem?
Thanks in advance Steve
Pete, Having trouble with those notes can be caused from a multitude of factors. Because they are played with the lowest keys on the horn, any leaks anywhere on the horn can effect these notes. I once was having issues and it turned out that my neck tenon was leaking. Got that fixed and the low notes were back to normal. Have you had the horn checked by a repairman for leaks? Have you had someone else play it that is better than you? How are the low notes for them?
if it isn’t leaks, I have a lesson video on low notes I put out about a month ago that might help https://www.neffmusic.com/blog/product/low-note-mastery-on-the-saxophone-lesson/ These notes have to be voiced properly to get them out easily. They can be problematic even under the best of circumstances but practicing some of the things I talk about in that video will help. Steve
Pete Vazquez – I had the same problem recently, after using the same mpc for several years. Took my sax to my repair tech and I had bent the low C# key, so the pad wasn’t seating properly. So the problem might be your sax, not you.
If you’ve not had your sax serviced recently it would be worth getting it checked out.
Cheers
Paul
Great review Steve
I’ve also been in two minds about plastic mouthpieces
however I’ve ordered the Chad LB 8* today
Great mouthpiece for projection I more popular genres of music (funk R&B) but also a great mouthpiece for jazz ballads and standard. I’m enjoying the journey with this mouthpiece. I am playing the Chad Brown model # 8 with 2 1/2 Riggoti Gold Light or Rico Royal Reeds
Hi Steve, great review and playing as always. I have been playing the Syos Scott Paddock model for about 3 months now and I absolutely love it, it is powerful, not as bright as I thought, it is a very good mouthpiece if you like funk, R&B but also nice on jazz ballads as well, I really can`t say anything negative about this piece.
Roger, Thanks for adding your review of the Scott Paddock model. I haven’t tried that one yet. Steve