Today, I am reviewing the new BetterSax Burnin’ 7* hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece made through a collaboration between Jay Metcalf of BetterSax and Jody Espina of Jody Jazz saxophone mouthpieces.
Jay Metcalf has a fantastic Youtube channel on all things saxophone entitled “Better Sax” with over 284K subscribers at the time of this review. Jay’s videos are well produced, entertaining and educational. When Jay contacted me writing that he had a Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece he was releasing with the help of Jody Espina at Jody Jazz, I was interested in reviewing it.
BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
Here is a description of the BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece from the Sweetwater website:
The Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece stems from a unique collaboration between JodyJazz and BetterSax founder Jay Metcalf, one of the world’s top saxophone educators and influencers. The result is a very free-blowing hard rubber sax mouthpiece that absolutely shimmers. Each mouthpiece is meticulously crafted with the same high standards as any other JodyJazz saxophone mouthpiece. The large chamber gives you the warmth and depth that lets you blend well with other musicians; however, thanks to the straight sidewalls and roll-over baffle, there’s a surprising amount of power and brightness behind the sound, allowing you to stand out as a soloist. The 7* tip opening is also great for advancing sax players who want to put more air into their saxophone. With this BetterSax Burnin’ saxophone mouthpiece, you’ll have all the projection you need to make your next sax performance a crowd-pleaser!
BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Features:
- Made in the USA by JodyJazz
- Roll-over baffle for power, projection, and brightness
- Large chamber for lush warmth and sonic depth
- Straight side walls for a free-blowing feel
- Matte finish exterior with hand-painted logo
- Hand-finished and play tested by JodyJazz
- Available in three tip openings of 6*, 7* and 8*
BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece came well packaged and protected in a BetterSax box which was also protected with ample packing and cushioning around the box containing the mouthpiece. Jay Metcalf also sent me a Jody Jazz Power Ring ligature and cap that fit on the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece to try as well. *I might do a review of the Jody Jazz Power Ring ligature in a future review……..
My first impressions of the BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece as I took it out of the box is that it is a really solid and well made mouthpiece. I have never had the chance to review a Jody Jazz made sax mouthpiece here on the site but this Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece looks fantastic upon first inspection.
BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece is made with great looking hard rubber which is very smooth and polished to the touch. The gold engraving on the mouthpiece is clean and crisp. The side of the Burnin’ tenor mouthpiece has “BetterSax” engraved into the hard rubber and the other side of the mouthpiece has the tip opening of 7* engraved next to the table. The top of the Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a sax logo and “Burnin’” engraved in gold. There are two gold rings around the shank of the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece comes with a BetterSax mouthpiece patch already on the beak of the mouthpiece.
BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a perfect looking table, rails, tip and baffle profile. All these elements look smooth, even, symmetrical and beautifully machined. The tip rail is nice and thin as are the side rails as they head towards the tip. The tip rail matches the tip shape of the tenor sax reeds perfectly.
The baffle is what I would describe as a medium high long gentle rollover baffle. The beginning of the medium high baffle extends about 1/2 an inch into the mouthpiece before it slopes down into a steeper decline that is scooped from side to side. The baffle terminates underneath where the window of the mouthpiece ends.
The roof of the chamber is thin where it starts next to the window but then thickens as it heads through the large chamber. The side walls are straight as they travel from the tip to the chamber area. The bore of the mouthpiece looks to be larger in diameter than the chamber area. After the straight sidewalls terminate, the the round bore begins.
BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece played great with the Rigotti Gold reeds as well as the Boston Sax Shop reeds that I tried on it. For the sound clips below, I used a Rigotti Gold 3 medium reed (the 3 light reeds felt a little too soft to me) as well as a BSS size 3 reed. These reed strengths felt very comfortable for me on the 7* tip opening of the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece.
I have posted three sound clips of the BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece below. The first is with a BSS #3 tenor sax reed. The second clip is with a Rigotti Gold 3 medium reed and the third clip is just a few of my altissimo licks with reverb added so you can hear how the Burnin’ tenor mouthpiece might sound with more bluesy, altissimo type lines with reverb added.
I like to add clips with reverb added to my reviews to give the listener a taste of what a mouthpiece might sound like with a little reverb added. This also gives the listener an idea of how the mouthpiece might sound when played in a big hall or theater with a natural reverb in the room.
BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece was a lot of fun to play! I am not sure if I have played a tenor sax mouthpiece before that had such a huge tonal variation accessible between dark and bright. When playing at a soft volume, the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece had one of the darkest, warmest and lush tenor saxophone tones I have experienced. It was really sultry, buttery and sexy sounding and the sub-tones were just so smooth and lush sounding. I loved playing at those softer volumes because of this beautiful warmth of tone the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece produced.
At a medium volume, the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece seemed to become more focused and a bit brighter. I tend to think that the core and focus becomes more concentrated as the player pushes more air through the chamber and those straight sidewalls direct the sound through that more narrow passage than a typical Otto Link type round chamber would have.
In comparison, many Otto Link round chambered tenor sax mouthpieces can have a spread tone and then when pushed, get louder while still being spread in tone or even get more spread. (This is not true for all Otto Link tenor sax mouthpieces as I played some that were more focused in tone than others……) The BetterSax Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece seemed to get more focused and concentrated in tone when pushed louder in comparison to most of the Otto Link tenor mouthpieces I have played.
At full volume, the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece becomes even brighter and more focused. It can handle brighter type rock and R&B type lines and altissimo and can really be quite powerful when pushed to the max. Of course, the true test, is being able to test out a mouthpiece on a live gig. I have been unable to do that with the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece but it sounded pretty darn loud in my house when played at full volume.
This variation from soft, dark and warm to an “in your face” bright and more focused tone with edge is really quite interesting and makes the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece quite versatile in my opinion.
BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The low end range of the saxophone sounds really fat and has a warm darkness to the tone at a low volume with the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece. The middle range and high range of the saxophone can retain this warm tone if you remain at a soft volume but as soon as I added more air and volume the tone gets brighter in correlation to the volume.
The smoothness of tone I describe really makes the Burnin’ mouthpiece fun to play fast lines with. The lines have that “smooth as butter” quality to the lines where the notes just whip by really fast but seem so smooth and connected.
The intonation on the Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece was excellent and within the normal parameters on my Selmer SBA tenor saxophone.
BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Burnin’ tenor mouthpiece also provided a nice thickness and weight to the tone that I really liked. The tone has a fullness and fattness to it while also being focused. These qualities make the Burnin’ mouthpiece more versatile for straight ahead jazz playing or letting it rip in louder genres of music.
The altissimo range of the saxophone was easy to attain with the Burnin’ mouthpiece and vibrato, bends, sub-tones and variations in volume were easy to manipulate and mold and the Burnin’ tenor mouthpiece provided a beautiful palette of tonal colors to paint with musically while playing.
On the first clip with the BSS (Boston Sax Shop) #3 reed, you can hear the warm tone and buttery smoothness I describe in the very first line I play. At the 1:01 mark, I play with a little more air and volume and you can hear how the tone changes to be a bit brighter, more aggressive and more focused. At the end of the clip, the tone gets softer and returns back to that darker warm tone that I started the clip with.
On the second clip, with the Rigotti Gold 3 medium reed, the first line is again started with this delicious warmth of tone in the low register. At the 1:05 mark, I play “Moose the Mooche” and the tone is nice and thick and rich. At 1:43-2:03 I play some altissimo lines at a medium volume and the altissimo notes sound centered and focused to me. From 3:20 to the end, I return to that smooth warm buttery tone that I describe. I love that………
On the third clip, I play at full volume and you can hear that “in your face” type of projection the BetterSax Burnin’ tenor sax mouthpiece can have when pushed. The tone can get edgier and tougher sounding for those genres of music that need a solo more along those lines.
BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
In my opinion, the BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a great hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece for those looking for a versatile mouthpiece that can play with a beautiful warmth and “smooth as butter” darkness to the tone at soft to medium volumes while also providing the option of pushing it to a more powerful and aggressive brightness of tone when needed for louder genres of music. Check out the three sound clips below to hear these qualities in action.
If you like the sound and look of the Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece by BetterSax, you can find them for sale at Sweetwater. I have agreed to be an affiliate for Sweetwater so if you purchase a BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece from this link, neffmusic.com will receive a small commission on the sale. (This helps to support my site and keep the saxophone related reviews, articles and transcriptions coming to you…..). Sweetwater even offers the option to pay in three installments as well which is nice.
If you are lucky enough to play a BetterSax Burnin’ tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve
BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Boston Sax Shop 3 Reed
BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Rigotti Gold 3 Medium Reed
BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece – Boston Sax Shop Reed-Reverb Added
Really enjoy seeing my sax heros collaborate like this and leverage each other’s efforts. You guys rock, great review as always.
The looks are exactly the same as the Jody Jazz HR. It would be interesting to know if there are any differences between them, otherwise I tend to think they are the same…
In this video https://youtu.be/LfRfxq-lj4w at the 22:46 mark and Jody and Jeff talk about the Burnin’ mouthpiece being in between the Jody Jazz HR* and the Jody Jazz Jet. They are talking about the alto mouthpieces but I assume the same is true for the tenor mouthpieces as well.
I’ll check it out. Thanks!
I really like the matte finish of the HR* and wanted the same for the Burnin’. Mouthpieces often look similar on the outside, but it is the interior that shapes the sound. Selling a copy of another mouthpiece under a different name would be pointless and I don’t think anyone would waste their time doing that.
Have a look at photos of both mouthpieces to see the differences. You can also listen to multiple examples available online of both of those mouthpieces to hear the differences. Obviously the best way to know is to try them both, which I hope you get the opportunity to do sometime.
Great response Jay
Hi,
In the pictures of the interior of the mouthpiece you can see that the Burnin piece has more material in the baffle area which would explain why it is capable of a more powerful sound compared to the JJ HR which has a larger Link-like chamber with almost no baffle.
All the best,
Dan G
Steve,
Great hearing you on this mouthpiece. You sound fantastic on it. Thank you for taking the time to review it so carefully as you always do. Your reviews are a consistently reliable source for saxophonists around the world deciding which mouthpieces to purchase.
I am very happy that you find the same qualities in the Burnin’ as I do and that the goal of creating an extremely versatile mouthpiece that can provide everything that most working musicians need on typical gigs was accomplished.
It means a lot to hear that you enjoyed playing on the piece, as do so many others who have been picking them up. I’m thinking that your mouthpiece collection is still bigger than mine, but the Burnin’ for alto and tenor are my personal favorites out of them all.
I agree and apologize for suggesting that it could be a copy of the HR which is my actual mouthpiece. You are right on stating it would be pointless on having Jody making a copy of an existing model that he owns. My bad. I would certainly be interested on giving it a try if I could return it incase it didn’t work for me.
Well said the mark of a true man of honor is being big enough to admit he was wrong
I own the alto version of this piece in a 5 opening. Althought a relative noob, I have played on the HR*, Jet, a PhilTone and SYOS pieces, so have some grounds for inexpert comparison. I find the HR* too one dimensional, even bland in comparison, and the Jet too much of a shrieker. TThe PhilTone is too sweet, while the SYOS runs the Burnin’ a close second for versaility. It’s that versatility of the Burnin’ which IMHO is its defining feature. While it’s too bright for me at full projection, it’s handy to know the power is there if I need it – say in a noisy band situation. And it’s remarkable the same piece also offers me a soft dark chocolate ‘woofle’ if I just want to noodle in an empty speak easy after midnight. I won’t be changing this puppy for anything else in the foreseeable future.
I own and have all the 5 pieces: HR* alto/tenor (6*s), Jet tenor 7*, Burnin’ alto (6*)/tenor (7*) and I am able to play them side-by-side. It is great that they are all varieties from the same maker. I never really took to the Jet as I find it a bit too bright for me but kept it my collection. Because of this, I never tried the SuperJet (even in local stores) but that is just me and my sound preference.
The Burnin’ and HR* are NOT the same. They don’t play the same. The versatility that the Burnin’ presents is exciting. While the HR* is slightly dark, the Burning has both dark and bright. The punch is there from the go on Burnin’ even when you are playing soft/dark. It is as if it is just rearing/ready to go. I love its core at all volume levels.
When I played tenor HR* Custom Dark (7*) after Burnin’, I appreciated the darkness of the Custom that like I never did before. I spent some time playing all, one after the other; even the Hand-Hammered 7* which is in a world of its own in terms of richness and smoothness. The essence of this comment is not to list some of my collection but to say that these mouthpieces are slightly different; one from the other in a continuum of shades. They are like a spectrum of colors…. a rainbow. You have to play them back-to-back to appreciate the difference of those that are close and not just by looking at pictures online.
The Burnin’ feels like Jody combined 2-3 pieces in one. Its a great pull off! Its nice to know that its a collaboration of idea from the two J’s; Jay and Jody and amazing/comforting that these are from the stables of the same factory/maker. If I have to go out with just one mouthpiece to a gig, I think, I will take the Burnin’ for its versatility.
I think your analysis is spot on. I like it most at soft volumes to medium perhaps med-loud. At full volume I think it looses it’s character and is a little too bright for my tastes though I guess it will sufficiently cut through in rock setting. Would be curious to hear it through a vintage Conn. Also would like to hear an A/B comparison Burnin against the 10mfan Classic mk2. For the price though I’m tempted to buy one.
Dear Steve,
I very much appreciate your excellent review of the BetterSax Burnin’ Tenor mp and those AMAZING sound clips. You have a mind-blowingly gorgeous sound!
After scanning reviews on SOTW and elsewhere I’m leaning toward upgrading to a Burnin’ tenor mp (from a metal Otto Link), and your clips are pushing that decision towards critical mass. I will probably go for it and if I do I will use your link to Sweetwater to support your site. But I also have an extra burnin’ question: Can you please tell us what kind of tenor sax you were playing on those Burnin’ clips? Curious minds need to know. Thanks so much!
Zim,
I’m glad you liked the clips and thank you for the compliments. I am playing a Selmer SBA tenor saxophone on those clips and all the tenor mouthpiece clips on my website. I hope you love the Burnin’ tenor mouthpiece. Please come back and let us know what you think once you get it and play it for a while. Steve
And it happened… I accidentally dropped my JJ HR and broke it. I found a Burning 8* on Thomman that had been returned and was selling cheap so I bought it. It is not as easy to play as the JJ by just a tiny bit, but the sound is way better, stronger and fuller, the whole room starts to resonate when I play it. I am going down from a 2,5 to a 2 reed strength and It should be perfect after playing it for some time.
I have now moved on to a JJ Custom Dark, which is better for my particular sad blues needs. BUT I certainly don’t contest the nice things said about the Burnin’ piece and keep it by me for when I need its manifold virtues.
Will do Steve, and thanks to all the other intelligent commenters on this thread. Like John V., I too have “sad blues needs” (ha!), and so a JJ Custom Dark could be in my future too.
Hey Steve just wanted you to know I purchased this MP thru your review. It was a toss up between the Drake FG and the Burning. I went with HR. If it doesn’t work out Sweetwater sells the Drake. Will come back and give you an opinion after I play it. thanks
After a week of playing and experimenting with different reeds, 2 1/2 and 3, it is reed friendly. It projects really well and gives you a solid focus bottom all the way thru to high f #. I don’t play into the altissimo. I was looking for a brighter sound thru the middle however I did not want to go down the road of metal or ceramic. In conclusion once I get more playing time it will come together completely. This plays well on a Yani modern and a 1938 martin. I alternate between this and a Slant. Jay’s blends well in my “loud” band.