Today, I am excited to be reviewing the Gaia 3 & 4 hard rubber soprano saxophone mouthpieces made by Theo Wanne. I reviewed the original Gaia soprano sax mouthpiece about 12 years ago and have been playing that mouthpiece on the soprano sax ever since. This week I will be reviewing three Theo Wanne soprano saxophone mouthpieces: the Gaia 3 (discontinued), the Gaia 4 (about to be discontinued) and the darkest of the Theo Wanne models, the Ambika 3 soprano sax mouthpiece that I have already reviewed (this one was my favorite of the three).
*I am told by Theo Wanne that the Gaia 4 soprano mouthpiece will be discontinued starting on January 1st, 2023. Theo has decided to primarily focus on the Ambika 3 soprano sax mouthpiece and the Durga 5 soprano sax mouthpiece as those are his best sellers.
Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Theo Wanne Gaia 3 & 4 soprano sax mouthpieces were shipped with the usual high standards of the Theo Wanne mouthpiece company. Each mouthpiece comes in a perfectly designed box with stylish gold printing on it with all the details about the sax mouthpiece inside. Inside the box is a beautiful black leatherette Theo Wanne mouthpiece case with the soprano saxophone mouthpiece well protected inside. The Gaia 3 & 4 soprano saxophone mouthpieces I am reviewing today have a 7 tip opening which is measured at .065 and are made of hard rubber.
Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
Even before you look at the Theo Wanne mouthpieces themselves, everything about the Theo Wanne packaging and presentation just speaks to quality and high standards. Just the process of opening the package and unpacking the mouthpiece brings about an excitement and anticipation that these mouthpieces you are about to play are going to be amazing!
Here is how the Theo Wanne website describes the new Gaia 4 soprano saxophone mouthpiece:
The GAIA soprano series has been VERY popular, providing modern projection, along with the vintage large chamber sound. The GAIA 4 updates this concept MUCH farther, with a completely new Large-Stadium Chamber™ and updated Shark Gill Baffle™ design. It now has significantly more presence, similar to mouthpieces such as the Selmer Soloist, but with the full bodies beauty the GAIA model mouthpiece has become famous for. This is a major upgrade!
With the addition of the AMBIKA soprano saxophone mouthpiece, which truly captures the warm large chamber soprano sound, the GAIA 4 moves further into the full bodied core sound, which we hope you love as much as we do.
For decades musicians asked Theo for the perfect large chamber soprano mouthpiece. He modified vintage Buescher and Slant Otto Link (among other) vintage mouthpieces. Each of these had wonderful characteristics, but none were the ‘whole package.’ So Theo designed the GAIA series of soprano sax mouthpieces. The feedback has been overwhelming relief from many players who finally found the mouthpiece giving them the sound they always desired, but didn’t even know it because nothing like it has existed before!
Like all Theo Wanne™ mouthpieces, the GAIA 4 is manufactured with accuracy higher than any other mouthpiece, vintage or new, and uses the highest quality materials in its construction. The GAIA 4 is truly revolutionary in bringing the vintage sound up to date both in design and construction. It opens up the creative genius inside!
SOUND
- Modern projection with a full rich, fat, and robust sound never before heard from a soprano mouthpiece.
- Revolutionary in marrying the benefits of vintage design and modern construction.
DESIGN
- Includes our newly designed Large-Stadium-Chamber! Rounded inner side walls all the way to the tip. Perfectly sculpted roll-over baffle.
- Crafted to the highest accuracy in the history of saxophone mouthpieces.
- Designed by Theo Wanne, the foremost expert on the design and manufacturing of vintage and new mouthpieces.
DETAILS
- Case: Beautiful Leatherette Case! Like the case? See our other Mouthpiece and Reed Cases here!
- Serial Number: Includes serial number showing care given to your mouthpiece.
- Plating: Reticulated 24K Gold plating with highlights on globe logo on metal mouthpiece.
- Premium Hard Rubber: The Hard Rubber GAIA 4 uses the finest vintage style hard rubber on the planet!
- Ligature: The Hard Rubber GAIA 4 includes the Enlightened Ligature, rated #1 ligature in the world. To truly individualize your sound, try our premium Pressure Plates, which fit all of our mouthpieces and ligatures!.
- Cap: Patented Reed Replacer Cap. The most secure cap in the world.
- Bite Pad: User Replaceable Bite Pads allow you to peel and stick on new bite pads. Try our varying hardness bite pads to personalize the feel.
Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Theo Wanne Gaia 3 & 4 soprano saxophone mouthpieces are beautifully made and have a perfect looking symmetry and balance to them. The Gaia soprano mouthpiece engraving is as perfect as can be. Not a flaw or mistake anywhere. Each Theo Wanne mouthpiece has a unique serial number on it which I really love as I know which mouthpiece is mine and if I decide to sell a mouthpiece everyone knows from the serial number that this is the mouthpiece I reviewed on my site.
The tip, rails, baffle, table and chamber all look perfect as well. Smooth, even, symmetrical…….flawless. The sidewalls are scooped out as they head towards what I would describe as a large chamber. The windows of the Gaia 3 & 4 soprano sax mouthpiece are squared off at the bottom and looks to be similar in size to the window of the original Gaia soprano sax mouthpiece I already own. I like to think the extra large windows on these Theo Wanne soprano mouthpieces allow more of the saxophone reed to vibrate and respond while playing.
Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
The chamber of the Gaia 3 & 4 soprano sax mouthpieces looks to be slightly bigger in diameter than the bore of the mouthpieces. The roof of the chambers on both mouthpieces are nice and thin.
The Theo Wanne description says that the Gaia 4 soprano sax mouthpiece has a “shark-gill” baffle design which I thought were the lines that run across the baffle. I don’t see those lines on the Gaia 4 baffle though, so I am either misunderstanding what a shark-gill baffle is, or the description of the Gaia 4 needs to be corrected.
The baffle of the Gaia 4 soprano sax mouthpiece looks a little bit higher than the Ambika 3 mouthpiece baffle initially but where it is easier to see the difference between the baffles of the Gaia 4 and the Ambika 3 is when you look at the length of the Gaia 4 baffle. It looks longer than the Ambika 3 baffle and the outside edges of the baffle curve up more increasing the height of the baffle and decreasing the chamber size compared to the Ambika 3 mouthpiece baffle and chamber.
The Gaia 3 baffle looks closer to the shape of the Ambika 3 baffle but the initial run of the baffle looks higher than on the Ambika 3 baffle. The end of the baffle as it enters the chamber of both mouthpieces looks quite similar between the Gaia 3 soprano mouthpiece and the Ambika 3 soprano mouthpiece.
Theo Wanne Gaia 3 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
When comparing the photos of the Gaia 3 mouthpiece chamber (photo right above this) and the Gaia 4 mouthpiece chamber (two photos up), you can see that the Gaia 3 baffle does not look as high as the baffle edges on the Gaia 4 mouthpiece as it nears the chamber. To my eyes, the chamber of the Gaia 3 mouthpiece also looks bigger than the chamber of the Gaia 4 soprano mouthpiece when I compare both mouthpieces side by side. You can see this clearly in the two photos above.
Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Theo Wanne Gaia 3 & 4 soprano saxophone mouthpieces played perfectly with the same Vandoren Java 3 soprano saxophone reed. I have always loved Vandoren Java reeds on the soprano sax and they played beautifully on these two Gaia soprano mouthpieces.
I have just reviewed the Ambika 3 soprano saxophone mouthpiece and stated my reasons for loving the darker and warmer soprano saxophone tone when compared to the original Gaia soprano saxophone mouthpiece I have been playing for the last decade. The Gaia 4 mouthpiece plays great but in comparison to the Ambika 3 mouthpiece, the Gaia 4 is brighter and edgier like my original Gaia soprano mouthpiece. You can hear it from the first line I play if you compare the sound clips below.
I found the Gaia 3 soprano mouthpiece to be fatter in tone than the Gaia 4 soprano mouthpiece when listening back to the sound clips. I wonder if this is due to the slightly larger chamber area and slightly lower baffle profile of the Gaia 3 mouthpiece. The Gaia 4 mouthpiece seemed brighter, more focused and more powerful sounding compared to the Gaia 3 soprano mouthpiece in my opinion.
Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Theo Wanne Gaia 3 & 4 soprano saxophone mouthpieces played great for me. The tone was on the brighter side of a soprano saxophone tone especially when compared to the darker Ambika 3 soprano saxophone mouthpiece I just finished reviewing. Where the Ambika 3 felt warm and round in tone, the Gaia 3 & 4 felt more focused and bright. Almost like the Ambika 3 tone was a big warm hug and the Gaia 4 tone was more coming right at you with a brighter, edgier and more aggressive tone. The Gaia 3 tone was more like a welcoming friendly handshake. The Gaia 3 tone seemed to sit in between the Ambika 3 and the Gaia 4 tone for me. The Gaia 3 was a bit fatter, rounder and a little less bright than the Gaia 4 tone. The Gaia 3 & 4 mouthpieces both seemed more powerful to me than the Ambika 3, but that might just be due to the brighter tone seeming louder to my ears as the Ambika 3 mouthpiece has plenty of power and volume when pushed.
The intonation was as to be expected on my Yamaha YSS-62 soprano saxophone and the articulation was nice and clean on both mouthpieces. At times, some of the high notes seemed thinner in tone in comparison to the Ambika 3 soprano mouthpiece which had more of a fat roundness in the tone of the high notes.
Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
In my opinion, the Theo Wanne Gaia 3 & 4 soprano saxophone mouthpieces are great soprano saxophone mouthpieces for those looking for a soprano saxophone sound that is brighter and can deliver some nice power and volume. Give the sound clips below a listen and decide for yourself which you prefer. There are two clips for the Gaia 4 soprano mouthpiece and two clips for the Gaia 3 soprano mouthpiece. Both clips for each mouthpiece are the same but the first one has a little bit of reverb added and the second clip has no effects added.
For your convenience, I have decided to include the sound clips from the Ambika 3 soprano mouthpiece review as well so you can more easily compare them to each other.
If you like the sound and look of the Gaia 4 soprano saxophone mouthpiece by Theo Wanne, you can find them at Theo Wanne’s website (but as I wrote in the beginning of the review, the Gaia 4 is being discontinued on January 1st, 2023 so if you want one, get it now. The Gaia 3 is already discontinued)
I have agreed to be an affiliate for Theo Wanne so if you purchase a Theo Wanne Gaia 4 soprano sax mouthpiece from a link here in the review, I 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…..).
If you are lucky enough to play a Theo Wanne Gaia 3 or 4 soprano saxophone mouthpiece or have any other thoughts or comments, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve
Gaia 4 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece – Vandoren Java Green 3 Reed-Reverb Added
Theo Wanne Gaia 4 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece – Vandoren Java Green 3 Reed-No Effects
Gaia 3 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
Theo Wanne Gaia 3 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece – Vandoren Java Green 3 Reed-Reverb Added
Theo Wanne Gaia 3 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece – Vandoren Java Green 3 Reed-No Effects
Ambika 3 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece – Vandoren Java Green 3 Reed-Reverb Added
Theo Wanne Ambika 3 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece – Vandoren Java Green 3 Reed-No Effects
I have been using the Gaia 3, 9 tip opening since it came out. I recently switched to a Durga 5, 9 tip opening which is also a great mouthpiece. I’m playing a Keilwerth SX90 and the more focused Durga matches really well, for me that is. Reeds are D’Addario jazz select unfiled 3H. If I was playing a Yamaha, Selmer, Yani I would probably use the Gaia or an Ambika. Nice reviews, all three sound great (you sound great)!
Selling the Durga 5 now. The GAIA 3 is really good yet I’m going to give an Ambika 3 a try.
Are you writing about the TW soprano mouthpieces?
Yes
For my taste, for what I hear from the computer, in order of preference: I ambika 3, II gaia 4 and last gaia 3.
Thanks. I felt the same while playing them but strangely enough, I like the recording of the Gaia 3 over the Gaia 4 for some reason. The Ambika 3 I loved paying the most and I loved listening back to the recording of it the most.
Steve … Have you or will you do an evaluation of the Durga 5 soprano mouthpiece? Thanks … Melvin Eley, Jr.
I haven’t so far. Maybe in the future but it is not currently on my desk to review.
I am referring to the sound with no effects, which is what I listened to.
I could be wrong, these are small nuances, but it, only sometimes, seems to me that the sound of the gaia 4 is just slightly fatter and, only sometimes I perceive it, slightly more spread than the sound of the slightly more centered gaia 3: I don’t know if it makes sense that, for this motif, playing them you prefer the inverse of them than listening to them.
Giuseppe.
PS: Congratulations on the new look of the site!
Interesting. I’ll have to listen back again to the recordings. I actually listened to the recordings with reverb in building my impressions of the differences between the Gaia 3 and 4. I’ll listen to the dry recordings again. Thanks for your insight!
I notice a strange effect that happens to me when I listen to the recordings several times, as happens when I try new mouthpieces in a shop: as if, after a while, the perception of the sound “anesthetizes”; I try two mouthpieces and, for a few minutes, the difference is very noticeable; after a while, as time passes, the difference is less perceived… To choose, perhaps, I need to take advantage of the first impression.
I don’t know if it happens to other people too.
Giuseppe.
Hi Steve
The Ambika sounds the best IMO
I wonder how it compares to the Retro Revival Shorty. Would be nice if you can try out that mp and write a review about it.
Leo