Geller Blackbird Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Today, I am reviewing an original and uniquely designed tenor saxophone mouthpiece named the “Geller Blackbird” that I received from Max Geller in Munich, Germany.

Max reached out to me a number of months ago to see if I was interested in trying his new Geller Blackbird tenor and alto saxophone mouthpieces.  The drawings and photos he sent me of the designs of these two saxophone mouthpieces intrigued me enough that I was very curious to try these two mouthpieces out.

Geller Blackbird 7* Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

What intrigued me about the design concept of the Geller Blackbird tenor saxophone mouthpiece was the flowing and smooth medium high baffle, the extra large chamber and the unique outward design of this mouthpiece.

As you look at the photos in this review, you will probably agree that the Geller Blackbird tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a very beautiful, modern and futuristic look to it.  The side photo with the big fat body yet thinner beak profile really caught my attention as unique to the saxophone mouthpiece world.

Geller Blackbird 7* Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Here’s a quote from the  Geller Mouthpiece website about the Geller Ebonite Blackbird mouthpieces:

Geller Blackbird 7* Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Geller Blackbird 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece came well packaged and protected from Germany.  The mouthpiece comes in a well made thick white box with the “G” gold logo on the lid and “Geller Ebonit” printed in Gold below the logo.

The bottom of the box has the tip opening of 7* listed as well as more exact measurements of 2.65 mm/.104 inch.   Below the tip opening, the facing length is listed as 24mm as well as the description of the chamber as an “oval chamber”.

Inside the box, the Blackbird mouthpiece is nestled in a luxurious thick black velvet bag that has a red velvet interior.  The bag feels and looks very classy.

Geller Blackbird 7* Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Geller Blackbird tenor saxophone mouthpiece is absolutely beautiful to look at as you take it out of that lush velvet bag.  The ebonite and gold are smooth and shiny with not an imperfection, fingerprint or smudge anywhere.

The tip, rails and table look flawlessly made and my tenor sax reeds lined up with the tip rail nicely.  The outside curve of the tip rail on both sides has a more rounded profile suited to the tip shape of Vandoren reeds as opposed to the Rigotti reed cut that has a sharper decline at the outside corners of the reed tip.  Regardless of this, both reeds sealed well on the Blackbird mouthpiece and performed excellently.

Geller Blackbird 7* Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Geller Blackbird tenor sax mouthpiece has a beautifully smooth medium high and long baffle profile.   The sidewalls look straight to my eyes with a scoop in the upper rear corners of the sidewalls as they approach the chamber area.

The chamber looks like an extra large chamber to me as it is larger in diameter than the bore of the mouthpiece.   Max Geller describes the chamber as “oval” but as you look at the chamber from both ends of the mouthpiece, it looks round. If you look closer though, you will notice that the roof of the chamber, under the table, is scooped out and the bottom of the chamber has a pretty big scoop out of it as well.  I believe that is what gives the chamber an “oval” shape even though it is hard to see.

This “oval” shaped chamber is most likely the reason that the Geller Blackbird tenor sax mouthpiece has such a unique outward body shape.  If you look at the body from the top, it has a pretty slim profile but if you look at it from the side, the body profile is much fatter to allow that “oval” chamber shape inside the mouthpiece.

Geller Blackbird 7* Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Geller Blackbird tenor sax mouthpiece also has a Gold shank to it that looks smooth and beautiful as well.  As you can see in the photo below, the gold shank is not just sitting on the end of the mouthpiece but the gold plated brass is designed to line a good portion of the bore of the mouthpiece which I would think would take a bit of craftsmanship and artistry to do it so well.

Max describes the gold plated shank this way on his website:

“Blackbird tenor saxophone mouthpieces by Geller-Ebonit are provided with a gold-plated brass stud, which creates an extremely direct connection to the instrument.”-Max Geller

Geller Blackbird 7* Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

As you can see in the side photos of the Geller Blackbird mouthpiece, the beak profile of the Blackbird is very low as compared to most hard rubber or resin tenor saxophone mouthpieces on the market.   I wasn’t sure how I would feel about playing on a mouthpiece with a thinner beak like this but once I played on it for a little bit, it felt very comfortable to me (more comfortable than a typical hard rubber Otto Link beak profile …..at least for me).

Geller Blackbird 7* Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Max Geller also sent a beautifully crafted gold ligature with the Blackbird tenor mouthpiece.  The contact points of the ligature to the reed are two raised bars.   The ligature is not flimsy but made of rather thick brass.   Although the screw does tighten and loosen the ligature to a degree, my one complaint about the ligature is that it is pretty tight on the mouthpiece body even with the screw all the way loosened.  You can slide the ligature about 75% down the table before it tightens pretty firmly around the mouthpiece body.  If you wanted the ligature placed more towards the back of the reed, you would have to push the ligature on further and my guess is that it would put marks on the body of the mouthpiece which really would be a shame for such a beautiful looking mouthpiece.

Geller Gold Ligature for the Blackbird  Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Along with everything else, Max also sent a brand new Vandoren Java Red Box #3 tenor saxophone reed because he loves how this reed performs on the Blackbird tenor sax mouthpiece.   I haven’t played a Vandoren Java Red reed in a very long time but I gave it a shot and it played great on the Geller Blackbird tenor mouthpiece.

Geller Blackbird 7* Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The first thought I had when first playing the Geller Blackbird tenor sax mouthpiece was: “Wow, that’s a pretty fat tenor saxophone sound!”  The medium high and long baffle gives the tone some punch and brightness but the extra large chamber seems to really fatten up the tone nicely.

The tone has more of a pure sound to it than a grainy and textured tenor saxophone sound which I associate more with hard rubber Otto Links and mouthpieces designed like those Otto Links.   The bottom range of the saxophone has a fatness that can be focused and pure or you can throw some sub-tone in there and the tone becomes more spread and lush sounding.

Geller Blackbird 7* Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The high notes add some nice brightness to the tone that could be shaped easily for more brightness or less within the fat tone.  The altissimo range was easily attained once I got used to the mouthpiece.  I will admit that in the first 30 seconds of trying to go into the altissimo range of the saxophone it felt very different.  What I mean, is that my normal “voicing” for that range of the saxophone didn’t quite get me to the notes as easily as usual.

After a bit of playing up there, I realized that I just needed to “voice” those altissimo notes a little bit differently and then they popped right out.    My guess is that I was probably feeling the difference of that extra large oval chamber.   As you can hear in the clips, I  soon forgot about this issue once I adjusted to the altissimo “voicing” that this setup needed.

Geller Blackbird 7* Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I found the Geller Blackbird tenor sax mouthpiece to have a unique sound that correlates to it’s unique design.  At medium and softer volumes, the Geller Blackbird had a fat and spread tone that was lush and full sounding.

When more volume is added, the tone seemed to center and focus more as the tone becomes less spread and more solid and compact sounding.

The Geller Blackbird tenor mouthpiece articulated well and the intonation was within the normal parameters on my tenor saxophone.

As far as volume, the Geller Blackbird tenor mouthpiece could be pushed to a respectable volume.  It is certainly not a “paint peeler”,  but it seems to me that Max Geller has designed this Blackbird tenor sax mouthpiece to blend a fatness of tone with power and added brightness in just the right combination.  I think it sounds great with the reverb added on the altissimo sound clip.

Geller Blackbird 7* Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

If you read this review, listen to the clips, and decide the Geller Blackbird Ebonite tenor sax mouthpiece is worth a try, you can purchase one on the Geller website.

Congratulations to Max Geller for designing and creating a beautifully well crafted tenor saxophone mouthpiece that is indeed unique and original.  In this day and age where they say everything has been done and there is nothing new, Max Geller has thought outside the box and created a mouthpiece that is different from all the rest in my opinion.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and if you get a Max Geller Blackbird tenor saxophone mouthpiece, be sure to come back and let us know what you think in the comments below……..Thanks!!

Geller Blackbird 7* Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Vandoren Java Red Box 3 Reed-No Effects

Geller Blackbird 7* Ebonite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Vandoren Java Red Box 3 Reed-Altissimo Clip with Reverb Added