Description
I’m very excited to present GetASax.com’s very own mouthpiece project: GS Mouthpieces (main page)
The big idea here is to let you experience the magic of the best mouthpieces I have ever played, for a price that makes them widely accessible for the first time.
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This listing is for the C Melody saxophone version, which is based on the original tenor sax version here. C Melody saxophone is the red headed stepchild of the saxophone family. But no longer! Turns out, it just needed the right mouthpiece. If you think you know C Melody, using a stock Conn or Buescher mouthpiece, you are in for a big surprise. It plays a LOT like a good tenor sax. After all, it’s only one note above tenor. This mouthpiece might make you fall in love with your C melody for the first time, or renew your love if you are one of the few, proud C melody fanatics out there.
This mouthpiece is a very precise copy of my personal Reso Chamber tenor mouthpiece modified for C Melody saxophones! It’s so good that it literally puts the C melody saxophone back into play as a usable modern instrument. That’s no overstatement.
A note on the different tip opening options: The FG Special facing gives you a tenor facing copied from my tenor piece, refaced by Freddie Gregory to a perfect 7*.This works well if you’re coming to C melody from tenor. But for many players, I would recommend getting the 6 tip for C melody. The 6 tip feels for C melody sax about how a 7 tip feels on tenor sax. It’s very comfortable. This mouthpiece takes tenor reeds, and I find that I like the 6 tip for the C melody piece using the same reed that I use on tenor. (Rigotti 2.5 strong). If you are a newer player, or coming from alto, you might want the 5 tip which measures around .080 and is quite easy to play. If you want a little mellower tone, or if you are most comfortable on a harder reed (like a Rigotti 3.5 or so) then the 5 facing will be perfect for you. It’s an Otto Link facing curve and is really responsive and takes air nicely.
Tone wise, this mouthpiece is medium dark, but not too dark, with moderate focus, and gets punchy without thinning out when pushed. Balanced and responsive, it’s one of the best all-around tenor mouthpieces I’ve played, and it works just as well on C Melody! It’s ideal for jazz, beautiful on ballads, and can handle burning bebop lines like a champ. The facing is just right. Subtone is effortless, response is quick. Altissimo pops right out. It’s very free blowing and takes air extremely comfortably. The 7* .105″ tip opening is very comfortable. Newer players can easily manage it with a 2.5 tenor sax reed. And for pros, it slots right in with a Rigotti 3 light to 3.5 medium. (I like the Rigotti 3 light personally.)
The computer model we developed for the Reso is accurate down to .001” compared to my original Reso Chamber. Each mouthpiece gets carefully hand faced, precisely measured, and tested, so that it really is totally right! Bottom line: You get the equivalent of a $1500+ vintage mouthpiece for only $250. People keep saying we should charge more, but the whole idea from the start has been to make the best mouthpieces widely accessible, not to maximize profits. A lot of people have never played a really good mouthpiece. It’s time to change that.
Using cutting-edge tech, we went through over 50 prototypes so that now every one of these sounds like the original.
Material:
GS Mouthpieces are made of a premium biocompatible dental resin, and printed at an especially high resolution. You don’t see messy print lines everywhere, because the print is so high quality! This dental resin is designed to be in your mouth, so it’s ideal for a mouthpiece.
The density and the hardness are almost identical to vintage hard rubber! So GS Mouthpieces vibrate like hard rubber and feel familiar and comfortable to play.
Finishing:
Each GS Reso gets carefully hand faced and finished before coming to you. This is super important. The magic of a mouthpiece is in the facing. If you buy a generic, mass-produced mouthpiece, chances are the table is not flat and the facing is uneven between the side rails. As a result, the reed vibrates unevenly. It feels stuffy and dead, resistant, and all-around disappointing to play. SO many people have this problem, whether they know it or not. I don’t know how many players I’ve helped to get their first actually good mouthpiece, and all of a sudden playing is fun!
Since we flatten the table, you get an easy reed seal. There are no print lines or marks messing up the facing. It’s smooth and perfect like a boutique mouthpiece. The facing is also finished by hand, which is a BIG plus. I’m really picky about this, so I learned to do it myself so I could be sure these pieces were actually the same as my Freddy Gregory-faced Reso Chamber. Each facing is measured at ten points to make sure that it is even and consistent throughout.
Mouthpiece facings are unforgiving. Small problems can make a big difference in playability. Unlike any other mouthpiece of its kind or anywhere near its price, each one of these GS mouthpieces goes out the door only when it is faced just right. Every one is as good as the best mouthpieces I have played.
I have been collecting mouthpieces seriously for over ten years now, and I have been saving the very best ones over that time. I currently have about 750 pieces, and of those there are about 20 that I think are in that Holy Grail category. Those are the mouthpieces that will be coming out in the GS Mouthpieces line. Keep an eye on this, if you want to put together a collection of the best playing saxophone mouthpieces ever, while keeping costs to a minimum. Each one has a magic of its own, and each one gives you a unique and beautiful tone and response that makes it a joy to play!
Ligatures: No ligature or cap is included, in order to keep costs to a minimum on these mouthpieces. It works with any standard hard rubber tenor ligature.
John Liles (verified owner) –
It would be hard to exaggerate what a game-changer this GS Reso C Melody mouthpiece is. For years, I’ve heard the conventional wisdom that C Melody saxophones are sub-par, but I couldn’t help thinking a company like Conn that made pro-level horns would surely not lower their standards for their C Melody models. When I got my 1920s-vintage Conn many years ago, I picked up a specialty modern C Melody piece from a well-known mouthpiece maker, and it was just okay. I always knew there was something off with this setup (intonation mainly), but I just chalked it up to the usual gospel you hear that C Melodies don’t play in tune.
The first time I put my new GS Reso piece on the old Conn, it was like what I imagine a blind person would experience if their sight was suddenly restored. What a shock it was for my horn to actually sound great — my C Melody came to life for the first time! I played that horn more in the first two or three weeks with the GS Reso than I had in the previous 20 years. I wouldn’t hesitate to play my C Melody on a gig now; I would never have even considered that before.
If you own one of these underrated horns, the GS Reso is the mouthpiece you need. Thanks Brian!
Alex Fisher (verified owner) –
I’m delighted with the Reso C melody mouthpiece. Projection, tonal consistency and intonation are superb! It makes my Conn NW1 a joy to play. Thanks Brian!
Tony DeLozier –
I’ve been playing on a Conn Eagle on my Conn New Wonder C melody up until now, which overall is a good mouthpiece, but it far too closed of a mouthpiece for my playing style.
I got the 7*, which perfectly fits how I play and sounds stunning, great projection and easy subtones, paired with a regular Rico H ligature this is my best playing and most responsive setup over all of my other saxophones and their mp setups.
Abraham Cazares (verified owner) –
This piece is absolutely exceptional. The facing work is superior to any other mouthpiece I have every owned. I paired this piece with a Buescher C melody and the tone is amazing. The low end and mid range speak unbelievably easily and with a great dark tone. The highest range of the instrument comes out in a “tasteful” manner, not shrill at all like many pieces. And the altissimo is incredibly easy for not having a high baffle.
I got the 6 opening and it surely feels like a tenor 7 which I am used to. This is not only the best C melody piece I’ve played but one of the best mouthpieces I’ve played. I absolutely recommend this piece.
Andre Delbos (verified owner) –
This mouthpiece uncovered previously hidden balance to my sound and adds depth and warmth to my York C-melody. The low end resonates with ease and the top end effortlessly sings. I couldn’t be happier. Thank you.
Timothy Emanuel (verified owner) –
Wow! I stumbled across a rejected Buescher C-melody in a thrift store and the price was too good to walk away from. This mouthpiece has truly allowed me the breathe new life into this old horn. The sound is SPECTACULAR! Thank you for your vision and creation, I would have been at a loss without it.
David Brewer (verified owner) –
I’ve owned a 1922 Buescher True Tone C-melody for about 10 years and it’s spent almost all of that time in a drawer not getting played. I wasn’t ever happy with the sound or intonation of mouthpieces I tried; the horn felt stuffy, sounded bad, and just was not fun to play.
I recently purchased the GS Reso C Melody (6 tip opening) and it truly does make this feel like a completely different instrument — not stuffy at all, easy to play in tune top to bottom, and most of all, FUN. If you’ve got a C Melody languishing in a closet or drawer somewhere I highly recommend giving this a shot!
Paul Girton (verified owner) –
Today I received my new GS Reso C Melody (6 tip opening). After playing for just a couple hours on my 1923 Buescher c tenor I can report to you my complete satisfaction. I never thought I’d find such a perfect match. You guys really hit it out of the park! By the way, I’ve never seen such thin and fine tip rail. How did you do that?!?! 3D printing may be the greatest invention since sliced bread. And what better application is there than copying vintage holy grail saxophone mouthpieces?
Nick Eaton –
I’ve been playing this piece (6 tip) on my 1922 King C melody for almost a year now and absolutely love how much it livens up the horn. I haven’t had as much luck as others in the intonation dept; generally the lower stack plays slightly flat and middle D to high Bb are rather sharp. The King seems to have one of the largest bore tapers of the C mel makes (especially vs Buescher/Conn) which might explain the issue. That all being said it’s nothing that can’t be managed with minor embouchure work.
The tone I get with this mouthpiece is very complex and vibrant. It sounds slightly closer to a tenor but with more brilliance, and the warmth and sparkle of the Reso really helps enhance the horn’s own unique voice. It’s also a very versatile piece and can play a variety of styles from 20’s jazz to contemporary pop and everything in between with comfort and ease. Volume wise, you can play at a whisper or compete with amplified instruments without ever thinning out (use resonators too for best results).
Everything aside, this mouthpiece is just a plain joy to play. I’ve even slapped it on my tenor a few times at home and ignored how out of tune I was. I normally gig on alto, tenor and bari, but at this point C melody is what I keep coming back to the most. Thank you Brian for helping shine a spotlight on these amazing horns!
Shai –
Fantastic mouthpiece! Very open and well balanced sound. Most comfortable I’ve felt on a C melody.