Selmer S80 – The lifting nozzle
Many instructors will recommend the Selmer S80 mouthpiece to students who have been playing for a while with the generally cheap mouthpiece that came with their saxophone when they bought or rented it. They are usually very cheap plastic and a beginner will quickly outgrow them.
Probably the most recommended is the Selmer C star, (Selmer C*) due to its medium size (aperture, see explanation below). It’s been many years since I’ve played on a Selmer C Star, but a beginner switching to one of these from a cheap one will instantly notice a difference in its sound and the way it feels…a remarkable step forward.
Many refer to this as a “stepped up” mouthpiece. If he has been around a saxophone for some time, you will know that Selmer is one of the biggest names in the world for his quality saxophones, and yes, for his mouthpieces as well.
I’ve always said that your mouthpiece and reed setup is even more important than your saxophone. Obviously, we’re all looking for the best quality speaker and beautiful feel that we can afford, but as you get closer to your pro model, you can still have great success developing your tone with a good mouthpiece… even if you don’t have a big saxophone The converse is not true… you can’t play a high quality professional saxophone with a cheap plastic mouthpiece and get a great sound.
Each mouthpiece manufacturer has a slightly different way of categorizing and labeling their mouthpiece sizes and Selmer’s mouthpiece sizing system uses letters rather than numbers to classify mouthpiece size: letters A through H. A being the closest, the smallest distance from the reed to the mouthpiece. His is the most open.
The C is a medium to medium closed, which makes it a good choice for beginners to get a good, full, warm sound. A closed mouthpiece will give a darker tone and a really open mouthpiece will produce a brighter tone.
Of course, the player can still get different types of tones from any mouthpiece with the embouchure, reed size, air, etc., but the mouthpiece can make the difference in whether it is easy or hard. The mouthpiece itself is a big part of the overall picture, but don’t forget that embouchure, breathing technique, reed type and strength, and your saxophone all play a part.
And yes, you can get the Selmer S80 for soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone.
