RIP My Saxophone Mouthpiece of 25 Years

The saxophone mouthpiece I've played for 25 years reached the end of the line. I explain what happened, how I noticed it, and what the next move is.
𝘿𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚-𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 »
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Bob Reynolds is an American jazz saxophonist and 3x Grammy Award-winning member of Snarky Puppy. He's toured with John Mayer • John Mayer & Bob Reyno... , Larry Carlton, and many others and released 12 solo albums-4 of which reached the Top 10 in Billboard's Jazz Charts. A pioneering educator, Bob has coached thousands of musicians through his innovative Virtual Teaching Studio bobreynoldsmusic.com/studio. He is a D'Addario Woodwinds artist and lives with his wife and kids in Los Angeles, CA.
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#saxophone #mouthpiece

[@bobreynolds]

Well folks, it's happening. I'm guessing many of you will have suggestions and opinions. I welcome any and all so please share in the comments.

[@bettersax]

My 2 cents Bob... You will sound like you on any mouthpiece. I think that by sticking (somewhat stubbornly) with the same gear, you are giving that gear undue importance. I've seen your mouthpiece up close and it is a miracle that you have made that thing sound so good. It's as though you've been racing formula 1 (and winning) with a beat up Ford Escort. Once you get a (few) mouthpieces you like that are properly faced with even rails etc... you will still sound just like Bob Reynolds, but it will be so much eaiser, and you won't have mouthpiece anxiety anymore. Thanks for posting video about the process!

[@FoolishFrankie]

"Baffles and buffalos" cracked me up😂 Keep us posted I'm interested to see this process and think it's awesome that you're documenting it!!

[@saxnova]

Hey Bob-

[@geralddeloach1391]

Aaron Drake, Matt Marantz, Ted Klum…they all make pieces that are outstanding within your sound spectrum

[@Pistone84]

I recently met Theo Wanne at a saxophone day at a local store and he refaced a few of my mouthpieces. I admittedly had no idea what I wanted, but I tried out some of his very expensive mouthpieces while he worked on mine. They blew me away and gave me so much power.

[@wisconsinmel]

I am really excited about this journey you are embarking on! All the videos along the way are going to be fun to watch to see what mouthpieces you try and what one you choose to play. Maybe you try a couple necks out also?? Good luck Bob! So many things we could all learn, from your experience! 😀

[@c.l.4895]

I’ve got an old squeaky metal meyer you can have for free. It also works well as a doorstop.

[@douglange6863]

You will sound like you on any mouthpiece. As a champion of not chasing after the high dollar custom mouthpiece rabbit hole, you have been an inspiration to many. Buying a mouthpiece off the shelf and having it refaced may cost more than purchasing a custom mouthpiece. There are many boutique mouthpiece makers that offer an impressive variety and great value for their work. I’m sure you will find a mouthpiece that is comfortable, easy to play (no need to raise your left big toe to get “that” note right), and consistently reed friendly. One advantage of a new mouthpiece is being able to have a backup in your case. It’s like having an extra motor for your F1 race car. Besides, you have kids and accidents happen.

[@denniskwokmusic]

Bob, you've always been one of the players that I use as an example when talking about great sounds without spending a ton of money on boutique gear and getting caught up in x refacer or x maker. Anyways, there's so many options and so many opinions but in the end, I think you're still going to sound like the Bob we know and love whether you're playing on a $150 modern CNC mouthpiece or a $600+ custom made whatever.

[@pederlong1784]

Thanks for your presentation

[@migsax]

Bob, where you are fortunate here is that I think there are more highly skilled craftsmen available to consult than ever. Some great vintage pieces have been studied on very advanced equipment and people know more, down to thousanths of inches. I'm sure friends and players you trust are pointing you in the right direction. You'll find something that you're enthused about and then after a few weeks you'll sound like you! (Because that's what happens when you have gear that works and you put the time in) Good luck. I'm interested to see how it plays out.

[@drwallysax]

Glad you're sharing the journey, I find it fascinating! Was fun to hear Brian Curry on the phone, he's an amazing walking encyclopedia of saxophonic knowledge. I'm cooking up something with him as well - if he's involved with your solution , you're in VERY good hands. That said, we all know you'll have YOUR amazing sound on a garden hose. Looking forward to the update!

[@jrudovsky]

Good for you for sticking with the same gear all these years! Sounds like you have a lot of help in solving this problem and who knows maybe you will find something better!

[@sorenfuhrer401]

Yeah, thanks for taking us on the journey! Highly appreciated

[@23dmix]

I went through this process as well. I had a vintage hard rubber mouthpiece and played it hard for ten years. At a certain point, every reed was horrible. It took a long time for me to blame the mouthpiece, but when I heard a recording of a live show, it sounded a LOT like your frustrating snarky puppy clip; kinda thin and very dead. I took a nice leisurely journey, buying a few things and playing them for a while and I eventually landed on a Theo Wanne metal Durga. It’s so fun to play and it’s perfect for the commercial stuff I usually play. (I’m not much of a jazzer)

[@beckyn9338]

It’s hard to say good bye to an old friend, albeit “just” a mouthpiece. It will be interesting to learn with you and see how this goes. Thanks for taking us along for the ride.

[@larrycook9219]

Hi Bob - commiserations on your predicament. For what it’s worth you’ll probably want to play on something with the same resistance and resonance (feel) as your old Link when it was in its prime. The most important considerations being how it feels & sounds to you behind the horn as opposed to what is coming out of the bell. Two quite different perspectives. Good luck with the journey…don’t rush it, Aloha brother 🤙🏻

[@johnliles9445]

I'll be interested in hearing how this turns out. I'm not a pro like yourself, but I also like to stay with gear (mouthpieces, etc.) that I'm happy with rather than have to go through the trial and error process of finding something new. In that spirit, I think if I were in your situation, I would lean more towards what you're doing with getting a copy made and having the "dying" mouthpiece re-worked, rather than find a replacement. I know you've had a lot of recommendations already, but I think Keith Bradbury (Mojo Mouthpiece Work) does fantastic work. Every time I've sent him something to tweak, it comes back with significant improvement. Keith really knows what he's doing, I feel sure he could bring your old piece back to life.

[@KrisVComm]

Gonna see you next month. Excited to hear