Review of the Theo Wanne Shiva 2 7* 0.105 Mouthpiece

[@puravida1949]

I've watched all of your reviews which are excellent!! Thank you! You sound great on all the mouthpieces!! Wonderful tenor sound.

[@Sirvalorsax]

Thanks!

[@dannyjang9952]

You pretty much sound great on any mouthpiece! Nice work! 👍

[@Sirvalorsax]

Thanks

[@zvonimirtosic6171]

Among Theo Wanne's mouthpieces, Shiva has the highest step baffle, it is very projecting, almost extremely bright, but, oh man .. it suits you. It gives you an edge. You sound fantastic with this mouthpiece, and you do it justice, ways better than others I heard using the same mouthpiece. Others would play funk or pop with it, but your balladic and atmospheric riffs sounded totally new. You should get it back.

[@Sirvalorsax]

Thanks. I try to do the best I can with everything mouthpiece in case someone really wants to make the investment. $750 is a whole lotta cash though. Considering how well made it is, I can see why the price is so high

[@abhimalavalli]

U sound awesome as always, what reed was used if you remember? I acquired one of this and looking to find a good Reed match.

[@Sirvalorsax]

I used a Vandoren Redbox 2.5. It feels small with this but a 3 would be nice also

[@SaxophoneDanLive]

So almost a year later. Any new thoughts on Theo's pieces?

[@Sirvalorsax]

no new thoughts. I'd love to get my hands on a 6* metal Datta though

[@abedinsubashi]

@@Sirvalorsax Do they still make the metal Datta? I feel like i've checked everywhere and i cant find it anywhere

[@Sirvalorsax]

@@abedinsubashi nope. If you ask the Theo Wanne peeps about it they will suggest the Durga or the Shiva which are nothing like the Datta.

[@abedinsubashi]

@@Sirvalorsax ahh shame. Really liked the datta.

[@benjaminfalcone2074]

I'd be curious to see what you think of the jody jazz dv series pieces, like the NY or the Chicago

[@GearZenChannel]

Nailing the altissimo. Nice!

[@Sirvalorsax]

Thanks

[@courtneynero6886]

Enjoy your reviews. Very comprehensive and informative. I’ve seen reviews for Shiva, Datta HR, Datta metal, Mantra (I think)...curious if you have ever played or reviewed the Durga. Seems to be missing from your Wanne product lineup. Tks.

[@Sirvalorsax]

I have been looking into a Durga 3 but $750 is a bit out of my price range for now. I might look for a used one on Ebay in the future

[@martom_x9977]

I’m thinking about getting this mouthpiece. It’s sounds, power, and design makes is so amazing. The only question I have, is can it play soft? I think it is important to control dynamics during songs and I don’t want to always be super loud and powerful.

[@Sirvalorsax]

It is very easy to play soft on this mouthpiece. The low end has a unique playing characteristic that may catch most people off guard though. It is not your typical low end feel or sound that I think most will come to expect from a tenor sax piece. There is a unique type of resistance that separates this piece from the others. It is a big reason why I like this piece so much but don't expect your typical "Foo Foo" sound in that register with this piece.

[@martom_x9977]

Sirvalorsax alright thank you for the info!

[@matsmanteatern698]

As you say, you can hear that the Shiva is pretty extreme... even of you dat you like the low end notes I think the sound is a bit too bright all over the horn. For my taste, that is. But I do really like the Datta!! A really nice mix of varmth and modern brightness to my ear!! A downside with troublesome altissimo as you say.. But it doesn’t sound so troublesome to my ear. But you are a Monster on altissimo, so...Maybe I’ll try a Datta some say. Currently playing a GOTTSU Metal mp. Ever tried them? Would love to hear you’re opinion...

[@Sirvalorsax]

I've been asking them to reissue the Datta for years

[@matsmanteatern698]

Sirvalorsax It’s up on their site now!

[@glauciagondin5171]

Beautifull sound!

[@Sirvalorsax]

Thanks!

[@PrestonSax]

I’ve been having trouble with my Durga 9 for a few years now. I could be on a gig and 40 minutes later it’s starts becoming hard to play and then finally it doesn’t play at all. Theo sent another ligature. It helped for about a year and now I’m having the same issues. I’m playing a Plasticover. Any thoughts??

[@Sirvalorsax]

Sorry it took si long to respond. I don't have a lot of confidence in plasticover reeds. They may be warping on the gig

[@juancardona2948]

thanks for sharing! a 6*# in this model will fit better :) have a great one

[@Sirvalorsax]

The lowest they make is the 7* for the Shiva 2

[@juancardona2948]

@@Sirvalorsax :(

[@demetriucsnightshadeonyout877]

great

[@Sirvalorsax]

Thanks!

[@Kevin-ek1su]

Damn that altissimo!!

[@Sirvalorsax]

LOL!

[@Jazzmarcel]

thanks for the reviews brother!.........the theo wanne and a lot of the so called boutique mouthpieces are overpriced copies of vintage ones! the shiva looks like a rico metalite at 20x the price!........... each is own, i guess! you sound great by the way, mad chops!

[@Sirvalorsax]

Thanks man, I'm trying to be "objective" with my reviews of these pieces but $750 is a lot of money for what is essentially a one trick pony mouthpiece whose trick is something that isn't that useful for the whole of playing saxophone. It really is phenomenal with the straight tone down low but the subtone is garbage, the midrange is OK, the upper notes are too thin and I can play altissimo with the Cannonball piece that you get for free with the horn.

[@Njderig]

How does this compare to the Original Shiva? I have the SHiva 1 and its smaller cause it doesnt have the flared sides like the shiva 2 but for some reason it doesnt think out as much as the shiva 2. Hmmm. Do you have a review if the Durga piece?

[@Sirvalorsax]

Sorry man, I paid for all these pieces with my own hard earned cash. I do not have a Durga but I am super interested in trying the latest version of it. I tend to really like mouthpieces with a duckbill baffle. I think the Durga is an updated version on the Datta also so I am curious about how it plays. I also don't have a Shiva 1. If you purchase any of these pieces I'd like to hear your comments on how they play for you. Thanks

[@seanwintersax]

The Rico Metalite and Theo's mouthpieces have absolutely nothing in common.

[@adysaxman77]

Wow $750 dollars is a lot of money! You could buy a decent horn for that price. I would love to hear (at the end of all of these demos) for you to blow on a cheapest of cheap generic plastic mouthpiece from China that cost 6 bucks on ebay, just to hear how they stand up.

[@Sirvalorsax]

I know, I got burned twice. When I bought it and didn't like it and also when I sold it. OUCH!!!

[@Sirvalorsax]

Check out my review on the Cannonball 5J mouthpiece. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqWXnpSmZqqpjrc This is the free mouthpiece you get with the horn!! It is my second "go to" mouthpiece after the Vandoren. I use this piece about 40%-45% of the time. Usually when I need to blend in, barely or not solo, and save my energy for what is usually a long show.

[@adysaxman77]

Sirvalorsax yeah, I've seen that review already, and commented on how good it sounds. The final clips of your demos sounds like you're blowing it in the Grand Canyon! Wow, it's an effect the record companies would pay dearly for!

[@Sirvalorsax]

Thanks man :) This is the acoustic sound from the backstage area of a cruise ship. All metal area and lots of fun. Also great for comparing it to the dry area to try to get that reverb effect in all dry rooms.

[@bigsaxoholic99]

Man it sounds awesome. I love that rippin sound. I have a metal GAIA 8. I love it. SO good. I was between the GAIA or the Durga. Still think Iam going to try the Shiva. Have it for a second piece.

[@itchybrother3476]

You complain about the upper register thinning out, only you hear that, your audience are not musicians, they’re drinking cocktails, they don’t know squat about tone and intonation. How much time do you spend in the upper register? Not enough to matter, just my observations....I would play Wanne pieces before those $40 pieces from China...buy American ?

[@Sirvalorsax]

I spend quite a bit of time all over the range of the horn. If I keep hearing the upper register thin out, I'm going to play up there a lot less which will ultimately affect my creativity. At $750, I expect this to be better... a lot better.

[@latinkeys1]

This mouthpiece has a setting where if you put the ligature forward you get a less spread more centered sound. Sirvalor is an extremely well experienced player and not every mouthpiece will be everyone's cup of tea. I respect everyone's opinion but before I give mine, I try and realize who I'm talking to and address them respectfully. I would like to personally thank Sirvalor for reviewing the Chinese mouthpieces because I have bought three of them and I happen to own this very piece as well. He reviewed this very fairly, keep in mind, he uses his own money to buy these pieces and takes out of his own time to do this for us lesser musicians who are just looking for guidance.