guardella mouthpiece

[Dazza]

Hey JF. I read your piece on the Guardella MP’s and am excited but am wondering about a few points particularly about how you can say with such conviction that they are the ONE for us all. Given the confused state I am in right now about MP science how can we be sure that this is THE ONE for opening, sound we are seeking and our playing ability. Don’t get me wrong, I (we) all trust your view almost implicitly but it’s a big gamble if you fork out $600 and you can’t play it! Is it the case you would want to have been playing for a couple of years and be settled on your embouchure and technique first? Can’t wait to hear the demos. Make them a good few minutes long and please play a range of styles which I am sure you will.

[wayne wojnarowski]

If I were to get this mouth piece it would improve my tone intonation whatever to warrant the price ? If it enables you to hit upper and lower registers easier, is one thing,
but whats the big deal, HEY SX POET did it change your tone that much?? Do you gig out? is the mp worth it? what kind of sax do you play?I guess what I’m asking is what makes this mouthpiece so expensive??

[john]

@ sxpoet, yes! I have the King for tenor as well. that’s the one I’d recommend for alto for the brighter sound and the Studio model as well.
what did you pay for it last year?

@ Dazza, I can’t argue those great points with you, we’re all different. these are not cheap mp’s, that’s the whole point though. If you’ve been bouncing around from this and that not-so-great-mp’s then you’ll most likely be amazed when you blow into one of these…that’s what happened to me. I can’t imagine anyone that’s been playing for a few years not being able to play one, rather the opposite.

But I never meant to imply that they’re the one for everybody. Those just starting out need not jump on these yet!

Dazza, how long have you been playing and what are you playing on now, and what were you playing on before?

[wayne wojnarowski]

How much will it cost? Johnnie I think you said you will demo one . Play yours then the the GUARDELLA

[Marc Justiniano]

Dazza, you bringing up a good point. I am going to go to a local music store here in Hollywood California to try out different mouthpieces. Hopefully they will have some vintage mouthpieces like what Johnny plays or has been playing that I can try out. Like I was told,” a mouthpiece is like buying a pair of shoes. They must fit, feel comfortable, and have the performance that I like”. I bought a mouthpiece a year or so (berg Larsen 110) and now I have to buy another one because it’s not bright in tone but a deeper darker tone. I think it’s good for softer mellow playing if that makes sense. So, here I go spending more cash for a new mouthpiece. So, I’ve learned to play the mouthpieces first before I purchase a medium or higher priced mouthpiece. I think Johnny would agree but on the other hand I’ve never tried a high end mouthpiece before ($600-900). So, I will try to see if the music store will let me play the high end mouthpieces. If I play a vintage mouthpiece like Johnny has and I like it. I will surely like the discount that Johnny can get us. I believe you must play the mouthpiece first since we are learning and not quite pro’s. That’s my take on this subject.

[Dazza]

Hey JF I am now playing a Meyer 7M after progressing though the Yam 4C, 5C, Meyer 5M. I am getting a full and solid tone and know that though i have some ways to go I am getting close to outgrowing the Meyer. I had a lesson the other day and the teacher from the local Con of Music arrived expecting to be working on tone, embouchure scales and arpeggios. He was caught short (even after I had given him a bit of an overview of what I am doing prior to arrival) and it even amazed me just how far I had come when I kept saying, Yep, know that, know that, know that etc. He did say that given what he heard he felt I am ready to step up to a wider tip opening. I haven’t found a shop around my State that stocks the DG’s so for me it will be a big plunge but one I am willing to take based on the experience of others. Given the isolation this instrument requires you to learn within it seems it is just another decision in blind faith I probably wont regret.

[Anonymous]

the guardella i have is very good to play on, but because i am doing grades – it’s suitable for playing classical stuff.
There is no such thing as an all round mouthpiece, i guess a Pro could make do with the same mouthpiece for any event,
but for a student like me the guardella is too bright and way too loud.

[Anonymous]

sorry i meant to say
the guardella i have is very good to play on, but because i am doing grades – it’s NOT suitable for playing classical stuff.

[Anonymous]

Hi Sxpoet, I would just like to thank you for your comment regarding the difference between playing the Tenor and Alto. When I was playing the Tenor the other day I experimented whilst playing the reed, and discovered that with much lighter pressure the reed performs better. Johnny also advised me to play with the MP deeper in my mouth, and all these tips have made a major improvement to the quality of my tone. Thanks for the solid advice guys!

[john]

you guys are giving me flashbacks!
exactly sxpoet, I too had to suffer for a year at university at the request of my teacher to play a Larry Teal hard rubber to sound the way those folks like it. the reason it was hard for me to do it was because I had already had a taste of a wide open metal mp.

Ok Dazza, I see where you’re at…it’s still a different world there and I highly recommend a meyer, especially on alto at this early stage. when I borrowed the alto last year I had a Meyer 7 (I did a comparison with it alongside a Claude Lakey in the blog) as well and it was ok but these are very different animals… more open, louder and fuller. even if I practiced for 3 hours a day on a meyer I could never get close to the tone of a Guardala.

@ Marc, I don’t know if you read my email earlier but i mentioned my progression during my early years which went like this (very quickly): hard rubber, Berg Larson, Dukoff, Otto Link, and finally Guardala. the difference was not even close. unfortunately you won’t find an original Guardala like mine in a local shop…they occassionaly pop up on eBay for $2000 and up. but yes, being able to try a mp first is what you want to do if you have the oportunity.

anyways guys, I’ll try my best to do a video next week on several mp’s to hopefully give you a better idea cause, like Keith Richards said during his tour; Talk is cheap… but touring ain’t!

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