Aibay Metal Eb Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece + Cap + Ligature Size 7 Gold (7, Metal Gold)

I don’t write a lot of reviews because I think that most products are pretty much average and the reviews are just fluff or the reviews are very negative because the person who purchased the item had a negative experience that didn’t have anything to do with the actual item itself. But in this case I will make an exception.I saw an item similar to this that had a pretty good review and I thought that for the amount of the cost it was worth a shot and besides I could always just send it back. I’ve always wanted a metal mouthpiece since I got my first Selmer silver mouthpiece. I was planning to sell that one because I was so disappointed in it but I ended up giving it to charity instead. This one was going to take the place of that one and hopefully be at least as good.Initially, I was surprised at the quality The machine work was well done. The chamber seemed large and open. The rails were flat and smooth just like the table. They appeared to be nice and perpendicular so that the reed would sit on them flat. I was impressed that it came with It’s own ligature and cap, considering the price, and it appears to be a pretty good ligature at that. It has a single screw on the top and it certainly does it’s job of holding the reed on securely and it’s easily adjustable. It looks good and that’s also a plus.FIRST USE. This arrived about five minutes before band rehearsal and I decided to use it anyway. I use a synthetic reed so I initially put that on and although it was OK, I didn’t feel I had the control with it that I had with my regular mouthpiece. After rehearsal I tried a different, stiffer synthetic reed and a natural cane reed also. Because the tip opening is smaller than I expected, I decided to use this stiffer, synthetic reed and work with that for a few days to see what happens. It took a little getting used to and because the mouthpiece Is smaller than my hard rubber piece, it required an adjustment of my embouchure.Here it is one week later and I have made some embouchure adjustments and I just returned to my original synthetic reed. Fantastic! Essentially, I am overjoyed! I finally got the metal mouthpiece that I have wanted. The sound is more focused and closer to what I’ve been looking for. I can’t really say how it compares with more expensive mouthpieces other than the Selmer silver one that I had. It’s possible that if you spend $300 or $400 or more, you can get a better product. However, for $45 I can’t see where you would ever be able to find a better deal or a better mouthpiece.PROS. Relatively inexpensive, especially for a metal mouthpiece. Has a built-in tooth guard similar to the Ottolink. It comes with its own custom ligature. It comes with a metal mouthpiece cap. The cap fits snugly on the ligature screw set up and there is enough space if you want to do what i used to do witch is put a piece of self adhesive gauze on the inside and wet it to keep a cane reed moist.CONS. Lighter in weight than I was expecting. I don’t know if that affects the actual sound quality or not. I purchased a number seven tip opening and I am pretty sure this is not a seven. It’s available in a number six and a number seven which equates to something like a medium and a small tip opening. If you need a very large tip opening, you can order a number seven and possibly have it reworked by a technician and still come in at a pretty good price. Or, you can move up to a slightly stiffer read.All in all, I am extremely satisfied with my purchase and I am considering purchasing one for my daughter’s alto as well as one for my tenor. I honestly don’t know how some companies can justify charging 10 or 20 times as much for something that could only work marginally better at best. My recommendation is that you Buy this mouthpiece! I doubt seriously if you will be disappointed, and if you are, just send it back. It is certainly worth the money.

You know, for the price it's fairly good, not the best but for a beginner wanting to stand out with a different Mouthpiece, go for this one. I would keep in mind that you should definitely get a mouthpiece patch for this, your teeth would feel extremely weird after playing. The sound isn't bad, a little too bright and it can squeek at times but I definitely would choose my Jody Jazz Jet over this any day, lol.

I wanted a Jazzier sound than my Yamaha 5C mouthpiece could give me.. When this arrived in a soft envelope, the box that it comes in was crushed. I don't know if anything happened to the mouthpiece but it was difficult to play. It looked ok.It is harder to blow than my hard rubber mouthpiece but I expected that from a 7 coming from a 5 (.08" vs .07" tip opening.)It also has these shrill, brassy resonances on certain notes that made them sound almost like a trumpet. (Not good) This was a deal killer and I will return it.It was a very tight fit on the neck cork and was running flat unless I used a lot of pressure in my embouchure.The reed did not sit flat on the table until I soaked it thoroughly. I don't know if that means the table isn't flat but I flatten my reeds all the time so it wasn't the reed. It would not perform a "pop test" until the second soaking of the reed and even then it only lasted a send or two.. My Yamaha 5C will hold a vacuum for 5 to 7 seconds.The low notes (below D) were hard to voice and the altissimo notes were unstable. The whole horn was brassier which is why I wanted this but there is a stark tonal difference when going over the bridge (C to D).I was also surprised at how much I squeaked using this mouthpiece given that I rarely squeak if ever.I really wanted to like this but I'll always resent keeping it - so back it goes.

A+. One of the best mouthpieces I've tried and for the money? GET OUT OF HERE. This has no business being this good and cheap. You get a nice modern, free blowing, rich and expressive tone. Fit and finish were near perfect on my copy. I can't recommend this more for a beginner to intermediate player.. maybe even advanced but those folks like to worry about brand names. THIS mouthpiece is a ridiculous deal and sounds amazing.

This is a great piece, but it's not for an alto sax as advertised - it's far too small. I mean it works, if you wanna blow reaaaaaallllllyyyyy hard, but hey, it still is a nice, high quality item.

This is a great mouthpiece. It’s very bright and suitable for rock, R&B, fusion and maybe even more modern traditional jazz settings as a stretch. This was super playable in all registers and has a nice complex tone, even if bright. Think Eric Marienthal, David Sanborn or Dave Koz. Quite different from my Morgan and Meyer pieces and nicer than my Vandoren Jumbo Java for more than a quarter the price. I won’t use this in a traditional jazz setting, but for gigs where I have to cut through, this gets will get it done. It’s shocking how good this is at this price point.

Very nerrow, a bit tough to control, but has a nice bright sound.

You do get what you pay for. This is no exception and not my first metal mouthpiece. It does look nice though! I'm keeping it for eye candy, as it will never serve its intended purpose. I'm sure this can't be returned as it has already been exposed to my bodily fluids.