Yardbird Model Brass Alto
$569.00
The new Yardbird Model Brass Alto saxophone mouthpiece is available in sizes six, seven, eight and nine! This has been the most difficult and perhaps the most important mouthpiece we have developed. I have been chasing aspects of, or my version of this sound for well over 40 years with very limited success! It is difficult to try to convey with words how important Bird is to me musically but to quote him from his tv appearance “Music speaks louder than words“ and although he set the bar so very high, those of us who love his music pay tribute to him every time we play! This is a sincere effort of creating a piece that offers a sound closer than anything available to the Bell metal brass cast London Selmer which he played from late ‘49 on and has all the elements of power, cut, warmth, and that full, dark, Tenor-like woodiness that we all love!
Machined and hand finished in brass and plated in 24 K Gold, this mouthpiece now includes a gold plated brass ligature as well. For the ultimate experience, we highly recommend the Marc Jean Ligature II!
It is my hope that this piece will help and even inspire those who love Bird as I do to strive to reach even closer to the spirit and sound he blessed us with. A very special thanks to Jesse Davis and John Bowes for their generosity in providing the original London Selmer pieces for the design inspiration.
Remember, fulfillment time for any of our mouthpieces is up to 4 weeks.
Additional information
| Weight | 16 oz |
|---|---|
| Size | Size 5 (0.073 +/- .0015), Size 6 (0.077 +/- .0015), Size 7 (0.080 +/- .0015), Size 8 (0.083 +/- .0015), Size 9 (0.087 +/- .0015) |
Yuya_N_Sax –
Excellent product!
This is my first metal MP. I am using rubber Ottolink 6 slant, Mayer 6 vintage MPs usually, and they are very good, especially response point of view. I chose 7 yardbird model, and this is same or better response than them. This is important because good response means very wide dynamics from whisper to powerful sound.
The sound is very beautiful. From low B flat to C or D in altissimo, they are even I can pronounce. Very classical wooden sound with very clear buz which Bird had.
This is very new product but not modern MP. This is kind of classical sound MP, and I noticed I am eager for edgy sound like this.
Thanks, Ted Klum!!!
Dan Gutwein –
No matter how many sax mouthpieces I’ve owned in my 69 years of living, I keep coming back to Ted’s because when I play them I feel and hear the entire history of jazz! The Yardbird Model, more than any piece I own (including the NY Meyer I watched Frank Wells worked on for a whole afternoon in 1977), flat out sounds like late Bird to me from the moment I blow the first note. It is creates an incredibly complex tone, penetrating, full of rich mids, warm yet cutting and powerful! Being a tenor player at heart, it is exactly what I needed to get my alto out of the closet and fall in love with it again. https://youtu.be/Ub9fGpApe7Q
Bryan –
Outstanding workmanship and tonality. Best metal alto mouthpiece I’ve ever played and I have a big drawer of them
Ekkehard Sassenhausen –
It‘s a Great Mouthpiece! High Register, Altissimo, Low Register superb! Very Even and clear in Sound, Very good articulation! For me it Could have a Little more volume, brightness and the middle Register E‘ to G‘‘ is not so open, not so free blowing than the higher and lower Register.
Bob Rockwell –
Just received mine today, 29 january,2021
A truly fantastic MP. Worth the price. nuance available in every category: Dynamics, intonation ,
even color in sound over the whole register etc. etc.
Bob Rockwell –
Best Jazz alto mouthpiece I have ever played . I´m an old guy 75 with a long career in Jazz,Studio, Big Band etc. This mouthpiece is completely Equal in the following areas. Pitch, Intonation, Resonance, Dynamics- It does not drop out at ppp in either the top end or low end,Flexibility, Response. I have the #8 and I play a #3
Rico Royal. And it plays free-just let the air do the work. i have a Meyer 8 and metal 8 Link that have too much resistance. Ted´s mouthpiece is fantastic!
JM –
I own and play a number of Ted’s alto and tenor pieces. Each mouthpiece is amazing in their own right. However, Ted and his team have set a new standard with the Yardbird, both in design and sound. I ordered the size 6. This mouthpiece is phenomenal and the chamber design reveals just how much time and attention went into creating this mouthpiece. It’s difficult to describe just how well the Yardbird plays across all registers – it just sings. This isn’t a bright mouthpiece but it has more ‘attack’ than anything I’ve played, while retaining a warm, pleasant and balanced sound. I guess I would describe it as an aggressive sound that is HUGE and fat. It also gets really loud when pushed. The Yardbird is free blowing with just enough resistance to allow you to shape your sound – and is reed friendly (I went up a reed strength with this mouthpiece). I’ve paired the Yardbird with a Buescher Top Hat and Cane and the sound literally leaps from the horn. It’s a perfect pairing.
Simon C –
Amazing piece of craftsmanship. I expected nothing less from Ted Klum. I play this with a Conn New Wonder II and I love the sound and response this gives. The Yardbird model is very warm and responsive, which gives a very rich character when playing as it can pushed to sound bright or, with the right air speed, it can sound dark and lush. It’s a joy to play and I’m blown away by the attention to detail from a player’s perspective that Ted puts into his craft. Bravo!
Rick Alberico –
Couldn’t put it down. Didn’t get it till yesterday and played it for 5 hours. Beautiful sound top to bottom. Incredible low register almost sounds like a tenor down there. The more air you give it the more it projects. Considering how easy it is to play I may switch it out for a #8.
Joe –
It should be a 5 star mouthpiece but I got some issue on its plating. I can send you some photos if you want more details. Thus, I give it 4 stars. Anyway, it is a great mouthpiece.
David –
I’ve had it for a bit more than a week and I feel I am still getting to know the piece. Impressions to date are: very responsive, significant buzz in the lower register, singing quality throughout the horn, dark but not stuffy. Great mouthpiece, I love it!
Richard Alberico –
I have 2 # 5 NY Meyer alto saxophone mouthpieces one of which I had been playing for 50 years.
I tried, out of curiosity, Ted’s # 6 New York alto mouthpiece. I loved it and switched from my New York # 5 Meyer to Ted’s # 6 New York model. I was very satisfied with Ted’s #6.
Ok, Ted then introduced the Yardbird model. I settled on a # 8. The mouthpiece is incredible. It is metal but easy for me to control. The pitch is spot on. I am able to produce a beautiful, rich, sound that is MY sound from pianissimo to fortissimo. The ease of attack and immediate response are amazing.
Ted Klum is not a craftsman but a true artist. All you have to do is look at the chamber to to see the complexity, precision, care, and artistry that have gone into the production of this absolutely unparalleled mouthpiece. I absolutely love that it allows me to be completely myself. Absolutely INCREDIBLE Ted. Thank you so much. I am pleased beyond what words cans express.
Bruno Vansina –
This is is a very different kind of mouthpiece. The feel and projection of this piece is great and addictive, I can not stop playing on it and have been playing really a lot over the last seven days (sinds the day it got delivered). I believe that is what a new mouthpiece should do, to inspire, and that it does! This piece does not reveal everything it has on day one, I am still discovering it’s sound and potential. The bottom is particularly beautiful and the top tones come out so easily and nice. Some days I have to fight against a bit of brightness in the upper part of the second octave (I am a bright player by nature) but as days pass I get the sound more and more full bodied and have the edge only when pushed hard and called for. This mouthpiece is maybe not intended to be an all-around piece (it is not a NY Meyer) but I believe I can play any style on it from Bop to Fusion to avant-garde. You need to work this mouthpiece but what you get is super rewarding, an instant love and joy for me!
Kuang –
Finally I got my dream mouthpiece,This is the best mouthpiece I have ever tried, thanks Ted Klum.
Jamada Holoman –
Best alto mouthpiece ever!!!
Nate –
I appreciate, cause I found just what I was having
a look for. You’ve ended my 4 day lengthy hunt!
God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye
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