An ebonite piece on a Sop will go a long way to darken the sound of the horn. The set-up is typically rolled-baffle, medium chamber. You will typically find, on the bottom end especially, there will be a lot more warmth and colour around the intended note. The sound won’t feel so piercing and precise, equating to a much more blended sound. This will mean your sound won’t quite cut through as vigorously, and you will lack projection for your efforts. If you’re also looking for a smoother sound, the harmonic colour you will get from ebonite might not be to your tastes!

Sound like: Dave Leibman, Wayne Shorter, Branford Marsalis

If you are really looking to lean into the brighter, sweeter edge of the soprano, metal is the way to go! Metals on Sops will cut through absolutely everything, giving you a clear, projected and clean sound. The actual set-up on the pieces are pretty much the same as their ebonite relatives, with a few models either cutting from the table, or adding a small baffle to give that brilliant, sparkling sound. The sound you will produce will be pin-point precise, so will lack a bit of colour harmonically. You will also find that blending will be an issue due to the projection, so be prepared to take centre stage!

Sound like: Kenny G, John Coltrane, Gerald Albright

This is going to be your most common choice of material with the most variation in both brand and style. Typically, an ebonite piece on an Alto will be a roll-over baffle with a medium chamber. This will give you a well-balanced, flexible tone that can be pushed or sat on depending on the style of music or player preference. There are many other variations however! Small chamber pieces are very popular on Alto ebonite pieces to give your sound that little more focus, some pieces have step-baffles which will give you a bright, brilliant sound. You can honestly find an ebonite piece to suit all, whilst keeping that warm, rounded tone synonymous with ebonite pieces. 

Sound like: Maceo Parker, Cannonball Adderley, Charlie Parker

With the metal pieces on an Alto, the timbre will shift more towards the sweeter end of the scale. The set-ups on a metal piece typically involve a more stepped baffle going into a medium chamber. This, coupled with the fact that the profile of a metal piece is typically narrower, means the sound you produce is a lot more projected, focused and modern. This will mean you won’t blend and cleanly, and the tone you produce will feel funkier and bigger, so if you’re looking to sit into a big band unassumingly, this won’t be the way to go. However if you’re aiming for that rock/funk super clean edge to your tone, you will have this and projection in spades! 

Sound like: Candy Dulfer, Mindy Abair, David Sanborn

If you’re looking for a smoky, dark voice for your playing, ebonite is the only way to go. The set-up is typically a roll-over baffle with a medium to large chamber. What you get from this is a well-blended, well-rounded, thick sound reminiscent of old 1940’s and 1950’s jazz records. Equally, there are many pieces that give ebonite pieces a more modern edge, giving a player projection and clarity without losing the rounded tone that’s evocative with ebonite pieces. The versatility of ebonite pieces makes it the go to for both lead players. It is worth noting that the profile of ebonite Tenor pieces is wider, so will feel a little alien for multi-instrumentalists.

Sound like: Stan Getz, Bob Reynolds, Joe Henderson 

You will never find a wider variety of metal mouthpieces then on the tenor saxophone! The set-up typically sits on a roll-over baffle with a medium chamber. This will give the fullness of tone you find in ebonite pieces, but with that little bit more projection and cutting-edge indicative of metal pieces. This again can be expanded further with more extreme step-baffles and cutting from the table of the mouthpiece. You will very rarely find the chamber size to go lower then a medium chamber, as going smaller will give the tenor a nasal edge nobody in their right mind wants, big a beautiful is all we ever want from our tenors, and boy will metal give you this! 

Sound Like: Sonny Rollins, Joshua Redmond, Chris Potter, Michael Brecker

If warm, rounded bass tones are your scene, ebonite is the way to go! The recurring theme, as I am sure you have noticed throughout this blog post, is that ebonite pieces are warm and full. When applied to a Bari this will lean heavily to the bottom end of the instrument. You will find these bass notes will have real presence, and blend beautifully within ensembles. Get a piece with a more aggressive baffle, and a Bari ebonite piece can pack a punch. You will typically find the ebonite Bari pieces will get a bit thinner on the upper register and will not cut through without giving it some real welly, so ebonite is very much suited for ensemble work!

Sound Like: Gerry Mulligan, Sahib Shihab, Hamiet Bluiett