Kessler Custom Performance Series 5* Tenor Sax Mouthpiece

Kessler Custom Performance Series 5* Tenor Sax Mouthpiece
Hand Faced Hard Rubber Mouthpiece

Mouthpiece is THE MOST important piece of equipment for the saxophone player. It determines so much of our sound that finding the right mouthpiece is critical. Our Kessler Custom line of mouthpieces are designed for specific styles of performance and musicality. Our “Performance Series” mouthpieces offer players a quality mouthpiece at a more affordable cost. These mouthpieces are based on our Pro Jazz models but use a facing that is easier to control for players looking to expand in to a jazz mouthpiece but have not yet ventured beyond smaller, classical style or student model mouthpieces. Our Performance Series tenor sax mouthpiece is a great playing, 5* Tenor Sax mouthpiece that will impress any who play it!

Design Concept
Our Performance Series 5* tenor mouthpiece features the same chamber design used on our higher end “OL7Pro” model which helps give the mouthpiece excellent playability and tonal core. The traditional 5* tenor facing allows for ease of play but still gives the player the room needed to push for more power when they need it. This mouthpiece is still completely hand faced just like our OL7Pro, but due to it’s design, can be finished by our techs in far less time, thus lowering the cost! Our 5* tenor offers exceptional versatility for the player who needs to do a little bit of everything with their performance styles.

Compared to OL7Pro
While the Performance Series uses the same core blank & chamber of the OL7Pro, the facing and baffle is very different. This model is a smaller tip (.085″+) vs the larger tip on the OL7Pro (.100″). The baffle is also less pronounced helping to produce a warmer tone with easier control. The facing lengths are the same, which when combined with the smaller tip, leads to a very controllable, warm tone throughout the registers.

It is ideal for a few types of players:

• • Students who need a great, versatile mouthpiece capable of all styles
  • Players who want to move in to a jazz mouthpiece but previously had only used student or classical models
  • Players who want a warmer jazz mouthpiece but really prefer a harder reed for easier control

With our Performance Series Tenor Sax Mouthpiece, we give you an upgraded performance ligature to help maximize performance. A great ligature can help bring out the more of what the player wants from their mouthpiece.

D’Addario H-Ligature – Free Option
The H-Ligature is a re-creation of the original vintage Harrison ligatures. These are an inverted (screws on the top of the mouthpiece), 2 screw, metal ligature. The reed contact on the ligature is in the shape of an H, hence the name. This ligature does an excellent job of offering minimal contact to the reed, allowing for excellent vibration. It is a brighter tone compared to the Rovner options. The only downside to this ligature is that if players overtighten the ligature screws, they will eventually bend the H in to more of an X, which then hinders the ligature’s ability to seal their reed.

Rovner Dark Ligature – Free Option
The Rovner Dark ligature is a industry standard that is easy to use. However, it is more dynamic than many players might realize. Most players use the Rovner as an inverted design (screw on the top of the mouthpiece). This allows the ligature material to go across the grain of the reed helping to give a little darker sound. However, the Rovner Dark is also designed to be used in the more traditional way, with the screw on the reed side. In this position, the tightening arms of the ligature secure the reed in-line with the grain and apply less pressure to the spine of the reed. For most players, this brings in added response and improved tonal presence. We recommend using it this alternate position. The screw can also be reversed so that it can be tightened from either the left or right side of the mouthpiece.

The Performance Series Tenor Sax Mouthpiece is an upgraded version of our previous “Intermediate Rubber” mouthpiece. The Performance Series is the same mouthpiece blank but has been moved to a completely hand faced mouthpiece.