George Davidson on the HR* CUSTOM DARK Soprano 5*
A Pleasure/treasure
"JJ Custom Dark for soprano: Played sax for over 45 years...Bad hands caused me to put down soprano 15 years ago, and I've played only tenor since. Several years ago, worsening hand pain caused me discover some effective hand braces that helped so much they've also allowed me to pick up soprano again. Sopranos are a different beast, and finding the right mouthpiece seems a more difficult task than finding the best one for the bigger horns. Maybe it's because of its small size and perhaps also because there aren't quite so many designs and alternatives. Alto and tenor offer more varied approaches and have a far wider selection in terms of mouthpieces.
OK - cut to the chase... Got a Yanagisawa W02 (fantastic horn) and found the stock mouthpiece to be a "wrestling match," and I wasn't crazy about the tone. Pretty much knew I didn't want a classical type mouthpiece. Instead I wanted a large chamber piece - dark, warm, takes air easily - something more free blowing than Selmer Soloist-style pieces, which have much more resistance. To me these pieces cause a "traffic jam" at the neck, and it feels like I'm blowing from my throat instead of my core.
A good friend recommended trying this JodyJazz Custom Dark mouthpiece. It's pricey, though not unreasonable. Ordered a 5* and wow - what a wonderful player! A real pleasure! This checks all the boxes for me. It has a rich, singing tone - dark and complex - that you can shape. It's free blowing but has power, and it plays easily in tune up and down. Focused sound, nice resonance. I'm just thrilled with it!
If you're looking for something similar to what I described, this is a great mouthpiece and a great value. Kudos to JJ for a fantastic mouthpiece!"