Lebayle Mouthpieces & ligatures

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Alto Metal Jazz 6*MMA. If you like ‘edge’ then this is the mouthpiece for you! This mouthpiece is well engineered with a high baffle, offering an extremely free-blowing and bright sound. It is good for the altissimo range. I would recommend this piece more for pop sax solos rather than for ensemble playing! Comes with a very nice single-screw ligature.

Alto Metal Studio. Although this mouthpiece is listed as one of the options, it is not being imported anymore due to the fact that it is just too bright and edgy. Even the best players would struggle not to produce a squeak on this one!

Alto Ebony Jazz. Not yet tested

Alto Ebony Studio. To me this feels very similar to the metal jazz version. The baffle is high, giving lots of edge and power. There is perhaps a little more resistance and ‘woodiness’ to the tone of the ebony Studio, in comparison to the metal version. In general I would still recommend this piece for bright solo work as opposed to ensemble/ big band, sax quartet work, for example.

Alto Ebonite Jazz. Not yet tested
Alto Ebonite Studio. Not yet tested

New model Lebayle Ebony LR Mouthpiece for Alto
When comparing to the Jazz model, I found the LR to have a slightly more vibrant and responsive feel. Like the tenor version it is very similar in design to the Jazz chamber - if you look carefully you will see that the baffle is a touch longer, and this possibly explains the slightly more instant tone. Overall, it had a 'fruitier' feel to the tone, and was surprisingly responsive for an ebony mouthpiece. The stylish Lebayle Fusion ligature provides a neat fit and helps to keep the sound alive. Some of you may want to opt for the even more stylish Wooden Cap and Lig set that Lebayle offer!

New model Lebayle Metal LR Mouthpiece for Alto
Metal mouthpieces and alto playing don't always go hand-in-hand, but the LR seems like a good option if you are looking for the pop/Sanborn kind of sound. To me it seems like a slightly better made version of a Dukoff - even tip rails, well cut tip, etc. Like the Dukoff, it has that distinct 'buzz', but with perhaps a tad more fullness in the bass notes. Once again, the keyword here is 'response'.
Like the tenor version, it comes equipped with a brass ring ligature. This lig provides a very snug fit, so long as the reed is thick enough to be gripped properly by it, otherwise you may have to experiment with alternatives!

New model Lebayle Ebony LR Mouthpiece for Tenor
This mouthpiece is provided with a Lebayle Fusion lig (as in the ones used on the Jazz chamber models). Altogether I found this one a lot more responsive than the Jazz version in ebony. Having just come back from trying the Lebayle metal mouthpieces I found the wooden versions provided a lot more resistance. However, after a few minutes of getting into the 'sound world' of these mouthpieces you soon adapt the embouchure accordingly. Although both the Jazz and LR chambers, I would say, are graded on the darker side, the slightly longer baffle on the LR offers a bit more ease of response, particularly around the mid and bottom range. Surprisingly for a wooden mouthpiece, though, the LR (and the Jazz to an extent) both provide the possibility of 'playing out' with a real front to the sound. This mouthpiece would work nicely for playing lead sax in a big band set-up.

New model Lebayle Metal LR Mouthpiece for tenor
As in the metal Jazz chamber model, Lebayle are obviously going for the Guardala type of sound-concept; rich in harmonics and very free-blowing. Because of its lack of resistance I would suggest that more experienced players go for the higher tip openings - for me an 8 felt about right; still very easy going! At first glance this mouthpiece seems to be made in exactly the same way as the Jazz model - similar chamber, baffle, tip rails, etc. The only difference I could see was that it has a slightly wider 'throat' (where the chamber meets the bore) - in fact the Jazz model has a slight step at this point, where there is a smooth transition in the LR model. However, the LR seemed to be a little brighter to me - perhaps the baffle is a touch longer. This is really a similar piece to the Jazz model but with a bit more 'buzz' in the tone. Either of these two mouthpieces are good choices for those players who seek the tone of the Guardala but only have half the cash!
It is provided with a rather interesting circular metal lig. Personally I found the tone more secure with a standard Rovner lig!

Tenor Metal Jazz . This is a very impressive new metal mouthpiece for tenor. It seems to have a nice compact and centred tone with a pleasant edge. It glides up to the altissimo very easily but doesn’t shriek like some mouthpieces do. Particularly I found attacking altissimo G (the first one, not the octave!) very easy – this note is notorious for ‘breaking-up’. It also has a good subtone and the response when tonguing feels very immediate.

Tenor Metal Studio. Quite different in feel to the Jazz, the raised baffle gives a much more one-dimensional bright sound. I personally found it hard to control the squeaks in the second octave, but I’m sure you can largely get used to the way it responds. Although we are not listing the alto version, as it is just too bright, the Tenor metal Studio is workable, but is best kept for pop solo work!

Tenor Ebony Jazz. Denis Primett, of Peacehaven, (our sax repairer) remarked, “ I think it’s the best mouthpiece that I’ve tried for the bottom notes on the tenor”. Now, Denis likes to play in a traditional jazz style, and the mouthpiece certainly does have a nice warm and full-bodied tone. The sub-tone is very Ben Webster-like. As you go up the scale the sound becomes more open, whilst the attack still seems very precise. It generally feels very pleasant to play and you feel like you could use it for many styles of music: primarily a jazz-based mouthpiece but you can also swing-out too!

Tenor Ebony Studio. Not yet tested

Tenor Ebonite Jazz. Not yet tested

Tenor Ebonite Studio. Not yet tested