Loads of my favourite players play THIS mouthpiece.
Andy Snitzer, Jeff Kashiwa, Tom Scott, Lou Marini… We’ve featured many of these legends inside Sax School. They all play with the Jody Jazz DV. I hadn’t played one myself, so for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been testing it on my tenor and my alto.
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In this video I’m going to be telling you what I think, showing you how it sounds when I play it, and giving you the chance to WIN one!
We’ve got thousands of students inside Sax School and one of the topics we often talk about is saxophone mouthpieces. So I love to test mouthpieces to help my students make better choices.
Getting the right mouthpiece is so important. It can:
- Open up your sound
- Help you play more easily
- Make you fall in love with playing the saxophone
But so many of us get our choice of mouthpiece wrong – so that’s why I think these reviews are so important.
Why Upgrade to the Jody Jazz DV
This is a really versatile mouthpiece. That’s great for me because I play in lots of different styles for Sax School. It was the same working as a pro player – I could play in a big band, or a West End show, or a pop gig. That’s why those pro players choose this mouthpiece.
When should I upgrade?
If you’ve been playing for a while and you’re starting to get an idea of the sound you want from your saxophone, that’s the time to consider upgrading to a mouthpiece like this.
Pro players choose this mouthpiece because it works – it’s a good solid mouthpiece, it seals well, and it sounds amazing – but then it’s up to you to work on your skills to get the sound you want from this mouthpiece.
Jody Jazz DV Features
Jody Espina did a guest session for Sax School recently, and he shared loads of great information on how you should choose the right mouthpiece. If you’re a Sax School member you can watch this session in the Members’ Area.
If you’re not a member, Get started with Sax School so you can check out this Guest Session plus all the other sessions we’ve done with amazing, world-class players.
The Jody Jazz DV is designed to be a perfect compromise between brightness and a big, full sound. Jody told me that a lot of bright saxophone mouthpieces can be shrill and lack the bottom end in their sound. With the Jody Jazz DV, it’s the extra cut-out in the facing, plus the internal dimensions, material, and overall design that contribute to its sound quality.
- Jody Jazz DV Tenor – available with tip opening between 6 and 10* and costs $595 (£499)
- Jody Jazz DV Alto – available with tip opening between 5 and 9* and costs $550 (£469)
When I’ve been testing this mouthpiece over the last couple of weeks I’ve really noticed that I can get a soft, warm sound, but I can still get loads of volume and projection from my sax.
Jody Jazz DV Tenor Test
Jody sent me a DV which is their most popular mouthpiece, in a size 7 which is their most popular size. I usually play a size 8 so it was interesting for me to try a slightly different tip opening.
I’m going to play the mouthpiece in a few different styles to test its versatility. These pieces are all available to learn inside Sax School.
- Classic pop: Tears in Heaven
- Jazz Standard: My One and Only Love
- Eighties Altissimo Pop: Waiting for A Star to Fall (Andy Snitzer solo)
Tenor Mouthpiece: My Verdict
I liked the versatility of this mouthpiece. It isn’t the perfect warm jazz sound for me, but I think I can find a middle ground where I can get a warm jazz sound as well as a bright commercial sound as well. The overtones and altissimo work great on this mouthpiece too.
Alto Test
- Classical Style: Gabriel’s Oboe from The Mission
- Classic Pop: One More Night (Gerald Albright solo)
It takes a lot of work to get a convincing classical sound on this mouthpiece but I like the roundness of it. I really like the sound of the DV on the alto and I adjusted to it much faster than I did on the tenor.
Like the tenor, this is a great compromise between a straight-ahead sound and a full-bodied commercial sound. I think this mouthpiece would be good in a concert band or in a show, or maybe even a big band.
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Who is this mouthpiece right for?
If you’ve just started playing, I would wait a while before investing in a mouthpiece like this.
If you’ve been playing for a while, or if you’re a pro player, and you’re looking for a versatile mouthpiece you can use in a concert band, big band, or a show band, or if you’re playing in a horn section, or if you’re playing pop, ska, or funk, then this would be a really great choice. I wouldn’t choose this mouthpiece for orchestral playing.
If you’re a hobby player and you like playing a cross-section of music, and you’re looking to upgrade from a beginner plastic or hard rubber mouthpiece, then this one is something to consider.
Give-away!
We have now announced our 2 lucky winners for this giveaway. You can watch the announcement and Q&A session here.