Thank you so much for this video! I live in the US and just purchased an alto sax. The mouthpiece is so tight. I asked my instructor what could be done and he said just push it harder. So glad I watched your video before doing that.
Very useful tip, I have the exact same problem, just got my 1st sax this week (a 2nd hand John Packer 45G) picked up a new Yamaha 4C Mouth Piece but it's an extremely tight fit, I'll definitely try sanding the cork down a little. Thanks 🙂
I've purchased a few saxes (used) and each one had a different cork thickness. I learned the plumbers tape remedy some time ago and still use it today. I usually take my horns to my repair guy shortly after purchase and one needed to have the neck cork replaced, so I took it in to my tech. I watched him repair the cork and afterwards practiced his process on an older horn. Now I can replace my own neck corks. Good video on a topic that we all will encounter at some point. Now, if I could only duplicate the playing styles of the many great artist I hear as easily as I did the repair tech's I'd be on to something. Looks like practice and time are still the key. Again, thanks for another excellent video.
Glad you liked the video, and interesting to hear about your horns. I've changed a few neck corks myself and once you get a bit of practice it's not too tricky, but mostly I get Steve (in the video) to do it - he is much neater than me, and I don't need to worry about scratching my lacquer! Cheers.
Fab, thanks. I have a new Yamaha YAS280 and the mouthpiece is so tight that I bent the arm of the octave key when fittiing it. Had to bend it back into shape. Now I know how to fix it - I'm off to buy some sandpaper!
This video came to me as life changer.. Cos I was struggling with my new mouth piece cos it was pretty lose.. And I had payed a fortune for it... Just I want to know that putting in hot water for 2sec just once .. Will that then stay tight for few usages.. ??
Great thanks both of you. My cork seems to have shrunk so the mouthpiece has to go too far in. It's usually been left attached to the cork when on the stand. Steve's point about letting the cork breathe is great. My sax is having a service at the moment and so I'll make a point of leaving the mp off the new cork sometimes.
Interesting! I recently started using a rental sax that came with its own worthless mouthpiece, and when I mounted my own mouthpiece on it, I noticed it was pretty snug but I greased the cork liberally and was able to get it on ok. After a couple months of use, though, I tried putting the stock mouthpiece on just to compare (I wanted to see how awful it was, haha), and the fit was noticeably loose. The boiling water trick, that'll be useful at the point when I return this instrument.
Thanks guys, I have a HR Otto link that is too tight and I haven’t wanted to try to open it up at all so I might try sandin* the cork a little. I HAVE 2 necks with my vi so I’ll try on my least favourite first! On also have the almost opposite problem on my 82zii with a new 10mfan Black widow. I have to have it so far out on the cork to get it in tune that it ends up loose and a problem with intonation over the range. My main mpc is fine on this neck/horn so I don’t want to change anything. I might have to just persist and work on brininging it back in tune with embouchre etc over time
I purchased an alto saxophone about a year ago and Im having very much difficulty sliding my metal mouthpiece on the neck even with cork grease applied . I would like to try this sanding trick out but i'm afraid of over sanding the cork too much and then making it too loose for the mouthpiece. Should I go ahead and attempt this sanding trick or take it to a repair shop and let them do it?
I have a question. Why aren't there standard mouthpiece bores for Tenor; Alto; Bari; etc. saxophones? I have several mouthpieces --- all of them have quite difference bores. Yes, I can refine for one ... but it gets frustrating when you want to shuffle mouthpieces.
MegaLike. All my Vandoren AL3, A20, A35 are super-tight on new Yamaha-YAS62. Probably have to sand it using #120, because all notes are flat ~ -20...-25.
Hi guys great help there. I have a small problem that even thought I T Tighten the screw right up my neck still moves. Help please or is it down to white PTF tape ?
I had too tight cork. I took too much off of it. For professional grid 120 is OK but for the rest of us 180 is safer. It is really easy to sand paper too much. I just wonder how much mouth pieces differ from each other. Will the next mouth piece be way too loose now that have sand papered my cork.
Though I don’t play a saxophone, my new bass clarinet mouthpiece does not fit properly on the neck. I am not sure whether it the size of the mouthpiece or the cork, but I believe it is the cork.
hi Great video I just got a new vintage selmer tenor and Im trying to use my old berg larsen mouth piece but to get the horn to play in tune the mouth piece is to far at the end of the cork so the mouth piece is to loose on the neck when its in tune ,but when I move the mouth piece to the middle of the cork I get the full sound of the saxophone but it plays to sharp should I get a new cork? or do you have any suggestions to fix this problem thanks for your help and advice big fan Dennis
I wonder if there are thin cylindrical shims that you can put on the neck or inside the mouth piece? I have a metal mouth piece with a narrow bore and an ebonite mp with a wide bore. I like them both, but the metal one is a little too tight and the ebonite mp a little too loose.
Good idea though I’ve not seen anything like that. Generally once you settle on your main mouthpiece you can get your cork adjusted for that piece (if needed).
I had a synthetic cork on my sax when I was working in the US - pretty easy, it was self adhesive. I didn't find it quite as nice to use as a real cork but definitely convenient.
Purchased a sax online. The mouthpiece seems to be too tight. Are all alto sax the same size in diameter? Wonder should I buy a different mouthpiece or try to sand the one i have down? 😥
Hi. Great to hear you are getting started with sax. It’s really common to have this issue with your mouthpiece not fitting properly. The neck cork is the problem. Here are some ways to fix it: saxschoolonline.com/articles/need-help-neck-cork/
Question: Say that you're an idiot (referring to myself here) and decided to push the mouthpiece on a really tight cork to get it on and made a slight tear in the cork and you want to replace it. Do you recommend buying cork sheets and using contact cement to apply the cork or would cork sheets with their own adhesive work just as well?
That’s a tricky situation if you are changing often between them. If your neck cork is older then you might find a brand new neck cork is more flexible and works for both. Check with your repairer. Hope that helps.
Holding over the steam of a boiling kettle also works and saves dunking in water. What would you suggest though for a perfect condition cork but where the neck is narrower (i.e. Selmer) and many mouthpieces are too loose?
Hi Tim. I agree, the steam trick works really well. For a cork that is too loose, even if it’s in perfect condition you really only have 2 options - Ptfe / plumbers tape (temporary fix) or replacing the cork entirely and shaping it to fit your mouthpiece. If you know what you’re doing this isn’t a big job. A good repairer should be able to do this for you quickly and cheaply too. Hope that helps you.
@@McGillMusicSaxSchool Yes it certainly does help, thanks for such a speedy response! I got a TW Gaia for my Yani sop, it fits perfectly and the combo is fantastic. Sadly the store didn't have alto Gaia's in stock to demo so I made a very risky decision and ordered off the web for my Ref 54. I'm taping it at the mo (and it's great) so will go for the new cork. Thanks!
I just bought a new yamaha custom 82Z Z Series....nd ummm i actually want to make the neck cork a little bit more "stiff" so that when I put my mouthpiece, it doesn't cause the cork to tear....so can you please tell me a solution to this.......is it a good idea to grease the cork and leave it on the table overnignt and repeat it for a few days?????
Does the Ptfe tape damage the cork? My classical mouthpiece fits fine. My jazz mouthpiece is too loose as I have to pull it right out for to be in tune. So can I put on and take off the tape every time I swap the mouthpieces?
What can I do if I want to use two different mouthpieces for different purposes, and the cork is too loose for one of them? Can I apply and remove plumber's or electrician's tape without damaging the cork?
Hi Joel. That’s a difficult one. You could use tape but that isn’t a great solution if you are changing frequently. Better to find two mouthpieces that have a similar fit. Or get an extra neck. Hope you find a solution.
OK I tried again for the free month lesson and when I get to my account, I don’t have a account, so I though you want me to make one. Then it tells me I can’t change anything. So I guess Iam not suppose to get the free mode lesson Oh W.ell. help
Hi Thomas, that sounds strange. I can’t find you in our members list - email me if you need help with the registration process: saxschool@mcgillmusic.com
I'm a alto player with a similar problem. I just have one neck, but 7 different mouthpieces, with slightly different inner diameters, varying from 16,00 to 16,50 mm. Since I'd like to use all of them, could I enlarge the smaller mouthpieces to a 16,50 mm diameter, so to have all at the same size? How could this be made without damage?
Another old quick bodge is to use cigaretter paper to wrap the neck cork instead of ordinary paper - its easier to handle and gummed. PTFE would be better, but works OK if you have fag papaers with you. These are great tips and a great clear straightforward video.
I had a hard rubber mouthpiece on my alto back in high school that fit so tight it eventually developed a crack at the base. Couldn't figure out where the leak was coming from. But I was just a stupid kid.
Don't use cork grease. It needs to be refreshed too often because it is gradually absorbed by the cork to where it doesn't do any good and the built-up cork grease within the pores causes the cork to lose resilience, shortening its life. Better to use a wrap of plumber's teflon tape or rub some teflon powder into the surface of the cork. Teflon powder is also handy for lowering the friction of cork-faced sliding linkages.