Ready-To-Ship Specials

The Ted Klum Yardbird is, in a word, an outstanding alto sax mouthpiece. I own three: a hard rubber 8, a gold-plated brass 8, and my latest, a rhodium-plated brass 7. Although I am primarily a tenor player of 20+ years, I picked up alto 6 years ago and now split my playing time 70/30. I tried many different alto mouthpieces over the years, but none gave me the bebop sound I wanted until the brass Yardbirds changed everything. These models made practicing alto a true joy. Their standout features are an instantaneous response, excellent intonation, a powerful sound that never breaks, and exceptional dynamics - ranging from a rich, resonating low register to a full, precise high register. The gold-plated brass 8, which I have been playing for a year, has a slightly more resonant sound than the rhodium-plated 7, but the 7 is easier to play during longer sessions. Both demand harder reeds to achieve the best sound; I rotate between Boston Sax Shop Silver 3, Rigotti Gold 3M and 3.5L, and Vandoren V21 2.5. They require a longer break-in time and yield fewer good ones per box, but they last forever. My current setup pairs the brass Yardbird with a Vandoren Optimum metal tenor ligature, played on a Kessler Custom Handmade red brass alto with a Selmer Paris Series II gold brass neck. Ted Klum’s precision craftsmanship is second to none and his dedication shows in every single note.

Hand crafted perfection! So easy to play, has a beautiful complexity to the tone with just the right balance of a harmonic core and edge. Absolutely wonderful!!

Very responsive, a great balance of being able to play with a full present, sound yet controlled through all the registers. It has some punch, but not overly, tuning is fantastic, fits on the neck cork perfectly, which custom mouthpieces don’t always do, but this is a very high-quality piece. For section playing and lead alto playing, this has been a pleasure to play.