This growing collection of fine handmade saxophone mouthpieces is the result of a close collaboration between Aaron Drake and the Saxophone icons of today. Drake’s revolutionary mouthpiece production method have given way to these renderings of the mouthpieces from Legendary Master Saxophonists.

MASTERS SERIES

Jerry Bergonzi ‘EB’ Tenor

“What I look for in a mouthpiece is the ability to shape the sound that I hear in my head, along with ease of articulation. Drake mouthpieces do that for me.”

 

The design process was over two years in the making, with extensive input and feedback from Bergonzi at every stage. The result is a mouthpiece that generates a lustrous, lush, fat sound, in line with the best vintage mouthpieces of the era.

The EB is a large, round chamber mouthpiece that incorporates the classic “crescent” shaped baffle, which transitions to a recalibrated floor contour. The tip and side rails are finished to Jerry’s exact specifications. He prefers a slightly wider contour that facilitates a fat sound and stabilizes the attack.

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Pete Christlieb Tenor

“For a guy who has played on the same mouthpiece for 54 years, my new Aaron Drake recreation is incredibly accurate. The .120” is my favorite.”

– Pete Christlieb

This model is based on the very same “Bullet Chamber” design that Pete Christleib has played for over 50 years.  The specially callibrated baffle is contoured to create an “aliveness” to the sound that is even through all the registers.  The addition of the long silver plated banding on the shank helps to focus the core vibrational frequencies and generates greater projection.

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David Sanborn Alto

This unique mouthpiece is informed by several of Aaron Drake’s designs, along with Sanborn’s most beloved vintage mouthpieces. The result is a metal alto saxophone mouthpiece unlike any other. Since 2014 David Sanborn has been playing and performing exclusively with his Drake Signature Model.

The acoustic concept of the Drake Sanborn Model is established on a three-tiered baffle design, with a medium, Venturi chamber. It features hand-polishing of the primary baffle, hand-contouring of the chamber and satin-finished second and third baffles. The baffle transitions are left un-touched so as to create a crisp line that creates turbulence in the air flow. This helps to facilitate certain desirable upper partials in the sound. It is a very free-blowing mouthpiece, with just enough resistance to achieve your intended tonal color and expressive nuance. It is currently available in three tip openings: 6 (.08″) 7 (.085″) and 8 (.09″) David Sanborn plays an 8

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Phill Woods Alto

This special mouthpiece was conceived through exclusive collaboration with the Phil Woods Estate.

Phil’s life-long dedication to his craft left an indelible, beautiful inscription on the landscape of jazz. A classically-trained musician, Grammy Award winner and prolific recording artist, Phil was also a soul who truly loved the art of music. This mouthpiece honors his legacy.

 

The Phil Woods is the quintessential straight-ahead jazz mouthpiece. The geometry is identical to Phil’s mouthpiece, and offers the player something new in their experience. With the use of modern materials and design technology, Aaron Drake has respectfully carried this near-mythical mouthpiece forward into a new era.

You can expect a pleasant amount of resistance, perfect for producing a warm, rich tone, with pop and projection when desired. The response is homogenous throughout the full range of the instrument and is capable of full-sounding altissimo. Overall, the tone is evocative of the best hard rubber mouthpieces of the golden era of jazz.

MASTERS SERIES

Eddie Daniels Tenor

This, according to Daniels, OS the “Open Secret”.

“A beautiful, centered and flexible sound is best produced with a closer tip opening… with a mouthpiece that is easy to play.”

– Eddie Daniels.

 

The “OS” design incorporates a rollover baffle that transitions to a medium-large chamber. There is a moderate amount of under-cutting on the side walls.

The Drake OS Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece is designed specifically for players who feel more comfortable playing a closer, more manageable tip opening, but; still want to establish their personal tone quality, employ a full range of dynamics and add layers of color and nuance to their sound.

MASTERS SERIES

Boney James Alto

“This is the best mouthpiece I have ever had, so I am proud to put my name on it. It has really been a game changer for me in terms of the control I have over my tone. The Drake Boney James Master Series piece has all the projection and brightness of my metal mouthpiece but I can get a very round and warm sound as well. It is really a joy to play!”

Boney James, is a saxophonist, songwriter and producer. He is one of the most successful instrumental artists of our time, with sales totaling over 3 million records. Boney James is a three-time Grammy Award nominee and a Soul Train Award winner.