Sax mouthpieces?

Question:

Sax mouthpieces?

what are some good mouthpieces for an intermediate to advanced alto sax player. I have a selmer c* right now and I am looking to upgrade to something better

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: There are a vast multitude of mouthpieces available for intermediate to advanced players.
One thing to consider is, why are you changing your mouthpiece? Is it just because a school teacher (probably not a saxophonist) says you should? Are you changing because you are not getting the tone you would like from the instrument? Before truly considering changing, think about why you are changing. If it is a good reason (not a good tone, not good playability, to name a few), then consider changing. DO NOT change just because someone who doesn't really know says so. For your situation, many professional saxophonists still use the C* because they like it and it gives them the tone they like.
Now, as to a mouthpiece. I will never give you a recommendation on which is better, and anyone that does is doing you a dis-service. The reason is that every player is different. I have heard four different classical saxophonists (myself included) play on the exact same setup. We had four completely different sounds. The reason being is that the mouthpiece is such a small part of the sound generation. There is your mouth, tongue, lips, throat, and chest that are bigger aspects of sound generation than the 4-7 inches of air that the mouthpiece gets. So what may work for one person, won't work for another. I've played on C* mouthpieces, and I never liked the sound I got, ever. So if I were to say, don't do C* and some one takes that as fact, I am then shutting them out of something that may work wonderfully for them. Also, what sound are you looking for? Do you want a dark sound? Bright? Nasal? Always loud? Rough? What people want is a very personal choice, so just going off of a recommendation won't do because they may be recommending for a sound you don't like. Another problem is, what mouthpieces do you have access to try? If someone recommends some small name manufacturer that you haven't ever seen and is only available by special order, is that a great recommendation? No, because then you have to order and pay for something you don't even get to try.
All this being said, this is the way to find a mouthpiece that you like. Go to as many different music stores as possible and try as many different mouthpieces as possible. If on one weekend you have to drive 3 hours round trip to a music store, so be it. If three different stores have the same Selmer S80 mouthpiece, try them all. Mouthpieces are very different from one to the next and while one of a certain model may not work, another may. Take your time, play the full range, full dynamic range, and even different styles such as jazz and classical. Try them with different strength reeds as a more open mouthpiece (open as in the gap between the reed tip and mouthpiece tip) will need a softer reed, and a more closed moutpiece will need a thicker reed. Bring a note book and take notes on the mouthpieces. What sound do you get? Did it play well? Could you achieve easy altissimo (if you are working on this technique)? When you have tried as many as you can, and you know which you like and don't, go back and play your top three or top five. If you have to go far to a store, see if they will lend you the mouthpiece(s) that you liked for a short while. Many stores allow this with a credit card number as a safety. Then play the favorite mouthpieces one right after another and again and again until you know which one you like. This is the one you buy.
The only recommendation that matters is your own, the rest of ours is crap. I took nearly two months to find a good mouthpiece for my classical playing, and I looked at recommendations of other players. The mouthpiece I finally got was never even recommended, but it was the sound I was looking for. So all the time of getting others recommendations was a waste because I didn't like any of them.