{"id":16,"date":"2026-06-19T11:50:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T09:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saxophoneexpert.com\/en\/?p=16"},"modified":"2026-06-20T05:45:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T03:45:33","slug":"saxophone-mouthpiece-and-reeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saxophoneexpert.com\/en\/saxophone-mouthpiece-and-reeds\/","title":{"rendered":"Saxophone Mouthpiece &#038; Reeds: How to Choose (Charts)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Mouthpiece, reed and ligature make up your <strong>setup<\/strong> \u2014 and that&#8217;s where much of your sound comes from, more than the instrument itself. The problem: every brand numbers things differently and online advice contradicts itself. This guide sorts it out with <strong>concrete charts<\/strong> \u2014 mouthpiece tip openings in mm and reed strengths across brands \u2014 plus reed break-in and storage.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Tip opening<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>tip opening<\/strong> is the gap between the mouthpiece tip and the reed tip. Europe uses <strong>mm<\/strong> (Selmer, Yamaha), the US hundredths of an inch (Meyer, Otto Link). Rule of thumb:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>More open<\/strong> \u2192 more volume and flexibility, but needs more air, is more resistant, and pairs with a <strong>softer reed<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>More closed<\/strong> \u2192 easier response, better control of tone and tuning, focused sound; pairs with a <strong>harder reed<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h3>Tip opening chart \u2014 ALTO (indicative, mm)<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table>\n<thead><tr><th>Mouthpiece<\/th><th>Size<\/th><th>Opening ~mm<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>Selmer S90<\/td><td>170 \/ 180 \/ 190 \/ 200<\/td><td>1.35 \/ 1.45 \/ 1.55 \/ 1.65<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Selmer S80<\/td><td>C \/ C* \/ C**<\/td><td>1.45 \/ 1.55 \/ 1.65<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Yamaha<\/td><td>4C \/ 5C<\/td><td>1.60 \/ 1.70<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Meyer<\/td><td>5M \/ 6M \/ 7M<\/td><td>1.80 \/ 1.93 \/ 2.06<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/figure>\n\n<h3>Tip opening chart \u2014 TENOR (indicative, mm)<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table>\n<thead><tr><th>Mouthpiece<\/th><th>Size<\/th><th>Opening ~mm<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>Yamaha<\/td><td>4C \/ 5C<\/td><td>1.70 \/ 1.80<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Selmer S80<\/td><td>C* \/ C** \/ D<\/td><td>1.90 \/ 2.00 \/ 2.10<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Otto Link (Tone Edge ebonite \/ STM metal)<\/td><td>6 \/ 6* \/ 7 \/ 7* \/ 8<\/td><td>2.29 \/ 2.41 \/ 2.54 \/ 2.67 \/ 2.79<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> numbering is <em>not<\/em> comparable across brands \u2014 a Meyer &#8220;5&#8221;, an Otto Link &#8220;7&#8221; and a Selmer &#8220;C*&#8221; are different openings. Only the mm value compares. (Selmer openings are current; older models differ. mm values are approximate.)<\/p>\n\n<p><p class=\"sax-cta\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fliz.ly\/Mmz62_w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored noopener nofollow\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#e0823c;color:#fff;font-weight:700;padding:12px 24px;border-radius:8px;text-decoration:none\">See prices on Thomann \u2192<\/a><\/p><!-- CTA_AFF_DONE -->\ud83d\udc49 <strong>Compare prices and availability<\/strong> at specialist retailers.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Reeds: strengths and (approximate) cross-brand equivalence<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table>\n<thead><tr><th>Line<\/th><th>Scale<\/th><th>Step<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>Rico<\/td><td>1.5\u20134<\/td><td>0.5<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Rico Royal \/ Vandoren Traditional<\/td><td>1\u20135<\/td><td>0.5<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Vandoren V12 \/ V16 \/ Java<\/td><td>2\/2.5\u20135<\/td><td>0.5<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>La Voz<\/td><td>Soft \u2192 Hard (non-numeric)<\/td><td>\u2014<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>L\u00e9g\u00e8re (synthetic)<\/td><td>~2\u20134.5<\/td><td><strong>0.25<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/figure>\n<p>Indicative (per manufacturer charts): a <strong>Rico\/Rico Royal strength X \u2248 Vandoren Traditional strength X<\/strong> (near 1:1), and <strong>La Voz S \u2248 2, M \u2248 3, H \u2248 4<\/strong>. <em>Honest note:<\/em> many players find Vandoren about half a strength harder at the same number \u2014 use the chart as a starting point.<\/p>\n\n<h3>Golden rule: opening \u2194 strength<\/h3>\n<p><strong>More open mouthpiece \u2192 softer reed; more closed \u2192 harder reed.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<h3>For beginners<\/h3>\n<p>On alto and tenor, start with a <strong>2 or 2.5 reed<\/strong> and a <strong>closed mouthpiece<\/strong> like the <strong>Yamaha 4C<\/strong> (or Selmer S80 C* for classical): easy response and good tuning control. Go up half a strength at a time.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Mouthpiece by style<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Beginner<\/strong> \u2192 closed (Yamaha 4C, Selmer S80 C*).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Classical<\/strong> \u2192 closed openings, pure tone (Selmer S80 \/ S90).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Jazz<\/strong> \u2192 Meyer (alto), Otto Link (tenor), the historic references.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Funk\/rock\/lead<\/strong> \u2192 metal high-baffle, large openings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Material (ebonite\/metal\/plastic) matters less than the <strong>internal geometry<\/strong> (chamber, baffle, opening, facing).<\/p>\n\n<p><p class=\"sax-cta\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fliz.ly\/Mmz62_w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored noopener nofollow\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#e0823c;color:#fff;font-weight:700;padding:12px 24px;border-radius:8px;text-decoration:none\">See prices on Thomann \u2192<\/a><\/p><!-- CTA_AFF_DONE -->\ud83d\udc49 <strong>Compare prices and availability<\/strong> at specialist retailers.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Reed break-in &#038; storage<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Wet<\/strong> in room-temperature\/lukewarm water for 1\u20132 min (never hot; no more than ~10\u201315 min).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Play briefly first<\/strong> \u2014 a few minutes (Vandoren&#8217;s own advice).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ramp up<\/strong> over the next days.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rotate 3\u20134 reeds<\/strong>; store flat at stable humidity (Reed Vitalizer). More in <a href=\"https:\/\/saxophoneexpert.com\/en\/saxophone-maintenance\/\">maintenance<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<h2>Cane vs synthetic (L\u00e9g\u00e8re)<\/h2>\n<p>Synthetic reeds need no soaking or break-in, are climate-stable and hygienic and last for months (pricier each). Cane offers the widest tonal palette (classical reference) but is humidity-sensitive and varies reed to reed.<\/p>\n\n<h2>FAQ<\/h2>\n<h3>What reed for the factory mouthpiece?<\/h3>\n<p>With a closed student mouthpiece (Yamaha 4C), a 2\u20132.5 reed is the ideal start.<\/p>\n<h3>Does a harder reed sound better?<\/h3>\n<p>Not by itself \u2014 it must match the opening. Too hard on a closed mouthpiece &#8220;chokes&#8221;; too soft on an open one closes the sound.<\/p>\n<h3>Are cross-brand equivalences reliable?<\/h3>\n<p>Only as a guide: manufacturers themselves call them approximate. Always confirm by trying.<\/p>\n\n<p>See also <a href=\"https:\/\/saxophoneexpert.com\/en\/alto-saxophone\/\">alto<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/saxophoneexpert.com\/en\/tenor-saxophone\/\">tenor<\/a> guides.<\/p>\n\n<p><em>Openings\/equivalences from manufacturers (Selmer, Yamaha, JJ Babbitt, Vandoren, D&#8217;Addario, L\u00e9g\u00e8re); indicative and, for reeds, explicitly approximate. mm rounded.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"976\" src=\"https:\/\/saxophoneexpert.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/06\/ottolink-saxophone-1024x976.jpg\" alt=\"Close-up of an Otto Link Tone Edge saxophone mouthpiece\" class=\"wp-image-123\" srcset=\"https:\/\/saxophoneexpert.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/06\/ottolink-saxophone-1024x976.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/saxophoneexpert.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/06\/ottolink-saxophone-300x286.jpg 300w, https:\/\/saxophoneexpert.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/06\/ottolink-saxophone-768x732.jpg 768w, https:\/\/saxophoneexpert.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/06\/ottolink-saxophone.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mouthpiece, reed and ligature make up your setup \u2014 and that&#8217;s where much of your sound comes from, more than [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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