Today, I am excited to be reviewing the new BSS (Boston Sax Shop) E-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece released by Jack Tyler at the Boston Sax Shop.

I have already reviewed the excellent Boston Sax Shop S-Series tenor sax mouthpiece and the Boston Sax Shop R-Series tenor sax mouthpiece.  Both of which I was very impressed with. When I heard of the new BSS E -Series tenor saxophone mouthpieces Jack was developing, I had to try one!

Boston Sax Shop E-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

Jack Tyler is the owner of Boston Sax Shop and has been my saxophone repairman for the last ten years. I usually head down to Boston about once a year for Jack to check out my saxophones and while he is giving them a look over, he always gives me the inside scoop on all the saxophone gossip around the world as well as updates on the new saxophone gear that he is working on.  Of course, I always let him know about the latest saxophone goodies sitting on my desk waiting for a review as well.

Besides being a phenomenal repairman, craftsman and incredibly fashionable fellow, Jack is always up to some new saxophone related endeavor.  Whether it be straps, cases, ligatures, saxophone necks, reed cases, reeds, etc….. Jack always seems like he has a new project on the horizon.

The other quality I have always loved about Jack is that he is a straight shooter.  You ask him a question and he tells you exactly what he thinks whether it helps him get a sale or not.  I love this about him!

Boston Sax Shop E-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Boston Sax Shop E-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is described by Jack as being a reference to the “Early Babbitt” Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpieces of the past.  From what I understand from Jack, he wanted to capture the essence, sound and power of the vintage Early Babbitt tenor saxophone mouthpieces but without sacrificing evenness of tone. To quote Jack:

“Modern players playing the Boston Sax Shop E-series can enjoy more of the power and brightness that these mouthpieces deliver when playing in a louder setting but still get the lushness and warmth required in a more intimate jazz setting.”-Jack Tyler

Here is how Jack Tyler describes the Boston Sax Shop E-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece on his website at BostonSaxShop.com:

“The E Series is the all-rounder, the tenor sax mouthpiece that can both cut through a loud band but still whisper sub-tones on a ballad. Inspired by the tonal characteristics of the coveted ‘Early Babbit’ transitional Otto Links, I really wanted to find that perfect balance of brilliance and warmth that the best vintage tenor sax mouthpieces have. The end result (after many many prototypes) ended up with a interior profile that utilizes a unique longer roll over baffle. As opposed to the shorter and higher baffles found in the vintage EB models, I find the gentle roll over shape to provides an equal amount of power without sacrificing evenness which is so important to me. The end result is once again, incredibly versatile: punchy, warm and easy to play.”-Jack Tyler 

Boston Sax Shop R-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Boston Sax Shop E-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is made of quality hard rubber.  You can smell a little bit of that hard rubber smell that you typically smell on vintage hard rubber mouthpieces when you hold one up to your nose.

The mouthpiece has the BSS logo engraved in white on the top of the mouthpiece.  The tip opening of 7* is not machine engraved on the mouthpiece but is hand engraved on the left corner of the body next to the butt end of the table.  “Made in the USA” in engraved on the bottom of the bore of the mouthpiece.

Each of the Boston Sax Shop tenor saxophone mouthpieces (there are three models at the time of this review: the S, R and E Series) have different stylish designs around the shank of each mouthpiece.  I like how each model has a different design.  The BSS E-Series tenor sax mouthpiece has two white lines with a row of circles between the lines encircling the shank of the saxophone mouthpiece.

Boston Sax Shop E-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The Boston Sax Shop E-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece looks great to the eye.  The tip, rails and table look even, flat, precise and well crafted.  The mouthpiece tip rail and side rails are even and thin, and the shape of the tip rail perfectly matches the curve of the BSS (Boston Sax Shop) saxophone reeds I used on the E-Series mouthpiece.

The baffle of the Boston Sax Shop E-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a medium height, long and gradual rollover baffle.  The floor of the baffle during the decent is slightly curved from side to side and the scooped-out sidewalls on either side of the baffle floor come inward as the baffle travels down into the chamber.

The BSS E-Series mouthpiece chamber looks to be what I would consider a large sized chamber similar to a typical hard rubber Otto Link sized chamber.  The roof of the mouthpiece chamber under the table is thin at the start but then the roof angles down slightly as it travels through the chamber area to the bore.

Boston Sax Shop E-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

The diameter and beak profile of the Boston Sax Shop E-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is very close to the diameter and beak profile of a typical hard rubber Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece.

All of my saxophone ligatures that fit comfortably on hard rubber Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpieces fit on the Boston Sax Shop E-Series 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  I chose to use the Boston Sax Shop Gold Superlative ligature that I reviewed last year for this review.

Boston Sax Shop E-Series 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

I found the BSS (Boston Sax Shop) Black Label and Silver Label #3 and #3 1/2 strength tenor saxophone reeds to play very well on this 7* E-Series tenor saxophone mouthpiece.  The BSS #3 reeds worked great right out of the box.  I could just slap one on the mouthpiece after wetting it and play.

The #3 1/2 reeds were a bit stiffer as you would expect and I had to play for a little bit and break them in before they were perfect for me.  Those three BSS reeds were hard enough to give some healthy resistance to blow against while not being so hard that it felt stuffy or too resistant to me.

I added the BSS Black Label 3 1/2 reed sound clip after I drove down to the Boston Sax Shop to have Jack replace a pad that had fallen out of my tenor sax.  I was curious how the E-series tenor mouthpiece would sound with BSS 3 1/2 reeds as well and Jack was nice enough to hook me up with some 3 1/2 reeds to try for this review.

In keeping with the BSS brand, I also used a BSS Gold Superlative ligature on the BSS E-Series mouthpiece as I mentioned earlier.

<a href="https://cdn.neffmusic.com/2023/BSSETip.jpg" rel="sh