Johannes Gerber Saxophone Mouthpieces

Testimonials...

I have been playing on the same mouthpiece design for most of my 20+ year professional career. While, like many, I enjoy trying all the options, I am cautious to stray too far as I depend on the quality, consistency, and flexibility of my setup to make a living and express my art in live performance and in the studio.

I first heard of Johannes while playing in South Africa. Several reputable players described him as one of the rising gurus of saxophone mouthpiece design and alteration. My interest was peaked. When I returned to the States, I emailed him, sent him some of my CDs to familiarize him with my sound, and began to describe a new direction I wanted to try in a tenor mouthpiece. When I was booked for a return engagement in Grahamstown South Africa, we arranged a meeting.

Johannes had a roughed out a brass piece by hand from a solid bar. From the first moment I began to play, the piece proved unique. It immediately displayed a deep body of tonal color (throughout the horn) and ease of playability despite the large chamber/large tip opening I had requested.

We met nearly every day for a week (a rare luxury) -- I would describe tonal issues and demonstrate tonal concerns and he would respond with undoubtedly the finest hand done alterations I had ever witnessed. His attention to detail and his intensity was stunning. Once he had zeroed in on THE design I wanted, he finished, polished, and plated the mouthpiece to a truly artistic level of completeness -- topped off with a unique custom designed, hand-made Ligature that is a work of art in itself.

I have had the privilege of benefiting from some of the finest mouthpiece makers alive today. Johannes's refined
technique, unique designs, and unsurpassed ability to interpret the needs and requests of the artist are unparalleled. He was able to create a piece that maintained my sound while giving me new tonal dimensions to explore.

Additionally, Johannes is a true gentleman who loves his work and is motivated by the prospect of creating something truly unique that inspires the artist to be at his/her best -- It was a pleasure working with him.

Be assured, excellence, that can only come from the painstaking tradition of hand-made mouthpiece design, is alive and well in the hands of Johannes Gerber!

Chris Collins
Recording Artist
Director of Jazz Studies
Wayne State University
Detroit, USA

_________

The work you have done on my Berg Larsen as well as my Otto Link is superb.

Upon receiving the mouthpieces, I instantly noticed a great difference in
intonation, which is now almost effortless. You gave me an excellent
recommendation on the baffle work, taking the edge off a bit, just as I
wanted, but could not really put into words. Aside from the sound, the
mouthpiece is perfect cosmetically.

I noticed the biggest difference in the Berg, which was especially uneven towards the tip. The side rails are now VERY uniform, thin, and the tip matches my reed perfectly.

Thank you very much for all of the wonderful work.

Matthew Vashlishan
www.mattvashlishan.com

_________

"Johannes, the work you did on my soprano piece is tremendous - it is pure magic to play! "

Joe Giardullo
www.joegiardullo.com

_________

"Hi Johannes,
I played the mouthpiece today. You have done a marvelous job of restoring this piece. It plays very evenly and feels like the way a first-level Otto Link should be. Thanks very much for your unbelievable skill and craft. I hope you have time for me in the future. I have a few pieces that I would love for you to work your magic on.

Thank you. "

Bill Pierce, Chair of Woodwind Department, Berklee College of Music

_________

"Johannes,
I just now played all of the pieces and am blown away... Excellent facings on all. l love the length and feel on each. Great seal with the reed, incredible tip and rails. Great round full tone... I can't tell you which one I like the best, they are all outstanding. The bite feels perfect.

Thanks so much for your great work."

Mark Norris, USA, (Refaced Guardala Crescent, JG mod to SS and Bronze Bergs, various others)
www.myspace.com/marknorrismusic

_________

"Hello Johannes!

The mouthpiece came today and it's the most amazing thing I've ever played!

You don't even know how long I've been looking for this type of Alto sound. It's bright without being too bright and it NEVER thins out even in the altissimo. There is so much color to the sound that I'd always been lacking. This is it, the last piece I will ever play on alto, unless I decide to try one of your hand made pieces.

You are a true artist my friend, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! "

Sheridan Farrah, USA (Refaced Meyer 6M, Alto Saxophone)

_________

"Dear Johannes,

I have searched for this sound for many years. Free blowing, and it's very clean. I enjoy the playing so much. It looks cool too, very excellent work!

Tom Stencli, Hungary (Johannes Gerber Alto Custom)

_________

"Dear Johannes

Upon opening the box, the first thing I had to do was to flip the mouthpiece over to appreciate the fine craftsmanship that has become synonymous with your name. Though the thin side and tip rails are truly a work of art and speak volumes about your skill, I think the most impressive aspect of the mouthpiece was how you had shaped its tip to match perfectly with the reed I
sent you. Without a doubt, you have brought new meaning to the word "flush".

Aesthetics aside, I can only say that the mouthpiece plays like a dream. Besides being comfortably free-blowing and extremely responsive, it also packed quite a volume. However, I believe the greatest thing about it is how my voice on the saxophone is now so even throughout its entire range. Even as I played from the lowest subtone all the way to altissimo, not once did it threaten to thin out, maintaining this solid tonal core and power the entire way.

Thank you ever so much for breathing new life into my alto playing."

Jaan, Singapore (Refaced Meyer 5M, Alto Saxophone)

_________

"Dear Johannes,
What you have done to my mouthpiece is very much close to a miracle. It plays exactly the way I want it and I have got more projection in the high register. It also plays much more in tune than before and it’s a very nice mouthpiece to play on. Thank you very much for your craftsmanship and for going an extra mile for me."

IGOR, Australia (refaced Dukoff D9, soprano saxophone)

_________

"If you are not familiar with Johannes Gerber, I highly recommend his work as a mouthpiece refacer. I learned about Johannes through the late Jon van Wie, who spoke of his work and also provided a link to Johannes' website. I decided to send a mouthpiece to Johannes, and I can attest to his incredible knowledge, craftsmanship, and diligence. I was also impressed with his communication throughout the time my mouthpiece was in his hands. I received many pictures of the progress, and an occasional mp3 of him play testing the mouthpiece through the stages of his work. Johannes is dedicated to serving the saxophone community with his skills, and I hold his work in the highest regard."

Wally West, USA

_________

"I've only gotten chills once, from the sheer exquisiteness of a mouthpiece maker's workmanship, and that was when I unwrapped a Tonemaster Johannes restored for me recently."

Palo Tung, USA

_________

"I would also add that I have had JG fix some mouthpieces for me too, his work is exceptional. He has managed to make mouthpieces that were unplayable into pieces that have become my best playing pieces. I would heartily recommend letting JG reface your mouthpiece, he is a wealth of information and has the gift of JVW.

I also look forward to testing some of his own design alto sax mouthpieces in brass, the sound clips I have heard are incredible. "

Richard Booth, Australia

_________

"Your alto custom is the best metal alto mouthpiece I have ever played."

Polwit, USA (metal JG custom, alto, 0.098 tip)

_________

"Dear Johannes,

The mouthpiece came yesterday, and I gave a it a good workout this morning. Wow! I think it's exactly what I wanted! A lot like my Tenney Link but with a bigger voice and better response. Sweet middle range, fat low end, and the altissimo is killing. I'm playing on my mark VII with Rico Select Jazz 3m or Rico Royal 3.5, and it really sings.

Thanks so much for your great work."

Andy Joiner, USA (Refaced, modified hard rubber Bundy 3, tenor saxophone)

_________

"Johannes,
The mouthpiece arrived three days ago! It looks great! (the old Mister Otto Link will turn around in his grave when he could see it!)
I think you did a wonderful job! Not only the silverplating with the greenish biteplate, but of course the sound!

Just enough brightness...you made a good choice about that. Easy blowing and just some more power/volume than it had before!! I'm a very satisfied customer! My The Martin is a pretty dark sounding horn but the combination is super now!!"

Paul Lanfermeijer, The Netherlands, (Restored Master Link, see photo gallery)

_________

"I am very happy with it, the tone is exactly what I wanted and the green tooth guard is very cool. Now that I've got one you should double your prices.

I spent a couple more hours with the piece today, I was able to get a very woody, medium dark sound, exactly what I'm going for. I could not be happier with the mouthpiece."

Joseph F Loosmore, (229 US Army Band at time of this review) (metal JG Jazz, alto, 0.086 tip)

_________

Hi Johannes, the Berg that you modified is a work of art. The tip and rails are flawless, the chamber perfect. Congratulations on producing a mouthpiece of such distinction. I would not hesitate to recommend your work to anyone who is not happy with their mouthpiece. You truly have “the gift”.

Best Regards….Ralph Franke (Sydney, Australia)

_________

"After fooling around with mouthpieces for years, I've only found happiness recently. A short summary of my journey.

The first mouthpiece that I loved was a Bilger Morgan, but after playing it for only a little while, my dog chewed it up and I had never been able to find it until recently, when I found that they were no longer Bilgers, but Morgans. I think people forget how hard it was to get gear before internet days.

I then went on a long, painful and expensive journey that caused me to buy a bunch of metal mouthpieces, such Link, Berg Larsen, Dukoff, all with so-so results. I'm not going to say they were bad mouthpieces as I know others have preference for these pieces, but there was always something lacking in them for me.

I then went back to the standard Meyer rubber but it, too, was also just so-so, despite all the hype I had heard; and I thought maybe it was just me, or my trusty steed, a five digit Selmer VI (how could I ever doubt it?).

Finally, thanks to all the helpful folks on the Sax On The Web forum, I sent my chewed up Morgan and so-so Meyer for Johannes Gerber to reface. The results are like night and day. The mouthpiece vibrate so hard that my teeth actually hurt when I play a long time. The dog chewed Morgan is basically brand new.

After the fantastic results, I heartily recommend that if you have mouthpieces you're not feeling happy with, send it down to South Africa to Johannes Gerber! Even though the results are not as immediate as taking it down to your friendly neighborhood mouthpiece artist, it is well worth the wait."

C.K. Lee, Hong Kong

_________

"I recently purchased an alto Tonelink from JG off eBay. These are superbly finished pieces at a bargain price. I get a fat, almost tenor-like sound out of mine. Response is great. They are a work of art. "

Keith Bradbury, USA (JG Tonelink, alto, 0.083 tip)

_________

"Definitely check out Jo Gerber's hand made pieces. I received one recently. It is extremely well made. It projects well, plays easy from bottom to altissimo, plays in tune and most importantly, sounds good. He'll update you everyday with the progress, from a mouthpiece blank to the finished product. For a custom tailored piece, the price is great."

CC, Canada, (metal JG Custom, alto, 0.110 tip)

_________

"Got the Link today. What a beautiful piece. I think I'm going to be playing soprano a lot more now!"

P Gose, Canada (Refaced metal 7* Link, soprano)

_________

"I started out sending a clunker of an alto piece to see if JG could do something to make it play. JG basically made a new blank out of it and did an amazing job of transforming it into a really nice playing alto piece that plays wonderfully. I found JG to be a very talented craftsman with an amazing amount of creativity and patience and I for one am really happy to be able to know there is somebody with this talent and patience out there for us."

Brian , USA (Refaced/redesigned Sugal copper classic alto piece)

_________

"Plays great. Thanks a million. Response is good and the sound is close to what I want."

Keith Ridenhour, USA (Refaced Ponzol M2 tenor, 110 tip, + custom bullet chamber)

_________

"The mouthpiece arrived today. It is beautiful. I wanted to leave work to go play but had to wait. I tried the piece on my SA80 series II and the sound was solid. The projection is outstanding. As I increased the volume there is a slight edge but it never gets to be too much.

I then tried the piece on one of my Buescher TT horns. The intonation is right on. The playing was effortless. Please understand I normally play a .080 tip size. I used a rovner lig which may have controlled the brightness. Both horns that I have tried so far are silver plate."

NCM, Canada, (Original large body, large chamber metal JG Custom, alto, 102 tip)

_________