It is not easy to be original in making a product which was first described in the original drawings of the 1846 Antoine Joseph Sax patent. It was a simple wooden mouthpiece, the idea and shape of which remained basically unchanged for several decades. In recent times new materials and new technologies have been applied to the manufacture of an enormous range of mouthpieces. However, a few craftsmen, the best craftsmen learnt the 'wood' lesson by making unbelievable pieces whose playing characteristics are astonishing.

Our own journey into mouthpiece construction began several years ago while we were engaged in refacing work. Fascinated by the variety of shapes and sounds, and with a true passion for quality, we began the slow process of trial and error in our search to develop the 'perfect' mouthpiece.

On the left you can see one of our first wooden prototypes, a rare example of style and quality, which was entirely crafted by hand.

Utilizing our diverse range of skills in the fields of music, precision measurements, data analysis and the dynamics of fluids, aided us in constructing our first hybrid (wood/PMMA) models. Our aim was to harness the beauty and quality of wood, whilst at the same time solving the problem of warping and natural deterioration!

On the right is an image of our first dual material 'Manila' mouthpiece. For more information visit our Discontinued Models page.

Our dream was only just beginning.

Our London models, introduced to the public in 2008, were the firstborn of our new breed of mouthpieces.

More images can be viewed by following links on our Discontinued Models and Catalogue pages

On the left is an image of the original idea, showing the internal parabolic chamber.

From a technical point of view the mouthpiece has many features: a standard rollover baffle, a horseshoe shaped elliptical entrance from the mouthpiece bore to the internal chamber, a triple chamber approach (indicated right) and a parabolic end to the bore which ideally crosses the U shaped window creating what we term the 'mouthpiece eye'. Our source of inspiration was from the vintage internal 'S' shaped Meyers and hard rubber Berg Larsen. By making slight changes to the curvature of each individual chamber, virtually any kind of sound can be obtained.

As for tip openings and lay; we only use proprietary curves which are the result of several years experience in refacing work and measurement taking. All these curves are derived from the best sounding mouthpieces of the past and then adapted to our own original mouthpiece chambers.

This gradual improvement process required the help of many professional musicians from around the world. With their help we eventually solved early problems with intonation issues.

By introducing high resolution 3D data acquisition and 3D graphics, we used technology to examine and interpret every change we made, enabling us to take the next 'giant step' forward.

All of this has brought our current production up to an incredibly high level of performance.

The London Aquamarine is partially constructed using CNC technology. Even so, there are still more than 40 manual processes involved in the crafting of each one!

We hand finish and test each piece rigorously before applying the final touches and shipping it out.

We have retained a strip of wood as part of the design of our mouthpieces. It's purpose is purely aesthetic, yet it serves also to remind us of the great lessons of the past.