D'Addario Rico Metalite Alto Sax Mouthpiece, M5

8 months ago, I bought a bari that came with the original Yamaha 5c piece and a metal Otto Link 7. The Otto Link (~$200) is a very nice piece and I am happy playing it, but I read that the Metalite was the current version of the Brilhardt (the piece I prefer on tenor) and at $25 figured why not see how it compares.I think the Metalite is a better piece for what I do (Jazz and Rock). I had assumed the metal piece would be more aggressive, but the Metalite surprised me with more power, edge and bite than the Otto!THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS PIECE IS THE WAY IT OPENS UP THE UPPER REGISTER!I understand the stuffiness of the upper register (compared to tenor or alto) is a design compromise so the Bari could hit those wonderful, full bottom notes without the "honkyness" I have to be fight off on Alto or Tenor.The Yamaha 5c piece is stuffy through the upper register despite having a reputation as easy to play.The Otto does a lot to open these notes up, but, WOW! the Metalite is so open, I can almost think I am playing tenor in the upper register! It is great if you want to wail out a solo and also ideal for getting raunchy with your sound!Nonetheless, I think the Otto would be the better piece for playing in a small, intimate setting with microphone. It has a great full, round, and mellow sound and it plays "soft and soulful" unlike any other piece I've tried. However, I primarily play in a big band so that just doesn't fill the bill for me.I bought a M9 before finding out about the M7 and M5. The packaging says to use the M9 with a soft reed. I use my standard #3 reed and it works great. But I had to buy and try a M7 to see if it made any difference. I could detect no difference of consequence between these two pieces. I think the different facing options are more of a marketing ploy than anything else. That said, I am curious enough to spend another $25 to see if I can tell a difference between the two extremes - M9 and M5. I will post my findings here or check under the M5 reviews after I have a chance to log some time on both of them.At $25, I think anyone who plays bari should try this. I'd recommend the M7 since it is in the middle. If you are a beginner and don't like it, stick it aside and try it again a year later after your embouchure muscles have had time to develop. I mentioned the power, but it also play nice and soft for concert band.Note: I play a Yamaha YBS-62 which has two pads that open when the octave key is pressed in the upper (G and higher) register. This might effect how the piece reacts in the upper register. Please post your experiences with other horns!

I'd say that for the money this is a good mouthpiece. But in truth, at triple the price, it'd still be a good mouthpiece.That said, it is a high baffle mouthpiece, and they are notorious for issues in the lower range of the saxophone. And for some, they have too bright and cutting of a sound. It took a couple days work to find a reed that worked well with it, and ended up with a Vandoren Java Red. Ligature wise, the Rico H-Ligature is perfect for this mouthpiece, as you might expect.So the test...how does this mouthpiece play. Once you have the reed right, it plays wonderfully. Of course, I was looking for a brighter sound. and this gives you that. I was coming from playing an Otto Link metal mouthpiece, and this 7M Metalite out blows it. Funny, how after spending hundreds of dollars on mouthpieces, it is the best priced one of the bunch that wins out in the end.This may not be right for all players, it can be hard to control, but if you want a good contemporary sound this can give you that. You just may have to work with it. The more you play it, the better it gets.This is an update to the earlier review...I thought I'd try the M9 version of this mouthpiece, but was a little wary because of the wider opening and longer facing. But wow, what a difference. I found this M9 version a lot easier to play, and more responsive, especially in the lower register, where the M7 was lacking. The M9 version is the ONE to go with for this mouthpiece.

I am no mouthpiece expert but what I can tell you is this is what you want if you want a cheap option for getting a loud, aggressive tone out of your saxophone. This would not be a great piece of you are trying to blend into a concert band (my Selmer s80 D works well for that), but this mouthpiece is hot stuff if you are in a marching band or want something to cut through a rock band. I personally found that the M7 and M9 were a bit much and found it hard to move enough air to handle those, but the M5 worked well for me. Possibly my horn had some leaks or maybe my sorry embochure is just too weak.

For the price this is an amazing bari mouthpiece, especially for middle/high school students. I will say before I say anything else, this mouthpiece REQUIRES a TENOR LIGATURE. So make sure to pop one in your cart along with this if you don't already have one. Since it's a very bright mouthpiece that's great at projecting sound it may be more difficult for beginner players to control, but it's good practice. Overtone and altissimo is also way easier to accomplish on this mouthpiece compared to some other cheaper bari mouthpieces like the Yamaha 5c.This mouthpiece will make your sound pop, so I highly recommend it for jazz gigs, funk, rock, pop, but definitely nothing like a symphonic/orchestral setting as it tamber created by this mouthpiece just doesn't sound good in those settings.I will also recommend this mouthpiece to people who struggle to play loudly on bari due to not having great air support, since the mouthpiece is as narrow as a tenor mouthpiece it makes it way easier to play louder.