I've been thinking of upgrading my mouthpiece for quite a while. I am an intermediate level player, and was looking for a metal mouthpiece, that would allow me to cut through with sax solos (I play with a band of (too many) ukuleles). At the same time, I didn't want a sound too thin/aggressive. I had tried a Rico Metalite 7 before, which I really didn't like and struggled with (particularly with low notes), so was a bit skeptical of aggressive stepped baffle designs.
This is why I went for the Essentials Jazz instead of the Essentials Contemporary. I was still afraid of 1) it being still too aggressive, with its angular metal design; and 2) it not being powerful enough to cut through when it matters.
I needn't worry on those two points. This mouthpiece is simply amazing. It was easy to play from the start. I can get a lot of power from it, but also a softer, warmer sound if needed. After just one week, I'm beginning to get some great overtones to warm my sound as well. Even the (very rare) squeeks I got so far seem to be easy to control.
Very very happy with this mouthpiece. The quality is amazing, and the price is not exaggerated. Only two extremely minor points: 1) the integrated ligature it comes with (which is also amazing) requires a bit more care when storing the mouthpiece; and 2) I feel I need to pull the mouthpiece a bit more out on the cork than other mouthpieces, to the point that I'm wondering if it is sitting too far out.
