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News at  ZAGAR® - makers of fine Saxophone Mouthpiece Products:

Latest Headlines July 27, 2010 Why Baffle free and why Zagar in 2010? Why baffle-free and why Zagar in the year 2010? I would like to take this opportunity to inform the sax-playing community that great saxophone mouthpieces do not require a wedge or baffle in order to create a brilliant, fat and powerful sound. The air should enter without turbulence and then progress in a 'lamellar' fashion directly into the throat area of the mouthpiece. Unfortunately a baffle (or wedge) is an unwanted constriction in the most critical area or the sax mouthpiece that directly results in much turbulence and disruption to the airstream.  The acoustical negative side effects of baffles/wedges is a general 'thinning' of the sound in the upper registers, poor response in the lower registers without the ability to play softly in this area of the instrument. Another side-effect is poor intonation and uneven response over the entire range of the instrument. Larger intervals become almost impossible to master, whereby dexterity and flexibility on the instrument is greatly compromised. So why do so many acclaimed makers place a baffle or wedge? I find it strange that so many uninformed makers/refacers are only too eager to endeavour to reface or rework one of our gems, or perhaps an old Florida, in an attempt to 'make it play better' so to speak. What these same makers/refacers generally achieve is a totally ruined mouthpiece, only to be resold to another unsuspecting player as 'improved'. There are also makers out there who are completely aware of their own shortfalls when it comes down to acoustical knowledge in this area. These same makers realize that they cannot produce an effective baffle-free configuration. Nevertheless, these same 'wannabe' makers then attempt to 'recreate' the brilliance and vibrancy through artificial means, namely baffles and wedges. The truth of the matter is that such mouthpieces may seem to give instant gratification to the unwary player; however, the player soon discovers all the problems associated with such baffled mouthpieces. Internal Resonance Co-efficient (IRC) is a fundamental parameter that enables an acoustically correct Baffle-free mouthpiece to function correctly, and at peak acoustical efficiency. Baffle-free acoustically correct mouthpieces will produce much more sound with a fat, bold and brilliant sound profile, for very little effort on the part of the player. Unfortunately mass production and the search for mass profits have overshadowed truth, knowledge and technical understanding. Many mouthpiece makers have absolutely no idea as to what is required to allow the saxophone to function correctly. The search for greater profit margins and a larger market share sees many so-called makers offering a multitude of various models - the only variants being different baffle heights and shapes. I find this ironic, and it saddens me greatly that the sax-playing community is being continually bamboozled like this! It could be said that the sax manufacturing world has entered into a so-called 'post-modernist' era where acoustical truth has now been buried under the rubble of marketing hype and profiteering. It has been the goal of the zagarsax team to seek "Truth in sax mouthpiece technology", and then to continue this same pioneering spirit into 2010 and beyond. By providing the sax-playing community with the very best in Baffle-free mouthpiece technology this goal is being achieved. GL   June 23, 2009 News Flash! All Zagar mouthpieces are made from one solid piece of high IRC bronze! Why one-piece (monolithic) construction?    Do solder joints affect response? Over the last few months I have been asked whether our mouthpiece products are soldered in two halves, or whether they are made in one solid piece (monolithic construction). Unequivocally - and without exception - all of our products are monolithic 'single-crystal' resonators; there are no solder joints in any of our mouthpiece products. As most of our valued customers already know and understand, the mouthpiece material has a direct bearing on resultant volume, projection and response. Monolithic (one-piece) construction is no exception to this fundamental acoustical rule. It has long been understood in the Violin-making circles that the soundboard is of paramount importance to viable sound production; an experienced Violin maker would not join or glue two (2) pieces in order to make one (1) sound board. From a purely acoustical viewpoint, the standing wave (wave-front) vibrations are heavily attenuated at the glue line (NB resultant phase shift causes further attenuation of main sound wave).  Therefore, it would follow that the same (or similar) acoustical rules could apply to saxophone mouthpieces - and they do! Through extensive empirical and scientific investigations at Zagarsax, it was eventually discovered that the 'Q' factor (or resonance factor) falls sharply with solder joint thickness. Nothwithstanding this, there is a lowering of 'Q' factor in the order of around 40% with the thinnest solder joint; therefore it would be circumspect to construct the mouthpiece with a view to monolithic construction. 'Q' factor could be incorrectly interpreted as Internal Resonance Coefficient (IRC). IRC and Q factor are two separate parameters; however, the reduction of either one of these parameters has the same net effect, namely, an overall reduction in power, projection and response characteristics. A previous Zagarsax news article covered grain refiners (crystal lattice modification), and their effect on acoustical resonance and Internal Resonance Co-efficient (IRC). The mouthpiece that was being discussed was the vintage Florida Otto Link. These mouthpieces were also soldered in two halves and by and large the solder joint was a major variable that affected how well each particular model played.  If monolithic construction is conducive to overall mouthpiece resonance, then why do many manufacturers opt for the 'two halves soldered' method of construction?  The simple answer is tooling costs: The average tooling costs for for any one of our Zagarsax models runs out at around 95K! The Zagarsax Ceramic Tooling System allows one-piece (monolithic) construction with 99.99% repeatablilty. On the other hand, many contemporary makers are utilizing Computer Numerical Control (CNC) processes where the only physicial tooling cost is in the holding fixture (to hold the raw billet and/or stock for machining). The cost of the holding fixture/s is only a small fraction of our average tooling cost per model - each Zagarsax model requires a separate set of tools! Of course as with any CNC system, there are programming costs; however, such costs are very small compared to our exclusive Zagarsax Ceramic Tooling System. I hope that I have helped to explain why Zagarsax has undertaken to produce all their mouthpieces as one-piece monolithic designs, why no expenses are spared! Stay tuned for more news and tech-talk. Until then, enjoy playing the sax, and all the best from the Zagarsax team! GL.      November 20, 2008 Latest tenor range now officially released! Latest 2009 tenor sax mouthpiece range now officially launched! You've all been waiting for this moment - well here it is! Our latest tenor sax mouthpieces are now officially launched, and ready for tryout! There are a few changes with ordering that everyone should know about - we have made it very simple for anyone ordering any bronze model to tryout two (2) mouthpieces, for the price of one! This is possible only via direct Credit Card payment - PayPal cannot support this special Trial/Purchase option - sorry! What does the latest Trial/Purchase offer mean, and how do I benefit from this? How often have you wondered if you have ordered the correct size and/or model? Chances are that any person who has ever ordered any expensive item over the internet has had this particular 'seed of doubt'. Zagarsax aims to remove this uncertainty out of the bronze mouthpiece equation. Although our Online Consultation Today™ has proved to be a highly reliable source of information for determining your individual sizing requirements, wouldn't it be nice to tryout one size more open or closed, or the 'other' bronze variation? With our exclusive zagarsax Trial/Purchase option (with Credit Card payment) this now becomes a reality! Please do not hesitate to Contact Us for more details on the Trial/Purchase option, and remember that all sales are now subject to Tryout Validation.  What is Tryout Validation? How many times have you waited and waited for a package to arrive? And that package seems to never arrive! Whoops! there goes your Trial Period, and now you're literally 'stuck' with something that hasn't even been delivered - nor are you certain that it will be delivered. Tryout Validation seeks to remedy this situation, and also assists us to keep a 'trace' on your valuable purchase. In the event that you have not received your package within 30 days of shipping, your Trial period will be suspended until the 'package status' is verified (determined). Tryout Validation also enables the zagarsax team to extend your Trial period without any questions! - it's that simple! With Tryout Validation, you are maintaining a safe and comfortable working environment and therefore allow the team at zagarsax to implement such strategies as Trial/Purchase, Trial period extension, reduced billing costs, free shipping with any Zagar purchase, and so on . . . On this note I would like to welcome all players to tryout our latest 2009 models, and have much fun and enjoyment doing so. If you require any further information on our Zagarsax Standard Terms and Conditions, please contact Gary Lewin at info@zagarsaxmouthpieces.com Cheers, and happy mouthpiece trials!  GL October 23, 2008 More payment options available at zagarsax! PayPal payments now available at zagarsax! You now have the option of paying with PayPal, when Online shopping at zagarsax - World Leaders in Sax Mouthpiece Technology™ Simply click onto the PayPal logo for PayPal Checkout; or Click onto the lower set of Credit Card icons to facilitate conventional Credit Card payment - its that simple!* *Credit Card Checkout only supports Visa/Mastercard - sorry no AMEX! October 22, 2008 Sorry for the extended delay:   SBB 500 and XT/XS mouthpieces : I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to all local and overseas customers for the extended delays for our official SBB 500 product launch. The main cause for the delay has been an unexpected surge in demand for our latest SBB mouthpiece product. This unanticipated work overload has also created further delays for the XT/XS 2009 mouthpiece project. A note to all players who have forward-ordered (indent ordered) the '500' via our Special Customer Order Pre-pay (SCOPP):   We are directly on schedule with your mouthpiece order, and delivery is as per the quoted delivery period on your SCOPP Sales Invoice. Once again, I would like to apologize for the extended delays, and I promise that it's worth the wait! Kindest regards,  Dave Zagar (Managing Director - zagarsax)  September 22, 2008 The all-new ZAGAR X-T and X-S mouthpieces - a dawning of a new era in sax mouthpiece technology! The zagarsax philosophy has always been to deliver quality mouthpieces to all players, a realistic price point. It doesn't matter whether you are a professional player or you simply enjoy practising in your 'living room'; zagarsax always aims to bring you the very best in response and sound quality. The XT and XS range of mouthpieces have been engineered to take this zagarsax mouthpiece tradition to a new and higher level. Tenor mouthpieces XT & XS: The XT: This design has been engineered around time proven principles - a big cavernous chamber, moderate facing lengths and traditional roof angles (baffle-free). The XT has now effectively replaced our V-series2 Slant sig solution mouthpieces. The XT's performance characteristics far exceed any hard rubber mouthpiece ever produced. We support this claim with our ZAGARSAX TOTAL SATISFACTION GUARANTEE, or your full money-back! With the added accuracy of our proprietary Vibralloy XT alloy which includes our latest Rubber Emulation Technology (RET), this mouthpiece is aimed at the most fastidious traditional hard rubber mouthpiece afficionados. The XS: This latest innovation in design incorporates a new hi-tech aerodynamic throat which generates tremendous amounts of 'pop' and 'projection'. In the past only highly baffled (or wedged) designs would allow for this type/kind of response. As most well seasoned players and 'baffle-free aficionados' are aware, baffled/wedged mouthpieces create many response problems including: tuning difficulties; unresponsive lower register; 'stuck' middle notes (ie D, D# and E) and thin upper palm key notes. The XS circumvents all such problems and also allows the player to shape their own unique sound. The ZAGAR XS tenor sax mouthpiece has been bred to perform - and without compromise! Alto XT mouthpiece:This mouthpiece will outplay all traditionally-based hard rubber mouthpieces. Penetrating and brilliant, yet warm and rich timbre. The Alto XT mouthpiece is a living example of how technology in the 21st century has been able to provide the very best to all players, and at a realistic price point. These new Zagarsax products will be available very soon and will be supported with our unique ZAGARSAX TOTAL SATISFACTION GUARANTEE, or your money-back (30 day tryout). Stay tuned for more details . . .    Archives September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 June 2009 July 2010

Dear saxophone friends, Two years have now passed since the official launch of the zagarsax website. There have been a few changes to the zagarsax website, including our latest 'Offers at zagarsax' page. The 'Offers' page allows all players on a limited budget to make offers, and purchase used (late model) factory tested/approved models, at a realistic budget price. Again, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the players who have supported us over the past year. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the music educators and musicians who are not only playing our products, but have also spread the good word out to their students. Zagar mouthpieces will help all students to reach their greater playing potential sooner, and with much less effort. The SBB 400 tenor sax mouthpiece - a total solution in one package! I have received very positive feedback from many players who have tried our latest SBB 400. More power, fatness, projection and a freer response are the main improvements/attributes with this year's SBB 400 version. The zagarsax philosophy has been to constantly improve and innovate the traditional mouthpiece designs of yesteryear - this unrelenting quest for the ultimate mouthpiece drives the zagarsax team forwards. As improvements are discovered, these are directly applied to our entire zagarsax product range - this year's SBB 400 is no exception. The Golden Bronze alto mouthpiece - modern technology has now redefined the alto saxophone: The alto saxophone is regarded by some as being difficult to tune correctly on the upper registers. Players that are experiencing such intonation difficulties would greatly benefit from our latest zagarsax addition; the Golden Bronze alto. Alto players are immediately amazed how the previously sharp palm key notes are now in perfect intonation with the two lower registers! WOW! You can now play the alto without needing to 'droop your embouchure' to compensate the upper registers. With our latest Golden Bronze alto you are now able to keep an equal embouchure over the entire range of the alto instrument, including the altissimo register! AWESOME!  Another advantage of being able to use a firm yet supple embouchure over the entire range of the instrument is that the palm key notes will be fat and full-sounding. No more thin upper register notes when you use the ZAGAR Golden Bronze alto mouthpiece. No more 'biting' to get the upper registers/notes to respond! The Golden Bronze alto utilizes a fully optimized chamber volume and a highly reactive IRC (Internal Resonance Co-efficient). When coupled to a perfectly matching facing curve, the Golden Bronze alto provides the alto mouthpiece afficionado with a perfectly balanced alto mouthpiece solution - guaranteed! I encourage all sax players who are serious about playing the saxophone to try out our latest 2008 models. Remember that we offer our exclusive 30-day money-back return policy for all in-stock items. Sincerely, Dave Zagar

For further updates on the latest news in mouthpiece designs and technology, please visit our News in Brief page.

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