Berg Larsen Bronze Alto Sax Mouthpiece 85/0 M - BLB402

The Berg Larsen BLB402 85/0 M bronze alto sax mouthpiece brings together a polished cast-bronze body and grained ebonite insert. Made using modern bronze casting techniques, it draws on a material valued across the music industry for its resonant qualities. The highly polished mouthpiece is hardwearing and particularly resistant to tarnishing.

BLB402 85/0 M specifications

• Instrument: Alto saxophone.
• Body: Highly polished cast bronze.
• Insert: Grained ebonite.
• Tip opening: 85 thousandths of an inch.
• Tone chamber: 0, brilliant.
• Facing: M, longer, flatter American-style curve.
• Model: BLB402.

Choose your chamber character

This 85/0 M configuration has chamber 0, the brilliant option in Berg Larsen's guide. Chamber size and baffle design influence brightness and edge. More baffle produces more edge: chamber 0 is brilliant and has the most edge, chamber 1 is bright, chamber 2 is round, and chamber 3 is mellow.

Match the facing and tip opening

The SMS (French) facing is shorter with a steeper curve; the M (American) facing is slightly longer with a flatter curve. These designations describe facing curve length rather than the actual sound of the mouthpiece.

Tip opening is the gap between the reed tip and the mouthpiece tip, measured in thousandths of an inch. A wider opening generally allows a softer reed, while a narrower opening can help beginners achieve clearer tone and more consistent intonation. Compare the 85 opening with your current setup when choosing a reed and mouthpiece combination.

For reference, the original guide's tenor example 100/0 SMS indicates a medium-close tip opening, brilliant chamber, and short facing. This listing is for the alto saxophone 85/0 M configuration.