Saxophone players are never finished. There’s always another mouthpiece, another ligature, another reed cut that’s going to unlock the sound we hear in our heads. Coltrane famously travelled with a bag of mouthpieces, swapping between them mid-tour, still searching in the last years of his life. If he never settled, what hope do the rest of us have?
I’ve just made a change that I didn’t expect to make. After eight years playing a KB Vanguard neck on my Selmer Mark VI, I’ve put the original Selmer Paris stock neck back on the horn — and it’s staying there.
What the Vanguard neck did well
I didn’t switch to the Vanguard on a whim. It gave me a wider blow, a certain immediacy in the low end, and a response that felt generous on a loud stage. For years it did a job, and it did it honestly. Any player considering a Vanguard neckshould know it’s a serious bit of engineering, not a gimmick.
What made me switch back
The short version: the horn was already telling me something and I’d stopped listening. Putting the stock Selmer Mark VI neck back on brought a centre and a core to the sound that I’d quietly traded away. Less spread, more focus. More Mark VI, if that means anything to you — and if you play one, it does.
The bigger question
Here’s the uncomfortable bit. How long do you keep chasing gear before you accept what the horn is already giving you? Sometimes the next purchase isn’t the answer — it’s the thing stopping you getting on with playing.
If you’ve ever spent money trying to fix something that turned out to be you and not the equipment, this one’s for you.
Watch the full vlog here:
What’s your experience — stock neck or aftermarket? Let me know in the comments.