My expectations were extremely high when I tested three of the new Chedeville SAV bass clarinet mouthpieces. Not high enough! I was flabbergasted.

I play nothing but mouthpieces made of Chedeville rubber. Not just my four classical saxophone, three classical soprano and bass clarinet Chedevilles, but four JodyJazz Custom Dark sax mouthpieces that are made of this rubber, plus the glorious Rousseau ER50 Classic alto saxophone mouthpiece. No other rubber provides the rich warm sonority of the Chedeville proprietary brand. I play no mouthpieces without this symbol.

But….Jody Espina also bores out mouthpieces from the very best quality German hard rubber using his CNC technology with expert hand finishing, and I owned many of these before his Chedeville products were released, none finer than this incredible new SAV bass clarinet ‘piece.

I’ve been striving for a rich warm bel canto tone at any volume level on Bass Clarinet with no buzz or raspiness whatsoever for decades now. I play lead in the Pacific Blackwood Bass Clarinet Quartet and need to achieve the liquidity and smoothness of a soprano clarinet in the upper register, while retaining a dark chocolate-covered caramel centre and the power necessary to portray “death” when playing Mahler and Wagner with orchestra.

No other mouthpiece has been able to do that as well as my Chedeville Elite…and now the Chedeville SAV. It is a “SAViour” for those who want this experience at a price as affordable as other manufacturer’s products. I put the SAV up against my four favourite mouthpieces previous to the Chedeville Elite and it blew them away handily. This is the one-two punch that makes a world champion. Free-blowing, complex, rich, and articulate, with an incredible dynamic range.

A SAViour.