The Theo Wanne Durga 3 for Tenor Sax - available in Metal - is a full-bodied bright-sounding tenor saxophone mouthpiece. In fact, Theo's website advertises this as, "The Classic Big and Bright sound." This is a beast of a mouthpiece that embodies a few really important things to some of Theo's best designs: a True Large Chamber, an inverted Power Ring for extra projection, and a long step baffle which has seemed to show up in all of the Durga designs.
This mouthpiece is ideal if you're looking for a bright mouthpiece, but one that is a bit more smooth on tone. Although it can punch through a mix if it needs to, it's character is actually a little bit more mellow than some of Theo's other mouthpieces like the Shiva.
If you're looking to buy one for yourself, you can order the Durga 3 directly from the folks at Theo Wanne. Be assured, the customer support from Wanne is second to none. These mouthpieces are crafted to a spec that no one else in the industry has been able to achieve, and you're sure to get an incredible mouthpiece!
A bright, full-bodied mouthpiece
For those of you who might have read our page on the Durga 3 for Alto Saxophone, this mouthpiece shares a lot in common. It's bright but not overly bright, it can punch through a mix but tends to be more on the mellow/smooth side in terms of tone, and it's exceptionally easy to play. In fact, I find it to be moldable for most situations- but I'll save my opinions for later.
The Durga 3 is currently one of the most popular mouthpieces that Wanne makes. Theo is extremely picky about the designs of his mouthpiece, requiring only the best materials and inserting the finest craftsmanship in his manufacturing process. This mouthpiece is no different. The Durga has had a few variations over time.
The Durga 3 for Tenor Saxophone.
The original Durga 1 had a power ring and a similar baffle. It played well, and during the time it was out, it was the highest baffle mouthpiece made. Now that spot is held by the Shiva, which is a little more edgy in terms of tone.
The Durga 2 saw a slightly different design on the inside for a better tone, but it incorporated an Inverse Power Ring. I understand that Theo's team thought that it worked better for tone and airflow.
With the Durga 3, the insides became far more refined while still keeping the inverted Power Ring. This mouthpiece also has deeply rounded side walls that end up in a True Large Chamber - something Theo is now known for - which helps create a really full-bodied sound. When you're playing a mouthpiece like this, you don't have to worry about sacrificing anything for a great tone. A lot of bright mouthpieces have smaller and tighter chambers for a punchy sound. Theo's been able to accomplish the same things without having to sacrifice airflow and control.
Shaping your tone
The Durga 3 comes with the "Liberty" ligature, which is a unique low-point-of-contact ligature which allows you to change its' plates out in order to sculpt your sound a little more. Although the mouthpiece comes with a gold plate, there are four more available which have different characteristics to each of them.
Also included with the Durga 3 are the usual run of Theo Wanne accessories: A mouthpiece cap, a bite pad, a screwdriver for ligature adjustment, and the it all comes presented in a leather carrying case.
Want my thoughts?
The Theo Wanne Durga 3 is a fantastic mouthpiece- and really the whole Durga line is impressive. The Baritone version might be one of my favorite Baritone Sax mouthpieces ever.
As a tenor soloist, I sometimes miss some character in the sound on the tenor version of the Durga 3. Not saying it's lacking it entirely- just saying I wish there was a little more character in the sound. That being said, all of that stuff I just talked about actually contributes to why it's such a great bright mouthpiece for a section player. It blends beautifully well, and if you need a round bright tone, you're looking at the right mouthpiece. If you're looking for something that stands out just a bit more, I'd probably recommend the Shiva for you, which is a bit more edgy and throaty.
If you want a bit of a do-all tenor sax mouthpiece that's on the bright size, this will be your speed. It's very easy-blowing and as per usual for most of the Wanne mouthpieces, it's very easy to make it do just about anything that you need it to do. Buying a Theo Wanne mouthpiece sometimes is a lot like buying a Swiss Army Knife. It has all the tools to do the job, and it's very easy to understand how to make it useful in all of your gig and practice situations.
Why Theo Wanne?
Aside from making really great mouthpieces, Theo's quality control is fantastic. He begins by hand-picking materials from around the globe, and only the materials that he feels like represent the quality of his products. The build accuracy of his mouthpieces (side by side comparison) is remarkable. He's achieving absolute perfection with each mouthpiece. How? Theo's spent most of his life working through every design of nearly every mouthpiece ever made to understand why they function the way they do. With this knowledge, he developed his own concepts for his mouthpieces. Today, Theo is regarded is the foremost expert on saxophone mouthpieces across the whole world. This becomes apparent when you play his mouthpieces.
This mouthpiece is ideal if you're looking for a bright mouthpiece, but one that is a bit more smooth on tone.
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