The Theo Wanne Durga 3 for Baritone Saxophone - only available in metal - is a a bright and edgy mouthpiece with a big core sound. In comparison to the previous iteration of the Durga mouthpieces (version one), the Durga 3 a much more clarified tone than the previous version. It has such a noticeable character to the sound, unlike other bright baritone saxophone mouthpieces. This mouthpiece has a low step baffle with a rollover at the end that helps it get its' unique tone.
This is one of the biggest, punchiest baritone saxophone sounds available. Great for all styles, and well-suited for a soloist.
Bright and Edgy, with a big Core Sound
Let's be honest: There are a lot of very "boring" mouthpieces in the baritone world. It's often the last mouthpiece that a company considers making and it seems to never have any proper care put into the design of it in the way that a tenor or alto mouthpiece receives so much focus in the design process. But let's be real: This was really designed for the player. I would even go farther and suggest that this were designed with the soloist in mind.
The Durga 3 for Baritone Sax is one of two currently available bari mouthpieces from Wanne. As I previously mentioned, this is currently only available in metal. The mouthpiece comes with the "Liberty" ligature, a cap, a bite pad, and comes in a leather carrying case.
If you're looking to buy one for yourself, you can get one right here. Be assured, the customer support from Wanne is second to none.
Shaping your tone
The Gaia 2 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 Gaia 2 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?
It's no secret that I'm a huge Wanne fan. I've been an artist for Wanne for 8 years (as of 2019), and I've been a fan of his for well longer than that. Admittedly, of all the Wanne mouthpieces I own, the Durga 1 might have been my least favorite. It was a great mouthpiece, but it wasn't as stable on my Bb Bari as I wanted, and I wanted a little more character out of the sound. At the point where I found out I would be receiving a Durga 3, I was ecstatic for change. When I played it for the first time, it was apparent that I would be immediately moving over to playing on the Durga 3 exclusively. In fact, I took it on stage with me that same night without fear, and with a giant smile while I was playing with it. It took me a couple weeks or maybe even a month to learn how to properly utilize my airflow in order to take full advantage of the mouthpiece, but the end result was unmistakeable- and I was in LOVE.
When looking across all the mouthpieces Theo's made, I feel like the jump between the Durga 1 and 3 for bari was the most massive change in Theo's mouthpieces I've seen. One thing I love the most about Theo is that he never sits still- he's constantly finding ways to improve his products. The changes are always astounding to me, in all the good ways.
Long and short? I couldn't be more comfortable on a baritone mouthpiece and now I feel like I have a voice on the baritone sax.
Last year (well before the idea of SaxophoneCentral.com), I did this quick review of the differences between the Theo Wanne Durga 1 and Durga 3 for bari sax. I'm posting it in my "thoughts" section, hoping that it may help you a little further.
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 is one of the biggest, punchiest baritone saxophone sounds available. Great for all styles, and well-suited for a soloist.
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