Testimonials

The following testimonials have been translated from Japanese
to English by a third-party professional translator

Great tone! Easy to play! Great control! And I can get a vintage sound off this mouthpiece! And every single one is built to the same reliable standard." Isn't that the kind of mouthpiece you dream of? Well, that's the kind of mouthpiece I've got! It's the AIZEN.

Jun Aoki

This is the one I was waiting for. The ease of play and tone quality are just outstanding. I think there are lots of players out there like me - searching and searching for a quality mouthpiece and not finding any. I think AIZEN can help these players out big-time.

Yoshinori Abe

The first time I played using my AIZEN, I couldn't believe the difference. I was actually kind of blown away by it. So, I want to get the word out to beginners at the sax. You might be thinking, "I'm just starting off, so that's why I can't hit those notes I want". I'm like: try the AIZEN. You are in for a big surprise! You'll be wondering how these fantastic tones are coming out of your own sax.

And I think veteran players are in for an even bigger surprise! So I'd say to them too - don't put your playing down to your sax. Before you go out and buy a more expensive instrument, check out the AIZEN mouthpiece. You are not, I repeat, not gonna regret it.

Shinichi Munakata

My sound is naturally a bit light. So, I was thinking there should be a piece out there to help me achieve a richer, more expressive sound. But it didn't work out like that. The pieces I tried didn't really help me get the sound I was looking for, and they weren't cheap. So I was pretty much running out of good options when I picked up the Aizen mouthpiece and gave it a try. And there was the big rich sound I was looking for! In fact, I was getting this massive fat sound, beyond anything I'd ever imagined producing. So I am really happy with this piece. I have no doubt whatsoever about one thing--anyone looking for a vintage piece has to try out an Aizen.

Kunishige Aoki

My main problem up to now was that my high notes get a stuffed up feeling, the notes don't come out crisp and the list starts from there.
My first impression of the Aizen was how light and delicate it was. Porcelain, maybe, I thought to myself. Anyhow, I tried it and wow! It was so easy to play. I really got the impression that all of your breath goes straight through into sound, just so smoothly. And the notes came out crisp and clear. Maybe it's because the Aizen's a bit bigger than the Meyer at the same aperture, but anyway the breath control's easier, the reed vibrates better and feels more firmly in place. Now I have an Aizen, I get the feeling that the other pieces I have are much harder to play in comparison. From now on, Aizen's the standard that I'm going to compare any other piece I'm interested in getting.

Tomoyuki Shimousa

With the Aizen, you really feel that the makers have put their heart and souls into making their pieces. Hard rubber pieces these days mostly seem to be designed with response as the main thing in mind. But, when I blow hard the sound gets too edgy. The Aizen does a fantastic job on the lower notes in particular. You get this soft, fat sound. And it can handle it when you're playing hard, with lots of volume and power. Sub-tones come out clear as a bell, and even the alto notes are fat and strong.

So, I strongly recommend getting the Aizen instead of a mass-produced modern piece. It really sets the standard for hard rubber mouthpieces. If you're looking for a rubber piece with a special soft feel to it, and that's easy to handle in play a mouthpiece that gives you the kind of kick you get out of the singing human voice this one's for you.

Tatsuro Miyatake

I've had a lot of mouthpiece troubles before. The airflow wasn't smooth...it didn't feel nice to play, etc. The first time I picked up an Aizen I thought--Wow, that's beautiful! And when I put it up to my mouth, I thought--This feels so...nice! Then I blew into it, and it played like a dream. If you're just starting to play the sax, you should definitely try it out. You'll find it easy to play, easy to control and a great value for your money. You'll want to hold on to your Aizen. I do.

Takayuki Takatsuka

I've been using a Yamaha piece up to now, but it's hard to get the sound out a real drag to play. By comparison the Aizen's really smooth, and it's a genuine pleasure to play. I think this kind of quality is a great bargain at this price. My Aizen just takes me to a whole new world of playing, and I absolutely treasure it.

Misao Miyai

I have about ten mouthpieces. I bought them all off the internet. I don't live near any big music stores, and even if I did I'm not sure I could tell a good mouthpiece from a bad one by testing it myself. So I just went along with whatever the music mags recommended, or blogs or whatever. Anyway, I go to the local Yamaha music classroom once a week, and my instructor often told me that my playing loses definition at the higher end of the register.

Then I ordered an Aizen mouthpiece, and it arrived the day before I had class. So, I took it along and asked my instructor to try it out first and tell me what she thought. "The airflow's so smooth" was the first thing she said And then, "Here. Let me show you what I mean. You try it." So I did. And I was like "Oh! That's what you mean!" It wasn't like anything I'd ever blown before. The whole range from top to bottom was dead easy to play, and you didn't need to blow hard or anything. Even playing softly, the sax gave out a good clear sound, and the tone had a certain softness to it at the same time. Then my teacher goes "See how you were losing your definition on the high notes Well, you're not doing that anymore..."

So, if I was going to buy another two or three mouthpieces, or just one more Aizen, there wouldn't be any doubt at all in my mind. I'd say "Gimme the Aizen!" No doubt about it.

Testuya Uchida

First of all, I thought the box and the packaging were just beautiful. When I opened it up, I couldn't get over how beautiful it was as an object in itself, with elegant hand carving.

As a beginner the problem I still find is that when I play the high notes it feels difficult to get my breath out, and the playing feels forced. So I was very pleasantly surprised when I tried the Aizen. I found I could achieve a very acceptable sound, and really for the first time. The lower and middle range notes were nicely resonant, and the high notes came out clear and unforced. I intend to progress to proficiency with this mouthpiece, and practice using it every day.

Mitsutaka Hirano

Down the years I've bought a lot of pieces, vintage and modern. Every time I thought 'This is the one!' But then as I played it, somehow the sound would drift off from what I had in mind. Sooner or later, I always moved on to another piece. There's a whole art to choosing mouthpieces, you know. (And you can go broke trying to learn it these things don't come cheap.)
The first time I picked up an Aizen I was just I don't know how to put it. Impressed, yes, but more than that. This was an outstanding piece of craftsmanship. I was gone on it from the minute I opened the box. I don't want to come across all mystical or anything, but this was an object at deep harmony with itself.

Try it out. This piece is absolutely going to take you prisoner on the spot. It's so well-made, the harmonics, the tone and the resonance are all so rich. You'll feel that you're playing your sax to its full potential. It's a vintage sound. And you can have a lot of fun varying your tone depending on the reed. I think that there's great ease of control with overtones and subtones, and flageolet sounds too.

So, check out the Aizen. (I like this piece so much I nearly think it's a waste to make it the first piece you ever try. How about keeping it as a beautiful ornament for a while and then seeing what it can do!)

I'm sure there are a lot of other players like me. You try out a new piece, and then get tired of it and move on. You're chasing one sound, and every time you get a new piece you think: This Is It! Finally! And pay another bundle of cash. And it turns into a vicious cycle. Well enough! You can break out of it with just one Aizen mouthpiece. And I expect you'll find playing two or three times more fun. You'll have a good time with this piece. I'm certainly not going to play around any longer I'm settling down with my Aizen.

Yoshimitsu Urashima

For me, the number one question in choosing a mouthpiece is: Can this help me play the piece of music I want the way I want? And the other question is: Is it going to match my level of playing and my set of playing skills? I always have my doubts. On the one hand, I think a lot of mass-produced mouthpieces have a lot of faults. On the other hand, I can't really afford to buy vintage. There isn't a store in my area where I can test out a decent range of pieces, and there aren't any staff who can give me worthwhile advice about reeds or mouthpieces.

I have to say I was overjoyed when I got my beautifully packaged Aizen. The carved decorations were so exquisitely done that I was proud to think 'This is mine'. And I have absolutely no complaints when it comes to what this mouthpiece has done for my playing. I had a lot of trouble with high and low notes before, but now I can play them much better. Above all, it's so much easier to blow, the breath just goes straight through to the note, and the tone is wonderful too. The Aizen is a more elegant piece than the modern Selmer Session, but it's also got a lot of punch. At the same time, you get the fine breath flow of a Claude Lakey, and the same kind of big, dark, atmospheric sound on the subtones. I think the Aizen beats them both together when it comes to flow and ease of control. Another big point for me is the kind of flageolet sound you can get out of the Aizen. It's very special.

So, the Aizen gave me a great sense of wonderment, joy and satisfaction. There was a range of factors I was looking for in the perfect alto mouthpiece, and the Aizen triangulated them all perfectly. I have never felt so overjoyed by any mouthpiece as I have with the Aizen. It's a first for me. Quite a discovery. I believe it's going to be a permanent part of my playing from now into the future. I heartily recommend this beautifully crafted mouthpiece. Don't worry about the price. You'll find it is worth every penny in surprise and delight when you try it out. It's a feeling you don't get every day! Getting that good sound, knowing you can perform like this from now on that's worth its weight in gold, no mistake about it.

Toshiaki Miyashita

I've used a Selmer Jazz metal piece for years and years, partly because I can get a big sound out of it and partly because there's something really cool about metal pieces anyway. But and I think this is partly my own fault I've never been able to play with steady control right the way from top to bottom. I tried a Dukoff piece as well, but I wasn't fully satisfied with it.
Anyhow, I've always had this thing about how cool metal pieces look but when I first laid eyes on an Aizen, I thought it was really something. I doubted it could ever sound as good as a metal piece, but I thought I'd give it a go. I blow into it and I'm like What! This...sounds...good! Right from the word go. It's like, scoop my jaw off the floor someone, please!
Apart from the sound, the other thing is that the Aizen's hand-made. It's no surprise that it outclasses machine-made pieces in terms of quality and finish. Now, if only these guys made ligatures, too...

Yasuhiro Mochizuki

I got into the sax listening to CDs and stuff, and then I started out playing. I was just shocked to find out that different mouthpieces make a different sound, even when they're the same model from the same maker! And they're actually going down in quality as time goes by! In fact, it's scary when you think about it.

Still, the idea of getting a vintage piece never appealed to me either, somehow. It seemed that finding the perfect vintage piece would be like doing a triathlon or something--really hard if not impossible.

Then I came across Aizen. The sound was good, it played nice and easy, and they obviously put a lot of effort into making it. I was happy I bought it. I thought it's not all about big names and big makers. Here's an unknown bunch who've really put the work in to make something so fine. Try them out. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Naoya Miyamoto

I thought long and hard about getting a Meyer when I started playing jazz, but their problems in quality control were just too much for me to take the leap. I ordered an Aizen instead.

I felt really excited when it finally arrived, and I wanted to try it right away. But it was nighttime and I live in the city, so I held off until the next day. So I woke up and blew into it and nothing happened! So then I changed the reed and it worked! And it sounded so husky and sexy that I just went yeeeahh!! (I was alone at the time.) It was the first time I ever changed a mouthpiece by myself, and I have to say it was one hell of a success! I'm really over the moon about my Aizen. I think it's the mouthpiece for jazz. Here I am, I'm fifty-three and I sound like a total jazz queen!

Sadako Kikuchi

I was having a lot of problems with my playing. I couldn't get the sound I was looking for, so I thought I was bad at breath control and stuff. I thought I'd change the mouthpiece and see what happened. So I got an Aizen.
When it arrived, its look and quality were just what I'd imagined they'd be. I gave it a try, and it struck me that the reed and ligature were integral parts of an overall package. And the sound was better than I got from any of the other pieces I own. It's a really controllable, steady piece. If you think the Aizen's too good to be true, you should try it out because it really is that good.

Takami Murashima

I always felt that my playing up to now was kind of dull, that the sax as a whole wasn't coming alive. And my breath flow was kind of stuffed up, somehow I wasn't getting a lot of force out of the instrument. I was using a metal mouthpiece, but I wasn't getting the sound I wanted. The result was I couldn't really improvise with any confidence when I was playing.

So now I'm using an Aizen, and it feels like somebody took a mute off my sax! Not like I ever actually used one, of course. How can I put it? It was like the sound was spectacular, flying right out of my sax. And it was the kind of sound I had in my head as an image. Along with that, my breath control was a lot better. So, this freed me up to take on really fast phrasing that I wouldn't have done before. And it felt easy, and it felt good. If you've tried out a few different pieces before, I'm convinced you're going to see what's special about the Aizen. I think the quickest way of improving your playing is using good accessories and getting a good sound. With this piece, you're going to get so much more out of your sax.

Toshihiko Nakano

I'm just a beginner, but even I wasn't satisfied with the cheap pieces I tried out first. They didn't sound good, they were hard to control, and I wasn't a happy learner. Naturally, I started looking around for something better, but I was so new to this game that I was running blind.
Anyway, the first time I picked up an Aizen I thought 'It's a cool piece, and it looks really good'. It wasn't as handsome as a metal mouthpiece, but I could see they'd put a lot of work into the design. It was something special.
When I tried it for sound, it sounded just like it looked I got this cool dark tone, really good control. To be honest, I thought to myself 'I didn't know know it was so easy to get a sound out of a sax'. So the mouthpieces I was using before must have been really cruddy.
So I want to say: if you're not sure which mouthpiece to go for, the Aizen's all it's cracked up to be. Go for it, okay They've got a full return policy, and you can recommend it to your friends with confidence.

Toshiki Tairada

My overall impression of the Aizen is that this is a very classy, dependable piece. The hand-carving really does it for me.
With this piece you can get from the bottom to the top of the register stress-free, and it'll make your sax sing so as to blow your socks off. And it'll do it from the first breath. I'm really kicking myself I didn't buy one sooner. There's no way I'm going back to my old piece. I play tenor as well, so I'm really looking forward to an Aizen tenor model in the near future.

Takehiko Toda

My main worry was that my sound wasn't jazzy enough.
Two things led me in the direction of Aizen. One was the musician Seiji Ota's comments in the (Japanese-language) Sax & Brass magazine; the other was the precision workmanship of the Aizen itself. I loved the how smooth the breath flow is with the Aizen, how good it feels to play. And I like the tone, too. The airflow and tone quality are what swung me. Oh, and then there's the reliability factor. Every piece is made just the same, so you can always get a replacement when you need one. That's another good point about the Aizen.

Shigeru Inoue

I've never been satisfied with the sound of any mouthpiece in my life. That's why I was taken aback at how well-made the Aizen is. The impression I got when I tried it out was, in a word this is a really easy piece to play.
Another thing is that the Aizen goes really well with old-style, vintage saxophones. For such a classy piece it's cheap at the price, and I think that's great.

Ichiro Sugimoto

The piece I was using for years was getting worn down, so I was looking for a new one. I can't say I was very happy with what I saw. So, I was impressed when I got the Aizen the finish and carving was better than I expected. And it had a good balance from the bottom notes to the top. It's great value for money, so I can say it's well worth a try.

Katsuro Akiyama

I live out in the country, so I never had a chance to choose mouthpiece for myself. I had problems keeping a steady playing tone, but I I thought I just needed more practice to sort it out. Then I heard that the mouthpiece you use can have a big influence on your play, so I went online and got a few pieces on auction sites. But they weren't much good, either.
So then I got an Aizen, and I knew it was in a whole other league right away. For a start, compared to my other pieces, it's obvious that the makers at Aizen are really committed to what they do. The sound's clearer than my Meyer, and easy to play. It's good and stable, especially on the low notes. The Aizen may be a bit pricey for beginners like me, but I'd say getting a genuinely well-made mouthpiece like this one is something you should get out of the way early on. That way, you can concentrate on raising your level, and not have to worry about your piece.

Yasuo Naya

I've always used a hard rubber mouthpiece, but it was almost impossible to find something durable and I was wondering what to do about this problem. I had an Otto Link, but not exactly the same as the Slant Signature type. The material just wasn't as resonant, and I wasn't satisfied with it.

The Aizen is the closest thing I've ever seen to to the Link Slant Sig so far. The baffle is really exquisitely done, I was just "This is exactly what I was looking for!" Even if I do get an original Slant piece, it's not going to last forever. So I'm really happy to have my Aizen. It's exceptionally well made, and it's the real thing. It's got that same unmistakable sound as the great vintage mouthpieces of the past. I don't think you're going to get hard rubber this close to a Link unless you go for custom-made. I'm thinking about getting another Aizen as a backup.

Minari

For hard rubber mouthpieces I started off with the Selmer S80 (C*, C**), but things never really clicked. So from there I bought a Yanagizawa hard rubber (6) and Yanagizwa metal pieces (6, 7), and an order-made Gottsu Susu model(Carbon-In 6). Still, I wished there was a more easily playable mouthpiece I could find, so I kept on searching.
I got a real shock when I tried out the Aizen. I was used to my Yanagizawa and Gottsu pieces, so when I blew into the Aizen in just the same way, I couldn't believe the big sound that came out! And the responsiveness is great, you can get out the low notes real easy, and keep playing for a long time and still not get tired.

The sound and the responsiveness are the real stand-outs for me with the Aizen, so if you're out there playing a hard rubber mouthpiece and you're not happy with the results, I really think you should give the Aizen a try. It's so easy to play I'd recommend it for beginners as well.

Mamoru Yoshizawa

My sax and the accessories were handed down to me by a relative who played a long time ago. So I was like well, I'll use this set for practice, and I'll worry about the fixings later on, when I finally get my basic playing skills down. But however hard I tried, I just wasn't getting the right sound. Well then at least, I thought to myself, I'd better sort out the mouthpiece and reed angle before I move on.
I went for an Aizen piece and the transformation! Now I can play all the high notes I never could before, and suddenly all these hard-to-play sounds are bubbling out of my sax like totally natural. So now I can buckle down to becoming a better player, because the mouthpiece question is well and truly answered as far as I'm concerned.
Actually, I have a personal problem with vintage mouthpieces: they're used, but you put them in your mouth. Give me a new piece any day. But new pieces are expensive, and a lot of them are duds. So I'm going with my Aizen from here on in.

Masaya Kadota

I'm a beginner, so I had no idea what to look for in a mouthpiece. I tired out different ones but I didn't know if the feel and the pitch I got were my fault or the piece's!
When I came across the Aizen, I was blown away, because I'm into carving and making things myself. I thought, this is one well-made piece of work. And the carving's just gorgeously done. We live in a time of mass production at rock-bottom costs, but this was something else. I felt a bit proud to be from the same country as this work of craftsmanship before me. And this piece was just as good to play as it was beautiful to look at. It's dead easy to blow, even for beginners. So I finally got an idea of what a good mouthpiece looks like and feels like. Of course, I really love the sound, too.
As a beginner myself, I can recommend the Aizen to anyone else starting out with the sax. Like I say, when your equipment's good you really feel like you're in good hands. You don't have to worry about anything else while you're building up your playing skills. I think starting out is just the right time to get issues like your mouthpiece out of the way, and I'd go with the Aizen from the start.

Satoshi Tanaka

With the pieces I used before, I was never all that happy with the control I had when I was playing full blast, or my range in either pianissimo or fortissimo.
I suppose my first impression of the Aizen I got could be summed up in two words: light, and beautiful. The bore was nicely done, too, and the chamber was dazzling. I normally use a Selmer Mark 6 with a Zonda 2 reed or a Meyer 7m, but with the Aizen 6m and a Gonzalez 2 reed I was able to play twelve songs with a full band over three to five minutes. The sound comes out very well during play, with firm control. I think this combination also helps you achieve more speed in your playing. The high notes stretch out very sensuously, with a fine glossy sound yet at the same time you can put out a really brisk, macho sound an octave or two down. The Aizen really let me vary my breathing speeds in whatever way I wanted, and that's what gave me such a broad sound framework to work in and get away with whatever I felt like trying. My band members thought the sax sounded big, sounded fine and had great resonance. The Aizen piece is all good stuff from end to end. So don't waste time looking around for a decent piece just grab your Aizen and goooo...

Akihiro Nishimura

I'm such a rank beginner I'm not even at the 'What do I do about this stage. I'm still at the 'What Huh' stage. It's all still a challenge for me pianissimo, harmonies, controlling high flageolet sounds. Then there's the whole issue of using my breathing to control what key I'm putting out ...
One time, I tried playing harmonies using a friend's hard rubber Meyer 5mm. It was all I could do to get a three or four-part harmonics on Low B flat. But now, thanks to my Aizen, I can easily play five and six-part harmonics. Plus I tried out a lot of different phrases, and they were all easy on the Aizen. I think it's generally easier to get the sound out. I was stunned that changing mouthpieces can make such a difference.
I had trouble with breathing methods and keeping my embouchure steady, but I find I'm a lot better in these areas now. Maybe it's because the Aizen has an opening 0.1mm wider than the Meyer 5mm but I suspect this is more down to my growing pains as a sax player than any inherent difference in the mouthpieces and what they can do.
My instructor who's a pro sax player is really interested in my Aizen, and wants to try it out next time.

S.K

Basically, I've been hung up about my sound ever since I started playing jazz. I could never get it right. That's what got me on to experimenting with different pieces. But I didn't have any real way of telling what was a good piece, what was an okay piece and what was a bad piece. I was pretty clueless.
My first impression of the Aizen was that the hand-carving was so classy and so pretty that it was a shame to cover it over with a ligature. As soon as I tried playing it I knew I was onto a good thing. I got this fantastically fat sound right through the register from low to high and with a uniform tone (up to now my tone more or less changed with the octave). So this piece was a lot of fun from the word go. It had a real Fifties feel to it. Before I realize it, I've got this big, sloppy self-satisfied grin on my face, and I'm going to myself 'I've got this sound nailed!'.
The fact that you don't have to force your blowing to get a nice sound out helps a lot with keeping your embouchure stable. So, I think this is the kind piece you can go with right from the first stages of your sax career, knowing you're in safe hands as far as your mouthpiece is concerned. The Aizen's the kind of piece you'll only come across once in a blue moon, and it's a real steal at the price.

Takefumi Kuwashima

None of the mouthpieces I've used before really carried the nuances of what I wanted to play, and I felt the sound was kind of scattered and soulless. This time I think I've really gotten what I was looking for in my Aizen Alto. I just went straight out and ordered a tenor piece, too! And I'm totally looking forward to playing it.

I was surprised by Aizen's standard of craftsmanship. Even if you're using a modern metal piece, I'm sure there are times you'll want to try a hard rubber sound. If you're not happy with the other pieces out there, I think the Aizen's the one to go with. With a fine piece like this, you're going to find yourself doing all kinds of new things with your playing.

Yoshihiko Adachi

I'm a beginner saxophonist, so I was thinking of playing it safe an getting myself a standard Meyer 5MM. Which was all well and good until I started trying some out I just couldn't tell the good ones from the bad ones. So, I decided to go for whichever one felt the easiest to play. Again, all well and good, you might think. But none of the pieces I tried hit the spot exactly. So I was wondering, where do I go from here
When I spotted the Aizen first, it stood out because it looks so good (really nice hand detailing and all). And incredibly easy to play. The tonal quality was quite something, too. I went to myself this is the one, I can buy this and feel good about it. The Aizen's a great piece for beginners, too just try it and see for yourself.

Hiromitsu Nakata

When I think about it, I've had plenty of chances to check out different pieces in well-stocked music stores. But I didn't want to waste a lot of time on it, so I basically just went with whatever was at hand, buying in haste and repenting at leisure. And so it went, until I got an Aizen.

The packaging was really well done, which is always a good first impression. And they weren't taking half measures with the accessories, either. The tone has a really nice resonance, with just the right amount of edge to it. I've never had the chance to use a vintage mouthpiece. But when I played the Aizen I immediately felt 'So that's what all the fuss is about...' I was getting an entirely new feel off my sax. I took it to my instructor, he goes "Oh, this is good! I'm buying one." So, full marks to me, eh Maybe it's just me, but reed-wise I felt the Aizen's more suited to Rico than Vandoren.

Anyway, this is a fantastic mouthpiece that I'm gonna be using for a long time to come, definitely. There are so many other brands out there, some of them famous, others easier to get hold of. You may be wondering what's best for you from the mouthpiece angle. If I was you, I'd go with Aizen from the start. In the long run you'll save yourself a lot of money and you'll save yourself a lot of time, which you can put into practice instead.

Naoki Hida

I'm in a big band, with over ten members. We've been getting more gigs over the last two years or so, and we've been trying to get a better sound this last year. I was using a Selmer S80, and I found it easy to play, but I wasn't getting a lot of power out of it. That was one thing I wanted to improve. So I got an Aizen to try something new.
'Damn, it's small!' I said to myself at first sight, but then I tried it out and I thought 'Wow, this thing can certainly project!'. And then I thought, 'And it can sure punch!' And then, 'I'm glad I bought this thing!'...And then, 'Wooooow!!' such, in brief, were my thoughts.
When I returned to earth I noticed I had a sax in my hands and this big wide grin across my face. I didn't start bragging about it to my band-mates right away, though. I just brought my Aizen along to the next session and said nothing and started playing. Inside, I was looking forward to what the guy partnering me was going to say. When we got going, it went like this:
Him (mega-impressed): That's some sound!
Me (nonchalantly): Oh, yeah Thanks. Actually, I just got that piece I was telling you about. Here, take a look (gestures towards Aizen).
Me (to myself): Heh, heh! Yer damn right it's a great sound. And it's all mine!
Anyway, I'd recommend the Aizen without a doubt to anybody who asks. I reckon it's actually a $300-plus-plus mouthpiece on sale at a discount. Sometime, I'd like to get a tenor version as well to use on occasion, but for now I just want to take my playing to new heights with the Aizen piece I've got. Thanks. It's a great piece.

Noriyuki Fukazawa

My pieces: an Ishimori (too muddy), a Vandoren V16 (too shrill) and a Yanagisawa (too OTT). I'm thinking, how can I get something just right for me? So, I get an Aizen, and the first thing I think is, too small. Anyway, I gave it a try and it was easy to get sound out, so easy I was amazed. Maybe it was because I ordered a 7 tip size which is pretty narrow. Maybe because it feels really natural in the mouth, the reed feels right. Anyway, I get the sense that it's helped firm up my playing. They make limited runs, so you ought to get yourself one before they sell out.

Minoru Kuriki

The sheer beauty of my AIZEN just took my breath away. I mean, I was wondering why you guys sent volumes of literature with just this one mouthpiece. Then I looked at the piece and realized that you had quite a story to tell. Anyway, I just put the reed on and blew through it as is. And it was different. Subtones and overtones were a breeze. It brought home to me again just how important the mouthpiece really is. I mean, this is just me playing, right? And here I am getting these sounds! I told my friends that I was getting a new piece, and they're waiting to hear how it's working out. Well, I can't wait to tell them about my AIZEN! It's just a whole new experience in terms of volume and playability. And I'm sure it's going to save me on reeds, too.

Hisashi Higashide

The AIZEN's low notes have this great, thick feel - and the high notes come out so easily. It was just like you said in the brochure. And you can really notice the difference when you try out other reeds; it's a like a breath of fresh air for me. I'm done playing around with difference pieces - this is the one for me! OK, now it's time to practice...

Natsumi Katagiri

The first time I picked up an AIZEN mouthpiece, I was really impressed by how beautiful it is. And when I played it, I got this incredible ease of control and wonderful tone. I thought 'Oh, I want another one of these!' I want to say that this is JUST a $300 mouthpiece - and it's going to last you for LIFE.

Takeshi Fujikake

This mouthpiece was way better than I expected. It's really well-made, a beautiful piece. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Kazuhiro Tanaka