News
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Ralph Morgan Tour of Selmer Paris Factory 1973
Read more →We recently found pictures that Ralph Morgan took while on a tour of the Selmer factory in Paris in the Summer/Fall of 1973. These pictures have not seen the light of day for over 40 years. There are pictures of employees making saxophones, clarinets, mouthpieces and some of the machinery. We posted them in an album on the Morgan Facebook Page. Of course, here's my favorite: We will be posting more in the future.
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--So, Here's the Scoop....Saxophone and Clarinet Mouthpiece Design
Read more →We are going through a lot of Ralph Morgan's old notes and articles and will be posting results of his research and development from time to time. So, here's the scoop! The scoop of the beak of a hard rubber mouthpiece is not just a physical comfort consideration. The scoop / thickness of the beak and the thickness of the side walls of a hard rubber mouthpiece are significant factors in making an efficient mouthpiece. While I already understood that mouthpieces with thinner walls respond more quickly and give it more edge, I never really thought much about the scoop and...
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Meet Your Maker! Mouthpiece Maker, That Is!
Read more →Erik Greiffenhagen (easy for us to say since we have been saying it for so many years!) was born in 1958 in Hamburg, Germany but then moved to the United States with his family in 1960. Most of his childhood years were spent in the Northern part of Ohio and in 1994 he moved to Springfield, Ohio, which is currently where he calls home. He began playing saxophone and clarinet professionally in 1980 and completed his Bachelor’s degree in Jazz studies in 2000. He has played locally and nationally with a variety of Dixieland Jazz bands and is still presently...
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The Ralph Morgan Mouthpiece 'Making' Philosophy
Read more →There are many differences between Morgan Mouthpieces and other mouthpieces being manufactured today. A return to the principles of construction and acoustical design used for well over 100 years, from 1808 to around 1910 proves that they worked far better than the modern day ideas used today. Here is a list of the 'old' characteristics you will find in a Morgan Mouthpiece. The curvature (duck-billing) of the beak surface is attributable to early study by Gustave Langenus, which we continue to use in our production. Removal of a precisely graduated bulk of material in the beak area allows that portion...
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Saying Goodbye to An Old Friend
Read more →On occasion, businesses have to assess the products or services they provide and determine whether it makes sense to keep all that are being offered. Sadly, after 30 years, we have decided NOT to continue with our student level Protone model mouthpieces. Our primary focus is our Professional model pure hard rubber mouthpieces, the Jazz, Excalibur and Classical models and that is where we would like to place our energy and resources moving forward. For all of you Protone players out there, we say thank you for your support of the Morgan Mouthpieces. Chances are that this was the first...
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Get Back to Basics
Read more →Are you tired of chasing fads for a good saxophone or clarinet mouthpiece? It seems that every month there is another new mouthpiece on the market and the choices are just far too many. How do you know what's good? What's bad? How will it sound with my horn? Is it going to over project or not be loud enough? You could spend tireless hours going through the scenerios but it all boils down to one thing: Timelessness. The Morgan Company has been making mouthpieces, by hand, in the same place, using the same process for over 30 years....
