About Morgan Mouthpiece Company

More Than 45 Years of Morgan Mouthpieces

Morgan Mouthpiece Company was founded in the early 1980s by Ralph Morgan, a woodwind designer, professional musician and craftsman whose career in the musical instrument industry spanned decades.

Ralph's goal was simple: bring back the carefully designed and handcrafted mouthpieces that had been produced during the golden age of American mouthpiece making. He believed that exceptional mouthpieces required more than good dimensions. They required the right materials, thoughtful acoustic design and the hands of an experienced craftsman.

That philosophy still guides Morgan Mouthpiece Company today.

Ralph Morgan at his workbench.

Ralph's Story

Ralph Morgan — Designer, Musician & Craftsman

Ralph Morgan began playing clarinet and saxophone professionally at the age of 12. His father was Chief Woodwind Designer for the C.G. Conn Company, giving Ralph an early introduction to both the musical and technical sides of woodwind instruments.

After serving as a bomber pilot during World War II, Ralph joined the Selmer Company, where he eventually became Chief Woodwind Designer. During his career at Selmer, he designed the Selmer 10G clarinet and contributed to the development of numerous professional, intermediate and student woodwind instruments.

Ralph also worked on designs for other musical instrument and accessory manufacturers, developing an extraordinary understanding of how small changes in design could affect the response, intonation and tonal character of a woodwind instrument.

After retiring from Selmer in 1980, Ralph turned his attention to something he had thought about for years: creating his own line of professional mouthpieces.

Ralph Morgan brought a lifetime of woodwind design and playing experience to every Morgan mouthpiece.

Founding Morgan

The Beginning of Morgan Mouthpiece Company

In the early 1980s, Ralph established Morgan Mouthpiece Company with the goal of producing professional mouthpieces in the tradition of the great handcrafted designs of the 1930s through the 1960s.

Rather than simply copying an existing mouthpiece, Ralph developed his own chamber, baffle and facing designs. His mouthpieces became known for their response, tonal depth and consistency, and Morgan gradually developed a following among serious and professional saxophone and clarinet players.

In 1990, Ralph designed the steel molds used to produce the blanks for Morgan clarinet, alto and tenor mouthpieces. Those molds became an important part of the Morgan manufacturing process and helped establish the designs that remain at the heart of the Morgan line today.

Transition to Today

Carrying Ralph's Legacy Forward

Ralph Morgan passed away on August 23, 2007, but the company, his designs and his methods continued.

Today, Morgan Mouthpiece Company is owned by David and Teresa Hoskins and supported by craftsmen whose connection to Morgan mouthpieces spans decades.

Just as importantly, the traditional Morgan manufacturing process has been preserved. The molds, materials, hand-facing techniques and attention to detail that defined Ralph's mouthpieces continue to be central to the way Morgan mouthpieces are made.

(L-R) John MacQueen, Brian Powell, Erik Greiffenhagen

The Craftsmen

Made by Craftsmen. Made by Players.

One of the things that makes Morgan unusual is the depth of experience behind the workbench. Our craftsmen don't simply manufacture mouthpieces—they understand them as musicians.

Each brings decades of experience in mouthpiece making, refacing, design and performance to the Morgan workshop.

Erik Greiffenhagen — Master Craftsman & Mouthpiece Designer

Erik Greiffenhagen has been associated with Morgan Mouthpiece Company for more than 40 years and worked alongside Ralph Morgan for many years.

In addition to hand-finishing Morgan mouthpieces, Erik has played an important role in the development of several Morgan designs. His experience as both a professional woodwind player and mouthpiece craftsman gives him an understanding of a mouthpiece from both sides of the instrument.

Erik playing clarinet.

John MacQueen — Mouthpiece Craftsman

John MacQueen's connection to Morgan began more than 35 years ago when Ralph Morgan introduced him to the craft of mouthpiece making.

John went on to pursue his own mouthpiece-making and refacing work before eventually returning to the Morgan team. Today he continues to apply the traditional hand-finishing methods that Ralph established decades ago.

John playing bass.

Brian Powell — Mouthpiece Craftsman

Brian Powell brings more than 30 years of professional mouthpiece-making and refacing experience to Morgan.

Like Erik, Brian is also an accomplished woodwind player. That combination of bench experience and playing experience is particularly valuable when working on the subtle details of facing curves, rails, chambers and baffles that determine how a mouthpiece actually feels and responds.

Brian playing saxophone.

Manufacturing

What Makes a Morgan Mouthpiece Different?

A Morgan mouthpiece begins long before the final facing is applied.

For our traditional molded models, the process combines proprietary hard rubber, molds designed specifically for Morgan mouthpieces, careful curing and extensive hand finishing.

It Starts with the Hard Rubber

Morgan's traditional mouthpieces are made from our proprietary pure hard rubber compound with no added synthetics.

The material is an important part of Ralph Morgan's original manufacturing philosophy. Rather than starting with a generic finished mouthpiece blank, the material and blank itself are produced specifically for Morgan mouthpieces.

Molded Specifically for Morgan

Ralph designed the steel molds for Morgan's clarinet, alto and tenor blanks in 1990.

The rubber is formed under heat and pressure using these molds, creating a blank with the basic exterior and internal architecture required for the particular Morgan design.

The blank that emerges from this process is not a finished mouthpiece. It is the starting point from which a Morgan craftsman creates the final instrument.

Cured for Stability

When a blank first comes from the mold, the rubber is still relatively soft. It undergoes carefully controlled cycles of heating and cooling that cure the material and create the hard-rubber casting that is ready for the next stages of production.

Only after curing does the detailed handwork begin.

Finished by Hand

Every traditional Morgan mouthpiece is individually faced and finished by an experienced mouthpiece craftsman.

The table, facing curve, tip, rails, chamber and baffle are acoustically critical parts of a mouthpiece. Small changes can alter resistance, response, articulation and tonal character.

That is why the final stages of a Morgan mouthpiece are still performed by hand.

Hand-finishing the interior of a Morgan mouthpiece.

The facing curve is carefully established and checked, while the tip and rails are worked to the dimensions required for each model and tip opening.

The facing, rails and tip are individually worked and checked by hand.

The chamber and baffle receive the same attention. These aren't cosmetic finishing operations. They are part of creating the acoustic characteristics that distinguish one Morgan model from another.

Each mouthpiece passes through numerous hand-finishing operations before it leaves the Morgan workshop.

The Morgan Tradition Continues

Ralph Morgan believed that a great mouthpiece was the result of good acoustic design, exceptional material and skilled hands.

More than four decades after he founded Morgan Mouthpiece Company, that philosophy remains at the center of what we do.

New models have been introduced, and the Morgan family of mouthpieces has grown, but our traditional mouthpieces continue to be produced using the molds, methods and craftsmanship that established the Morgan name.

We aren't trying to make the most mouthpieces.

We're trying to continue making Morgan mouthpieces the way they should be made.

Proudly made in the USA.