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Theo Wanne
Model: Amma
Sax: tenor
Material: brass
Chamber: large
Baffle: medium-low
Description: The ‘Amma’ model was introduced in 2007. It features a user-replaceable bite plate and a special ligature (called the ‘Liberty’). The chamber is large and round, the baffle medium high. The inner side walls are wider than the side rails and window. As air enters the mouthpiece, it spreads in width and creates a fat and rich sound. The bore diameter is set between vintage and modern standards for flexibility. The proprietary facing curve is the results of combing modeled data of vintage mouthpieces. Each mouthpiece has a unique serial number and the bite plate can be changed by the user.
Theo Wanne is a legendary mouthpiece maker who started his business, ‘Mouthpiece Heaven’, in Philadelphia, PA, and was later joined by his brother Tom who brought in his business skills. They currently operate from their home town of Bellingham, WA.
Tom and Theo Wanne
Model: Kali
Sax: tenor
Material: brass
Chamber: large
Baffle: medium
Description: The ‘Kali’ was introduced in early 2008. Like the ‘Amma’ and ‘Parvati’, the ‘Kali’ is a true large chamber mouthpiece. It features a medium-high baffle, delivering a powerful sound useful for Jazz, R&B, and Rock & Roll. Like the other Wanne models, the reed is secured by the ‘Liberty’ ligature for which a number of different pressure plates are available, and the bite plate can be change by the user. The angle of the table is different for each different tip opening, creating a uniform sound for different tip openings. Each mouthpiece is individually numbered.
Model: Parvati (retired)
Sax: tenor
Material: brass or wood
Chamber: large
Baffle: low
Description: The ‘Parvati’ was also introduced in early 2008. Like the ‘Amma’ and ‘Kali’, it is a true large chamber mouthpiece, but with a lower baffle. It is the darkest sounding model of all Wanne mouthpieces. The gold-plated brass model is available with a vintage-style patina finish (see picture at the bottom right). The Parvati is also available in wood. This ‘stable wood’ is crated from hard wood impregnated with resin through the use of heat and pressure, which makes the material very durable and resistant to heat and moisture. Each mouthpiece is individually numbered and a Francois Louis style ligature with Wanne pressure plates are available. The metal versions of the Parvati come with the ‘Liberty’ ligature. The bite plate can be change by the user. Each mouthpiece is individually numbered.
Model: Durga
Sax: tenor
Material: brass
Chamber: large
Baffle: low
Description: The ‘Durga’ was introduced in late 2008. It is a true large chamber mouthpiece with a very lower baffle.
