Saxotone SuperStak Handmade Wooden Ligature Review

I was recently given the opportunity to try the Saxotone SuperStak ligature, a wooden ligature that is handmade. The Saxotone SuperStak Wooden Ligature is a ligature made for all "common" saxes (see below) and bass clarinet and clarinet. It is handmade and totally customized depending on what your mouthpiece's make and model is. This make this ligature unique to other ligatures since they are only made after you order them. Are they worth the money? Find out in the review below.

First Impressions: I really like the idea of a ligature without screws (not sure of the technical term) because it allows for fast changing of reeds if there is ever a need. You also don't have to worry about over-tightening the ligature. I was sent two different ligatures: a 2 ring and 3 ring one.  I was surprised at how much one ring made a difference. The 2 ring lig made the sound feel brighter; the 3 ring ligature, on the other hand, seemed to dampen and darken my sound. I found that it took a while to get the ligature pushed on just right so that my reed wouldn't shift when I attempted to put the mouthpiece on my saxophone. But after getting the pressure just right, the reed wouldn't move around.

Design: The Saxotone SuperStak ligature is made up of either 2 or 3 wooden circles that are glued together to make the ligature. Since these are handmade and must be custom fitted to a certain mouthpiece, it takes a while to receive your ligature.

Cost: $64.99 for soprano, alto, tenor, bari, bass clarinet and clarinet through Jazz Web Shed

Pros:

• Perfect fit since it is customized to your mouthpiece
• Can make your sound bright or dark depending on the amount of rings
• Easy reed changes since you only have to slide the ligature off

Cons:

• Since it is custom built to your mouthpiece, if you have several mouthpieces, you may need several custom ligatures
• A bit pricey for those who aren't sure if they actually want it
• Takes a while to know how tight to push ligature
• Because of above point, if you push the ligature too tight, it can break

Rating: 5/5 stars

three-ring ligature

front view (make sure the marking is exactly like in this picture or else the ligature won't fit correctly)

two-ring ligature

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