David Zagar has a fully outfitted factory including:
Investment Casting Facilities:
I manufacture all my wax molds which in turn are injected on a medium pressure wax paste injector that has been designed and built by me. The wax injector was a project that was fully completed in 1997 and this was the year that my molding techiques were fully optimised. Once the correct machine parameter setups have been established, each and every wax pattern is identical and up to exact specification
This means you can rely on a perfect mouthpiece from the start!
Investing the wax patterns:
I also manufacture each of the ceramic molds that are subsequently vacuum cast in my own specifically designed and constructed vacuum chamber. The molds are contructed with the investment shell molding technique with my own proprietary binder system that has been chemically engineered (again by me) to promote intense adhesion of the shell (primary coat) to the highly hydrophobic wax pattern.
My primary binder system (and associated wax adhesion power) means that I can safely redip my patterns into the next (secondary) dip coat and the probability of delamination and/or distortion is virtually nill.
This means that both you and I can rely on a perfect high fidelity casting each and every time!
(Distributors are currently being sought worldwide for distribution of the Zagar Investment Primary Casting System)
Dewaxing the ceramic shell molds:
My proprietary method to dewax the mold allows a wax reclaimation of up to 95%, prior to firing the ceramic mold. My system protects the fragile unfired (green) mold and allows for a 100% non-failure rate - it is virtually impossible to crack or harm a mold with my exclusive system.
This means that you and I can rely on a perfect fidelity casting without the need to remove shell casting defects by linishing; this means that critical mass requirements for each mouthpiece are maintainable so the mouthpiece will play the way I want it to play, and it will play the way it was engineered to play - every time. . .
Casting in vacuo:
Vacuum casting is imperative for high fidelity reproduction of the super-smooth ceramic shell mold surface. Deep vacuum (very low pressure) also removes any residual gasses from the molten proprietary casting alloy. I have developed a process that controls the alloy's grain and crystal structure which I have previously referred to as IRC concept.
Put simply, the grain structure in your individual mouthpiece is aligned in the best possible format that will provide an "alive feeling" and a free-blowing mouthpiece.
With proper grain alignment a really good mouthpiece becomes a really amazing mouthpiece.
Finishing techiques:
Everything I do to a mouthpiece is for a specific reason and/or purpose. If the finish of my product is different to other products, that's because my first and most important objective has been that the mouthpiece must play to its maximum capability, and with the least possible compromise, and therefore the surface finish is secondary to this objective.
Precision Creep-feed CNC Grinding techniques:
This took almost 21 years' time to fully complete, and has been a work in progress until now!
The grinder started out as a Jones and Shipman 540 surface grinder that was retrofitted with three ballscrews and servo motors and Siemens Sinumeric 810D digital controls, back in 1998 - thats 21 years ago! I got down to some really serious programming last year and have improved the original solution (and profiles).
The new profiles are incredible which allow the "800" series to play like no other mouthpiece ever made. The profile grinder is able to profile grind in 3D and is a fully thermally compensated three axis surface grinder with a repeatability of better than 0.003mm, or 3 microns. The permutations are endless and the profiles currently programmmed into the machine are very special.
The precision grinder is the key to obtaining a consistent product each and every time!
All operations are "in-house" and produced in Australia:
Unfortunately in 2019, most goods produced in the world are made abroad and offshore in "low-labor-cost" countries, where such goods arrive into "developed countries" at a "dumped" (low) price and are then marked up by up to 3000% (that's 30 times the import price).
Unfortunately this does little to promote any improvements in the state of the art, or artform per se. I can see many shiny gold plated mouthpieces being produced, without any semblence of playability but at a price point that will lure the vulnerable into a wasted purchase.
It is more important than ever to consider how and where a product is made. Only with such consideration can an informed purchase be made that will result in complete customer satisfaction.
My 30 day Total Satisfaction Guarantee:
The Zagar mouthpiece manufacturing process is highly demanding. It is capital intensive, as well as resource intensive together with a huge amount of skilled labor and technical know-how and infrastructure. The Zagar mouthpiece is a resource that is engineered philanthropically to meet the needs of saxophone players seeking "Truth in Saxophone Mouthpiece Technology".
It is only with this level of artistic integrity that the saxophone shall remain a popular and pragmatic instrument that will see the children of the next millenia - it is my hope that all manufacturers will share that same philanthropic outlook, namely to curate the instrument and its most valuable component tone generator, the saxophone mouthpiece.
Take the 30 day challange and share my 25 years of experience and my technological journey to bring you one of the best saxophone mouthpiece solutions possible - I guarantee that you will enjoy the experience if you love the sax, and most importantly love playing the saxophone!
Kindest regards, Dave Zagar (The mouthpiece man)
Previously on "About" @ zagarsax:
Our company mission at ZAGAR® has been the ongoing quest to discover the ‘holy grail’ of all mouthpiece designs.
The Zagarsax motto: ‘Truth in Saxophone Mouthpiece Technology’; this represents an ongoing quest to reveal the acoustical 'secrets' of the highly specialized art form of mouthpiece design and construction.
The Zagarsax aim is to produce the highest possible quality with a view to consistency and modern-day precision.
Since 1994, the Zagarsax company has been re-discovering the long lost ‘secrets’ of traditional mouthpiece design and construction. Acoustically correct designs and construction have assisted 1000's of players world-wide to end their epic 'search', and to finally start playing the saxophone.
About our 2010 product range:
The key theme in 2010 is to bring Baffle-free™ awareness to the broader sax community. Our latest 2010 mouthpiece range represents the epitome of acoustically correct sax mouthpiece design and construction.
Zagarsax mouthpiece designs are 'baffle-free', insofar that the most critical volumetric area (entry into the mouthpiece) is consistent with the original equations of Adophe Sax - the original inventor of the saxophone.
Whereas other makers/manufactureres have resorted to baffles and/or wedges (acoustically imperfect constrictions within the critical entry side of the mouthpiece in order to brighten or add projection), Zagarsax has consistently and relentlessly aimed to create brilliance and projection through puritanical acoustical means that do not compromise the response and eveness of timbre over the instrument. Through the understanding of an acoustic phonomenon known as Internal Resonance Coefficient (IRC), acoustical resonance becomes a realization. High IRC effectively 'amplifies' the natural acoustic (sonic) sound wave induced into the material 'matrix'.
IRC and a thorough knowledge of 'Materials Science' has facilitated the zagarsax team to produce powerful and brilliant design concepts with the following unparalleled attributes:
• superior generic saxophone tone ('balanced' sax timbre)
• super-even response;
• even registers and 'breaks' throughout;
• perfect intonation.
Another highly critical area in mouthpiece design is entry chamber volume. By studying many 'older' mouthpieces, the zagarsax team had discovered that this entry space into the chamber is the most critical. Critical Chamber Space - or CCS - is positioned directly behind the tip tail, and is measured up to the point where the theoretical tapered (expansion chamber) section of the mouthpiece terminates.
Critical Chamber Space, or CCS™ is a neglected area in mouthpiece design. This extremely sensitive area represents 'entry volume', and should not be confused with 'chamber exit volume'.
(It should be noted that exceedingly large chamber exit volumes contribute to a 'woolly' or stuffy sounding mouthpiece that will lack power and projection - the exact antithesis of the Zagarsax Baffle-free™ mouthpiece philosophy.)
Our unique ZAGARSAX TOTAL SATISFACTION GUARANTEE, or your money-back:
We offer you an exclusive 30 day obligation-free trial policy - TOTAL SATISFACTION - or your money-back1
Online Consultation Today!™ - OCT will change your perceptions as to how a proper sax mouthpiece should perform:
All players are invited to participate in our latest 2010 Online Consultation Today!TM (OCTTM).
For those of you who are unfamiliar with OCTTM , this scientifically-based sax mouthpiece questionnaire/tutorial has been developed to assist sax players to identify and understand the critical response/performance areas of the saxophone mouthpiece.
We now have hundreds of satisfied customers, and OCT has proven to be a valuable tool for all players. Your input also assists the zagarsax team to provide you, the player, with the most relevant and up-to-date mouthpiece designs.
With OCT, you too can learn how to implement mouthpiece testing procedures/techniques; become highly proficient in evaluating all types/kinds of saxophone mouthpieces, and learn how to 'spot' response and timbral problems. Please feel welcome to Contact Us, to obtain your own personal Member Login details to access this specialized area of our website.
Employment opportunities at zagarsax:
Zagarsax is an equal opportunity employer, providing a safe and comfortable working environment.
Current positions available:
• Overseas Sales Representative (Oceania region)
1 Please visit our Returns and Exchanges policy, for more details.
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