JJ Babbitt Company Celebrates 100 Years of Making Music

It has been 100 years since Jesse James Babbitt began crafting mouthpieces for saxophones and clarinets in his garage in Elkhart, Indiana.

All mouthpieces made by jj Babbitt are still manufactured completely in its Elkhart, Indiana factory. The company has designed and produced millions of mouthpieces in more than 1,000 different models. These have helped players from novice, to student, to professional—and from virtually every music genre—to not only discover the joy of making music, but also to develop the proficiency to create their own unique sound.

“Mouthpieces are the only product we make at jj Babbitt,” said Rocco (Rocky) Giglio, president and chief operating officer. “That’s all we do and we do it right.”

Well known for on-going research, design, and development of mouthpieces to meet changing tastes and individual needs, jj Babbitt attributes its success and superior quality control to loyal and highly skilled, long-term employees. Among jj Babbitt’s 40 workers, there are several with 35 years at the firm, one with 41 years, and Bill Reglein with 52 years.

Loyalty to our employees and our customers is important to us; we have a great team,” Giglio said. “We concentrate on making the best quality mouthpieces, which ensures the best value and comfort for the player.”