David Hite was born in Ohio , USA and started to learn the clarinet at an early age, he went on to university where he gained his Master of Art Degree in Music. After the war he played in various orchestras, including the Berkshire Music Festival Orchestra at Tanglewood. When he was professor of music at Capital University he founded the Capital University Clarinet Choir. In the 1940s, while still teaching and playing, Hite also worked continuously on the development of a superior Clarinet and Saxophone mouthpiece. with his second wife Jean, he founded the J&D Hite Mouthpiece company in the 1980s. He was internationally recognized for his hand-finished J&D Hite Clarinet and Saxophone mouthpieces and are played by many symphony and band musicians. Following Davids death in 2004 the J&D Hite Company is now owned by the JJ Babbitt Company of Elkhart. The balance of carefully designed and produced dimensions and facing gives the J & D Hite professional mouthpieces their extreme flexibility, superior intonation patterns and comfort throughout the entire range of the instrument. The Soprano Saxophone model in the J & D Hite mouthpiece line has proven to be the very popular ,most versatile and most "user-friendly", consulting with the worlds most respected players have influenced their design and performance standards. Each mouthpiece is made out of the finest vulcanized rubber. The design of the Soprano Saxophone mouthpiece is similar to the French square throat style except that the square corners have been rounded. A longer bead at the back and lean sides cut down on the bulk of the mouthpiece. In response to players who have requested good low register response as well as an easy high register F and F-sharp, Hite developed a shorter , slightly more open facing. the refinement of the facing in both table and the rails enhance the overall performance and playability. the facing is medium short and a 0.052" tip. The finish is black.