Members bill5 Posted July 19, 2018 Members Share Posted July 19, 2018 From what I gather... Yamaha is pretty much the unquestioned #1. Various (most?) Chinese knockoffs are utter crap. But what about the rest? What are the 2d or perhaps 3d tier sax lines which may not be at Yamaha's level but still generally considered of a respectable quality? Like what about Jupiter, Selmer/Conn Selmer, Allora, Eastman, etc? Anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Are we talking new or used? While Yamaha has made some good instruments, I don't think there's been a Yamaha sax made yet that would rival something like a vintage Selmer Mk VI in terms of desirability. Another well respected brand you didn't mention is Keilwerth. I've been a fan of theirs since I was first introduced to a Keilwerth-made H. Couf bari sax when I was in high school. Yanagisawa is another well-respected brand. I really don't have any experience with brands like Jupiter, Etude etc. I would caution you to be careful if you're considering a sax purchase, and to research it carefully - they're complex beasts from a mechanical standpoint, and cheaply made saxophones can develop issues fairly quickly / easily. Caveat emptor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bill5 Posted July 22, 2018 Author Members Share Posted July 22, 2018 Thanks Phil. I guess I'd say new or "slightly" used i.e. not reaching back to some classic vintage saxes of all time etc. And modestly priced. Not saying dirt cheap but not top of the line either. No specific numbers in mind offhand and not imminent purchase, just trying to get some general info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members capitalist Posted August 8, 2018 Members Share Posted August 8, 2018 Good luck with your sax quest. Get as good an instrument as you can possibly afford. With a student or lesser horn, playing can be frustrating because you soon reach the playability limits of the instrument. However, if you just want to honk a bit for your own enjoyment, a less expensive horn may suit your needs. IMO, try to purchase a used professional Selmer, Conn, Yamaha, etc. If you quit playing, you should be able to sell it near your original purchase price. Also, be aware that a complete rebuild of a sax can exceed $900.00. There are a few sax forums on the net too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bill5 Posted August 10, 2018 Author Members Share Posted August 10, 2018 Thanks; I'd be buying new FYI. Oh and I tried sax forums, quite frankly they were full of obnoxious buttholes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted January 28, 2019 Members Share Posted January 28, 2019 Sorry for the very, very late response. Hopefully it will help someone in the future. Since there is so little action in this forum, I rarely come here. The times that I did, I just glanced and didn't notice this one sitting here. I had a Selmer Mark VI, bought it new, and I can say that they are over-rated now. It was a great sax in it's day, and because the Mark VII was not as good, the VI got legendary status. It's like a Fender nocaster, worth a lot more than it's really worth. Tone was nice, but intonation was not so nice. Modern saxes are much, much better in that department. The Mark VII improved the intonation problem, had decent tone, but no matter what you did, the tone was the same. That took a lot of the vox humana out of it. I traded the VII for an H.Couf Superba that blew the VI out of the water, but they are no longer made either. Better tone, better intonation and the best high F# key I ever used. Unfortunately due to the high copper content in the brass (for tone), salt air in Florida, and the fact that you can't get horns relacquered anymore, it turned green. I play in places where the men wear tuxedos, and a nasty looking sax won't cut it. Phil Barone makes a nice horn, many of the higher end Taiwan models like Muriat and Cannonball are good, of course the new Selmers are nice horns too. The Barone horns are similar to the MacSax. I play a MacSax I had customized for me. Made in Taiwan, it's 9 years old now, and MacSax is no longer making saxes. Sad. Saxes just don't sell like they did. Unlike guitars, it's not easy to get a custom sax. I miss Mike and company. They are making mouthpieces only now. I just bought a used Yamaha YTS-52 as a back-up horn. I'm very impressed with it. The tone is a little on the bright side, so I put a large chamber mouthpiece on it (Link ToneMaster 8 -NY) and that darkened it up. What I like about it is the flexibility of tonal colors I can make by adjusting oral cavity shape, embouchure, and breath support. I was expecting something much less. I like the tone of my MacSax better and I like the versatility of the Yamaha better. Next new sax I buy might be a Yamaha. I'll be selling my old back-up horn after I get it worked on. I use the back-up horn for outdoor gigs where there is salt spray in the air, and as a first horn when my main sax needs to go to the sax doctor. My backup horn was a gold plated Grassi. I liked it a lot, but like all gold plated instruments it had a very hard edge to the tone. Good for rock, not so good for cool school jazz. But then I play rock for a living (jazz requires a day job to pay the bills around here, and I successfully avoid day jobs). Whatever you got, I hope you enjoy it. Insights and incites by Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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