Antigua sop - a first impression

[stevesklar]

Well I received my Antigua Winds 852LQ sop yesterday from Dave Kessler.

To be all honest, I delayed buying a new sop because, even though everyone praises it, I thought that it may be a little cheap here and there and may not be to my long term liking.

I opened the case to be greeted by a card from Dave Kessler saying something like "Inspected and Play Tested by Dave Kessler, Enjoy" That quickly rose my spirits a bit.

Next I pulled the horn out of the plastic. Nice looking. Nice engraving design on the horn. Alot more than I thought, very nice looking.

Next I inspected the mechanicals. These mechanicals (rods, cups, felts, corks, etc) are not as Taiwainese cheap as I expected them to be. Very sturdy for the price, very, very nice so far. No slack in the mechanics. Even though it has steel springs (not the blue steel needle springs that the 2 piece antiguas have) the keywork is really nice. The neck cork wasn't a cheap "chunky" type, very highly condensed cork which will eliminate any leaks with the mpc and improve durability.

Next i pulled out the supplied mpc and 2-1/2 reed. Actually the reed was already there and probably the one Dave tested. Same reeds i had but i threw mine on. The supplied mpc isn't too bad. Nice tone, though i couldn't get the high D on up very well w/o a really tight embochure. I used a Couf mpc next. No prob getting the high notes, more projection but more jazz sound. Next I threw a Otto Link metal 8*. made high notes a breeze, good projection with the jazz sound.

I played for the next couple hours swapping mpcs around.

After finishing I do have to say that this horn is above all expectations for the price.

Fit and finish is above all expectations.

Thanks to everyone on SOTW for their input and knowledge of the Antigua sops. And thanks to Dave Kessler for providing such a fantastic price and shipping.

The only first impression negatives that i could think of: The shipping box was gigantic but kept the horn well protected. And my intonation was kinda scattered but that was prob due to swapping mpcs, reeds, etc. all around. We'll see when i settle on a particular mpc. Also the LH palm keys were a little low to my taste, but I'm not used to them yet.

[goodsax]

<snipped>Even though it has steel springs (not the blue steel needle springs that the 2 piece antiguas have) the keywork is really nice.<snipped>

Are you sure about the difference in springs between the 582LQ and 586/590? It was my understanding that all three models were the same except for the 582 being one piece and the others having two necks each with the 586 keyed to high F# and the 590 high G.

[stevesklar]

Now that you ask and I look at some pics, I really don't know - i thought i read about the springs elsewhere?? They kinda look the same in the pics so I guess you would be correct.

Maybe someone with a 2 piece antigua sop could chime in here.

[stevesklar]

I also just noticed that they changed their name on the horn. They now read instead of Antigua Winds across the bell area of the horn they now have a script Antigua with an emblem above it.

http://www.geocities.com/stevesklar/awsopsax.jpg

[Dave Dolson]

Stevesklar: I just looked at my 590LQ - "Antigua" with logo above the script; stainless steel springs (at least they are a silver-grey color metal). DAVE

[DaveKessler]

Steve,

Glad that you are happy with the horn. Also, thanks for the good review and kind words. I never get tired of hearing people being happy with their purchasing experience!

Its actually my Father Chuck Kessler who tests them all... not me... but I will pass on your words to him.

We always test with our own mouthpieces and reeds. So the reeds that were in there are unplayed.

The springs on all the Antigua sopranos are the steel wire springs, not the Blue Tempered Steel.

They did change their logo about 6 months ago to the one you recieved. They felt that it was time to develop a logo brand presences rather then just a name. I personally preferred the "Antigua Winds" script on the horns but the more and more I see it, the nicer I think their new logo looks.

Again, glad to hear that you are happy with the horn. Let me know if there is anything else we can do for you!

[tommyboy]

I have an Antigua 590 BC soprano and can confirm that the springs are all steel, not the blued tempered springs. (I compared the Antigua to my Ref 54 tenor which does have the blued springs) Not a big thing though, after the first repad these can be upgraded if necessary.

One thing that is not 100% on the particular horn I have is that the engraving. It is kind of sloppy in places. Not real bad, but noticable upon close inspection. As long as it doesn't affect playability, I don't really care.

Lately I've been noticing more resistance when I use the straight neck, especially with the extreme high and extreme low notes. The curved neck seems to play a little easier, although the intonation is not as good as the straight neck. (That might be my imagination though, I'm still getting used to playing soprano)

Tom

p.s. I'm glad to hear it was an unused reed. I would have been a little worried if a used reed had been sent with the horn. :)

[tomsch]

I've been playing and gigging on my 852LQ soprano for several months now. It has played flawless, endured a slight mis-hap on stage where it was knocked up against a base amp, and still looks new. Tuning across the horn is very good and that is in comparison to my Yani SC901. As a matter of fact I sold my Yani last month because I'm playing the Antiqua full time. Thanks to Dave Kessler for promoting such a great horn for an amazing price!!

To date the only area where I've had trouble with this horn has been the thickness of the neck cork. Much sanding has been required to get it thin enough to push the mpc down on the neck far enough. The real bad part was my Metalite actually developed a crack on the shank from the pressure! And I thought these mpcs were supposed to be indestructible. Good lesson.... never force a mpc on the neck and expect it to survive day-in day-out.

[elcheapo]

I have also just received a 586BC Antigua soprano from Dave Kessler. As I am just a beginner I am unable to compare it to any other horns except my Stagg curvy. So far I've been unable to find fault with the 586BC, and it is extremely easy to play - especially the low notes - and for some reason I can now play a high front F, which I was unable to to on the Stagg. I assume this means it was well set up and tested, so thanks to the Kesslers for that! I can definitely recommend Kessler Music to any other international buyers out there, I don't even know if anyone in Australia stocks the Antiguas.

A note to anyone thinking of getting a Stagg curved soprano on ebay - after playing the 586 I notice now that the left hand pinky keys on the Stagg are very badly placed, I had to lift my shoulder up and screw my hand around just to play an Ab, not comfortable at all. They are cheap though...

Simon Daniel

[tomsch]

I need more sleep... I have 582-LQ soprano :roll:

[stevesklar]

I should mention I do have one, or two, slight problems with my antigua 582LQ.

The black roller for the thumb octave mechanism and LH pinky Csharp/spatula seem to be made of a sticky black rubber material. They are black in color versus the other white/clear, harder material rollers (like on the RH side high F# mechanism or other RH side vents E, Bb, C connecting pins.

This sticky rubber material manages to get stuck if i, say, trill between low G and upper G using your thumb octave. (not the funniest thing while playing)

Also on the LH pinky Csharp spatula is sluggish due to this same material. This roller is attached to the Csharp and sticks into the spatula mechanism which is attached to the low Bb.

shaving it slightly seems to help just a little but the octave can still get stuck. But until I get some more correctly sized silicone impregnated plastic tubing to replace those i simply used a silicone grease which has made those keys simply fly now.

Thought this might help ppl if they have the same problem. I'm curious if other ppl have the problem or it is simply "breaks in" over time.

Other than that the horn is fantastic for the money.

[Dave Dolson]

Steve: Is yours the fixed-neck model?

My Antigua sop is the 590LQ (dual-neck). All the rollers are black plastic, but smooth as glass - and they roll freely. Nothing sticky about them.

I don't know what you mean when you say the thumb-octave. If you are referring to the left-thumb touch on the back side of the horn, there is no roller there (at least not on mine).

If you are referring to the material that covers the tip of the octave mechanism (that actuates the upper octave mechanism on a dual-neck model), yes the tip is covered with black plastic. But again, no stickiness.

Maybe you can unscrew the rollers and clean them. Good luck with it. DAVE

[stevesklar]

Dave,
Yes, mine is the fixed neck model. And yes your left thumb for the octave mechanism is the problem area. They are not really "rollers" just a plastic tubing over the pins.

I pulled it apart one day and cleaned it. The black rollers (your black plastic) were still kind of a sticky material afterwards - i checked them with a pin and they have "give", a rubbery feeling. Yours must be a harder compound than mine, mine are more rubbery for some strange reason. Maybe a small manufacturer supply snafu or something??

Think of putting a small rubber band there. That's how it was acting - most of the time it would work but sluggishly, othertimes it would stick. Quote annoying to say the least.

Grease was the temporary solution. I'm picking up some nylon tube tonight to replace them.

All the other rollers I have are the white nylon/plastic variety and are effortless and very fast action.