Prestini pro horn, to high pro model

[SaxPlayer1004]

Hey i am playing a base pro prestini tenor right now with a link 7* and a vintage 50's classical link pieces. i was wondering what you guys think this could run for,(bought new for 1250) and what i might get for resale (no dents, couple dings on the bow, minimal scratches on the neck hook, new pads, case in excellent condition) and what i should use as a next horn. im a sophomore in highschool and specialized in low reeds now and plan on staying low reeds, and play broadway style music mainly. narrowed it down to selmer reference 54 yani (992 or up, havent playtested each on properly yet) and keilwerth sx90r nickel silver. just wanted to get your opinions on this.
thanks
Tom

[Russty1]

Hey i am playing a base pro prestini tenor right now with a link 7* and a vintage 50's classical link pieces. i was wondering what you guys think this could run for,(bought new for 1250) and what i might get for resale (no dents, couple dings on the bow, minimal scratches on the neck hook, new pads, case in excellent condition) and what i should use as a next horn. im a sophomore in highschool and specialized in low reeds now and plan on staying low reeds, and play broadway style music mainly. narrowed it down to selmer reference 54 yani (992 or up, havent playtested each on properly yet) and keilwerth sx90r nickel silver. just wanted to get your opinions on this.
thanks
Tom if it were me Id go with the Ref. 54 but they are really pricey, its worth it though. The Yani's and Keilwerth's are really nice too but its all about what sound you want. Its like a guitar. If you want a sax that can play all kinds of music well then id have to say selmer, yani is a good R&B sax.not too sure about the keilwerth. good luck in your search, let me know how it works out.

P.S. Im also a sophmore in highschool...Just got myself a mark VI :D (finally), you should try some of those(they are not all the same,some play alot better than others). Ref 54's are versions of these but you get a nice vintage sound with the older saxes, that is if you like that sound. so long...sorry one more thing. How long have you been playing? I started in about 2nd grade.

[Bill08690]

A good strategy would be to keep the Prestini as a backup horn and look for something that will fit into the style of playing you intend to do. While the Prestini horn is a good one it has not cought on with the general public and I see them on Ebay with no bids if the reserve is anything more than a few hundred dollars. It's too bad since they are said to be good horns. If you compare the Prestini to a Selmer you may be surprised to find there is not that much difference. Just a guess after trying many saxes.

If you decide to go the vintage route ala MK VI start with a good one. Many of these horns have been worked on by incompetent repair technicians over the years and will require extensive work to put them in excellent playing condition.

Good luck.

[SaxPlayer1004]

thanks, i have definetly found that the only difference between my prestini and the modern selmers (series II ) is the high range, the guy who sold it to me said that the high range (high a-F#) probably wouldnt stay in tune that well, but that itd be one of the only differnece sound wise than a selmer. ive already been asked many times if my horn was a selmer, but i was thinking about keeping it or trading it in. so thanks for the advice

[Dave dix]

Not all selmers have a good high range
Dave

[SaxPlayer1004]

i know, but the few i have were tweaked out of the factory (ive vowed never to get an unopened box sax without having the pads looked at and made sure it was tight) but the high range played like a dream.

[goodsax]

Hey i am playing a base pro prestini tenor right now with a link 7* and a vintage 50's classical link pieces. i was wondering what you guys think this could run for,(bought new for 1250) and what i might get for resale (no dents, couple dings on the bow, minimal scratches on the neck hook, new pads, case in excellent condition) and what i should use as a next horn. <snip>Tom

FWIW, I just bought a mint condition (no scratches, dings or dents) Prestini intermediate tenor from a Prestini dealer for $400 and consider it a pretty good deal. I mention it as a possible measure of what you might expect for yours, if you decide to sell it.

[SaxPlayer1004]

thanks man, im thinking im gonna keep it as a gig horn if i could only get that much for it. and i like it, i was just thinking about upgrading, i just bought a new bari so im saving up for the tenor

[goodsax]

thanks man, im thinking im gonna keep it as a gig horn if i could only get that much for it. and i like it, i was just thinking about upgrading, i just bought a new bari so im saving up for the tenor

I agree with Bill08690 in that the Prestini has been a well-kept secret in the marketplace and as a result of that doesn't hold up well in the resale department. The reason I bought the tenor was because I had a favorable experience with a Prestini Pro alto a few years ago and remembered how well constructed it was and the other good features it had. Alto is my primary sax now, so I just needed a decent playing tenor for those rare times, for me, when one is needed, and the Prestini came along at the right time.

I think you're making the right decision hanging onto yours as a backup.

[tenormelodies]

Hey,
I've got a Silver plated selmer series III that would fit all of you needs. It's in excellent condition and my wife has it in Siler city NC. I'm selling it because
1. I'm looking for a darker sound more mellow and vintage sound. and will purchase a new horn when I get back home.

2. I'm currently deployed to Afganistan and it will be sitting in a closet for a year.

3. See my post of "Mark VI's over rated.

If you're interested in this horn contact me and you can make arrangements to test it to see what you think.
Contact me or my wife's email. For details.
tenormelodies@yahoo.com (mine)
angie_c_macon@yahoo.com (wife)

[SaxPlayer1004]

gotta think about that one. my pocket is kinda tight right now, (just bought a new bari) and am needing a new set of golf clubs, so that one will have to wait a little while. sorry man, thats actually my dream horn along side a keilwerth sx90r. so thanks for the offer, ill check up on it later though.

[goodsax]

A new sax takes back seat to golf clubs? Oh no! Say it isn't so....!!
:roll:

[SaxPlayer1004]

its not so. my parents ended up buying the clubs. but my thinking now is that i have ATB and a clarinet now, ill have a bass clarinet for concert band and int he local semipro band, and when i am a senior and im sure im going into music as a career, then ill splurge and get SATB from the big 4, not sure which yet, but ill try out all four for a few weeks before i go for it, but until then, a vito alto, prestini tenor, and la sax bari will keep me where i need to be for a while (the whole pro mouthpiece thing helps too, have meyer 5m on alto, link super tone master metal 7* on jazz tenor, and a 1950's link rubber for classical, and ponzol metal for jazz bari and ponzol rubber for classical, jumps the tone amazingly) dont worry though, sax's ALWAYS ride shotgun.

[goodsax]

Well, I have the Prestini intermediate tenor now, and it's just fine for me. I also have a custom engraved Kohlert sop and a new Yam Custom 82Z alto. Last year my friend loaned me a vintage Conn bari from his church storage room to keep indefinitely. So, that completes my SATB collection with a Noblet Paris clarinet on the side.

[flipgroove]

Hey all, I'm brand new to the SOTW forum and I've enjoyed reading several posts. I have a question, so here is my first post. I'm brand new to the sax, in fact brand new to woodwinds in general but I have a burning desire to play soprano. So I rented a Prestini sop for $50/month. Originally I was offered it for 450 but I told the store guy I only wanted to rent as I don't even know if soprano is the way I want to go. He told me after renting 3 mos. I can still buy it with another 300, so it still comes out to 450. Sounds pretty cool and all, but I know nothing of sax brands. Since I'm only beginning , I can't really make an informed decision based on playing the simple scales I'm practicing. I gotta say I LOVE the soprano though, and I plan to keep it up. Just wondering if it would be worthwhile purchase. I know from previous posts that "Prestini II" is the student model, while "Prestini USA" is intermediate, and still better the "Prestini Classic" (I think) is the advanced model. This one however says "Prestini II USA"?!?! Is it a student model, or is it intermediate? Am I gonna know without just getting someone with ability to wail on it a while?

[SaxPlayer1004]

It is probably the student model. I think all of them have the USA somewhere. If you're just starting out, but are serious enough about soprano I would go around the soprano threads and will probably be directed at Kessler's for an Antigua.

[flipgroove]

Ok, cool. Antiguas seem really good, certainly many people on this forum seem to think so. I'll start some lessons soon and get a fist hand opinion. Thanks for the info Saxplayer.