"Big Ben" alto saxophone on ebay

[Silentman]

Hello there
I am going to buy a brand new "Big Ben" saxophone from a guy on Ebay.As I am completely new on the item(I am keyboardist,accordionist)I would like to ask you how can I trust a not known instrument.I mean from a custom made brand.The guy,who is really friendly I must say,told me that he manufactured the sax.It has full case and everything in the packet.The price is 200 pounds + 50 pounds for the courier in my country.Does anyone knows the brand Big Ben ?

Thank you and best regards

[stitch]

I'm afraid at that price it is unlikely to be a good instrument, Silentman. Even the cheapest of the well-known Taiwanese brands cost around £300. There is a large number of (Indian-made?) saxes around at the moment that seem to be copies of very early saxes - the bells are shorter, they have two octave keys and the pads are often red leather (or foam!). Avoid these at all costs!!! They don't usually have a name on them though, so the one you're considering is probably of modern design. Can you post a link to it?

Use the search button at the top of the page to find other posts on this topic; there's a poster on the board called singlereed who knows a lot about the entry level saxes in the UK - if he doesn't respond to this thread, it might be useful for you to search for his posts as well. A couple of people have reported positively on Bentley saxes; I don't know how much they cost, but it might be worth you looking into - again, try a search of this site.

It may take you a little longer to find the right sax for you, but better that than you waste your money on a worthless horn and get discouraged for ever!

[yana sax]

hi there,

first off I'd like to say welcome! I was one of the guys who bought a Bently. I'd recommend them, but then again I've never tried a "Big Ben". For anyone who's interested, here's a link to one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=16232&item=3738131 914&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

thanks,

oliver.

[Silentman]

Thanks for the answers.What follows is what the guy told me on his email.It is said that it is english manufactured and that he is trying to sell it in a bigger price in the future as soon as I will leave a positive feedback its price will be around 350 pounds.

"I do not play a Saxophone myself. I play the violin. The Sax was tested for me by a professional Jazz musician. He was quite satisfied. There is no sample to send you, unfortunately. But with my 100% positive feedback to date, you could safely take my word for it, that this is an outstanding instrument for the money !.. Plus the 21K gold-plating ! If you do not like it, you could always sell it to any beginner for more that what you paid. I need at least one great review of the Sax on eBay for it to sell for the price I am after (around £350 mark or more). I do not manufacture, I commission the production to my specification, which was painstakingly arrived at with the help of a lot of Sax players in London that I personally know. The instrument sounds close to Yamaha or Selmer - warm and penetrating sound, deep baritone overlays."

He has a 100% positive feedback and I am just wondering if this is a lifetime chance or the guy is looking for a beginner idiot.He is really a violin player(as I am a keyboardist)and most of his items that were sold were violins.

Please see it and tell me :shock:



The link of the saxophone is the following :

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3739977730

[stitch]

It's hard to tell the quality from pictures Silentman, but it's unlikely to be a first-class sax. As has been pointed out in other threads, there is a number of factories out there (particularly in Taiwan) which will engrave any name you want if you buy enough (as few as 40 apparently). That is what he means by 'commission the production to my specification'. I think I'd take his claim to be involved in the painstaking design with a pinch of salt. This one says 'English engineering' rather than English manufactured, which is commonly (or French, or German) seen on these horns. Saying it's English in the listing title doen't really inspire confidence. You'll notice that he's now selling at £200, but hasn't changed his reserve in the text from £285 - through laziness or carelessness? I notice that even though on eBay he offers a refund (less postage) he suggests you sell yours on if you're not happy with it.

Now, having said that, it's perfectly possible that this sax is of reasonable quality. After all, most of the entry level horns available are made in Taiwan, and there's nothing to say that this one isn't made to a decent standard. Remember though that it's likely to be built down to cost, rather than up to quality.

I am just wondering if this is a lifetime chance or the guy is looking for a beginner idiot.

Well, in a sense he is, as he wants to use your feedback for marketing in the future.

The bottom line is you'd get a cheap sax. It may not be bad; chances are it would play OK, but might need a little tweaking.

If you've sought out earlier threads on cheap saxes (I think I advised you to look out for singlereed's posts - sorry, I meant tinminer!) you'll probably have come to your own conclusion. Whatever you decide, good luck!

[Troy]

I'd be very wary. He is using a high pressure tactic to sell: Fear of loss, which means he wants you to be afraid you'll lose a good deal. This tactic is usually used when someone wants to force a buying decision quickly (customer thinks less about the product and thinks more about what they will lose if they don't buy right now). Think used-car salesman and you'll have the picture.

I'm sure some honest people might use this approach, but I choose not to buy from anyone that tries to pressure me...just on the principle.