Fremont Silver Plated Tenor.

[witchazel]

Anyone know anything about Fremont Saxes...supposedly manufactured in Japan? What about the silver plated finish...

[singlereed]

I think you will find they are made in Taiwan. They are very low price entry-level student saxophones sold in the UK by a few independent dealers. I don't think there is anything wrong with them, but don't expect too much.

[saxbeginner]

sold by one music shop in UK, John Bilham, (sax plyr) who is sole importer. He personally has been over to Taiwan and Japan to check the manufacturers etc. check quality, and says they're better than Jupiter. (and now I hear good things about the newer Jupiters)

Especially for the money....

He sold one to this UK pro player www.DeanoTheSaxman.freeservers.com who has piccis of it on his website and apparently is chuffed with it. I've just emailed him to ask him for feedback, as I'm a beginner looking for decentish cheap purchase, rather than rental.

[Russ]

When looking for a tenor, I too enquired about these saxes and got a reply pointing me to this 'Dean's' website.

Seems fishy to me, because if you click on a Fremont photo in his gallery , it takes you to John Bilham's Ebay feedback page.

Maybe they are in cahoots ??

I went elsewhere for my purchase on the strength of that alone.

[saxbeginner]

In the end I came to pretty much the same conclusion - or atleast, I am now sceptical enough to buy elsewhere!...

[uksaxman]

hi guys
Saw you querying Deano's credentials, re J billam supplier.
Must say u r on the wrong track!
Deano's a great player, and honest guy, and I know he has no links to dealers. He's a real enthusiast (has a number of saxes from many diff manufacturers). I actually saw a Fremont alto he'd bought, at a local Jam, and it looked very well finished, and very close in feel to a Guadala that he has. Feels like a mk6 under the fingers. Didnt get to blow it, but Deano says it sounds great.
Hope this helps. I may also try and pick one of these up on ebay, as a backup horn to my YTS62. If so, I do a quick review of it.
My website already has some info on gear: IEM's, and adjustable key mod for my A990. see http://uk.geocities.com/cool_sax_man/index.htm
Cheers
Brian

[saxbeginner]

Thanks Brian!
That's very reassuring since in the end I couldn't find anything else decent for the price....didn't want to purchase from abroad...so bought a Fremont sahara2 alto, and it is lovely.
However, when the technician looked at it briefly he said that the rods were bendy and it was a pretty standard cheaply built one, and said that they all tend to follow the same pattern.
However, he didn't try it.
Let me know if you get one what you think.
Thanks!

[uksaxman]

Hi Saxbeginner
I got a Fremont Sahara S2 tenor on Ebay last night for £250!
So got a good price indeed. Called John Bilham today, and he seems a really OK guy, and says he has been teaching and renting horns for years. Reckons the Fremonts are a great deal & nice saxes, which bears out what I saw on the alto of Deano's. I should recieve it tomorrow, shame its a slightly in your face Blue, but hey, its only backup tenor for me. The bendy rod thing is probably nothing to worry about, as a Yani 800 Tenor I have a couple of years back had the same thing, but was down to lack of a clamp half-way along the rods (now on Yani's) whic prevents the flex. Still no big deal anyway, as never caused any probs on the Yani. John says Deano has Fremonts on S,A, & T, so they cant be lacking, as he can get (and has) any saxes he wants. He's had selmer, Keilworth, Canonnball, Guadala, all top models, so if he plays a Fremont, its cos they play well. As I said in earlier post, the alto felt like a Mk6 or Guadala, and I had a late mk6 for a few years, so I should know what they feel like! I didnt play the Fremont, as I didnt have time (at the end of a local jam). I play Yanagisawa alto's and Yam62 tenor.
Brian

[saxbeginner]

wow, you sound as if you know what you're talking about anyway!
very reassuring what you said, and I look forward to hearing more when you receive it.
Also tell me what you think about the mouthpiece. John Bilham said it was a quality mouthpiece on it, but a few people said it was just a standard Yamaha 4c type copy. So I got a decent Meyer 5M second hand and it does sound better - even for a beginner like me.
byeeeee