First of the Asian Basses?

[cymru97]

Has anyone else seen this International Woodwind auction? I'm guessing it's an Asian horn, but have no idea. I'll be interested to hear how they play. For that price it better be awefully good! I'll stick with my Conn Stencil unless these have a perfect scale... heh...

I hope somebody gets to try one of these. My apologies if this has been covered in a previous thread.

Skip on over to ebay and look for Item number: 7422073263

[cymru97]

After reading the Taiwanese bass thead, I see there was an auction for a Mason with no pics. Did anyone ever see that thing? One photo is of a modern horn (Selmer?) but he says it's a Buescher copy. Anyway, IW has actual photos of the horn. Probably the exact same model.

[kavala]

You got me fired up then...
At first glance I thought that was 'Asian Babes'

Gotta check my reading glasses.

;) ;)

[okami]

But for this price a Asia Bass is worthless. It is still much too expensive in my opinion. 4000-6000$ would be OK.

[cymru97]

[QUOTE=kavala]You got me fired up then...
At first glance I thought that was 'Asian Babes'

Whoa there big fella! Just remember bass has a "b" on the front of it...:)

[cymru97]

Okami,

I agree, why would someone drop that kind of cash on an unknown quantity. That said, I guess I should reserve judgement on the horns until I test one personally (which isn't going to happen, I'm happy with mine and it's too much money). Maybe they're great, but given the reputation of most unestablished Asian brands I'm not expecting much.

[SAXISMYAXE]

But for this price a Asia Bass is worthless. It is still much too expensive in my opinion. 4000-6000$ would be OK.
I agree, for $9,800/$10,000 you can get an AWFULLY nice Conn or Buescher Bass, or a Stencil bass with a LOT of cash left over. And (in proper working order) all of these will be certain to play/sound great and are built to last.
Until/unless they go further towards getting it right, I'll pass.

[cymru97]

Thanks for the review BumbleBee!

I think you just confirmed all our fears. And saxismyaxe made the point I was just thinking of. You'd have to save MORE for this thing than a vintage horn, who in their right mind would do that!?!? It sounds that it's useless at any price. Maybe if we're lucky they'll refine it over the years like some of the nicer taiwanese horns... maybe...

BumbleBee, your the only other person I know that has played a Vito bass! The first bass I played was a Vito, and I can't for the life of me remember WHO made that horn. Do you know? The one I played was the more compact design, I ended up with a Conn stencil that I love, but I liked the keywork on that Vito a lot. Is it a Beaugnier or something?

[TenTenTooter]

Yeah, to my knowledge its Beaugnier, and the Vito basses were indeed made in the French "short wrap" style vs. its taller American counterpart.

[cymru97]

Thanks, that's been bothering me for years! The one played needed some leaks fixed ans had a couple issues, but was still a good playing horn. I miss it!

[Bass saxmann]

Dear Ten Footer :

Thank you for your comments, although somewhat misguided.
I came in to the store and stated that international Woodwind is a company based out of Los Angeles. I never stated this instrument was made in the U.S.

Also this Bass has been getting great reviews and are selling very well.
They will also be available at Sam Ash Stores Nationwide in September.
Disneyland has also recently purchased one of the IW Bass Saoxphones, the pros who play there played it and were very excited about this hot playing new Bass Saxophone.

By the way the Retail list price is $9,800. THe introductory MAP price is $7,500. Which is a great price for a brand new Bass Saxophone.
Currently there is a 4 week wait as there are quite a lot of orders for this hot playing new Bass Sax!

[saxymanzach]

Well, the International Woodwind shop is close to my house, at the local Musicans Union building, so I will go test it out soon if you guys would like me to. You know, for a second opinion (and a reason for me to finaly get to play a bass!).

[Gandalfe]

Well, the International Woodwind shop is close to my house, at the local Musicans Union building, so I will go test it out soon if you guys would like me to. You know, for a second opinion (and a reason for me to finaly get to play a bass!).Yes please. At least you are a known quantity. 8-)

Course I stopped being interested at TenTenFooter's report. Thanks TenTen!

[tjontheroad]

Yeah Zach, please give us the "low"down asap. I hope it sucks 'cause I have to much GAS already!

[saxymanzach]

Well, I will have to go in on a week day, so perhaps next week I will take the bus down to Hollywood to give it a try.

[scottieAnthony]

cymru97 just had to ask this, are you a Welsh guy ? Im from Wales but now live in the philippines.Just had to ask , hope you dont mined .

[saxfreak]

Well, the International Woodwind shop is close to my house, at the local Musicans Union building, so I will go test it out soon if you guys would like me to. You know, for a second opinion (and a reason for me to finaly get to play a bass!).
Before you go there, you should call ahead to be sure they have one. I was in this store a while ago on a dfferent matter, and the owner talked about the bass sax and showed me a video clip, but he didn't have one in the store. I don't know how readily available they are to try out in person.

[saxymanzach]

Before you go there, you should call ahead to be sure they have one. I was in this store a while ago on a dfferent matter, and the owner talked about the bass sax and showed me a video clip, but he didn't have one in the store. I don't know how readily available they are to try out in person.

Thanks for the tip!i can imagine that this would be a hard thing to keep in stock. I have never been to the store before. Infact, I didn't even know the Musicians Union had a 2nd floor until I was looking for a repairman recently!

[Chris Peryagh]

http://internationalwoodwind.com/IW-BASS-page.html

Shame they haven't copied the Selmer design (that sits lower to the ground), and the bell keys are of the old-fashioned style.

[Mark]

Just watched the video clip at their site, and to me it sounds like the low Bb is sharp. Each time he hit it I cringed...

That said, just glad to hear that yet another bass is being made! There's always been the Selmer and the Orsi, and now of course the wonderful Eppelshiem instruments as well. Five years ago I never thought anyone would make low saxes again.

Mark

[cymru97]

Good point Mark.

Haven't listened to the clip yet, I'll have to zip over there again. Sheerly from a "coolness" point of view, I like that they copied the old 'American' design, I don't know that it's any better or worse (obviously not as easy to handle for some people).

-Andy

[Pete]

Keilwerth, Eppelsheim, Orsi, Selmer and now these. You've got choices for new basses. Make 'em high quality.

[Bootman]

I know of an old Selmer Bass for sale 11K serial number. Horn is in nearly immaculate bare brass, nickel silver keys and sits just prior to the Cigar Cutter run. No pics jsut yet but I played it yesterday and it was firing very nicely indeed. The reason for the sale is that original owner died earlier in the year and his wife needs the money. Price is $10K AUD with soft bag, there is no hard case. Drop me a line if you want to know more.

[Bass saxmann]

Hear is a new link to the IW-601 Bass Saxophone featuring the L.A studio musician and College prof. Jay Mason. This clip speaks for itself! You may have to wait a minute for it to load or download it to your desktop.

http://internationalwoodwind.com/IW-BASS-page.html

[saxtek]

Why was the review of the International Woodwind bass sax submitted by Bumblebee deleted? It was the only review we had by someone who actually played the horn, other than the posts by the manufacturer.

[Gandalfe]

Why was the review of the International Woodwind bass sax submitted by Bumblebee deleted? It was the only review we had by someone who actually played the horn, other than the posts by the manufacturer.Bumblebee? I can find no history of a user called Bumblebee. There was a fellow who did post a review that he later requested pulled. So unless he feels so disposed to tell you why he pulled it, that's all the info we have at this time..

[Mark_vi]

Just watched the video clip at their site, and to me it sounds like the low Bb is sharp. Each time he hit it I cringed...

That said, just glad to hear that yet another bass is being made! There's always been the Selmer and the Orsi, and now of course the wonderful Eppelshiem instruments as well. Five years ago I never thought anyone would make low saxes again.

Mark
Don't forget the new Keilwerth Bass saxophone which i believe has a low A key!

[Steve P]

Keilwerth's Bass only goes to Low Bb. They did make 2 or 3 with a low A key at one point, but not as a regular production model.

Steve P

[Mark]

On going back to the website I noticed they now have two different video clips available, while the one I mentioned (with the rather sharp low Bb) is no longer there. But note in the James Carter clip that he seems to really slap the reed to get it going. The high end sounds nice, but it seems to be a bit of a struggle to get the low notes out. Of course, if they just handed him the horn and said "try it" then we can't expect him to sound at home on it.

Mark

[Swingin' Cat]

Toward the end of the Carter video, a couple of guys come wandering through a door behind him. Pretty funny....

[Mark_vi]

Toward the end of the Carter video, a couple of guys come wandering through a door behind him. Pretty funny....
haha yeah i saw that too I bet they were trying to figure out "what the heck is that instrument?"

[Bar-Ron]

I am so glad to see more enthusiasm to bringing these beasts to the Market again. I am glad IWW picked the American sound as Selmers missed the boat on what a bass note is supposed to do.
For me a big wide note of soft but voluminous substance makes the Bass what it is; a far cry from selmers focused beam of refined Baritone imitation with a half extra depth of an octave to it. Too tight, too focused and too directional. It does not fill a room like an American bass does. You pretty much need to sit in front of it and still it lacks something (Overtones for sure)
Bravo to IWW., However, I have an old Conn, with those LH beastie pinkie levers. They should have gone the extra mile and done some reengineering there in my opinion. I also think the price is a little high as a Keilwerth is just a little more and worth the extra mechanical superiority and construction.

I got my Vintage Conn just a few years ago for less than $4500, so a new horn that is just a copy of same is hardly worth twice that to me. I have seen Buescher's for under $7000m in excellent shape so again I think the comparison holds true for them too.

My admiration for IWW is high as I think we need these grand instruments out there and if they can fill a void with a dependable big sounding fairly reasonably priced beast, I say go for it.

Too bad the unproffessional film clips from them with the bone heads in the background cheapen the respectability for them. If they can't control a doorway when filming how well can they control quality in other aspects?

We were shopping for the school and there horn came up as an option however, when we asked for images of the LH pinkie keys we got none, though they claimed it was modern key work. Pretty vague answer when one is willing to shell out Thousands.

I'd say check them out but keep your options open, as a copy of an American horn for nearly the price of a Keilwerth would make me look for the actual Vintage Horns its similar too or look very very closely at it to see if its better in any way than its competitors; also work for that introductory price!
If I were to walk through Disney banging around the lamp posts and people I would definately buy this horn for what I would consider obvious reasons. If it turns out to be sturdy due to the extra thick rods, it would be a good thing.

[Bar-Ron]

I remember the bumblebee review as it was one of a few I forwarded to our music department, the others were from the Bass sax co-op yahoo groups.

His was pretty critical of every part of the horn being stuffy, or out of tune or too stiff or this and that. Seemed overly negative. He claimed his previous experience on a Bass by Vito. So what his expertise was I am not sure.

A better review I had read had said "Good news its a Buescher", plays and sounds like a Buescher, they got the sound right, etc.......then; "bad news its a Buescher", same old pinkie table same intonation quirks etc..... however the reviewer ended with "do not dismiss this horn out of hand!" This review was believable and fair. Seemed genuinely appreciative of the sound but was dissappointed some fingering improvements weren't included.

I would say, it is a safe bet that the horn is playable, if a Disney side walk player has purchased one. I'd also have to say that if it sounds and plays like a Vintage, keep your eyes open for a Vintage.
If none are available and the price is negotiable with IWW, then I'd say it would be reasonable to make the effort to try before you buy one of these horns. I find it pretty risky buying on limited unbiased reviews and lack of history.

Of course if it was maybe $4500 or $5000 they wouldn't be able to make them fast enough......

[saxtek]

Dealer cost for these bass saxes is about $4500. So far, retail price has been at least $7500 and there's one on ebay now with a starting bid of $9,800. In this day, when 30% discounts are common, these are extremely high prices for a Chinese bass sax.

[Crazysaxophonist]

I was going to buy a inter n wdwnd bari so i will be interested to see what you think of it

[Lee Mason]

I am the Oregon dealer for IW-601, and I sell them for the introductory price of $7500 USD. I have had some local professionals try it out and they all thought it was excellent. If you want some pictures of the little finger left hand table I would be glad to send you one ( someone asked about that earlier). I think we are the only state that has NO sales tax. I haven't played a Conn or Buescher for several years, but if my memory is correct the IW-601has much more comfortable keywork, and the intonation is 'right on'. Best regards Lee Mason

[Bar-Ron]

I'd like to see the left pinky table as when we were looking to buy a Bass for the school we passed on the IWW due to them not responding to our desire to see more detailed pictures.
Post them if you can or send to Bondfarm@verizon.net

[TenTenTooter]

In this picture you can see the side of the pinky table, it's enough to see that it is the same as the one used on the Buescher basses.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/BumbleBee123/65_12.jpg

I've held and played one of these in my place of work and the pinky action was indeed very stiff... and I can remember the low C# keycup fluttering open and closed when you play a low Bb even though the C# spring was already really tight.

Another thing of notice was the octave mechanism. The way the horn came from the factory the octave mechinism interfered with the G key holding it open slightly. The key would flex and close, but it felt very spongy, and our lead repair technician spent a good 30 mintues on it eventually getting it to feel a lot better, but not perfect. I could see it becoming more of a problem later on after the horn has some use on it.

The thing that made me lift my eyebrow the most however was most definately the case, a gig bag with (IMO [and the lead technician's]) less then adequate padding for a horn of it's size and weight.

[the mask]

WOW!! I stumbled across the I.W. bass sax the other day and was completely unaware that such a sax was in production. I was so excited to play it and am considering adding it to my collection!
Being based here in LA I was able to play it at the studio and spend some quality time with this huge sax. By the way,I was intrigued by its mass. By then I waas able to check out the basic steps all sax players do-like intonation and playabilty/flexability and was very impressed!
Overall, it was a great unexpected call on my end to play such an obscure instrument and then own one. My hats off to the I.W. team!! I'll be back for more!

[Bar-Ron]

I hope more people sample this Bass, it will do the market good to get another Bass manufacturer out there. I was sent pictures of the old style LH pinky table and it was definately the old pre 31 Buescher design with a round pearl G# key however IWW sent me an updated version and it is now more like a Buffet table with a flat wider Half round G# lever.
Little improvements like that show an awareness in addressing market interest. I hope they study the intonation error in the old design copies and correct some of it as I have heard that there is a solution to it.

More of you guys in LA please go test play them and let us know, with an open mind, what they are like. Bring a Legere contrabass clarint reed with you if its a bass sax mouthpiece, they add life to my Conn.8-)