HarryPluta
01-18-2004, 07:08 PM
I need to preface this by saying that I have not played a saxophone since the early '70s, at that time I had a Selmer Bundy. Fast forward, the Bundy has lasted all this time, being a learning horn for myself, my brother, my son, and my daughter. We purchased a second Bundy II a few years ago for my daughter which, when not in the shop, was a very nice horn. After 6 years of playing she decided she wanted a new horn.
After much debate we decided that the additional maintenance of a used "classic" horn would not be appropriate to a high shool student, and the cost of a new professional horn was not in the budget at this time. So a new intermediate horn looked like the solution.
After a bit of searching and trying various horns, we saw a new Antigua Winds 520BC being offered by Kessler and Sons on ebay at a price that seemed very reasonable. After exchanging emails with Dave Kessler and insuring that he would take the horn back if it did not work out, we went ahead and put in the winning bid on it.
The horn arrived promptly, and was very well packed, the case is quite nice with a dual handle system and close fitting compartments. Now on to the horn itself. Niether my daughter nor I knew quite what to expect for the black chrome finish, we were both thinking more black then chrome. The color is instead a most unique shade with an almost purple hue to it. This sets the gold laquered keys off very nicely. My daughter is completely taken by it.
Build quality is very high on this instrument, I spent a good amount of time really checking fit and finish and have to say it seems quite a bit better built then either of the Bundys. It is heavier then either of those horns, although not by that much. The black chrome finish looks like it will be easy to maintain and the engraving is very nice to look at.
Playability is so much better then the Bundys. Before my daughter came home from school I tried the horn out. Even after many years wihout playing and with the mouthpiece that comes with it, I was able to pull both upper and lower regester notes out of the horn without any trouble at all. My daughter ran some scales and other then having to reposition her hand a little to compensate for the key layout she was able to hit all but one note without problems. The one note she is having problems with, and she only has a problem when screaming up a scale, is right around the high A. This is unquestionably due to her adjusting to the key layout, not an issue with the horn. When she plays a bit slower she never misses it. She now has about two hours of playing this instrument under her belt and still has a huge grin on her face while puitting it away. In her words, "It's like the sax is helping me play".
Tone is a subjective thing, probably my favorite tone of all time is the sax work on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of The Moon album, dark, some reverb, and very rich. This horn, played by my daughter, with a Selmer C* mouthpiece, Rovner 1rl ligature, and 2 1/2 reeds is very, very rich. In side-by-side tests it is not as bright as either of the Bundys ( the Bundy II always sounded a bit tinny to my ear ), and the Antigua seems to have a more complex sound, especially down low.
Overall, I am very pleased with this horn, my daughter has yet to be able to show it to either her band teacher or her private instructor, but I cannot imagine that either will have a problem with it. For the money I feel we ended up with a horn that will last her for many years to come.
Regards,
-harry
After much debate we decided that the additional maintenance of a used "classic" horn would not be appropriate to a high shool student, and the cost of a new professional horn was not in the budget at this time. So a new intermediate horn looked like the solution.
After a bit of searching and trying various horns, we saw a new Antigua Winds 520BC being offered by Kessler and Sons on ebay at a price that seemed very reasonable. After exchanging emails with Dave Kessler and insuring that he would take the horn back if it did not work out, we went ahead and put in the winning bid on it.
The horn arrived promptly, and was very well packed, the case is quite nice with a dual handle system and close fitting compartments. Now on to the horn itself. Niether my daughter nor I knew quite what to expect for the black chrome finish, we were both thinking more black then chrome. The color is instead a most unique shade with an almost purple hue to it. This sets the gold laquered keys off very nicely. My daughter is completely taken by it.
Build quality is very high on this instrument, I spent a good amount of time really checking fit and finish and have to say it seems quite a bit better built then either of the Bundys. It is heavier then either of those horns, although not by that much. The black chrome finish looks like it will be easy to maintain and the engraving is very nice to look at.
Playability is so much better then the Bundys. Before my daughter came home from school I tried the horn out. Even after many years wihout playing and with the mouthpiece that comes with it, I was able to pull both upper and lower regester notes out of the horn without any trouble at all. My daughter ran some scales and other then having to reposition her hand a little to compensate for the key layout she was able to hit all but one note without problems. The one note she is having problems with, and she only has a problem when screaming up a scale, is right around the high A. This is unquestionably due to her adjusting to the key layout, not an issue with the horn. When she plays a bit slower she never misses it. She now has about two hours of playing this instrument under her belt and still has a huge grin on her face while puitting it away. In her words, "It's like the sax is helping me play".
Tone is a subjective thing, probably my favorite tone of all time is the sax work on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of The Moon album, dark, some reverb, and very rich. This horn, played by my daughter, with a Selmer C* mouthpiece, Rovner 1rl ligature, and 2 1/2 reeds is very, very rich. In side-by-side tests it is not as bright as either of the Bundys ( the Bundy II always sounded a bit tinny to my ear ), and the Antigua seems to have a more complex sound, especially down low.
Overall, I am very pleased with this horn, my daughter has yet to be able to show it to either her band teacher or her private instructor, but I cannot imagine that either will have a problem with it. For the money I feel we ended up with a horn that will last her for many years to come.
Regards,
-harry