[Grambo]

Hello fellow saxophonists. I did a quick search and scan for information on student level sopranos without any luck.

I played alto for a couple of years about a decade ago, and the music bug has bit me again. I'm looking for a decent soprano for about $600. I might be able to stretch my budget to $800 if there is a major difference in quality.

I would like to buy new because I don't want the hassle of searching for a used sax, and I don't have the ability to judge if a used one is in good condition.

I'm also concerned about resale value. How much would a $600 soprano be worth after a year? My primary concern is the quality of the instrument, but a secondary concern is resale value.

On to my questions:

Will $600 get me a playable soprano sax?

What brand/model do you recommend?

Where should I buy this instrument? Is there an online store that is good, or should I rely on my local music store?

Thanks a bunch for the help!

Edit: Is this a good buy?
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-SAXOPHONE-C...ryZ16203QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

 

[Fred]

Buying a new sax is not the best way to insure a decent resale value. I think your best bet is to buy a like new Antigua Winds soprano 586 or 590 when you see one come up here on the board. If you really want to go new and sacrifice a bit on resale value, contact www.kesslermusic.com.

 

[Giganova]

Check out the LA Sax series of sopranos. Big bang for the buxxx.

 

[saxxsymbol]

la sax

i have a like new la sax 655 gold plate straight soprano for sale .it has less than 4 hours of play. horn plays well, intonation is very good,the soprano is just not my voice. lists for $ 1100.00. I will take wholesale price of $ 550.00 includes all shipping and handling and insurance to cont. U.S. address. money back guarantee less shipping charges.

 

[sonnymobleytrane]

I have a yanagsawa stencil made for vito it is a mark vI copy I bought it last year for 800 I would sell it for 800 Pm me if interested.

 

[Grambo]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm sucking in tons of new information.

If you really want to go new and sacrifice a bit on resale value, contact www.kesslermusic.com.

Is there a model that is good, or would I generally get what I paid for? Is the Kessler custom line good?

 

[Fred]

You need to call DAve Kessler (don't email) and talk with him. He is one of the most honest sellers in the business - he'll tell you exactly the truth about his products and how they fall in the quality/price categories.

 

[olhonker]

Here is your best bet: There is a horn made in viet Nam now called "Kohlert" No relation to th old Kohlert. BUT Many small dealers as well as larg dealers are selling them, I paid $550. for a backup tenor, it is a copy oif the serieiii, bUT it is a fragile horn, you can't rough handle the horn, it bends and twists (keys) easy. SO= If you buy a Koihlert Soprano, it should cost you about $400. bucks from a local guy, grab it, and this way YOU have somebody CLOSE to bring it to if it goes out of tune, remember, if you buy from away, you got something that may need adjustments, then what do you do???And this happens a lot with cheap horns. Also, forget resale on chgeap horn. Period> Selmers cost $3,500. New Soprano, they don't need TLC but look at price. IMHO, any horns new from $300-1,500. ARE THE SAME AS TO QUALITY, PERFORMANCE, END OF STORY. GOOD LUCK......

 

[TooSaxy]

They pay you to post that don't they. Jk ~.^

 

[Dave Dolson]

Grambo: You don't say where you are located . . . do you?

Anyway, Fred's advice was solid. With the exception of the Big Four makers' top-o'-the-line models, almost all inexpensive saxophones come from China or Taiwan. The better inexpensive ones come from Taiwan, but the mainland Chinese are quickly making advances. The Vietnamese Kohlert mentioned in this thread is unknown to me.

So, for Taiwanese sopranos, I'd go with known and respected distributors. Dave Kessler's Taiwanese saxophones are good because he puts some thought into ordering certain features and build-quality. He also sells Antiguas (Taiwanese) which are among the best of the inexpensive sopranos. Among my several sopranos is an Antigua 590LQ, I selected at Kessler's store. At the time, I don't think the Kessler Custom line was available.

Recently, I bought a Kessler Custom tenor for myself and a KC alto for my grandson. Both are good players - well worth the money. I'll assume the KC soprano is good, too, but I have not played one.

The least expensive Antigua is the 582 (a fixed-neck model). I don't know the current pricing but Dave can tell you that. The one I recently played at the NAMM show in January was very nice, especially for the price. DAVE

 

[saxxsymbol]

LA Sax 655

The 655 LA SAX soprano is gold lacquer body and gold plated keys, not gold plated body. sorry i was misinformed.

 

[BobbyC]

www.wwbw.com has a couple cheap ones.

 

[Grambo]

Thanks for all the help. I ended up going with black Kessler Custom, because I think it looks cool.

 

[Grambo]

Just an update:

I haven't heard from Dave since June 13th. I figure I will order from somewhere else if I don't hear from him tomorrow. Two weeks to ship out an order is pretty long, but two weeks to reply to an email is unacceptable.

 

[fballatore]

Grambo -

Don't give up on Dave Kessler. I ordered an Antigua 586BC (looks very similar to your horn) by phone on June 11. That was a very busy week for Dave, as he had a couple of people out of the store including his dad that week. Last week was even worse; Dave was also out - he had a note on his website to that effect asking people to be patient.

Your best bet, especially with how busy they've been is to call them. As I said, I called and ordered by phone on Monday 6/11. My horn was shipped out on 6/13, and in my hands on 6/19. It's a fantastic horn, and arrived in perfect condition. I'm sure you'll be happy dealing with Kessler Music.

Good luck,

Frank

 

[joelsp]

I have a Barrington, which I believe was, maybe still is a student line from LA sax for 200 bucks. It isn't horrible, and it works for me, given that i play soprano very rarely. It is currently priced a tad higher, but it looks a lot like (identical to) that Kessler horn, except it is a lacquer finish.

 

[Grambo]

Grambo -

Don't give up on Dave Kessler. I ordered an Antigua 586BC (looks very similar to your horn) by phone on June 11. That was a very busy week for Dave, as he had a couple of people out of the store including his dad that week. Last week was even worse; Dave was also out - he had a note on his website to that effect asking people to be patient.

Your best bet, especially with how busy they've been is to call them. As I said, I called and ordered by phone on Monday 6/11. My horn was shipped out on 6/13, and in my hands on 6/19. It's a fantastic horn, and arrived in perfect condition. I'm sure you'll be happy dealing with Kessler Music.

Good luck,

Frank

Thanks for your advice. I initially tried calling, but it said I couldn't reach the calling area. I'm guessing it's because I'm in Canada.

BTW: While waiting for the order to go through, I did a little research and decided to pony up a little more dough for the Antigua 586 (I emailed Dave on the 13th with the change).

I really want to give Kessler the benefit of the doubt since he seems to have pleased so many people on the forum, but I found another site that promises to ship the 586 within two days. Summer is short, so I'd rather spend my time playing than constantly checking my email for a reply.

 

[Fred]

I'd stick with Dave - he won't do you wrong. It's still a family store and stuff happens.

 

[fballatore]

Grambo -

If you want the 586BC (fantastic choice, BTW ), that's exclusive to Kessler, so he's the only one you can get that horn from in the black finish.

Good luck.

Frank

 

[Grambo]

Grambo -

If you want the 586BC (fantastic choice, BTW ), that's exclusive to Kessler, so he's the only one you can get that horn from in the black finish.

Good luck.

Frank

Yeah, I'd have to go with the 590 if I wanted the black.

Please Dave, just answer your darn email!