Hi, I’m an advanced beginner looking to upgrade from my current cheap Chinese Selmer knockoff.
Any suggestions? Budget is $2000-$3000. New or used.
thanks!
Any suggestions? Budget is $2000-$3000. New or used.
thanks!
yesduhh
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Spend some time reading his reviews as an experienced tech & player for a wide range of ideas.
I vote Yamaha 62 myself
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What is the basis of your vote? Have you played any of these instruments or do you base your vote on researching the impressions of others?
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My YSS61, Barone tenor, Keilwerth alto seem to retain their black finishes just fine. The KW is a black lac. Folks seem to have more trouble with black finishes. I don’t.
🤷🏻♂️
Reading the reviews can make you feel better (confirmation bias), neutral (no bias) or worse (self-deprecation bias).
If you can swing a few more bucks, brand-new YTS-62s and TW01s are under $3500 at Brass Barn. As an advanced beginner, do you really want to deal with the vagaries of a 50+ year-old vintage horn, or some flavor of the month like Eastman? You can not go wrong with Yani or Yamaha. Either one will serve you well until you have become proficient enough to decide which way you want to go with your sound. And they will have held their value and sell/trade easily if you decide to take a different path.
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Hi, all, I really appreciate the input. I am actually living in Cambodia but will be returning to the USA for a month in June. I'll be in near Destin/Pensacola, Florida, maybe I can go to some musical instrument shops to see what's available. Thanks, again, for all the information. I look forward to researching the models that you all have mentioned!
I’ll never have to chance to try all the horns listed there. Yamaha makes a quality instrument at an affordable price, new or used. Have some now, had one in the past. No personal complaints.
and that’s by no means not to say there are not better out there. Just weighing what OP wanted to spend.
furthermore their availability is quite common, and at least by his site, the earlier 62’s were very consistent quality & players.
I might like Yanagisawa (or others) as well, who knows.
I drive a ‘08 Chevy Duramax diesel pickup. If it died tomorrow, I’d try to buy the same truck in the same series year due to their dependability. Now I didn’t know that at the time I bought it, I just knew the motor & trans (neither made by GM) were absolutely top notch units. Now ~17 years later… I know via my personal experience, forum experience, and dealer service writer that that series of trucks were the most dependable that GM put out in decades.
I happen to like things that stand the rest of time. And while there’s not a production horn out there I couldn’t afford to buy new or used, I’m personally a “middle class tastes” kind of guy. The Yamahas tend to fit my bill.
YMMV
Super Action 80 Tenor, Buescher 156 Tenor, Yamaha Vito YAS-21 , Kessler Soprano, Superba II Bari
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That's your best bet. Go to the largest music store you can find, and try everything you can. $3,000 can get you a lot of horn. You can find a used Selmer and a good many vintage pro models with that budget. Don't let those old ergonomics fool you either. They play just as well as anything, if you put the time into it. I just met a high schooler who can't stand the thought of playing anything other than their very early Buescher True- Tone. The palm keys were a little low for my liking, but it was still a great sounding sax. Relatively cheap on the used market too.
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Given the OP lives in Cambodia but will be in FL for a whole month in June, that’s a great chance to follow the advice to try before you buy. Maybe you can contact music stores in advance and see what they have and arrange to try. Also the used market, with the usual caveats.
This first upgrade from your cheap Chinese tenor may not be your last stop on the great horn hunt, of course, but hopefully will address what bugs you about the current horn (poor quality, bland sound, lack of something you hear in the great players you love that you aspire to?)
While it has been repeated ad nauseum that a horn can’t make you a better player, a horn that inspires you and that you can’t put down can make you do things that will (like play a lot).
Not knowing the music you play or the players you admire it’s hard to recommend anything. If you don’t need to have a horn that says “Selmer” on it there is no need to spend the max of your budget. You could buy a Super Dynaction or a Comm III for about 2K (I’ve owned both) and have a wonderful sounding big warm horn. But if modern ergos are a must then you won’t like either. You won’t know till you try.
Others may correct me if I’m wrong, but it also doesn’t make much sense to me to buy a new horn and take it back to Cambodia as any warranty or return policy could be hard to act on.
I would also find out if there are good techs where you will be. If I found a used horn I absolutely loved on day 4 I would buy it and take it to a tech for an expert check over before flying back to Cambodia.
These are just my impressions from a different part of the world (and the age spectrum I think) so offered just FWIW.
This first upgrade from your cheap Chinese tenor may not be your last stop on the great horn hunt, of course, but hopefully will address what bugs you about the current horn (poor quality, bland sound, lack of something you hear in the great players you love that you aspire to?)
While it has been repeated ad nauseum that a horn can’t make you a better player, a horn that inspires you and that you can’t put down can make you do things that will (like play a lot).
Not knowing the music you play or the players you admire it’s hard to recommend anything. If you don’t need to have a horn that says “Selmer” on it there is no need to spend the max of your budget. You could buy a Super Dynaction or a Comm III for about 2K (I’ve owned both) and have a wonderful sounding big warm horn. But if modern ergos are a must then you won’t like either. You won’t know till you try.
Others may correct me if I’m wrong, but it also doesn’t make much sense to me to buy a new horn and take it back to Cambodia as any warranty or return policy could be hard to act on.
I would also find out if there are good techs where you will be. If I found a used horn I absolutely loved on day 4 I would buy it and take it to a tech for an expert check over before flying back to Cambodia.
These are just my impressions from a different part of the world (and the age spectrum I think) so offered just FWIW.
If the OP is able to source the horn instead from Vietnam, where good quality saxophones are manufactured at present (e.g., by Thomann), this would solve several issues:
1) warranty and parts support;
2) pads that are made and fitted for the environment of comparable humidity;
3) last, but not least, a significant drop in buying price.
The disadvantages would be, of course, (1) much lower brand recognition and (2) much lower reselling price.
1) warranty and parts support;
2) pads that are made and fitted for the environment of comparable humidity;
3) last, but not least, a significant drop in buying price.
The disadvantages would be, of course, (1) much lower brand recognition and (2) much lower reselling price.
If he gets something used, he absolutely should run it by a good tech to ensure everything is “up to snuff” and adjusted well. Taking a used horn back that far only to find something not working well could be frustrating.
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I do agree that the Vito 38 or 39 (encompassing Duke and Duke Special) arr special horns and extremely undervalued.
These were made by Beaugnier whereas the Vito 35 was made by Leblanc.
Failing to see the logic train here
EDIT: He didn't say anything about Keilwerths, I was wrong about that.
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Isn't Gayle of Vintagesax.com in Florida? Not sure where though. But she does excellent work and sells horns at very reasonable prices. You could get a top notch vintage horn from her in your price range in stunning, ready to play condition.
I'd highly recommend that.
I'd highly recommend that.
Tenors - Vintage Sax
Find our current stock of tenor saxophones for sale. Our brands include Buescher, Conn, Martin, Selmer, more.
vintagesax.com
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Where do you see that I talked about Keilwerth? I wrote about Guardala only.
Oops. You're right.
We won't get into the finish vs. performance discussion. I withdraw my comment.
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+1. John beat me to it. When I saw Florida mentioned, I immediately thought of Gayle at vintagesax. I bought a couple of silver-plated Buescher tenors from her some years back and both horns were in top condition. Excellent customer service.
That's an extremely easy fix; if a palm key is too low, just install a cork riser.
Akai EWI 5000 Pro, Selmer Seles Alto Sax
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Check out the Selmer La Voix Tenor Saxophone. Unsung. If you can find a good one you're not only in business but you might be able to save you money, below your $3,000.00 cap.
If if were me, if possible, I'd get it from a reputable dealer in used horns who should ensure that it's in good working order. And I'd make sure that dealer has a reasonable return policy, should you want to use it. It's not only a good back-up but probably means that the sax will be in top condition before they send it out.
If if were me, if possible, I'd get it from a reputable dealer in used horns who should ensure that it's in good working order. And I'd make sure that dealer has a reasonable return policy, should you want to use it. It's not only a good back-up but probably means that the sax will be in top condition before they send it out.
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Again, that would be Galye at vintagesax, for one.
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