[JazzWithoutANet]

I'm not yet ready to drop $1000 on a soprano so what's in my wheel house at about $700 that will have some resale value? I figure I can get at least $200 for my Chinese one and with the discussions lately, I'm intrigued at the possibility of owning a better one and experiencing better sound so I'm attempting to find a decent entry level horn. What names, besides Jupiter, am I looking for?

 

[JazzWithoutANet]

Not to discourage you from upgrading, but one of my bandmates buys those cheap Chinese sopranos all the time. When one breaks, he just buys another. He is an excellent player and sounds fantastic on them, in spite of the fact they're terrible horns. But he likes all the weird colors and designs and the fact he doesn't have to worry about how he treats them.

This is how I’ve always felt. The Chinese sopranos at that price point are almost disposable.

I own an Antigua Winds student model alto that I thought was the best horn ever…until I bought a Pan American stencil, which was a major upgrade for me as far as intonation, weight and ease of pay. I discovered while playing the Pan American that I prefer the warmer tone. Now the AW seems too heavy and too bright. I later got a good deal on a Yamaha YAS-23, thinking it would be as special as my YTS-52 tenor but I hate it. That Pan American is the best I’ve ever played. I discovered that by trying something else although I was pleased at the time with the AW.

I want to pick up another soprano to see if my Chinese horn is really not as special as I think it is. I’m learning “Dienda” by ear and the higher notes I’m finding are difficult. Not sure if it’s the horn or my own playing limits. A good friend of mine played my soprano and made it sing, so it’s probably me. I’m pleased with the sound it produces for me, but of course, as a Beginner, I don’t have much of an ear yet. To a trained ear it could sound like a cat being drowned so I’m curious about other horns.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

 

[JazzWithoutANet]

Just picked up a Weltklang from Ebay. Baby steps...I'll save(or flip) for the Yamaha YSS-475, seeing that they come so highly recommended. In the mean time, I'll futz around with this one.

 

[JazzWithoutANet]

well, this is the older design of the weltklang with the in line leaf palm keys, I could have directed you to a similarly priced and more modern one with the same mechanics of the B&S in Belgium but that’s now hindsight , have fun

View attachment 134659

Any info on Weltklang serial numbers outside of that one chart from the way back machine that's still floating around? Not much soprano info on that.

 

[JazzWithoutANet]

Did the OP find a soprano?

Why? What’ve you got?

 

[JazzWithoutANet]

Nowwwww..... stop that !

You just purchased a horn which very likely fits your parameters, and is said to be in play-shape.
Ostensibly, mission accomplished.
Wait til you receive it and play it a bit, get a feel for it...before you go shopping for another horn.

Again, your pricepoint zone is a tough one...it's either gonna be one of these German stencils, or a similar Italian stencil of the same period (a bit different but IMHO no 'better' nor 'worse'), or something modern of at least decent quality like a Kessler or Chateau.

So within the likely available options worthy of consideration, you picked one of those options...which again, was pretty wise as opposed to rolling the dice on something else or insisting/expecting you could

a) land a $1200 market value one for $700.
or
b) believe that a company which makes $400 actually would make a $650-750 one which is really significantly better.

Old habits... I'm just always curious.

I really had no intention of purchasing something else. I think I did okay. The Seller was very flexible with the best offer price. It should arrive tomorrow.

 

[JazzWithoutANet]

You don't say WHICH Chinese soprano you currently own. At the price point you are looking, I recommend the Taishan Winds brand off EBay. Yes, it's another Chinese sax, but this guy has really worked hard to make improvements based on feedback from his American customers. TBH, I haven't played their soprano, but I absolutely ADORE the bari I bought from them. Intonation, tone, etc. are all solid. Yes, it feels a bit "lighter" than the expensive European and American horns, but it sounds great and is easy to play. Professional TaiShan Gold Straight Soprano Saxophone New BB Sax High F With Case | eBay. They have some nice curved ones as well.

Thank you for the recommendation!
My Chinese soprano is the Ammoon. It’s the one Jay from Bettersax.com reviewed. I’m still very pleased with it, I just bought an early sixties Weltklang because I wanted to see(and hear) the difference from a horn not built in Asia. When I return from my travel, I’ll be playing my European soprano for the first time. Thanks again for the recommendation!

 

[JazzWithoutANet]

Well the Weltklang soprano is just okay. I happen to like the sound of my Ammoon more. I'll continue to practice with my new acquisition and save for the Yamaha YSS-475 everybody's recommending in the meantime.

View attachment 134659
[/QUOTE]

well, this is the older design of the weltklang with the in line leaf palm keys, I could have directed you to a similarly priced and more modern one with the same mechanics of the B&S in Belgium but that’s now hindsight , have fun

View attachment 134659

I see what you mean by the mechanics of my older Weltklang. It's been an adjustment to say the least. It's early, but I know me. I'm gonna sell it eventually. It's no improvement from my Ammoon.

 

[JazzWithoutANet]

Ammoon is a throw away horn. Welklang horns are antiquated. Yamaha 475 is in a much higher category than the previous.

"Throw away" in what way? It's market value? Are you inferring that it is a "disposable" horn based on it's price point alone or have you had the opportunity to examine one and found the intonation unacceptable or the materials or build quality inferior?

Not a challenge to your claim, I'm just curious as to what is the basis of your claim?

 

[JazzWithoutANet]

Seems like a challenge to me!

Not at all, Sir. I just wanted to know if you were saying that they were "throw away horns" because you considered them disposable after their use because of their price or if you thought they weren't even worth the $200-$300 they sell for. My Ammoon is a lot of saxophone for the $269 or so I paid for it and if it spontaneously combusted right now, it has been worth the small investment. I have effectively gotten my money's worth out of it.

I have the attention span of a Jack Russell Terrier so it was the right choice for me. I didn't know how serious I was about soprano saxophone. I'm here because of Ben Webster and Johnny Hodges. There was a real chance early on that soprano was going to be not much more than a passing fancy.