Hi all, I've just joined to please get some advice.
I'm a brass player but have a daughter who has started learning soprano sax. She has a number of learning disabilities and has never shown this much enthusiasm for anything before. She's already doing quite well, but we're using a pretty poor (borrowed) sax so it's pretty hard for her to know what is her fault and what is the sax.
She's pretty sold on a curved soprano (having tried a few) and her hands are very small so even though alto might be easier for her to start with, we're going with a curved soprano.
I would like to get her a decent instrument, not a cheap Chinese, as I'm happy to keep it myself, even if she decides to stop down the track. Also, if I think if she does well it might help her improve in other areas of her life.
Ideally I'd like to get a decent second hand one, without going over the top, but I'm in Australia and there don't seem to be a lot in the used market over here. I've come across a second hand Yani SC991 (fully serviced and ready to go) - which I know would be a brilliant instrument, but at $2700 (converted to USD so you folks over the sea can compare it with what you know) it's more than I was planning on paying.
I've read in other places on here that Chateau is an up and coming decent brand, which is pretty good value for what it is. I can get a new base student model for $1100, or a new CSS-80 (in silver - does the finish alter the sound??) for $1600 (again these prices are USD).
I'm really not sure what to do - I would assume if I go Chateau, then the CSS-80 would be better value. So then it's between the Chateau and the Yani - Do I keep it on the cheaper side, or pay a fair bit more and get what I know will be something that's really good, but possibly over the top for a beginner, and more than I really wanted to spend.
Thanks for any help
I'm a brass player but have a daughter who has started learning soprano sax. She has a number of learning disabilities and has never shown this much enthusiasm for anything before. She's already doing quite well, but we're using a pretty poor (borrowed) sax so it's pretty hard for her to know what is her fault and what is the sax.
She's pretty sold on a curved soprano (having tried a few) and her hands are very small so even though alto might be easier for her to start with, we're going with a curved soprano.
I would like to get her a decent instrument, not a cheap Chinese, as I'm happy to keep it myself, even if she decides to stop down the track. Also, if I think if she does well it might help her improve in other areas of her life.
Ideally I'd like to get a decent second hand one, without going over the top, but I'm in Australia and there don't seem to be a lot in the used market over here. I've come across a second hand Yani SC991 (fully serviced and ready to go) - which I know would be a brilliant instrument, but at $2700 (converted to USD so you folks over the sea can compare it with what you know) it's more than I was planning on paying.
I've read in other places on here that Chateau is an up and coming decent brand, which is pretty good value for what it is. I can get a new base student model for $1100, or a new CSS-80 (in silver - does the finish alter the sound??) for $1600 (again these prices are USD).
I'm really not sure what to do - I would assume if I go Chateau, then the CSS-80 would be better value. So then it's between the Chateau and the Yani - Do I keep it on the cheaper side, or pay a fair bit more and get what I know will be something that's really good, but possibly over the top for a beginner, and more than I really wanted to spend.
Thanks for any help