[ving]

Hello folks,


okay, I have ventured into an area of this forum I have to admit I have never checked out--the Jupiter discussion. I will state up front I historically have never given the Jupiters a second thought, I have worked in music retail on and off for the last 8 years or so and occasionally rented out the student Jupiters, but always really wrote them off as a serious horn. I have been playing a Demdici flute for about 2 years, and that has been a good horn for me, so I encourage people to check those out. Also have heard good things about the baritone and double horns from Jupiter. But a serious alto, not really. So I have been looking for a good horn as a back up to my Mark VI for teaching and rock gigs, and gave the 900 series a try over the last few days. I didn't expect a whole lot, and played one next to a YAS-62, Kelilwerth EX-90 and a couple others. I was really surprised--I think the 969L is a great horn. I gave the silver 25 yr special horn a try also, and that was really nice but a little on the bright side for me. Anyhow, I have one on trial to play a bit to see if my first impression holds up, but so far its been cool. I feel like I could play anything I would play on my Selmer on this horn without any problems. Its really resonant in a way the Yamaha just wasn't. Maybe I am being influenced by the price, but certainly its a great buy for the money. Another horn I am considering is the Yanagisawa 901, but at almost double the cost of this I don't know if its really worth it...


ving

 

[Saxmusiclover]

I play a Jupiter JAS 769 (see my sig below) which I bought brand new three years ago. I haven't had a problem with it since and it still plays as great.
IMHO, the late model Jupiters are much better than the earlier models. It's earned a reputation as a tank-like horn which can withstand use and abuse by kids in marching bands.
I don't know of any top sax players who used or endorse it but I've heard some pros used Jupiters as their go-to horns when they want to save their Mark VIs from the wear and tear of daily gigging.

 

[ving]

Ok, the answer to this question is, kind of....

played the 969 a bit more, I like its feel, and its pretty lively, but its a little too mid/high range centered to me (ie, kind of shallow) Or another way to put it is the resonance of the horn seemed to stop midway down the tube, I didn't get a sense the whole horn was really vibrating. But, its a lot nicer sax than I first expected, I'd say its about 60% of the way for me....but 40% is a little too much to handle disliking...

 

[BrianDL]

Okay, before you give up on the Jupiter, try two things:

First, get an 869 horn (silver-plate body, gold lacquer keys) and run it up against the 900 series itself.
Second, take sterling silver neck of the 869 and put it onto the 969.

I spoke to one of the sax specialists where I work and he loves the Jupiter horns. He just purchased a 900 series alto, but with one minor variation: he ordered the 800 series neck to go on the horn. He feels (and I share these sentiments) that the neck on the 800s really makes all the difference.

Now, I was in the market a few months ago for a tenor (I've long been an altoist stuck playing lead tenor in the school's jazz band). Like you, I was skeptical about Jupiter horns. I knew they made decent student horns, but I never gave their upper-tier horns any consideration. When customers would roll into my store looking at saxophones, I'd only recommend the Big Four manufacturers. Back in May, the company owner sat me down at a Jupiter product clinic where I had the chance to chat with Doctor Thom Mason of the USC Jazz Studies program.

Doctor Mason has been playing exclusively on Jupiter horns for well over a decade now, and I finally understood why. He had me pick up an 889SG tenor and I immediately fell in love with it. Big, fat sound, very free blowing for me. When I saw the price-tag I did a double-take.

Both the 800 and 900 series horns are, in my opinion, great backup/doubling horns. Since I'm primarily an alto player, I wasn't in the market for, say, a Reference 54 tenor. For some people, like Doctor Mason, these are good enough to be primary horns.

So, long story short, get a hold of one of those sterling silver necks and an 869 alto if at all possible.

 

[Saxmusiclover]

I've tried the Jupiter 869SG Artist Alto and like it. But IMHO, it's too pricy (about US$1,500 brand new) for a Taiwanese horn. For this price I'll opt for one of the big fours. Of course you can probably get a used one cheaper on ebay.

 

[beantownman]

I just picked up a used Jupiter Custom 2000 with a sterling neck and was very impressed with the action, feel, and tone of the horn. Surprised to say the least. For the money, I think it's better than the Yamaha intermediates.

 

[saxafras]

I found a silver tenor by jupiter with gold keys 2 yrs old for eleven hundred barely was played have they changed at all in two years