[PJsax]

Hi!
Living in Sweden there doesn't seem to be as many options to choose from when it comes to finding an internet store in the EU to purchase a saxophone. I've never played before and will start by hiring the first few months but I'm still looking to find something to start on after that. The problem is that the ones I find on YouTube and like are mostly from the US and will cost more with import and ship on than I'd like.

I've checked out thomann and gear4music... some shop in Denmark as well. But they are either models that I can't find to listen to... to expensive...or the right prize but there own brand.

So... I fell in love with the sound of the Jean Paul AS400 but since it's US made that's not gonna happen. I've also found Staggs Levante the LV-AS4105... YouTube had sound videos but the reviews are made in what seems Russian... so I can't get any information on it.

Is there anyone here that can recommend any saxophones that is sold from the UK or Europe? Preferably not over 500$ mark. If it's a good starter sax under that please tell me that to. Would love it if you have stores on the internet to recommend our anything that can help. YouTube clips with reviews? I'm almost giving up here and the Yamaha's are not to think of pricewize....

 

[milandro]

well, thomann should be available to you

https://www.thomann.de/se/search_dir.html?sw=altsaxophone&smcs=c01765_1575

they are German but sell worldwide, they have very cheap saxophones of their own brand. There si nothing wrong in buying their own brand. It certainly will be no worse than most saxophone on line and if buying from China you will have to pay VAT at the very least.

 

[Wonko]

Maybe you could try and find a local store, that might not have a webshop, but perhaps they could sell you one of their saxes and find some way of getting it to you.

It's like our local bike shop that is closed, but has a system in place for "urgent" repairs. I see on his facebook page that he also sells new bicycles.

As far as I know, the shop I go to for my sax gear is officialy closed. But If I would need something urgently, I'me sure he would find a way to sell it to me.

 

[PJsax]

I've checked out the local stores and they don't have much if any saxophones. That's why I'm looking outside. Ice checked out internet stores here in Sweden as well but mostly the prizes are to high. I know thomann and gear4music...

I'm asking for if there are other options as well that I might be missing since I'm new at this and don't know were to look yet. That's why I'm also asking about brands on saxophones that you can recommend. Hopefully not because they can't be worse than so and so... but because you think they sound good... have good/ great mechanics and durability... stability in tones and so on.

 

[nigeld]

sax.co.uk
jerichosaxophones.com

 

[milandro]

well, we have a swedish member here he has a saxophone shop, I don't know what he has.

One of the best cheap and reliable brands (secondhand) must be Jupiter, you can sometimes buy a great sax at a price not much higher than a new Chinese saxophone ( Jupiter is made in Taiwan) but that will be more expensive than the lowest price by Thomann.

Buying another brand on line , from China, will give you no guarantee that it would be any better than a Jupiter.

What exactly is your budget?

Sax.co.uk doesn't appear to sell Jericho anymore, the do have their own budget brand Sakkusu

https://www.sax.co.uk/saxophones-shop-by-size-alto-saxophones.irc?catHdrId=36003650

 

[PJsax]

Money isn't the problem...it's more a question of not wanting to spend too much if it turns out that I'm not playing that much. I'm thinking maybe around 500$ for a first sax? But if it's possible to get a good quality sax for under that I won't complain.

I'm a little worried about buying a used sax because I don't know anything about maintaining them and knowing what to look for.. leaks... damage... which can come with age and use also. I'm thinking it can come more often with an older sax? Don't want to spend all time repairing it... but since I'm a beginner..I can be wrong...

 

[PJsax]

Thanks ! Just checked out the site and the price is beyond great. Just missing a way to hear how it sounds though. But I'll check with them... loved at YouTube and found once Jericho there but I don't think it's the same.

 

[milandro]

sakkusu played by one of the people working at sax.co.uk , a very good player

Thomann own brand

 

[bvhoyweg]

Just missing a way to hear how it sounds though.

The sound of a saxophone depends mostly on the player and the mouthpiece he is using.
Or in other words: a great player will sound great on even a lousy sax.

So looking for soundclip of a specific sax does not tell you the whole story.

Maybe you should first look for a teacher? who can help you to find a sax? And point you to a repairmain if needed.

 

[PJsax]

I'm going to start playing as soon add ice rented a saxophone and will talk to the teacher as well. I just want to get some knowledge on my own and check with other saxophone players out there. You all have different experiences and I find it useful to ask for your opinion on this. And so I can check out things on my own as well. I understand that it's mostly the player who produces the sound but I still think it's useful to hear the variation that the player can do with the different saxophones. To hear what it can sound like... and to hear the player give its review on how they experience it. Things I'm not able to at the moment. Am I way off?

But I'm wondering... there are so many voices on were three saxophones should and shouldn't come from... made in China is not good... better if it's Vietnam... or vice versa and so on...

What I can see... most good brands accordingly to reviews for example John packer seems to be made in China... so does that make them not so good after all. How do you look at the brand itself and taking in consideration where the saxophones (of good brands) are made. Aren't they good anymore then and which brands are acceptable then because if where they are made?

 

[milandro]

Vietnam is certainly a cheaper sax than China.L abor is cheaper there which is the reason Tenon-Chateau has a factory in Vietnam but they also have factories in Vhina and on Taiwan.

Generally saxophones on Taiwan are more expensive and , generally, have a better " press" than the ones made in the other countries. But all of this is academic, every saxophone is different from another and every player makes it even more different.

Good brands are generally more reliable, So Yanagisawa, Yamaha in Japan are very good makes, but their products are a lot more expensive than anything made in China, Vietnam and just a bit more than Taiwan.

At this stage of your development the best thing that you could do is invest in a good secondhand well known saxophone that your teacher may help choosing.

Any cheap saxophone bought on line may or may not be suitable to be a learning tool to you, but you are not able to evaluate since you don't play. Trusting someone on line is not telling you anything about the saxophone that you will receive (it will be different) or how it would play for you (you are different).

It only serves the purpose of a general information.

By the way, this is the profile of member Björn from Sweden

https://forum.saxontheweb.net/member.php?70951-Bkenes

 

[raindog]

I think it's almost impossible to judge from a recording what any given sax sounds like. If a player or seller can give live demonstration.... just maybe you might get a little bit of idea how it sounds like, or probably not. The way it's recorded, the player, reed and mouthpiece each contribute so much more to the sound than the sax itself there's just... I don't think its possible to judge a sax like that, other than, does it work or not, unfortunately. Also, I think how a sax feels to play is more variable than how they sound to an outside listener.

If at all possible, get some player to help you with the purchase, and play a candidate sax for you. Teachers and techs can often arrange a second hand deal for you, or otherwise help, if you pay for their time. It's a good way to get your hands on an instrument that is checked and plays well.

Or as you said you can start with a rental, and you'll soon be able to test and compare saxes all by your self, and get something YOU LIKE. But keep in mind, an excellent sax can feel bad if it is out of adjustment, so it's still a bit tricky to judge unless the horns you play are all in equally well set up, in good playing shape. (if it's not in excellent playing shape, you need A LOT of experience to know whether it's a serious issue and expensive to repair, or if it's just a super simple cheap fix)

This of course is mostly valid for second hand market. Of course if you are determined to buy new from the internet, none of this is very helpfull. (I did play a cheap Thomann brand made in china tenor sax for two weeks or so, it certainly wasn't anything special, but was easy to play and worked just fine)

For what it's worth, my local tech said that Jupiters are good budget horns from a repairmans perspective, because good availability of spare parts and decent quality overall.

 

[JayeLID]

I think it's almost impossible to judge from a recording what any given sax sounds like. If a player or seller can give live demonstration.... just maybe you might get a little bit of idea how it sounds like, or probably not. The way it's recorded, the player, reed and mouthpiece each contribute so much more to the sound than the sax itself there's just... I don't think its possible to judge a sax like that, other than, does it work or not, unfortunately. Also, I think how a sax feels to play is more variable than how they sound to an outside listener.
.

100% agree, yet this is the avenue which many, many people use to buy their first horn (particularly if the person, like the OP, has a very limited budget and they wish to buy new).

Look, I am gonna say something here.....$500 for a NEW alto saxophone...is NOT going to get you a GOOD, reputed, reliable alto sax. Period.

Period.

I don't wanna deal with folks flaming me about "oh, but you are wrong, there's THIS and THIS and THIS...and look at online reviews !"

Save it, please. You get what you paid for.

I am not saying this to disrespect the OP nor anyone else...I am simply saying, if $500 is what you can invest, and you are gonna take the BRAND NEW route...then be realistic enough to expect what you will end up with may well not perform all that well, nor hold up very well over time, even though it sounds oh, so good in a video clip.

So we are left with a discussion about Brand A vs. Brand B vs. Brand C, all really relatively unknown, and all with pretty limited track records. Everyone is welcome to proceed with that discussion, but just keep in mind that there are gonna be more attributes of A vs. B vs. C which are similar, than attributes which significantly set them apart.

When someone actually does this - takes 3 or 4 cheap brands/models of horn, new...say the 3 or 4 names which seem to get most bandied about.... which have received some (ostensibly) 'positive' internet feedback....and put them up against each other, not just from a playtest but from a thorough examination/disassembly on a tech bench...and THEN conclude that one is superior to the other because of....

Then we'd actually have something substantial to hang our hats on.

I don't think anyone has done that yet, tho. I mean literally - side by sides, same analyzer - not 3 different reviews from 2 or 3 different sources.

(I'd gladly do this if someone would fund it...they can likely even recoup some of their investment when we resell the horns afterward).

I guess Jehrico and also Hanson are two brands which...supposedly....have some company quality control behind them to at least a non-negligible degree, so these are two brands which come up as suggestions more often than others, in Europe.

Which may or may not have any significance.

Best of luck.

 

[PJsax]

I don't disagree with anything you say. Of course I realize that a saxophone in the 500$ region won't be the quality of the better brands. That things will ultimately give after time. But I'm taking about somewhere to start... I can't in my right mind buy a sax for 1000$ if I for one haven't played very long or in my car nothing at all... or secondly if I just play now and then. It's not a matter of not wanting quality or sustainability. As a rookie and a beginner I want to ease in to the more expensive ones.. if I get to that stage where it's worth it in more ways than just the quality of the instrument. My post is all about finding a reasonable saxophone that can be a starting point... and i hoped with your expertise to find some guidance in the lower region of saxes. A sax for the first maybe second year of playing. That ain't crumble the first year... that's all this is about.
It's not even about money...I can buy over the expensive ones.. but I don't think it's where I need to start. I just asked for advice for that start...

 

[PJsax]

I want to add that I have found a Jericho altsaxophone J6 on Jericho's site. So since that's a brand you mentioned I'd be interested in hearing what you think. Don't remember the price right now but think it's just under 500$

 

[PJsax]

Sorry checked... its 269 pounds... I believe around 320$?

 

[JayeLID]

I want to add that I have found a Jericho altsaxophone J6 on Jericho's site. So since that's a brand you mentioned I'd be interested in hearing what you think. Don't remember the price right now but think it's just under 500$

People over at cafesaxophone.com speak fairly highly of those, although IMHO there may be a bit of a grey zone regarding some of those folks' involvement/connection to the company, either on an informal 'friends' level or business level.
I have no personal experience with 'em myself.

I mean, y'know...for that price....maybe a decent alternative. Go over to that forum and read a bit of commentary about 'em.

 

[zapatista]

Hi!
Living in Sweden there doesn't seem to be as many options to choose from when it comes to finding an internet store in the EU to purchase a saxophone. I've never played before and will start by hiring the first few months but I'm still looking to find something to start on after that. The problem is that the ones I find on YouTube and like are mostly from the US and will cost more with import and ship on than I'd like.

I've checked out thomann and gear4music... some shop in Denmark as well. But they are either models that I can't find to listen to... to expensive...or the right prize but there own brand.

So... I fell in love with the sound of the Jean Paul AS400 but since it's US made that's not gonna happen. I've also found Staggs Levante the LV-AS4105... YouTube had sound videos but the reviews are made in what seems Russian... so I can't get any information on it. Any saxophone in your price range (or any saxophone being bought via internet/mail) in the price point you're looking at will likely need to be set up properly. Try to find a local woodwind/saxophone technician. They will also likely be able to steer you to a decent cheap local alternative.

Is there anyone here that can recommend any saxophones that is sold from the UK or Europe? Preferably not over 500$ mark. If it's a good starter sax under that please tell me that to. Would love it if you have stores on the internet to recommend our anything that can help. YouTube clips with reviews? I'm almost giving up here and the Yamaha's are not to think of pricewize....

The Jean Paul AS400 is a chinese-made horn. I've got one and it is a decent starter horn with a decent case (a good over-looked combo). They can be found on eBay in like new/new condition for less than $500 shipped to Northern Europe...you have to be patient, but they can be found for that much.

 

[PJsax]

I know but sorry I don't really trust the quality on the things from Ebay or Amazon when it comes to certain things. I've figured if I buy directly from the company they will probably have the instrument checked out before shipping. Anyway... it's the same thing. Shipping from the US so will make no difference.