My first soprano arrived today.:mrgreen: I've got to say that I'm absolutely thrilled with it. I'd never played a sax smaller than a tenor before, so I was curious how it would go.
I'm a newb, where saxes are concerned. This "review" is far less technical/detailed than members of this forum are accustomed to...but I will attempt to provide my $.02 about this horn.
I don't have any points of comparison to comment on intonation or anything like that. What I will say is that this horn is a GREAT bang for your buck. I'll check in after the "honeymoon" period, but I don't see how that opinion could change. I can't imagine that you can find a better new soprano for $603 shipped (including Rico 'H' ligature).
I went with a 2.5 reed (up from the 2.0 I'm playing on tenor) based on Dave's recommendation. I think that's what I'll stay with.
Initial comments:
- Excellent packaging.
- Excellent setup. I LOVED the key setup. I was toying with the idea of having my tenor tuned up prior to this purchase. now I will definitely have that done.
-Ease of playing. I read here that going to soprano was some huge adjustment. I've only played my tenor a handful of times in the two months that I've had it. Other than that...I hadn't played a saxophone in 14 years. Despite that, I could play this right out of the case. There were some squeaks (big embouchure change for me), but other than that....I was thoroughly surprised/impressed.
-Build quality. I was surprised at how heavy it was. I could play this right after my old/antique German horn and not have the impression that I was picking up a cheap/inferior instrument.
-Mouthpiece. After speaking with Chuck, I decided to stay with the provided Rico mouthpiece. I have to agree that this mouthpiece works well with this horn.
-Summary. If you don't do the ligature upgrade (I would recommend doing it...as it works well with the supplied mouthpiece), you're looking at under $600 shipped. For a hobbyist (i.e. me) and/or someone that's not looking to spend $1,000+ on an instrument to double on...this is a great option. Price aside...I think this is a VERY solid instrument.
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I'm a newb, where saxes are concerned. This "review" is far less technical/detailed than members of this forum are accustomed to...but I will attempt to provide my $.02 about this horn.
I don't have any points of comparison to comment on intonation or anything like that. What I will say is that this horn is a GREAT bang for your buck. I'll check in after the "honeymoon" period, but I don't see how that opinion could change. I can't imagine that you can find a better new soprano for $603 shipped (including Rico 'H' ligature).
I went with a 2.5 reed (up from the 2.0 I'm playing on tenor) based on Dave's recommendation. I think that's what I'll stay with.
Initial comments:
- Excellent packaging.
- Excellent setup. I LOVED the key setup. I was toying with the idea of having my tenor tuned up prior to this purchase. now I will definitely have that done.
-Ease of playing. I read here that going to soprano was some huge adjustment. I've only played my tenor a handful of times in the two months that I've had it. Other than that...I hadn't played a saxophone in 14 years. Despite that, I could play this right out of the case. There were some squeaks (big embouchure change for me), but other than that....I was thoroughly surprised/impressed.
-Build quality. I was surprised at how heavy it was. I could play this right after my old/antique German horn and not have the impression that I was picking up a cheap/inferior instrument.
-Mouthpiece. After speaking with Chuck, I decided to stay with the provided Rico mouthpiece. I have to agree that this mouthpiece works well with this horn.
-Summary. If you don't do the ligature upgrade (I would recommend doing it...as it works well with the supplied mouthpiece), you're looking at under $600 shipped. For a hobbyist (i.e. me) and/or someone that's not looking to spend $1,000+ on an instrument to double on...this is a great option. Price aside...I think this is a VERY solid instrument.
