[saxplay]

My local dealer has a pink-gold plated Yanagisawa tenor on the wall. “You’ve got to play this!” was the greeting. “Not really” is my tacit thought. Not that one, nor any of the others on the wall. I’m happy with my horn - no GAS at all.

My local dealer has a pink-gold plated Yanagisawa tenor on the wall. “You’ve got to play this!” was the greeting. “Not really” is my tacit thought. Not that one, nor any of the others on the wall. I’m happy with my horn - no GAS at all.

I sold a mint 63 Mark VI Tenor to the Saxstable dude and landed on a 20 year old Nickel Silver Keilwerth that for me, sounds and feels perfect. It took me a while but I finally got off the GAS program.

 

[hnthere]

I absolutely agree with the first paragraph:

He stated that there's an inverse relationship between skill and equipment. The better you can play, the less equipment will make a perceptible difference to an audience, but can make a very large difference to your own ear.

On the flip side, the beginning player will have a much larger perceptible difference to an audience from equipment changes while not being able to hear it as much themself.

Assuming it's a typical audience, very few people are going to perceive that pro player X is playing a beginner level Y instead of his or her usual pro level Z. The tone might not be what it could be and a clunkier mechanism will limit what the player can do but the player will sound fantastic to almost everyone in the room. Although perhaps not the people who recognize that a Bundy 1 replaced the Mk VI and that the player replaced a run of 128th notes with 64th notes.

As for the second paragraph, I have much less experience as part of the audience for beginning players, so don't feel I'm a good judge of it. But my initial thought is that my daughter's first elementary school orchestra concert would have been just as gawdawful if every violin player had a Stradivarius.

 

[justluvjazz]

From the subject line I thought this thread was going to be about whether there is an inverse relationship between the player's equipment and their ability. Obviously not amongst pro players, but with amateur/hobby players, I have noticed that the folks who show up with brand new shiny expensive top of the line pro horns often can't play them worth beans.

I resemble that comment 😉

 

[sax.hobby]

From the subject line I thought this thread was going to be about whether there is an inverse relationship between the player's equipment and their ability. Obviously not amongst pro players, but with amateur/hobby players, I have noticed that the folks who show up with brand new shiny expensive top of the line pro horns often can't play them worth beans.

I resemble that comment 😉

Same here, though I wish all my horns are shiny (or MusicMedic-uberhauled with plating & re-engraved; those are pretty!)

 

[Dr G]

But if it were rose-gold ...

Rose-, pink-…. I guess that shows you how much attention I gave it. Whatever it is, someone paid a lot of money for it, then put it on consignment. It now decorates the wall of my local music store.

Which brings us back to the topic here. We should all be thankful for beginners that buy nice horns (I don’t know whether that’s the case of the shiny pink-/rose- gold Yanagisawa tenor). Without them, the Classifieds/Marketplace would not be as interesting!

 

[turf3]

I think there's a stereotype of the rich guy who can't play but owns expensive instruments vs. the guy who plays the bejeezus out of a cheap student horn. That's a satisfying stereotype, and it certainly exists; but by and large when I see professional musicians they own the finest instruments they can get their hands on.

 

[Dr G]

Rose-, pink-…. I guess that shows you how much attention I gave it. Whatever it is, someone paid a lot of money for it, then put it on consignment. It now decorates the wall of my local music store.

Here ya go - Yanagisawa 992PG (pink gold)

Used Yanagisawa 992PG Pink Gold Tenor Saxophone

Used Yanagisawa 992PG Pink Gold Tenor Saxophone Yanagisawa saxophones have always been a top choice for professional musicians. This lightly used 992PG tenor is in incredible condition cosmetically, mechanically, and sonically. It was meticulously inspec

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[DDGsax]

IMHO you appreciate the pro horn much more after you've put a decent amount of time into a student model and are beyond the beginner phase. That was the case for me anyways moving from a plastic yamaha to a nice Buffet Crampon clarinet after 5 years.