Yes, they are.

 

Could you give us some more details? What are you looking in it? What kind of music do you play?

 

I am just playing as a hobby trying to learn jazz so something that is affordable but not a piece of junk

If I get good enough maybe I will find a band to play in

 

I agree it's a solid horn -- I have heard one with The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and it pops! Enjoy!!!

 

I know I'm late to this thread, but I just wanted to say that I LOVE my Jupiter bari. And it was cool coming across this post because the one I own was played by Roger Lewis in The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Who knows, maybe it was the same one you heard!

 

Jupiters certainly don't have to be a piece of junk, I play an artist series bari (model 893?) which is quit a nice sax. not a very distinctive sound by itself but I can get it to do what I want really easy. came with a silver neck that really does a lot of good for the robustness of the sound. the major drawback is that the lacquer starts getting spotty and shows wear, the minute you walk out of the shop. if you're into shiny, you're out of luck there.

I also played the 'intermediate' model (783?), which was quite nice as well. better than what I expected for a non-pro horn.

 

They are Ok but dont feel anywhere near as good as the yamaha or yanagisawa or selmer baritones, they just feel so good under your fingers........& the finish is way better......

 

Yeah, I kind of missed this one too, but FWIW, my Jupiter Artist tenor only needs polishing about every 12 to 18 months. Otherwise it is quite impressive with the brass laquered keywork and bright silverplate body. Sounds good and feels good as well. To put it in perspective, I also have a Yani T800, a Martin Imperial and a Kohlert 57. Used to have an SBA. But for the most part these are not fair comparisons as the Jupiter (which obviously I'm very happy with) cost me less than $700.00.

 

So, I guess the 593 is a student model, no?

 

The 5** series are student models, yes. I once played one of those baris, and neither the build quality (especially keywork - really clunky -, but also body) nor the tone were convincing. But the 7** series are good horns - I have yet to wait to try a bari, but their altos and tenors are amazingly well made for the price and do sound nice, too (and that has been true for some time - my 767 is even a bit more charming than a 769, and built to last).

M.