any comparison would greatly depend on which model you have (you don’t say).

This is the modern equivalent of the Artist series , their top product , just about anything is improved compared to series 5 or 7

you are talking of one with Silver plating and gold keys ( SG) that will leave certainly the possibility for the horn to tarnish and would require an higher lvel of care.

Detailed reviews may not exist because Jupiter fails to excite the market, right or wrong

read this from a previous thread

Jupiter may make decent horns, but you have to check them carefully. I had a set of Artist XO horns, alto 2069 and tenor 2089. Those were their endaveour in the pro world. Gone out of production around 8 - 10 years ago. Pricing was only e few hundred less than Yamaha‘s 82 line. Street price tenor 2800 € vs 3200 € for a 82z.
The alto felt slick an was very well built but was almost 30 cent sharp on middle E While the rest was well in tune. I couldn‘ get accustomed to thar sharp E. In the end it had to go.
I still have the tenor and love it for its full tone However, out of the box it required some tech work. The keywork was factory set the highest I ever encountered so far. It tended to overblow at low D and E. Root cause 2 toneholes that were not level and in addition the axis of side Bb and side C had play causing the key cups to slightly wobble on the toneholes resulting in micro leaks. Especially the fitting of the side keys was clearly a result of careless building and a lack of pride with the tech who installed them. After a setup with my tech it is a really great player.
The new 1100 series might be very different though. Tonewise it has significantly progressed over the prior 900 Artist series at least for the tenor. The 1100 feels now almost like a Yamaha withrespect to key height and key placing.

Alphorn

 

Thanks for the link I have a silver plate model that came with a solid silver neck, the 1100 has a silver plate neck that is to give a darker vintage sound. I have had mine from new and it was set up correctly so no intonation issues.
The silver has not tarnished and I am not big on maintenance on the horn I have played it outside often and more than a few times in the rain and early dew.

I watched a short video that mentioned the palm keys are adjustable in height which would be cool I use risers on mine.
I am going to play-test one, a guy is selling his kids' horn 2nd owner looks to be in lightly used shape and only asking $500.00usd and I might be able to move him on the price. At that price, I would have it adjusted if needed.
Jupiter's do not hold their value in the resale market. They are solid horns but there is no coverage of them even the Jupiter Artists don't bother posting videos.

 

Thanks for the link I have a silver plate model that came with a solid silver neck, the 1100 has a silver plate neck that is to give a darker vintage sound. I have had mine from new and it was set up correctly so no intonation issues.
The silver has not tarnished and I am not big on maintenance on the horn I have played it outside often and more than a few times in the rain and early dew.

I watched a short video that mentioned the palm keys are adjustable in height which would be cool I use risers on mine.
I am going to play-test one, a guy is selling his kids' horn 2nd owner looks to be in lightly used shape and only asking $500.00usd and I might be able to move him on the price. At that price, I would have it adjusted if needed.
Jupiter's do not hold their value in the resale market. They are solid horns but there is no coverage of them even the Jupiter Artists don't bother posting videos.

Honestly, if the seller is selling an 1100 tenor for $500...there's no need to 'talk him down'. I regularly sell 789's for $800 Tenor, $600 alto.
That is a good price....don't take advantage of someone, please. It is a very good price already even if it needs some servicing.
I have been selling a lot of Jupes lately, if the seller of the horn you mention put it on eBay for $750-800 buy-now... it would be gone in three days.

Actually, 'holding resale value' means what, exactly ? I mean a brand new YTS 23 costed $1500-1600 "back in the day"... and now they sell for $750 used in play-shape, $500 as project horns. Is that 'holding resale value' ? Some would argue, no it is not.

So I wouldn't get hung up on that.

I have played one 1100 and liked it. It's gonna be a good horn. 889's are still my favorite Jupiters ...I wish they had not discontinued them and I wish they had changed the key finish to silver or nickel because had they done that, my guess is it would have been a better seller..... I am not gonna say the 1100 is 'better'...you may end up with two Jupes which are good but slightly different. But again for $500 even if you don't need another sax, it's worth grabbing.

 

Honestly de finish of a horn doesn’t change the sound

$500 is a no brainer it is very cheap

No new saxophone holds it value but if you buy secondhand then your risk is very limited

 

Honestly de finish of a horn doesn’t change the sound

$500 is a no brainer it is very cheap

No new saxophone holds it value but if you buy secondhand then your risk is very limited

I agree on the finish not making a horn change sound though I have played a few gold plated horns that seemed dead. The silver plated neck is brass so it is about the shape and making it that is apparently what makes it darker to give it a vintage sound from the info supplied. I figure it is just a cover for discontinuing the solid silver neck just easier and cheaper to construct. I will try my solid silver neck on it and see if that has any effect.

I am intrigued by the adjustable palm risers and they have addition screws for adjustment so set up is easier. That is what I am interested in knowing about my local stores do not have one in stock to check out.

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Yes a amazing price on the horn I will use as back up.

 

You evidently have an 889. I’ve owned a couple. Not much difference with the 1100, which is a bit more cheaply made. It’s closer in quality to the 700.

At 500 bucks even a model 700 is a no-brainer.

 

How did they cheapen the construction on the 1100 my 889 is a tank in that it requires minimum if any maintenance still looks like new after more than 10 years of use and only had it adjusted about 3 years ago not bad for a lot of playing.
It is heavier than my Series III and way heavier and robust than my S20s.

 

having an Artist already I really don’t know why you wat the 1100, if I had found one for that kind of money I ‘d certainly have bought it, the palm raisers may be nice for you but most people find them on all horns a fuss ( especially on Keilwerths) .

 

the 889 and 989 that I’ve played were simply great easily at par with a SA 80 II. I know that Jupiter doesn’t consider the 1100 series being at top of the line as these were, they themselves call these intermediate

Jupiter 989 Artist tenor sax review

A review of the Jupiter 989 Artist tenor saxophone

www.shwoodwind.co.uk

 

The key action and feel of the Taiwanese-made 769 and the Chinese-made 700...was so close to indistinguishable from one another that....I couldn't tell a difference.

Now...maybe comparing a 7XX line (intermediate) to an 8XX or 11XX line (top line) there would be a difference (?)

I'd suggest @Tonehole bring your 8XX along for the playtest of the 1100....I'd be interested in hearing your impressions....

 

If you can really get an 1100 model for that price you should. But be very careful. I bought an “1100“ on reverb.com except it turned out to be a lower model. The seller was unaware and gave me my money back. But since that time a few months ago, I’ve seen two other altos online claiming to be 1100s which were not!

 

Thank you all for your input, I will play-test the horn hopefully this weekend and will verify to see if the horn is manufactured in China or Taiwan and report back. Jupiter does have a factory in Taiwan and China like Yamaha and others.
I don't think it is a knock-off as the Alibaba stuff is only now making its way into the Canadian market and this horn judging by the case has been around for a while.
.
I have learned a lot about these Jupiter horns through your shared experiences with them.
I have the same model in Alto and Soprano with solid silver necks that I use as secondary instruments. They also have been very dependable, the soprano has had a lot of really hard use. They were had at a crazy good price back in the day.

Now I am conflicted because of the generally positive feedback on the 889 and it has been a really dependable horn.
I will buy the 1100 at the price offered if in good shape and dabble with both horns before making a decision on which to keep.
I will post my impressions. It will be time well spent at little or no cost, possibly a small profit.
I don't need two horns for backup and rough work so one horn will end up eventually being sold.

 

I will be going to inspect and test the horn today at 10am will report back hopefully later tonight.

 

Update on the horn it is made in "Taiwan" as for condition it was well used so it was a player's horn before he bought it for his kid if the story is true.
It looked good in the pictures but a few pads definitely needed replacing... low pinky keys were very clunky and all key work likely needed a tune-up. He wouldn't let me try it due to COVID so I walked.
No need to take on a project.

 

Thanks for confirming it came from the Taiwanese plant I had been wondering about that.

$500 even if a project would have been worth a punt, but as you noted it wasn't pristine and it sounds like it needed a good $300 of tech work....

Guy shot himself in foot by not allowing a test play....just 5 minutes of internet research would have enlightened him that any danger was small and a few simple steps could be taken to make the risks even smaller...

Nevertheless if he eFlayed it with a $500 BIN it would probably sell within a week...

 

this horn would certainly be worth the asking money, any refurbisher would have just invested a bit of time and money into making it playable and sell it for twice the money minimum ( I have seen then for over €1500 in relatively used state).

 

There are quite a few Taiwan models that are just good student to intermediate-level horns. The Jupiter 700 (used to be Taiwan-made) and 1100 are examples, as is the Selmer La Voix. I have a Cannonball Alcazar in the Marketplace now; same thing, an easy player but not a remarkable horn.

Look around for a 989 or, even better yet, a 2089. They go for cheap and are easily on a par with a YTS-62. I had a 2089 in mint condition less than a year ago that I sold for $1,100.

 

Edited wrong post.

 

It would have been interesting to see whether the 1100 is on par with Jupiter's former top-shelfers....that's really what I was interested in learning, whether an Artist 889-player would have thought the 1100 an equal; too bad OP couldn't try it out....

 

I wanted to try it and it was ridiculous the owner would not allow it I think he thought it would not play but I have played some pretty messed up horns. It may have been able to play but from its condition, I would not be able to judge it against my own horn. The horn was not abused it was just worn out from the feel of the keys, shot pads the pearls were worn which takes a lot of playing. This sax was tired, surprisingly the silver plate was in good condition.

 

Oh...well....another day then....

 

So upon reflection, this horn was an 1100 but it did have a solid silver neck on it the same neck as on my horn an 889 which is stamped into it but according to the spec's 1100 was to have a brass neck that was silver-plated? So maybe the neck was swapped out by a previous owner?

Though I did not get to play it the horn just gave me the impression that it was not made to the standard of my old Jupiter somehow it seemed cheaper in my hands. I really would like to try an 1100 in good working order and will try to find one.

 

I've been curious about the Jupiter JAS1100 series for a few years. It's their top-of-the line pro model. When one finally showed up online at a great price with a good return policy, I bought it. Here's a mini review.

Indeed it is a pro quality saxophone. Intonation was very good indeed. The tone was also good… on the dark side. Ergonomics are very good… natural and comfortable. Almost as good as Yamaha. Unlike most Taiwanese or made in China saxes, it is a lightweight horn. The mechanics are also very good with more adjustment screws and features than many other saxes (even "pro" models).

The adjustable palm keys are very handy and do not get loose from playing. They are inspired by the adjustable palms that Keilwerth and B&S implemented but these seem to be an improved design.

The feel I got when playing it reminded me of the vintage 1950s Couesnon altos. Meaning; good sound, good intonation, compact volume (i.e. classical). If you blow hard you will not get the type of projection that you would get with the Yamaha or Selmer altos for example. I did not measure the bore, but it plays like a smaller bore horn.

So, did I keep it? No because it doesn't do anything my current horns can't do. It also seems a bit timid in the projection department as mentioned above. I think it would be an excellent second-hand alto for a classical player who can't afford a Yamaha 875EX or anyone looking to step up.

(I'll be posting some more information about Jupiter soon.)

 

Hello there. It has been a while ago since the last posting here. I came to buy a Jupiter 25th Anniversary Tenor sax model. It is goldlacquer and has a solid silver neck. Paid 777 $ for it. Prestine condition and 100% playable. Like new.

I am just wondering to which model it is comparable? 789, 889 . Any idea?