you sound great Dave

 

even on the 500 dollar specials

 

I’m going to pick up one of these altos for that price. Sounds like a great deal.
Beautiful playing, my friend!

 

Yeah. Nice plane indeed.

 

To me, the intonation sounds a bit sketchy.

 

Interesting assessment. Nice playing as always, and I applaud your intent.

IMHO determining how good a horn is comes down to more than how it sounds and feels out of the case.

It's good that in those tests you have done, it holds up well.

I might note, if I were a curmudgeon, that the added reverb/hall effect is sorta massaging it to a prettier sound....

But from a repair person's perspective, initial sound and feel is only half the game.

Precision of build is a huge thing, and this is where cheap asian horns often fail the test. It becomes a matter of reliability and longevity.
Will they keep their regulation ?
Will imprecisions discovered during a routine servicing need to be attended to, raising the cost of the servicing ? Will such imprecisions over regular use result in dclining performance of the instrument ?....

Things like this. These sort of assessments are often absent in reviews such as this, and when dealing with very inexpensive saxophones, they are sorta key information which needs to be addressed.

You say "I can't speak to the longevity of it but for a sub-$500...if you take care of the instrument I think it it will do just fine" ....therefore seems based upon...???....as there has been no assessment of the build quality/mechanical precision....which would be the determining factor of the reliability/longevity.

Just my 2 cents, again not trying to be a wet blanket; but most vid reviews on cheap asian horns do leave out some very important checklist aspects.

Horn does sound pretty good...

 

Absolutely valid and interesting addition. But I guess the vid is just an honest promo and without doubt could be helpful for a beginner or advanced beginner that doesn't want to spend more money.

 

Dave, the vid is great as a commercial... I enjoyed your short playings on both and simple, obvious non-bull points about the sax in general from a pro perspectives.

 

Amazing as always. "You don't need a fancy setup..." or something to that effect. The better the player, the greater the ability to compensate. I do think a beginner is greatly helped by a decent mouthpiece and reed. I hate to admit that I also agree with Jaye. However, I don't think Asian horns have to be very expensive to be built on par with instruments from Europe and ...err...forget about the US.

- and darn, I thought you were going to give away a Kenny G pillow. I would like a sax for my son, though.

 

.... I hate to admit that I also agree with Jaye.

Hey...wha ?...I thought you and I were buds.... ....?

Not completely sure it is ALL of them.

My tech pointed out that he has dozens (at the time) of Jean Paul saxophones in his shop, and that he sets them up before they go to their end user.

OK but this is a really important distinction to make. For example, it could be the company's policy is not to send EVERY horn thru a tech setup once they are imported in....but just a percentage.

Not trying to be persnickety, just saying. Clarification on this would be important.

Also in regards to a positive tech review (not replying to you here, just the general convo of the thread)....that would give the brand a check-mark certainly.

But one other thing to consider....did the tech review come on a horn which the company SENT the tech ...to review ? Or did it just happen to be a horn which came across the bench...or one which came straight out of the case, brand new, with no knowledge of the company knowing who's hands it landed in ?

...because nowadays, companies DO approach potential YT reviewers with particular horns which have rec'd a bit more setup than one which a kid's family might buy off of amazon or wherever (just stating in general, not claiming this is the case here - but this is part of some companies marketing strategy...they ain't gonna just pick the next cased horn off their rack and send it to a reviewer).

 

Nice work, the only question I have is what does it sound like with less reverb?

 

A student of mine has had a JP alto for 3 yrs now. I was sceptical, to say the least, when his father told me they’d bought it (on Amazon). It has held up surprisingly well and still plays great without any servicing in 3 years.

 

I started to get one of those for my nephew this past summer. But some of the, not so good reviews on them changed my mind. Ended up getting him a used Yamaha Alto from the local repair tech for $320.

The OP did sound great on it.

 

That was a nice promotional video, but it’s hard to judge the horn merits when you’re such a great player. Dave could probably make a door knob sound great.

 

Well, DP does sound good on a carrot.

 

Excellent review - you sound great!

My tech down here in Miami sets up all of these horns before they are sent out to their ultimate purchase.

If the work he does on these horns is anything like the work that he’s done on my saxophones, I’m sure they play great.

 

Your tech setup up for all Jean Paul imported saxes? Even those sold through Amazon?
I’m curious because that’d be really smart of this company if they ensure a good tech sets up their horns before distributing in this country. I don’t know of any other budget Asian maker doing that.

 

Your tech setup up for all Jean Paul imported saxes? Even those sold through Amazon?
I'm curious because that'd be really smart of this company if they ensure a good tech sets up their horns before distributing in this country. I don't know of any other budget Asian maker doing that.

Not completely sure it is ALL of them. That said, the last time I was having my horn serviced, I was lamenting about how expensive saxophones had become, and how it's gotta be hard for a beginner to get his/her hands on one at an affordable price.

My tech pointed out that he has dozens (at the time) of Jean Paul saxophones in his shop, and that he sets them up before they go to their end user.

In fact, the Amazon description says that they are "quality controlled by a highly skilled technician" after being tested at their factory.

 

Budget Asian makers and/or dealers for such horns?

Some dealers DO setups. Example: Yanagisawa and Kessler Music.
Distribution always goes through a dealer in USA, it is hard to separate manufacturer and dealer.

 

Kessler, as well as the several others that put their brand on saxes made in Asia have shops here, so naturally they check them before selling. It's their own brands reputation on the line. I'm curious about Jean-Paul because as far as I know they don't have stores in the US. I doubt those other obscure cheap brands sold though Walmart, Amazon have anyone touch their horn after they ship from China.

 

Well, what you believe and what you actually know are most likely two different things. First off, you will pay more buying from Amazon. It's cheaper to buy direct off the Jean Paul website. Also, they have a Florida address listing on their website. I don't know if it's a distribution center or just a support office, but they have a presence here in the US. With all due respect to Dave Pollack his review falls short. Jay Metcalf goes over the build quality, set up, and tech support as well in his review. BTW, I've never tried a Jean Paul saxophone so I have no hands on experience to share or a stake in how well they sell. But, there are a lot of opinions on here that are not based on fact, but on assumptions from unsubstantiated claims. I would much more put my trust in the word of two professional players (one also being a repair tech) then baseless assumptions.

 

I agree completely with JayeLID. Anyone not familiar with what is involved in a thorough and comprehensive evaluation of a saxophone can go to Stephen Howard's website and read some of his excellent reviews: SH Woodwinds Benchtop Reviews

 

I am sure Wal Mart and Amazon do not have any instrument techs of any kind on the payroll too.

Most of what you will see on their website is third party goods, anyway.
You are not even buying from WM or Amazon, but "through" them.

 

I am sure Wal Mart and Amazon do not have any instrument techs of any kind on the payroll too.

Most of what you will see on their website is third party goods, anyway.
You are not even buying from WM or Amazon, but "through" them.

That's exactly my point. If JP went through the trouble of finding a good tech in the US and making sure their horns sold in the US always pass through the tech's hands before being distributed, I think that's a really smart decision. It'd explain why both Jay and Dave found these horns to be quite playable right off the box.

 

Well, maybe they do. DP seemed to be working at it a bit, but the horn did sound good and seemed to play well enough.
For an unknown brand selling at a fairly high price (from what I saw on Alibaba), that would be smart!

 

Interesting and informative discussion... I guess in real life, in case of returning to sax world player (with limited budget), one will try the JP sax and will decide 2B or not 2B.
In case of a new student it will be his teacher that will make a final recomendation.
Last time I was in our Montreal well known store (Twiggs Music) I noted couple of new "shiny" brands in "dedicated" section. One was in gun-metal color . Just general opinion - they are all not far one from another and could be well used after proper adjustments by gooood person. All depends on final goal and pocket size.

 

For a beginner I like the Yamaha saxophones new or used.

Another review of Jean Paul.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I laughed so hard (watched just second one). Funny review with total seriousness.

 

Just my 2 cents. The Jean Paul 400 Sax's are a great value especially when having kids learning to play. My 12 year old son took 6th grade band and got a worn out MexiConn Tenor. Couldn't do anything with it. . After hearing about JP, I decided to spend $650 on their TS400. Big difference and my boy has progressed remarkably and plays a couple hours a day. I decided to try learning Sax myself after I found an open-box deal on a JP AS-400P for $350. I prefer the JP AS-400 to a rebuilt Vito-23 I've acquired and as does the 12 year old. The 12 year old now plays Alto, Tenor and Soprano. The 9 year old gets the Vito and free lessons from the older boy.

We have had no problems with the JP Sax's. other than having the tenor neck replaced. The JP staff were great to deal with and they sent a new neck (when all it needed was a new pad and adjustment). The sax's do need a mouthpiece upgrade and the JP Pro MP (TS-4 & AS-4) offerings make a world of difference.

Considering there are no techs out here in SE Az, I've learned enough to do some basic maintainence (thanks Stephen Howard and Google). I've played tech doing a couple re-pad jobs, neck corks and ad-hoc tweaks on older MexiConns. The JP Sax's appear to be much better made than the entry level Conns and Bundys the school offers.. I don't think the JPs will wear out soon.

 

... I prefer the JP AS-400 to a rebuilt Vito-23 I've acquired and as does the 12 year old. The 12 year old now plays Alto, Tenor and Soprano. The 9 year old gets the Vito and free lessons from the older boy...

off-topic, but it's great that you're encouraging your kids to play music. They'll thank you when they get older.

 

opps

 

I just took delivery of my Jean Paul AS-400 and it’s a very nice alto. I can’t play for another 6 weeks but it pops across the range and fit and finish is great. Can’t wait to give it a play!

Customer service was great! I got an immediate order confirmation, notification when it shipped and when it would be delivered. I placed my order on November 26th and took delivery on December 3rd. As to where it was setup, this isn’t critical to me as this horn is as tight as any new horn I’ve received. Pads are well installed and and sit nice and low in the cups. Felts and corks are all neatly installed and where they should be.

As to reviews, I’m most interested in the playing opinion of a professional I respect. For under $500 I have reasonable expectations, though I expect this horn to hold up as well as any.