[ErikJon]

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...

Excellent point.

 

[Gendreauj]

My concerns are resale value, how long it lasts and if it is repairable. What currently made sax brands are the best in resale market?

 

[GaSax]

They say and I agree that Yamaha saxophones tend to hold resale value more than others.

Jay at Better Sax, said in his review of the JP sax, they stock parts for their saxophones. I would guess they are as repairable as any other brand. I started to get one for my nephew last year but decided to get a used Yamaha for him.

 

[swperry1]

A new student YAS/ YTS is +/- $2k and resells for $350-$900 depending on condition. It might shock some of you to learn that most band parents aren’t horn flippers thinking resale value with their fingers on the pulse of the used market and the sax manufacturing lineage when deciding to go big, rent, or buy cheap when putting an instrument in the hands of a 10-12 year old child. They’re also going to just throw it in the closet when Bill or Sue get tired of playing it anyway.
How is that better than buying a $400 sax that plays well?

 

[Gendreauj]

Interesting. Never thought of it that way. My daughters play on a over hundred year old Grinnell baby grand I bought on Craigslist. Cost me $50.00 dollars for the piano. Still going strong. Yearly tuning.

 

[Dave Pollack]

For those taking issue with the use of reverb, remember that this wasn't a specific sound comparison/trial - just a quick unboxing and play test/review.

I will be doing another video in the very near future that is completely dry, comparing it to another horn or 2 [emoji41]

 

[Jerry K.]

Well, I’ve now had some time with mine and really like it. Sub-tones effortlessly down to a whisper, not unlike the B&S Medusa Goldbrass alto I owned and that horn was really special. Not sure where or by whom mine was set up, but there are no playing issues or leaks and it plays top to bottom without any rough patches. This is a really nice horn, not just a “nice horn for the money” as people often say.