JazzItUp said:
Alot of people say it's not the horn, it's the player. So if let's say you are a proffesional, and you have the cheapest sax money can buy, and you play John Coltrane's "My Favorite Things".... that's not going to sound diffrent on say a Mark V or Selmer or Martin or any other $3,000+ sax?
1. It's MOSTLY the player and not the horn, mouthpiece/reed combo, etc. However, if you give a pro a POS Saxpics Mark V alto that is leaking from every tonehole and give the pro a cracked Brilhart special mouthpiece and a split Rico reed, he's not going to sound good.
The percentage is north of 85% the player and south of 15% the setup.
It is true that some horns just don't play right. That's why you need to be wary of really inexpensive or really odd brand names. However, if you give a pro a horn that's in good repair and a mouthpiece and reed that are decent, he should sound OK.
Some horns are also way too bright. You *might* be able to tell a difference between the tone of John Coltrane on a Mark VI as opposed to John Coltrane on a Yamaha 25.
2. I've just copyrighted the Mark V brand name. see them on my new line of saxophones this fall, along with the Mark IV. Darn shame that Beuscher is already taken.
3. I agree with the point that a pro horn is generally very well made and does what you want it to more consistently. However, some pro horns do have features/construction that make playing easier. For example, the bell on a Yamaha 62 bari is one piece. It makes playing the bell key notes easier, by a bit. However, not by so much that I'd buy one over a Yamaha 52 (and I didn't).