[Ashley]

I promise I'm going to keep this short and sweet, or at least I'll try.

In 8th grade, I finally convinced my dad to let me join band. I had been begging for him to allow it since I first started middle school, but my short lived attempts with the guitar and violin had made him wary. When he finally gave in, he went to the local music store and started one of the 'rent to own programs' with a brand new Yamaha alto sax. I'm not exactly sure what the exact model was, but I do know that I fell head over heels for it.
At the end of the year, I had to give up the sax because my school required you to march, and because of divorced parents living in different states, it just wasn't something I could do. I gave up my sax, and I haven't played since then, though I stalk ebay and craigslist on a regular basis. I'm in tenth grade now and have moved to a new school 600 miles away, and my father has finally agreed to consider getting me a used sax as a Christmas present this year because I still want to play, just not with my new school- only for fun.

Here's some facts about my skill level when I had to quit:
- started in September on a 2.5 Rico reed, moved up to a 3 Vand. (blue box) in January.
- as mentioned above, I played on a new student/intermediate Yamaha that had a G# and trill keys.
- Taught by the 1st chair sax player who had only been playing a year (she started late as well), but was easily the best in our band. After about two months, she and the band director both believed that I was doing well enough to be thrown into the fray. Literally two weeks before a concert.
-Could play all my scales by memory, though I sometimes got a little flustered in front of others.
- Could transpose some French Horn music while playing, as my best friend was a FH/Trumpet/Mellophone player who ended up teaching me quite a lot about the sax.
-Played low, high, and normal range, though when I played high I tended to lean a little sharp.
-Played multiple speeds and styles thanks to being in concert band and because my dear teacher had me playing her marching band pieces after playing for two weeks to prove to me that I actually was learning (I thought I wasn't getting anywhere. It wasn't unusual for her to push me like that.)
Received superior rating in my first state-wide solo contest. The piece was easy (These are a few of my favorite things) but I was still scared to death because I hadn't even been playing a year by that point.
- I enjoyed the jazz pieces most, with dark, loud and fast classical pieces coming into a close second.


I considered myself a beginner that was soon to be an intermediate. Obviously, I'm more or less back at the beginner stage since I haven't played in over a year. My question is this: What are some saxes that would last me a few years, and are decently priced....$600 being the ABSOLUTE max. Obviously I'll be buying used. I'm torn between a 20s-50s Buescher True Tone or Aristocrat that might need minor repairs, Selmers, and a few Conns I've seen, but heard good things about. I probably won't be able to buy in person seeing as it will be a Christmas gift, but I want to point my dad in the right direction. I want something that will last me, and it looking perfect is not needed...as long as it plays, I'm happy.

 

[hakukani]

I don't think that you could do better than a used Yamaha YAS 23, in good condition.

 

[gary]

My guess is that you were playing a Yamaha YAS 23 on that rental program and if you are looking for a really good, reliable sax that is a good bang-for-the buck at $600.00 or less, I would suggest the same model sax. These are great saxes. You should check out pawn shops, craigslist and put out a want-to-buy ad on this forum. There are honest and qualified sellers on the forum who should be able to set you up real good. BTW, at that price, you can eliminate Selmers and Conns (if you mean Lady Faces) from your shopping list.

 

[FilmDir]

Vintage Bueschers can be great instruments, but could easily need a lot of repair work. Keep in mind repairing saxophones can be very expensive.

I like the above suggestion of a Yamaha YAS 23, and ditto that Selmers and the desirable Conns are out of your price range.

 

[saxmusicguy]

Yamaha YAS 23 ... is a good bang-for-the buck at $600.00 or less ...

This was a great deal, but it's sold now. Very nice YAS-52 shipped for $650. (Just to give you an idea of what's out there from time to time.)

 

[artstove]

An important consideration with a used horn is its condition - you don't want to spend $400 on a horn that needs another $500 worth of work. Since you had a Yamaha and liked it (and they are pretty consistent), that would be a good choice.

If you can buy from someone local, where you can touch and see and play the horn, that is best. So your local Craigslist, music stores, pawn shops, and repair techs would probably be the best place to start. The next best is to buy from a reputable seller with a return policy, even if it costs a bit more up front. (JayePDX on here is good to deal with, and often has very good value horns, but he tends to specialize in vintage horns, and so is less likely to have a Yamaha.) I would avoid eBay, as a lot of sellers either don't know what they have, or are a bit misleading - you can easily get a horn that needs way more work than you want to put in.