Unison 2000 alto vs Antigua A521-LQGK alto vs yamaha alto 62.

Only you and your teacher can say this for you.

On a resale level, perhaps the Yamaha. Which one do you like?

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have you guys tried testing them side by side?
I've tried yamaha alto 62 in the local shop but haven't tried the others because they were not available.
I want to buy one that is good for practice and good to play it at amatuer wind ensemble. I'm not particularly interested in re-selling.
in any case, any help will be appreciated.

Espresso: Every saxophone varies - even those of similar model designations. Having said that, a year or so ago, I tested several student-level altos at Dave Kessler's shop in Las Vegas. I ended up buying one of his house-brand Kessler Custom altos for my grandson.

In that process, I played several of his Customs, several Antiguas, and a Unison 2000. The Unison was clearly the best of the bunch, but it was also twice the price. They all played good enough.

I've also played several Yamaha 62 altos. I know - many Yamaha fans like theirs, but I've not played a Yamaha alto of any designation that I liked, including the Z I once owned. And that includes the 62 series. If I wanted an inexpensive alto today, I'd take a serious look at the Unison 2000 (or a vintage Buescher!!!). DAVE

IMHO, Go with the 62. You can get a good deal on a used one. They will hold there value and be easy to sell later, if you'll ever want to. I'd always hang on to one for a backup. Techs know them in and out. They play in tune and have a nice feel. You can get a lot out of them, again IMHO they beat out alot of the competition and have a lot lower price tag. Whatever you get, you'll have to playtest them to decide. Hopefully a tech is present to go through each horn you play to make sure they are in top or close to top condition. Good luck.

Personally I would go with the 62. It will hold it's value better than the rest. The nice thing about 62's is that they tend to be consistent. I've played some great playing 62 altos.

My 62 is my favorite among the altos I own. As I've said on this forum many times, the 62 is the best value in professional horns today.

Espresso, if possible, add the Yanagisawa A901 to the mix. Same price range as the 62. In fact, Kessler has them for $1795.00 at this time. From my experience, the best bang for the buck. An effortless rich powerful horn with the awesome confortable keywork, perhaps the finest mechanics of any horn today. In fact, give Dave Kessler a call. He's great to talk to and can give you additional insight and recommendation.