confused in Hawaii

[lamar reeves]

Where I live no wind instrument shops.Everything by mail.I have$2500
for a tenor.I had decided on a Medusa then I started hearing great things
about the 82z so I made up my so called mind to buy a laquered tenor.
Now I hit this page and Kapow!!,intonation problems.unlaquered finish etc.
Please lord,give me guidance(and the rest of you too)

[billyg]

Don't sweat it man. You have made a great choice. The 82z is probably the most exciting thing to happen to the saxophone world since the mark VI. These are great horns. There was a problem with intonation on some of the newer models of the z, but have been corrected with the new g1 neck. I just got mine about 2 weeks ago, unlaquered and without the high f sharp key and this thing has perfect intonation. I have just recently sold 2 five digit mark sixes, 2 conn 10ms serial number 265xxx, one laquer and one silver, a top hat and cane from buescher, a king super 20, a the martin, and a keilworth sx90r nickel silver. THe custom z was by far the best of the bunch. All custom z's that have been produced in the last 6-9 months or so have the new g1 neck. Just make sure that is the case for you. By the way, all the horns I just sold were all tenors. I have collected vintage horns for a long time and thought they were the best. If they were so great than how come so many are for sale and how come so many are still available. Don't believe the hype. You are about to purchase one of the best, if not the best new horn on the market. Be confident and remember it's not the horn that makes a great musician, it only makes his or her life more comfortable playing it.

[lamar reeves]

Does laquer or not make a difference in sound?

[billyg]

some people think so. I found the unlaquered tenor to have more resonance and a little more character to the sound. I found these horns to have a unique voice to them like borgani has. It soesn;t sound like anything but what it is. That can all be chaged with mouthpiece and reed selection. Hope this helps

[lamar reeves]

Can someone recogmend a good dealer preferably in the western states.
Also can someone teach me to spell.

[pknight]

some people think so.

And, of course, some people don't. Check out the 'sax body and finishes' fourm for long debates on this.

[gary]

Aloha Bro'!

I would suggest ordering the Yamaha from The Woodwind and Brasswind Company (www.wwbw.com). They are in Indiana (I think) but with postal service as god as it is I wouldn't worry about where on the mainland you buy it.

Go through the website and get and read all you can about ordering, financing, return policy, but then I would suggest telephoning to place your order specifically.

The wwbw has a liberal return policy so you could send it back if you want.

Now, here's where it gets crazy. I have an unlaquered "Z" and am thinking about getting a Medusa. You can get one from Dave Kessler in Las Vegas (see the above link at the top of the page) and he has a good reputation with SOTW members.

But I think you just can't go wrong with either sax. Whichever one you decide on, once you've got it play it, enjoy it and don't have "buyer's remorse". Enjoy it.

Aloha. Kehaulani

[WriterMom]

You could also try www.prowinds.com (I've had good luck buying from them).

[hamilton]

Gary, why are you going to switch? I also have an 82Z and I think that I am going to a series II. The Selmer just has that sound thats always in my head.The price of the 82Z was too good to pass up at the time I made the purschase. (I'm talking Tenor) Overall the Z is a good horn.

[gary]

Hamilton - first let me say that the longer I play my Z, the closer I am getting to the sound I want. But I had been playing a Conn 10M for a decade and I miss the full-bodied sound. I thought I had a great combination of full core-sound with the Conn with a bit of an edge overlayed on the sound from the Jody Jazz ESP mpc I got. But when I switched to the Yamaha I lost that core sound and have spent the last year trying to get it back.

On the other hand, the ergonomics of the Yamaha were much better for me, as well as I could play higher notes easier on it. It is my understanding that the Medusa's sound is somewhat between a Selmer and Conn, which would put it on a slightly darker side than the Yamaha, and that the Medusa's ergonomics are more comfortable than the Conn's -more Yamaha like in comparison.

Because of the reputation of Keilwerth's sound I am also wanting to explore them. I'm lucky because both the B&S (Medusa) and Keilwerth are made right here in my "Old Europe" country so I am going to test play them. My ideal would be a Conn sound and Yamaha ergonomics.

I've got to return to my opening statement, though, and say that the longer I play the Yamaha the closer I am getting to the sound I want. And to Lamar I would say that the Yamaha is an excellent horn.

[Gandalfe]

Great recommendations all. I will add that periodically you can get a deal on a YTS Z on ebay. For example there is a YAS Z starting for $1200 on ebay today. So if you aren't in a hurry you could easily save $500 or more dollars on the horn of your dreams.

[lamar reeves]

Thanks to everyone.I ordered a laquer Z from Woodwind/Brasswind
today.I too used to play a 10M and I also loved the sound but a
collector gave me top$ and I always found the keywork a little
primative when compared with the ergonomics of even some intermediate
Yamaha highschool horns I tried.I dont trust Ebay,not with2+grand.
One more question.What sort of mouthpiece would darken this horn?
I have a R.I.A.100 (metal)and a Morgan90(rubber)

[gary]

What sort of mouthpiece would darken this horn?Well, Lamar, that has been part of my quest -ow to darken the horn but at the same time I don't want to lose the ability to cut through a big band a bit on solos. The best that has worked for me has been the Kellser OL7 Hard Rubber mpc with Rico Jazz Select #3 reeds and a Rovner dark ligature.

The only downside is that, after playing Jody Jazz ESP's on both my alto and tenor, which are narrow mpc's, the Kessler feels like I've got a baseball in my mouth. But I dig the sound for jazz.

[saxmanglen]

Gary,

Interesting you found the ESP to play well on the 10M but not on the newer horn. I had the same thing happen on alto.

I have a 1931 "Transitional" Conn I was using with a BIG sound that seemed to mate well with the ESP. I upgraded to a Selmer Reference 54 alto for the more modern and comfortable keywork.

Then began the search for a mouthpiece and setup that gave me "the sound" I wanted. Changed from an ESP w/o spoiler and Plasticover #3 to a JVW modified Meyer 6m and Vandoren Java #3. I'm just glad I never got foolish and sold my Meyer as it sat in the drawer the last couple of years.

Glen