Help me choose: Antigua, Prelude by Selmer or Jupiter?

[rispoli]

Hi there
Can anybody of you help me choosing the right sax?
I was considering buying locally (Montreal, Canada) a new tenor sax, because mine is falling apart (it was a cheap one and it shows). I am a "weekend warrior" player, intermediate/beginner.

Steve's music store has here good prices on the following saxes:
1. prelude by selmer TS700 (made in China): 899 CAD$
2. Jupiter 585GL : 829 CAD$
According to the salesman the Jupiter plays much better, but I don't know how reliable (or commissioned...) this opinion is.

Thinking to go a step up I thought buying at Kessler Music an Antigua Winds A551BC with enlarged bell at 1100 US$, about 1400 CAD$. It claims to be a pro model.
Any opinion about this tenor? Would it be really another category of sax and worth the many extra $$$ or not?

Thanks in advance to everybody who will take the time to answer.

[goodsax]

If you want the best value, get Kessler's Solist TS441 tenor. I have one and it is an excellent sax. I like the tone, the looks and the ergonmics. At less than $700USD you can't possibly go wrong, especially getting it from Kessler, one of the most customer-oriented music stores on the planet. (Well, that might be stretching it a bit since I haven't got around to all the stores on Earth, yet.)

[JMac]

I'll second what goodsax has to say about KesslerMusic. I bought a mouthpiece, my soprano, and my alto (both antiguas) from Dave. He also ships internationally on a frequent basis and is familiar with the process.

Rob- I think there may be 5 or 6 stores you have not yet been to -yet.

Remember, we are never cured of GAS - it only goes into remission.

[goodsax]

Remember, we are never cured of GAS - it only goes into remission.

That's what my wife's afraid of.

[JMac]

Rob - Let me know if the R&C is the cure to GAS. I fell off the wagon and ordered a B&S 2001 Tenor from Dave Kessler yesterday. I am justifying it (to myself) by selling off all of my 'project' horns and all of my backup horns (except my backup alto - since I primarily play alto).

Rispoli - I forgot to say WELCOME ABOARD! Montreal is a beautiful city (in the summertime :wink: ). I don't know if you're a Quebecois or not, but you may wish to check threads in the French-speaking section. I would also recommend searching out posts by Kim Pelletier, she is also a resident of Montreal. She may be able to help you find another good local dealer (or at least someone to help service your saxophones in the future).

As far as your other questions - the Jupiters have really improved their quality over the past few years, and should be as good, and possibly a better, saxophone than the Prelude - for $70 CAD less. The Antiguas I play (soprano [yanagisawa copy] and alto [selmer SA-80 copy-equivalent to the tenor 550]) are very well made. I have played my alto nearly every day, 1- 3 hours per day, for a year, and only had to tighten one screw. I am certain the tenor is as well made, and possibly even better. The extra $100 US for the power bell over the standard 550 buys "...double armed low C, B & Bb key arms for added strength..." in addition to the larger bell and more ornate engraving. Is the power bell worth $100 more than the 550? - That depends on how heavy handed you play (double armed keys), the value you place on looks (engraving), and whether or not you feel a larger bell increases your resonance.

Dave is a very honest dealer, and very helpful as well. In speaking to him about the B&S tenors, he informed me that the Medusa is mechanically nearly identical to the 2001 series (in tenor, not alto) making my decision to save the price difference much easier. I would recommend e-mailing (or calling) him to explain what your needs and wants are - he will steer you in the right direction. Best of luck - be sure to let us know what you decide, and how it works out for you! - Jeff

[goodsax]

Rob - Let me know if the R&C is the cure to GAS. I fell off the wagon and ordered a B&S 2001 Tenor from Dave Kessler yesterday. I am justifying it (to myself) by selling off all of my 'project' horns and all of my backup horns (except my backup alto - since I primarily play alto).
... - Jeff

I doubt it. The R&C is a very fine silver-plated alto, but I'm already shopping for an inexpensive vintage alto backup in nothing-needed mechanical condition with an old style left pinky cluster, i.e., no tilted spatula and no fancy interconnected G#-C#-B-Bb keys that make it more difficult to execute fast runs involving those notes.

Alto is my main horn too, but my Solist TS441 tenor has been getting a lot more use lately in church orchestra and in a big swing band. AAMOF, I have what could be a fun gig this Friday night playing lead tenor in the big band.

[rispoli]

Thanks everybody who took the time to reply to this thread.
JMac, no, I am no francophone at all, I am actually from Italy and my first foreign language is English.
Yes, Montreal in quite nice in summer and has one of the best Jazz festival in the world. Also sax prices are quite competitive here (at least at Steve's), but we pay a hefty 15% taxes!
I was planning to try the Prelude and Jupiter that Steve's has in store with my Otto Link metal STM #7. However I am not sure how much can I figure out in a quick store trial.
I also noticed yesterday on Ebay a Yamaha YTS-52 at 1150 US$ Buy it now (looks as new), quite a good price. That would be eventually re-sold with little or no loss, while the ones mentioned above would not. What scares me in purchasing on Ebay is that used saxes are not returnable, and that's not a minor point I think...
Does anybody think the sound of the Yamaha YTS-52 would be so much better than Prelude, Jupiter or Antigua? I am no pro at all, just an intermediate weekend warrior...

[goodsax]

Ripoli - sound is such a subjective item and one that depends on personal preferences, that it is difficult to answer your question. However, I think most opinions I've read about the Yamaha sound (52, 62, 875, Custom Z) suggest you would not be disappointed with it. However, you can't beat trying them yourself and making your own judgement call. I like the sound of Antiguas and Jupiter Artist models, I've owned both, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like a pro-level Yamaha tenor sound better if I had the extra money to spend on one. The 82Z alto I owned did have tonal qualities I preferred over what my Antigua A520LQ, and Jupiter Artist 889SG tenor had, but I paid a lot more money for the 82Z. I'm not sure a "weekend warrior" (and you can count me as one) needs to have the very best saxophone on the market to meet his/her requirements. But, I say one thing and do another, so just chalk this up as another opinion worth, maybe, US$0.02.

[rispoli]

Ok, so far I did not experience the great customer service you mentioned from Kessler since I got 2 emails unreplied (I could call, sure, but unreplied emails are not a good sign with regard to customer service...), so perhaps I'll pass the Antigua Winds option (which sells here in Montreal for 1350 CAD$ +15% tx) and his Soloist model and I'll opt for a choice here at Steve's.
No hassle returns and in-store trials seem too much of an advantage also according to your advises. Planning to keep my Otto link metal STM #7, I'll try what's in store and rely on my ears and ease of blowing. Unfortunately I doubt I'll be able to assess durability, but that's less of an issue if I'll buy an entry-level model which (hopefully) I'll outgrow in a couple of years or so.
Another factor might be residual value: buying a Yamaha its value should not go too low with time, while with a Jupiter or Selmer made in China things would go differently.

Thanks to everyone for the advices.

[DaveKessler]

Ok, so far I did not experience the great customer service you mentioned from Kessler since I got 2 emails unreplied (I could call, sure, but unreplied emails are not a good sign with regard to customer service...), so perhaps I'll pass the Antigua Winds option (which sells here in Montreal for 1350 CAD$ +15% tx) and his Soloist model and I'll opt for a choice here at Steve's.
No hassle returns and in-store trials seem too much of an advantage also according to your advises. Planning to keep my Otto link metal STM #7, I'll try what's in store and rely on my ears and ease of blowing. Unfortunately I doubt I'll be able to assess durability, but that's less of an issue if I'll buy an entry-level model which (hopefully) I'll outgrow in a couple of years or so.
Another factor might be residual value: buying a Yamaha its value should not go too low with time, while with a Jupiter or Selmer made in China things would go differently.

Thanks to everyone for the advices.

Sorry but I never received your e-mails. I have been having some problems lately with my server.

Regardless of whether you decide to deal with me or not, I think the Preludes are too expensive. They are a Chinese made horn. I would recommend the Antigua 550LQ at $995. Playability between it and the Power Bell is identical. With the Power Bell, you are paying more for cosmetics.

The Antigua is a flat out better built and better playing horn then the Prelude. Selmer is actually buying the identical horn as the Power Bell and labelling it Selmer La Voix.

If you would like to e-mail me, use my ISP e-mail at kesslermusic@earthlink.net

Sorry for the mix up.

[rispoli]

Oh, now I understand...!
Ok, we are still in time, I tried locally some saxophones but I haven't purchased any.
I'll contact you soon.

Andrea

[rispoli]

Oh, now I understand...!
Ok, we are still in time, I tried locally some saxophones but I haven't purchased any.
I'll contact you soon.

Andrea