bradshawm
07-28-2005, 02:34 PM
I ordered a Kessler Custom Alto in gold lacquer for my sons birthday next week - he turns nine and will be starting lessons. I played it some last night, and then took it to worship team practice so I could get imput from the team on the sound as compared to my Unison SG300. These are my first impressions.
The horn is solid, free blowing, and every note spoke easily and clearly from top to bottom. It was a little lighter than my unison, but still did not feel to light or cheap in any way. The key layout was every bit as comfortable as my Unison and it had a good solid core sound. I played it with both my Meyer 6M and the Kessler NYSS that I ordered with the horn (don't worry, I got the mouthpiece for me, not my son :) ). Consistently, both I and everyone on the team thought that the Kessler Custom had a great sound, but felt that the sound of the Unison was more complex and resonant. I haven't checked it on a tuner yet, but what I played sounded good, and I expect it will do fine on a tuner.
The difference in tip size between the two mouthpieces is only .002, so it was interesting to compare them on both Sax's. Although the tip openings were close, I actually had to drop a half reed size to play the Kessler piece as comfortably as the Meyer, and yet even then, it was much breathier sounding. No matter which reed size I used, the Meyer was a little darker and smoother, while the Kessler was a little brighter. While I preferred the sound and playability of the Meyer, the people listening could clearly hear the differences in sound and were split over which one they preferred. I was using Vandoran ZZ reeds, so I may try the kessler piece with some others and see how they work out.
Now we come to the tone booster. I played with it a little with the Kessler Custom, and could personally tell no difference in either sound or playability. When I check the horn out with a tuner, I will try it again and see if it makes a difference. I was going to try it out on my Unison, but it was too big to fit in the neck. I am curious to see if it makes a difference for my son when he starts playing.
Bottom line - It appears to be a great horn at a great price. At less than half the price of my Unison, it cannot be beat. It is definitely a fantastic buy for a beginner or intermediate player, and since I have not played Selmer's, Yani's, etc, I cannot compare them to know beyond that. Being new, we will see over time how it holds up. I am not sure on the NYSS yet, but that could just be a matter of what I am comfortable with and personal preference. Now for the tone booster, I am going to have to see a difference with the tuner or hear an improvement in my sons sound and playing before I am going to have any warm fuzzy's over it. So, we shall see.
Marshall
The horn is solid, free blowing, and every note spoke easily and clearly from top to bottom. It was a little lighter than my unison, but still did not feel to light or cheap in any way. The key layout was every bit as comfortable as my Unison and it had a good solid core sound. I played it with both my Meyer 6M and the Kessler NYSS that I ordered with the horn (don't worry, I got the mouthpiece for me, not my son :) ). Consistently, both I and everyone on the team thought that the Kessler Custom had a great sound, but felt that the sound of the Unison was more complex and resonant. I haven't checked it on a tuner yet, but what I played sounded good, and I expect it will do fine on a tuner.
The difference in tip size between the two mouthpieces is only .002, so it was interesting to compare them on both Sax's. Although the tip openings were close, I actually had to drop a half reed size to play the Kessler piece as comfortably as the Meyer, and yet even then, it was much breathier sounding. No matter which reed size I used, the Meyer was a little darker and smoother, while the Kessler was a little brighter. While I preferred the sound and playability of the Meyer, the people listening could clearly hear the differences in sound and were split over which one they preferred. I was using Vandoran ZZ reeds, so I may try the kessler piece with some others and see how they work out.
Now we come to the tone booster. I played with it a little with the Kessler Custom, and could personally tell no difference in either sound or playability. When I check the horn out with a tuner, I will try it again and see if it makes a difference. I was going to try it out on my Unison, but it was too big to fit in the neck. I am curious to see if it makes a difference for my son when he starts playing.
Bottom line - It appears to be a great horn at a great price. At less than half the price of my Unison, it cannot be beat. It is definitely a fantastic buy for a beginner or intermediate player, and since I have not played Selmer's, Yani's, etc, I cannot compare them to know beyond that. Being new, we will see over time how it holds up. I am not sure on the NYSS yet, but that could just be a matter of what I am comfortable with and personal preference. Now for the tone booster, I am going to have to see a difference with the tuner or hear an improvement in my sons sound and playing before I am going to have any warm fuzzy's over it. So, we shall see.
Marshall