Fremont saxophones

[richo]

Hi
Has anyone heard of fremont saxophones as I can't find anything about them at all.

Thanks in advance
Richo

[Rita]

i'v never even heard of that type saxophone but i'd try searching google and see what you can find.I know what like trying to one simple thing :Rant2: and then it takes forever and ever.good luck :wink:

[hodges1]

they look like another taiwanese stencil. i have had my experience with a taiwanese stencil horn already and learned in the long run that it is far better to go out and buy a brand name student model or just to save up some more money and buy a brand name intermediate or professional used model than one of these that will have far better workmanship, less time in the repairshop, and play 100% better.

[singlereed]

Yes, these are low-budget Taiwanese student saxophones sold mainly by independent dealers in the UK. I don't know there is anything wrong with them as such, but don't expect much of them either.

[saxbeginner]

sorry for the 6 month delay!

they're sold by John Bilham, and he is the sole importer of them. They're manufactured in Japan and Taiwan, and sold one to a pro sax player who is impressed:
www.DeanoTheSaxman.freeservers.com

he has piccis of his there, and I've just emailed him to ask him what he thinks of it!!

Please let me know if you have heard anything - good or bad, as I'm considering one for myself. (am flautist, about to purchase first alto, total beginner)

[Dave dix]

Dont buy one unless you need a new lamp body!! buy a reputable named model sax!!!
Dave
PS just been in town and whilst the guitarist bought a new amp i tried out a Trevor James alto for a bit of fun,That was crap aswell!!!!
Why do people buy these Taiwanese junkaphones?

[saxbeginner]

probably cos us beginners just don't know enough about sax's!
and cos they're cheaper....

Thanks for the advice!!

My hubby wanted to rent one for me for Christmas, for a 3 month rental, and the upper end alto's are £80 min. I thought I'd see what I could get for £200, to keep!

That's a shame about the Trevor James, was it the Horn??Trevor James have a really good reputation for instruments in general here in the UK, although I only know about flutes...(flautist)...not sax's!!

[Dave dix]

I think it was The horn but cant swear by it,only 'AT IT'
I live in Chelmsford Essex which is local to you.Most of my horns come from ebay in USA.The buescher true tones are great horns for a lower price even if they need some work they will last you a life time.
Martins are good as well.Either The Martin or the earlier standard both with good egornomics and intonation.If your in the area i have a true tone and martin horn you can try out (not for sale as i like them too much)
Dave

[saxbeginner]

Aw Dave, that's really kind of you!! As I'm in Swansea I'll pass on it, but my hubby comes from colchester!, so you never know!

I've only been looking on eBay in the UK - could I really buy one on states eBay and pay to send it over?
Is this a good idea? (I even think it's a risk doing it from the UK site)

Would I get more for my £250 looking at that site, and do they even MIND the fact they have to send it to UK ie. better packing etc.

In that case, does that good shop in Holland I read about somewhere here do used sax's too?!

cheers!

[Dave dix]

I have bought 7 horns from usa ebay without a problem.UK customs sometimes puts a charge on(about £40-50) for a $400 dollar horn but the choice from America is so vast and much cheaper than uk.
Some people wont send to England but you can always ask and they may change their mind.Most horns i paid by paypal,only one i had to pay via bankers draft from my bank.
Go for seller with good feedback and pay for airmail (arrival time about 6-10 days) rather than sea(6-10 weeks)
Have a look at ebay usa and if you see a nice horn you can always put it on a topic on SOTW and people will let you know if its a lemon or not!
Dave

[DougR]

You can indeed buy horns from the USA and have them shipped to the UK.
Customs and Excise may hit you for a random amount of money in Duty and Vat, just smile and pay the Post office. I bought a 280K aristocrat from Seattle for under £250 inc shipping and Vat... RESULT.

BUT, and here I have to declare an interest, you need to bet on it needing the attention of a top class tech.
Where do you find one of these in Swansea, The ones I know, and trust, are in Hitchin and Northampton.

PS I am in the process of buying a house near Swansea and would really like to know where to find a good woodwind tech inside 2 hours drive.

[saxbeginner]

well, to be honest, my Yamaha flute's been just fine and I haven't needed anything done to it for ages...BUT the main one here that are well known and respected for instrument repairs are Wilks, at Fforestfach in Swansea. (not sure if that includes vintage sax's, as as a beginner all this is new to me...!)
There's meant to be another good music shop in the centre of Cardiff, opposite the castle entrance; I spoke to a soprano/tenor sax player the other week who uses it for her repairs...but don't think she's got a vintage...Still, I would try ringing Wilks first, they've been around for ages.

Hope this helps!

[Russ]

I think it was The horn but cant swear by it,only 'AT IT'


The horn is aimed at the student. If you get a chance, try a Signature model. A different animal entirely.
I own a silver plated TJ Sig Tenor and chose it over a Yanni 901 and a YTS62.

Yes, it is built in Taiwan but in this instance it definately does not mean crap, quite the opposite in fact. I own a Yamaha Sop, a Keilwerth Alto and this Trevor James Sig Tenor horn. The Signature horn gets picked up first EVERY day.

[saxbeginner]

DougR,

Did you contact Wilks?
The guy's name who does it is Paul, he doesn't work at the shop, used to though, but freelances mainly, whilst being contracted to the Grand Theatre (Swansea) as their piano tuner.
He has just serviced my flute, very cheap too by the way.
He does do sax's as well, I asked him.

Hope this is useful. Helen at Wilks will give you his number if you need it.

[Gordon]

I have a Trevor James Tenor, a Selmer Ref36 and a Fremont Alto. The Trevor James blows fine but is a clacky, bag-of-spanners type thing and feels cheap compared to the Selmer which does have a solid, well-engineered feel. The Fremont Alto also has this good feel to it and I can really recommend it to anyone. It has good intonation and will allow fast playing without all the keywork becoming bent or loose which seems to be the eventual problem with a lot of cheaper saxes. A friend of mine has an Elkhart Alto (Elkhart is Selmer's budget range) which is maybe comparable in price to the Fremont and we both agree that the Fremont is by far the superior horn in terms of feel and intonation. Yes, it really is a good Alto and an incredible bargain when you see what they can be picked up for on ebay.
I'm mainly a Tenor player and I guess that if Alto was my main horn, I might save up for a Selmer but for now I have no reason to replace the Fremont. I play it with a Selmer soloist m/p (with Rico Jazz reeds - the reeds do make a difference to the sound in my case) and an unknown metal m/p with a high baffle when I have the need to really blow from it.
So if you're thinking of getting one, go ahead. They are fine!

[pepesax]

I agree with Gordon.
I myself own a Fremont soprano sax bought on ebay some months ago.
I also own a Jupiter soprano and comparing the two saxes, I find the Fremont far better either in sound and mechanics and also in intonation, ergonomics and solidity.
Of course it is not a pro horn, but considering it cost me only one tenth of a good pro horn I can easily say it was the best deal in saxes as the result is that now I have a good soprano at a very low price. When buying this sax I just thought I could get another soprano to try for a better sound at a reasonable price, without feeling sorry for the purchase.
I had no expectations, but most important, I'm neither sorry nor disappointed.