New horn issues :( Yamaha 875EX or Selmer Series III

[SaxAttack]

:(

Which one :(

I played on a Tenor 875 Black laquer, but they didn't have an alto.

I played a Tenor Serie III.

The store in my town refuses to order either horns for me to try, and if they do order it I have to pay for it up front.

I also think they will give me hell if I don't like it.

[JfW]

:(

Which one :(

I played on a Tenor 875 Black laquer, but they didn't have an alto.

I played a Tenor Serie III.

The store in my town refuses to order either horns for me to try, and if they do order it I have to pay for it up front.

I also think they will give me hell if I don't like it.

If you're going to lay down some serious dinero on a horn, I'd visit a few more stores that either had a larger or different stock to try, and perhaps better ordering/return policies.

No one here has the capability to answer your question accurately

[Dave Dolson]

SaxAttack: JFW is correct - your question cannot be answered. I like Yanagisawas, someone else likes Selmers, etc. Plus, you may find an example of one model that is better than another example of the same model. Too many variables - each horn, whether it is a Yamaha, Selmer, JK, Yana, whatever, is different. Because one Yanagisawa plays better than one Selmer doesn't necessarily mean that all Yanagisawas play better than all Selmers (Yamahas, JKs, etc.).

However, your problem is even finding one example of any high-end model to test. That is a growing problem in the music-instrument retail business these days. Most stores stock student-line stuff. Pro lines are very expensive and most stores do not have the financial where-with-all to keep a bunch of high end horns on the shelf for testing and maybe an eventual sale.

It took me a few years to make up my mind, and it cost me some dollars. I tried to visit stores wherever I was (business, vacation) and play what I found. I found the best variety in NYC. It sure doesn't exist in L.A. that I know of.

Then, I ordered horns sight-unseen and tried them at home. The ones I ordered were good enough to keep, but some catalog operations allow returns.

Most posters recommend against buying a horn sight unseen, and I would too, except that the situation is as you described it and I found it. It was impossible to play enough horns, to say nothing about side-by-side comparisons, to NOT buy sight-unseen. I finally settled on new Yanagisawas (sops and an alto) and gave up the search. Is there a better Selmer or Yamaha out there just waiting for me to come along? Maybe, but I'm finished with the new horn chase. DAVE