a good intermeadiate alto for less than 3 thousand

[BrassaxMan5]

hi my name is eric. i'm currently in the 8th grade, and my parents say that i can have a new horn in 9th grade. it won't come as soon as i get to 9th grade, but sometime towards the end if i really want it. i've looked at some yanis(yanagisawas) and i kind of like their silver plated models, but i haven't actually played one yet. i'm thinking of maybe a keilworth or a yani, but if i find something else that looks good, i'll investigate that too. i need some input on what some good horns are, what to look for, and how to know it's a good horn for my money(actually my parents money)and if it's really worth buying a horn for right now or just keep my yamaha student( i think it's a YAS-52, but i'm not sure).
thanks for the input, brassaxman5

[BrianL]

Hola Brasssax

For less than 3 grand, you can get some pretty fine horns. Not just intermediate but some pro model saxes. $1700 bought me a gold Yamaha YAS-62II. My brother's playing that horn and I'm getting a Yanagisawa A-901 in silver. I've heard some pretty good things about these horns, which you can get from saxophones.co.uk for about $1950 after shiping.

Now, the Keilworths. You have to be prepared that these horns just feel 'big' in your hands. It takes a bit of getting used to, but they are some very nice horns. And Selmer horns, I dont like the modern horns, but thats just me. You need to go out and try as many horns as you can.

I'm not sure if you've got a good mouthpiece, but thats another thing to go for. If your in marching band try getting a Runyon with a spoiler. Those guys also make some pretty nice jazz mouthpieces (I play on a Custom Jazz #9, great piece)

By the way, if your going to do marching band KEEP YOUR OLD HORN!!!!!!!!!!!! Marching instruments take a ton of abuse, and you wouldnt want that happening to your new horn.

Good luck, keep playing, and keep having fun!

BrianL

[JfW]

IIRC, the YS-52 is an intermediate methinks.

there are a number of makes of good horns out there, Selmer is one of them. Whether they are overrated depends on whom you are talking about. There are definitely a large number of Selmer Snobs out there and a certain fallous ideology that states that serious players only play Selmer. Despite this particular piece of dogma, and the fact that I hate it so, Selmer horns really seem to be top-notch, but perhaps with a few reservations related to poor setup of the instruments from the factory which can usually be corrected by a good technician (which you should have done before you buy the horn if possible).

I've tried the yamaha custom Z recently. It's fantastic in about every respect in both laquered and unlaquered finishes.

the Bronze Yanis (902, 992) have a really full tone, smooth action, and comfortable ergonomics.

The few Kielwerths I've tried didn't impress me much.

$3000 should be able to get you just about anything short of the fantastically exotic stuff like the Silver Yanis.

[BrianL]

Check the back of the horn ontop of the serial number (IE YAS-21 YAS-23 YAS-52)

[SelmerSaksMan]

You should be able to get a new series III for that, if you are very, very lucky, a good one. Try not to go for the boot legged horns as there is absolutely no garantee that the horn is going to be functional. (What do you expect, they send them over here in a plastic bag from the factory.) And with the person that sells you a boot legged horn not being a Selmer dealer, he is absolutely not obligated to do anything if it doesn't work. A new series II would eb much easier to get, but the II is not as quite nice foa horn as the III. (Lots fo people complain about the III, Yamaha players mainly who feel threatened and other selmer players who feel behind the times with their II. They complain about everyhting that the II does not have, gripes that are impossible to substantiate.) Used horns are probably your best bet, I know that you could find a used III for 3 grand or less, could find a used II and a new m/p too for under 3 grand. I would stay away from the 901, go for the gold and get the 991. What my philosophy is that, why buy something that will fill your needs rather than surpass when you can afford to surpass them? What I mean is, I went for a series III in 8th grade, because I knew that I would be getting the best sooner or later, why buy an intermediate and resell it in a couple years for much less than payed for. I added it up, and I would have been out 4700 dollars if I had gone for the intermediate model before the III. You may be eating rice and beans for a little while, but you wont be later, or maybe you would but swimming in mouthpieces.

[averageschmoe]

i'm hardly threatened by a series three. for an alto 3,000 should net you just about anything you want. play on a lot of horns, ask people you respect and wish to emulate around you to play on the same horns and get their feedback, and go from there. i'd recommend a used modern instrument over new to avoid depreciation. as you grow older and become more experienced your tastes will change and what seems great now may seem terrible in a few short years. so in other words, try not to buy any of the hype and just play what feels right at the time you're playing it.

[SelmerSaksMan]

Hype. A word used so commonly these days that it needs its own dictionary for all the hidden meanings. It can mean excellent marketing, it can mean excitement from nostalgia, it can mean that a horn is actually good, and there is a lot of hype to buy it, it can mean that someone just said it because it seems right to them...

The III is much, much, MUCH more than hype. It is complexity, near perfection, extravagent, expensive.
Of course there is opinion, I like the sound of the old YAS-21 much much better than any other yamaha model that there is, but of course any other yamaha player playing a pro yamaha will disagree, there is just no way that a student model could out strip their "professional saxophone." he didn't ask what you thought was hype and what isnt. (The series II for example, notice my sarcasm.) Its our place to tell him what the horn is like, and then HE can decide what it is.

[BrassaxMan5]

brian, this is brassaxman5. i look at the back of my horn, and it's a YAS-23

[BrianL]

you got yourself a student Yamaha. Wouldnt hurt to get yourself a new horn, but like I said, if your going to march, KEEP THAT HORN!

[M Exner]

Wow with a less than 3000.00 budget you can buy just about any professional (alto) sax from internet mail order house. Forget the intermediate grade. Check Matthews Music in the Netherlands. Mike

[Dr G]

Let's see, $3000...

I bought a used Borgani silver pearl Jubilee tenor for less than that. I bought TWO Selmer Serie II altos for less than that. I've seen three Keilwerth SX90R tenors sell for less than $2400 in the last two weeks.

That's plenty of budget if you look for a deal.

Selmer's overrated? If you don't want one, don't buy one. I've been playing Selmer saxes for 30 years or so. I wouldn't waste my time with them if they didn't give me everything I wanted from them. Their sound is pretty singular - they are the only horn that delivers it. Of course, if you don't like that sound, then it would be a bad choice. And no, I don't think that I sound like everyone else that plays a Selmer. The choice of instrument is only a small part of an individual's sonic character.

[Vortex]

If you buy a Selmer direct from Paris, a lot of the companies that do this "direct shipping" will check the horn for you and correct any issues (for example, wwbw paris). I got a Serie III like this last spring for $2,700 including a really nice case.

[Dr G]

If you're still looking for a great alto for under $3k, check out Son of Zorn's Borgani gold pearl Jubilee at eBay. There's an opportunity!

If you'd rather a lesser horn for more money, that is your privilege. :D

:borg:

[Sigmund451]

I have only one question:


Are your parents adopting :?:

[tubbycub]

The Yamaha YAS-32.

I happened to have a lacquered one in mint condition and planning to sell it for US$800 (negotiable). Any takers?

Please email me at tugscub@hotmail.com

[Roger Aldridge]

If $3,000 was laid on me, I'd be checking Gayle's www.vintagesax.com web site in a NYC heartbeat or giving her a call. It's possible to get a completely top-of-the-line alto for $2,000 or less. The horn of my dreams would be a 1938 Buescher Aristocrat in mint condition. That's a serious horn! Then, I'd have $1,000 left to go toward something else -- perhaps an earlier model Buescher tenor. By spending my money in this way I'd be able to get two fantastic horns for the price of one Selmer alto. Anyway, even if money wasn't an issue, for what I'm looking for in my sound I'd be much happier with a 30's Aristocrat than a new Selmer.

[Sigmund451]

Im with Roger on that one. 3000 bucks is a lot to lay out on a horn unless your a well developed pro or semi-pro who absolutely knows the sound and feel he/she is looking for. You can get two great horns for that or have extra money and still be very very happy. Id leave room in my consideration for the possibility of your changing your mind about what you want in the future. I guess, tho its not my business, if your spending 3 grand and have to ask what horn to buy its perhaps not time to spend three grand....not to say your not deserving of a great horn...dont get me wrong, but you can have a great horn for far less. Good luck.

[ProfessorZeek]

i would highly recommend NOT getting a new horn. i bought a pair of keilwerths, alto and tenor, and bc they're so pretty, i don't play them much for fear of scratching them, especially when wearing jeans bc the rivets will scratch up your horn.

however, i play the heck out of my martin handcraft bc it's so fun and free blowing and only cost me less than USD500. it's already scratched up so i just leave it laying around the house, practice during commercials when a good game is on, and just goof around with it.

i notice though, playing a horn is like having a girlfriend. the more time you spend with it, the more you feel attachment. my two keilwerths are like supermodels with attitude that you don't feel completely comfortable although they're great trophy girlfriends, but the martin is just such a nice fit, like a girlfriend you can go grab a beer with or goto Dairy Queen and she won't complain that it'll make her fat.

we all deserve a new horn once in a while but think twice about laying it all on one horn. i'm already a working professional so i can buy whatever i want but the last thing you want to do is tell your parents you just blew 3Gs on a horn you don't like.

when i was a kid, i laid what seemed to be a ton of money on a mark vi (2K in late 80s), and then it didn't play well and my parents had to pay an extra 300 to get it readjusted. it played fine then but i felt bad about putting my parents through the extra expenditure since they didn't have too much money to blow, and a nice horn was really an extravagance for us back then.

finally, study hard in school so you can buy all the horns you want in the future.

CKL

[BrassaxMan5]

my bro bought a pro bass trombone for 1.5 k, and i'm afraid of going little over 2k, so will that make the choices fewer?

[Sigmund451]

If you go the used route you can have a fabulous horn for that....no compromises whatsoever. And again, I dont know where you live but get out there and play every horn you can get your hands on...travel if you have to. Be educated on what you buy because thats a fistful of cash and it should afford you a very nicely overhauled professional horn, not intermediate. You may never have this opportunity when you get older...bills, bills, bills. So dont squander it and dont get taken by a slick salesman.

[srcsax]

How about a Borgani Jubilee Pearl Gold alto for $2300? :-)
srcsax@cox.net

[shmuelyosef]

The ugly horn thing is good advice. I have some beautiful horns, but my favorite alto is a Keilwerth stencil, Conn DJH 108M. Good ergonomics, works with different style mouthpieces well. Cost me $500 on eBay, and it just needed a little regulation and I had to fab a new aux. F# keyguard. I don't hesitate to play it at outdoor gigs or in bars (even though it is pretty dent-free). All the lacquer has long ago worn off the body and mostly off the keys. real ugly. I never worry, so I play it a lot.

[disgruntleddave]

id say look into vintages as a fesible possibility.

i did and found my mark 6 :)

couldn't be happier.