Sax on the Web Forum banner

Bauhaus Walstein Bronze Sax's

144K views 251 replies 70 participants last post by  Lizengar 
#1 ·
So how many BW Bronze sax owner's are out there who like me are still very happy with these very good horn's.Very well made,solid sax's with superb tuning and sound.I have the BW Bronze Alto and straight Soprano and soon to be Bronze curved sop and i am still abit stunned how good they are and at such a great price.
 
#51 ·
I am amazed at how much concern is expressed about things which don't matter the slightest bit...to me, anyway.
It looks great, sounds great (not when I play it) and SH says it's well-made. All at an amazing price.
I really couldn't care less what it's called....although I personally think Bauhaus Walstein has a nice ring to it..... so much carping :|
I'm a very happy bunny.
 
#58 ·
I just received my new Bauhaus Walstein Curved bronze soprano and again it's a great sax for the cash.Tuning great and the ergo's are nice and snug,build is top notch.I have 3 BW sax's now and roll on the Bari version when fund's are there.Happy once again.
 
#60 ·
I am playing the BW Bronze alto on Harry's game and the straight BW Sop on Prelude on Myspace/daveysax1.I have been playing a friend's 991 YANI Curved sop and there's not much in it to me.The ergo's on my new BW Curvy are much nicer than the Yani curvy.I have had Selmer serie 3 sop,JK sop,Goodson sop,Yani sop over the year's and these BW bronze baby's are right up there with them.Very warm sounding horn's,great build with plenty of weight to them.
 
#61 ·
The ergo's on my new BW Curvy are much nicer than the Yani curvy.I have had Selmer serie 3 sop,JK sop,Goodson sop,Yani sop over the year's and these BW bronze baby's are right up there with them
It isn´t remarkable what the Chinese can achieve when they want?

you are getting a nice, very nice sound out of your BWs.:)

what set-up do you use on playing both BWs?
 
#63 ·
The ergo's on my new BW Curvy are much nicer than the Yani curvy.I have had Selmer serie 3 sop,JK sop,Goodson sop,Yani sop over the year's and these BW bronze baby's are right up there with them
It isn´t remarkable what the Chinese can achieve when they want?

you are getting a nice, very nice sound out of your BWs.:)

what set-up do you use on playing both BWs?
Hi, thank's for that.On alto i am playing a LAW BUZZER 8 Tip (95 i think) and LA VOZ size medium reed.
On straight Soprano i am playing a Otto Link HR 7* mp refaced by Ed Zentara with LA VOZ size medium reed's.
I now use a Brancher metal J21 Soprano mp,voz reed's and it's great.
I just my BW Bronze curved soprano and wow,what a great sax and at such a steal.These are top sax's and are very warm in sound'
 
#64 ·
Does anyone here have any experience with the non-bronze soprano?
Is it exacly the same as the bronze model? I just dont like the bronze thing and prefer a gold lacquered piece. But all I read here was about the bronze model only.

Also which horn does it copy? (i mean: Yani, JK, Selmer, Yamaha)
 
#65 ·
From what i have heard there atad lighter in weight and not as warm as the bronze model.I have not blown the brass model so if true or not you would have to go on what people say,i think the Yani bronze and brass sax's i have blown the bronze was warmer so that's my take on it but other folk's will say there's no difference so it's what you think that count's.
 
#66 ·
I belive to hear a tonal difference between a yellow brass and a copper alloy sax as I made a comparison bet. 2 Yanagisawas at an Exposition.

This alloy from BW has Phosphor in it. I read that such alloy is made of 9 parts copper, 1 part Zink and traces of phosphor to harden it.
Anyway a lot of copper and copper is that expensive.

I should try one before buying.

The ergo's on my new BW Curvy are much nicer than the Yani curvy
nice to hear about. But could you definite "nicer ergo" in such a way that we can figure out?;)

I know the ergos from the Yana curvy.
What are the differences:)

looking forward to hear more about...
 
#67 ·
I find the palm key's on a Yani 991 curved soprano abit awkward,the D palm key stick's out to much for me.The low B's seem to much to 1 side but this is me talking about what suit's me and my size hand's.I think the overall ergonomic's on the BW suit me better.The Yani soprano's are outstanding in all field's but side by side with a BW Soprano it's hard to justify £2000.00 more for the yani.Get a good mp,reed,ligature setup and your BW Soprano and your sorted,well i am and that's what count's and i saved about £6000.00 if you add the 3 Bronze yani cost in.I think there superb for the cash you spend and can hold there own in many side by side testing.
 
#69 · (Edited)
Having read of Pete Thomas and Steve Howard's enthusiasm for the "cheap Chinese" Yanigasawa copy Bauhaus-Walstein range, and wanting a sopranino to match my gorgeous Yani 992 straight soprano (Yani don't make a bronze 'nino), I've just visited Martin at Woodwindandbrass to test drive the BWs. To buy or not to buy quickly turned ou to be a no-brainer. I didn't actually NEED a 'nino (who does?!) but this one's a little beauty and such FUN! Intonation was challenging, as expected, but that's down to the tiny mouthpiece dimensions, not the sax, and I'm already getting a very respectable and (mostly) tuneful sound out of it. Upgrading the plastic mouthpiece that comes with it should help, but I didn't reckon I could judge alternative mouthpieces (Martin stocks Yanis) until I'd got the feel of the thing. Maybe later...

Build quality and finish appear great: it bears an outrageous family resemblance to my bronze Yani sop which was five times the price. It's a bit unnerving that the Chinese can rival top-price Japanese quality, but that's how today's cheap labour become tomorrow's affluent workforce, to be undercut in its turn...

Oh, if anyone can suggest a legal and polite use for the neckstrap they kindly throw in, I'd be grateful. Sopraninos don't actually have, or need, a strap ring!
 
#70 ·
mgman, you have posted the exact same thing on the other thread (to which I have replied concerning the good point about the ethical issue), I feel I should point out that this is against the SOTW rules, so unless you edit your post to be different, one or the other is likely to be removed by a moderator.

Welcome to SOTW by the way. (From sunny Southampton)
 
#72 ·
Sorry Pete,

Hadn't spotted that it was against the rules. I thought it was relevant to both threads. By all means remove one.
I can't do that, I'm not a moderator. You are able to edit it though, see the button at the bottom of the post.

Well, I expect it's always raining in Shirley!
 
#74 ·
My BW does sound duller than Conn M10 and Buffet S2, I use an Otto Link with Vandoren Java, or standard reeds. I struggle abit keeping it in tune, but I think thats me! Its great for the money, and fits well into our Ska Band! Would be interested to hear what people think about other mouthpieces, in order to get a brighter sound.

I am sure the Bauhaus is going be bwe a more expensive Taiwain hoen - does that means its any better -? Probably not! Mine came just before the italian pads, but very pleased with it, gr8 for someone on a budget. My Pro teacher (Ray Beavis) informs me the alto register is in good tune, compared to this Buffet S2 at least.
 
#75 ·
"Bauhaus Walstein"? Give me a break. They, whoever they are, should take a cue from Shen, who has had success building excellent quality stringed instruments and marketing them as exactly what they are: Excellent quality Chinese instruments. I have one of their doublebasses, and am not ashamed of the branding engraved of its heel.

The world is ready for the truth, probably, and I personally am not much faked out by this particular brand of bullsh*t, and even resent the effort. Do they think we're idiots?
 
#76 ·
The world is ready for the truth, probably, and I personally am not much faked out by this particular brand of bullsh*t, and even resent the effort. Do they think we're idiots?
But BW is the name chosen by the company SELLING the instruments, not MAKING them. If the makers want to market them under their own name all power to them, but that's a different issue.
 
#78 ·
Most big brand products nowadays are made in China, like some AKG microphones (a well established "upscale" German brand) I don't have a problem with Walstein using a name that is easy to pronounce and sounds comfortably Western to us.

Would I buy the horn if it was called "Happy Lucky Gold New Saxophone"? probably not. I think they have taken some good advice on what we want.
 
#82 ·
OK. Sounds very innocent. Where, and i realize that this might not be a topic suitable for discussion, is design/engineering work done? Just curious.
I bought a couple of BW's a soprano and a baritone. I also have on approval a tenor and alto.

The sop and baritone are manufactured in China and the alto and tenor I'm currently trying (model M2) are Taiwanese.

The company who import and market these are based in the UK, but they sell internationally and also (I think) distribute internationally (but I may be wrong about that last bit).

I don't know all the ins and outs of where all the work is done, you'd have to ask them, but I do know that some of the specification is done in the UK.

Mostly they have listened to some comments that Stephen Howard has made in his reviews, as well as a very well established and well renowned UK player (Bobby Wellins), and I understand that they constantly improve and adjust the design based on these and other customer suggestions. It's this kind of philosophy (not just good horns) that gives me confidence in a company like that. It's obviously not just a quick "import and knock them out for a quick buck" type company, of which there are a few around jumping on the China/Taiwan "bandwagon"
 
#83 ·
Question for walstein players. Do you have trouble controlling the lower register (pinky clusters)?
I can play pretty precisely on the mid and upper registers, but on the low notes (Bflat, B and Csharp) have to blow really hard, and the response is a slow there. Not sure if it's the horn or the reeds I'm using (Vandoren ZZ 2.5s)... or maybe it's a universal saxophone issue.
 
#84 ·
I think that you are asking about tone production, and not key work. On my bronze tenor, I have had some minor problems with tone production on the low notes, but I think it is just lack of embouchure support, as I can hit the notes if I add more support, and it is always improving over time and after playing with the setup (I think it is sensitive to mouthpiece/reed combination). I checked with a light and didn't find any leaks.

Now, I am wondering, however, if anyone can comment on how the key work compares to more expensive horns. Specifically, I find that I can't make a completely smooth transition with the left hand pinky keys by using only the rollers, but I have to actually pick my pinky up slightly to move between the keys (it's as if the keys are too far depressed or something, so that when one key is depressed, its roller is too far down below the roller next to it).

Having said all that, i want to mention that this is an amazing horn!. I ordered my bronze tenor several months back from http://www.woodwindandbrass.co.uk/ (service was excellent by the way), and the more i play it, the more I enjoy it and realise how much potential is has. Others have commented on the build quality, so I'll just say that the response is great, whether playing softly or loudly, and it gives me a rich and wonderful tone (and, this is all with just a Rico Royal Graftonite!). Now I'm guessing that if you put a professional horn from one of the big makers in my hands, I would be even more impressed, but truthfully I just really enjoy playing this thing and can't say that it limits me in any way, currently or probably for a long time to come.

If I had to come up with a complaint, the upper A is "noisy/airy", with the noise coming from the neck octave key vent (if I play upper A without the octave key, it is a completely pure sound). I don't have a solution for this yet (does it affect other tenors?) Oh, and a couple of corks have fallen off, which I easily fixed by cutting some new pieces of cork and applying them with rubber cement.
 
#85 ·
I've always been impressed by the response of the Walstein's lower end - in fact I'd rank it as being one of the best I've ever played. That said, I personally prefer a slightly lighter tone down there.
If you're having problems with it I'd suggest that it either indicates a leak somewhere, or it's the mouthpiece. Or it might just mean more practise.

As regards the quality of the bell key spatulas, they're not as slick as those you'd find on a pro horn but they can be improved by having the spatula heights and angles adjusted by a technician. There are times too when the rollers are less than perfect - check that they spin freely. These can be swapped out relatively easily.

The corks can still be a problem. The dealer has been working for some time to change the way the manufacturers fit the corks ( to the point of offering to supply them with EvoStik ), and the problem has lessened in recent times. However it can still be an issue in some cases.
The best method of securing any such corks that come loose is to pop a tiny drop of Superglue under them. I've found it's the only glue that isn't affected by the existing glue.
Apply a tiny drop of glue to a needle, then carefully deposit it underneath the cork.

Regards,
 
#99 ·
The best method of securing any such corks that come loose is to pop a tiny drop of Superglue under them. I've found it's the only glue that isn't affected by the existing glue.
Apply a tiny drop of glue to a needle, then carefully deposit it underneath the cork.

Regards,
Stephen, I thought you once wrote somewhere that the old cork shouldn't be reused (sorry if I'm misquoting you), so I just cut out a new piece of cork from my daughter's arts and crafts supplies, and applied it with Elmers rubber cement. It worked great, and seems to have the right amount of sponginess to it when pressing down the key (on the firm side).

By the way, do you have any suggestions about the airy sound I described in the upper A (coming from the neck octave vent)? For me, this seems to be the one single "weak" note on my Walstein tenor. I can improve it, to a certain extent with my embouchure, but it still has a qualitative difference from the G below it or the B above it.
 
#87 ·
You can use gel, but you won't get the capilliary action you get with the fluid - though it's a lot easier to handle, admittedly.
I wouldn't use any superglue on thin felt, it tends to make it hard - but that might only be true of the liquid variety.

I'd normally recommend sticking ( ho ho ) with a contact adhesive - but unless you're prepared to remove any existing cork and degrease the key surface, it just won't stick.

Regards,
 
#88 ·
yes but the capillarity effect is exactly what soaks up the superglue within the cork leaving comparatively less glue on the surface of it to deal with glueing . You are right on the felt it gets hard as a stone (therefore making the dampening of the felt useless ) with superglue , I have mistakenly put the two together in my phrase :(
Cheers! :)
 
#89 ·
Ah yes, but...

That's why I wouldn't recommend superglue for new corks - but as the existing cork already has a coat of glue on it, it prevents the superglue being taken up into the cork in any major way.
The resulting 'mix' of Chinese glue and superglue seems to work quite well - you get a decent bond without the usual brittleness of a superglued joint.

Strictly a maintenance fix!

Regards,
 
#90 ·
I wouldn't encourage anyoneto use superglue on a sax. It's so easy to get it dripping all over the place. I get several brass instrument that parents have tried to stick together with superglue. It makes a right mess if there's too much.

There's no quarantee there will be a glue surface on the cork. Some glues pull off on one piece or the other and some corks are stuck with shellac type glues. The capilllary action of super glue means it can go right through cork and stick to the body (or your fingers if you're trying to hold the cork in place.)

It can work but I've known it to go wrong so many times I think it isn't one to recommend. A contact adhesive or clear glue (Uhu etc) should work and there's no risk if it making the mess superglue can.
 
#92 ·
I wouldn't encourage anyoneto use superglue on a sax. It's so easy to get it dripping all over the place. I get several brass instrument that parents have tried to stick together with superglue. It makes a right mess if there's too much.

There's no quarantee there will be a glue surface on the cork. Some glues pull off on one piece or the other and some corks are stuck with shellac type glues. The capilllary action of super glue means it can go right through cork and stick to the body (or your fingers if you're trying to hold the cork in place.)

It can work but I've known it to go wrong so many times I think it isn't one to recommend. A contact adhesive or clear glue (Uhu etc) should work and there's no risk if it making the mess superglue can.
I recommend it for maintenance fixes on Chinese horns simply because it's the only glue that will stick an existing cork back in place. No other glue will work if there's a hint of the original glue around.
If you're able to remove the existing cork, clean the key and fit ( and adjust ) a new cork with confidence - then no, I wouldn't recommend superglue.

As regards the dripping, that's why I recommend using a small drop on a needle.

Regards,
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top