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Introducing - CE Winds A2 (Alpha Series II) Saxophones Alto & Tenor! (SNEAK PEAK)

22K views 48 replies 21 participants last post by  markwigginton 
#1 ·
Introducing - CE Winds A2 (Alpha Series II) Saxophones Alto & Tenor!

These models do not have a release date set until January, but SOTW can have a sneak peek and presale opportunity before we offer them to the general public!

We just received in a shipment of altos & tenors that are ready and available for purchase.

We really have taken the A2 to the next level, here are the features of the new A2;

- High grade bronze alloy, hand hammered body & bell
- Stronger brass alloy powerforged keys
- Pisoni PRO pads
- CE Winds "Florida Custom" hand engraving
- 2 - A2 Series Necks
o Bronze Alloy with matching finish
o Custom Nickel Alloy Neck with Silver Plate Finish w/ carrying bag
- Upgraded handmade case
- Upgraded regulation and adjustment in our shop - Every sax arrives ready to play - GUARANTEED!

We are also introducing the A2 "Fire Gold" Series which has all the features of the above, but have a special Gold Finish that is very unique in the market. What makes it unique is the method by which it is applied… which for now we will keep as a trade secret.

The models we have available and their normal pricing are as follows:

A2 Fire Gold Alto - $999.00
A2 Fire Gold Tenor - $1129.00
A2 Ice Storm Alto - $999.00
A2 Ice Storm Tenor - $1129.00
A2 Midnight Alto- $999.00
A2 White Lightning Tenor - $1129.00

Purchase any of the A2 saxes and as a SOTW member you will receive a $100 SOTW discount, receive a FREE upgrade to Express Shipping (must pay for Priority Shipping), and a FREE Silver Shocka or Gold Genesis mouthpiece.

We also have available the new Alpha Series I model Alto in clear lacquer finish. These Alpha Series I models are available for purchase or through the CE Winds Payment Plan. We have also added to these real abalone pearls, Pisoni Pro pads, standard floral engraving, and an upgraded case. Cost for an alto is $699.00, and you also receive a FREE Silver Shocka or Gold Genesis mouthpiece, and a FREE upgrade to Express Shipping (must pay for Priority Shipping).

These items will be ready to ship out by Tuesday from Ft Myers, Florida and will arrive in time to put under your tree (if you live in the US of course).

Here are some sneak peeks of some of the new CE Winds A2 saxes!


CE Winds A2 Ice Storm Tenor Saxophone (Wholesax)


CE Winds A2 Ice Storm Tenor Saxophone (Bell)

CE Winds A2 Fire Gold Tenor Saxophone (Wholesax)

CE Winds A2 Fire Gold Tenor Saxophone (Bell)

CE Winds A2 Fire Gold Tenor Saxophone (Key Touches)

CE Winds A2 Custom Handmade Case (Black)

CE Winds A2 Custom Handmade Case (Green)

Send a PM, email sales@cewinds.com or call 904.996.9312 to purchase!

Would love to get some feedback, and I will post more pics of the different models as I get them in!

Peace,

Brian
CE Winds
 
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#5 ·
It looks great indeed. I think I can love the ergos. Congrats!!

How about a pro mpc? (I just read there's a good mpc, kudos to u guys!!!) And a slim case? Just a suggestion, i think these features will put you further than competition in the same price range.
 
#6 ·
The ergos are Yamaha-ish, very similar feel and design. The sound however, unique.

These cases are specially made, the saxes fit so perfectly and are protected pretty well, in comparison to most cases. I like the slim case, but don't like cases where you have to stick the neck in the bell wrapped in a towel. We are hoping to have a new Pro Series case next year that will be much improved from our current case, and very protective, much like the Hiscox cases are.

We are adding a pro mouthpiece to the package for SOTW members (during this promotion), but will offer an upgrade to a CE Winds Gold Genesis or Silver Shocka on our website for $75.00. We are also working with a company on making a special CE Winds Jazz hard rubber mouthpiece, that will come standard with all CE Winds saxes... it's just not ready to be released as of yet.

We are making some big changes really, coming out with some more new products early next year and throughout the year. It's all about taking all the good things we have going, and making them better! 2011 is going to be a very exciting year for us, we are pretty stoked!

Thanks for the feedback!

Brian
 
#7 ·
Now my only regret is possibly getting my tenor too soon!! Its still playing strong, and I'm loving where my tone is going with it, but that Silver and Gold finish has been what I've wanted since the first time I saw a vintage conn :).
 
#12 ·
we will have this very soon, along with other very helpful ways for the internet audience to hear the true sound of the saxes. We don't want to give anything away too soon, so I'll just leave it at that.. but be assured you'll get a real chance to truly compare the saxes and make the best decision.

I was just test playing the A2 Ice Storm next to a Pro Series Dark Classic and there was a difference in resonance and overall tonal balance (mind you the A2 has not been setup yet either, so the key heights have not been adjusted at all, this is simply with the factory setup, but tonal balance and proper venting are some of the things we focus in on when doing the setup), but when I added the silver plated nickel A2 neck to the Ice Storm, it really brought the sound out a lot and improved the tonal balance.. in my opinion, it's still not the sound of the Pro Series but it's also half the price of it.
 
#14 ·
The fire gold lacquer finish is my favorite. looks similar to my old Conn Chu...



but indeed much prettier than the Conn with great ergos as well, at a great price...

Congratulations to Brian and Mark. Fantastic job.
I am waiting for pics from the new Black Nickel finish. [rolleyes]
 
#18 ·
After doing some major test playing, the main difference between the A1 and the A2 is the sound and feel of the sax. The bronze alloy really just makes the A2 so responsive and resonant under your fingers. The A1 plays great and sounds great, but there is just that difference in the tone and feel, especially when the silver plated nickel A2 neck is added to the sax.

We have had the first batch setup and adjusted and man, these saxes really sing. There happened to be two established music educators there at the shop when I picked them up, and they got a chance to test play the altos and they were thoroughly impressed. They asked which level the A2 was, and I told them they are our intermediate level sax.. both agreed that the A2 played just as good as their pro level saxes (Cannonballs), and said that the A2 in no way sounded or felt like anything less than a pro level sax. These are not newbie band directors, but well established members of the educational system, and professional sax players as well.. classically trained as well as jazz.

We are very excited about the new A2 saxes.. We have some more Midnight and Vintage Copper tenors, altos and sopranos coming in soon, so contact Brian if you would like to preorder one, they go really fast, especially at these prices (with your 10% sotw discount). You can't beat the price for a truly setup, bronze alloy sax with professional grade hand made cases, and two A2 necks (bronze and silver plated nickel).

The common consensus about the two necks is that the bronze neck is great for ensemble situations where you want to blend in, and the silver plated nickel neck is for when you really want to be heard, without losing the core of the tone.

We have some CE Winds Artists coming over on Christmas eve to do some recordings and sax vs sax comparisons.. on the list will be some CE Winds Pro series, A2's, A1's, 10ms, Martins, Big B's, you name it.. all the clips will be done with the same mouthpieces, reeds, songs, scales, etc to help give the most accurate results.. and NO REVERB, LOL
 
#20 ·
The black case is nice and I am not sure which one would be better, it really depends on what type of player you are. The Pro Series cases are very rugged, hard ABS, slimmer design and lighter weight. The A2 cases are much bulkier, fabric exterior, etc.,. so I am not sure if a gigging pro would want to drag this around with them all over town.. again it depends on the player.

Yes, the Pro and A2 cases will be made available.. only in the black style.. we had some green and tan ones made but have decided to just move forward with the black as a standard, unless the sax is a special order, in which case, you can choose. Thanks, hope this was helpful.

What I do like more about the A2 case is the interior, the padding is a nice foam, not too hard but not too soft, the sax fits in very snug as well.
 
#27 ·
We did a quick video with the A2 White Lightning tenor, Pro DV tenor, Selmer SBA tenor, Pro DC tenor.. the clip has no reverb or effects, to better help hear the raw sound of the saxes, played with a Jody Jazz DV 8 piece, Legere reed.

We did video of all the new A2 altos as well but lost all the video during the process, so there will be some alto clips to come as well.

click here for the video clip
 
#25 ·
My 13 year lod daughter recieved the Tenor Alpha 2 in fire gold for christmas this morning. She has been playing clarinet since she was 9 and Alto since last year. She will be moving to tenor after christmas break. We tried ALOT of horns the last couple of months, selmer, cannonball, yamaha ect. First of all the packing was exceptional, bubble wrapped and wrapped again. The case is beutiful, and strong. The horns keys were shimmed nicley and there eas even a "map" as to where the shims were located. The package included, a gold genesis mouthpiece and ligature, a standard mouthiece and lig, two necks and cleaning utensils. Now, my daughter has only been playing tenor for a couple months on a "Hawk" I purchased on ebay, but we have tried every tenor in the PNW that we could get our hands on. Right out of the box you could tell the quality of the this instrument, my daughter immedialy recognized the action, when she picked it up. She started playing it and almost immediatly recognized the tonal qualities and ease of playing. Her range is easier for her to obtain, and tuning is not an issue. I am a musician, but not a sax player so when we demo'd the other horns I brought my zoom along and recorded horns that included selmer bundy, cannonball zephyr and stone series, as well as yamahas. All I can say is the tone this horn produces is equal to the zephyrs and stone series, IMHO superior to the bundys, and again IMHO superior to the yamahas. Of course time will tell. I've never posted here before but I just wanted to say what a great horn this is and to let CE Winds, and Brian know how pleased both my daughter and I are. Brian was great to work with and answered any questions I had. I will be purchasing an Alto in the spring from them. Thank You, Brian and CE Winds for an exceptional horn at an exceptional price!!!
 
#28 ·
Thanks for the videos. To me the new Alpha series II sounds just as good as the SBA! I did blindfold myself when listening to the clip. My vote goes to the Pro DV tenor wich had a more solid core and better focus than any of the other horns. How did the horns respond to the player? The way a horn responds to the players intentions can inspire the player and thats important.
 
#30 ·
The player in the video actually preferred the DV as well, over the rest. Personally I think the DV sounds the best for me, but I did think the DC sounded the most like the SBA too.

For the price, you can't beat the A2, it is about 1/2 the price of the Pro series, and you can tell a difference when playing them, but again, you're paying a little over $1k for the A2, as compared to around $2k for the Pro Series.. so it really depends on the player's pocket and willingness to invest into the instrument.

The player in the video actually preferred the DC neck on the DV tenor for the best sound for an ensemble, but for solo stuff, he says he likes the DV stock neck.. he said the DC neck does sacrifice just a little of the DV core but makes it up with responsiveness.
 
#33 ·
Now if I could just convince you guys to produce a C Melody as well.....
Maybe someday... we spend alot of time now trying to perfect what we do offer, I can't imagine adding another product to the list... just yet. :)

Call if you have specific questions on the models, we can usually pinpoint the right model for you. 904.996.9312.

Peace,

Brian
 
#32 ·
Mark and Brian - congrats to you and CE on a great looking new line of horns! They are beautiful! Can't wait to see the new sopranos coming in the new line! I know my pal Conn-Hunter is excited about the black nickel horns! Congrats again and best wishes for a prosperous and highly musical 2011!
Randy
 
#34 ·
Hey Randy!! There you are!!

Hope all is well, if you ever get some time to travel let me know, we would love to have you come down to play some horns for a few days. We are working on the studio in our new offices, so once those are ready then we can get some clips from you.

Happy New Year to you!

Brian
 
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