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An introduction

3K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  jasone 
#1 ·
Hello everyone.

I just thought I would go ahead and introduce myself. My name is Jason and I've decided to pick up the sax, at age 34. I got screwed out of every opportunity to learn music as a kid and decided now I am in a place where I can create my own opportunity.

I've spent the last month researching instruments and the sound of a tenor sax just resonated with me, no pun intended.

Right now I am just learning music theory. I can't afford a horn until after Christmas. I am also researching brands and prices. Unfortunately, my local music shop isn't an option for me. Their used tenor saxes start $1200. They have one for $750, but it is some cheap Chinese horn. $1400 for a used Yamaha yts-23 seems awfully high to me. And it wasn't one of those 'like new" horns. If you know of a good place to buy online, please feel free to pass that along.

When it comes time, I'll be able to find a teacher fairly easily. K-State is right here and I know a few of the music professors. It should be easy to find a sax player willing to give lessons.

Aside from that, you probably won't hear from me again. There is so much information here I can't imagine I'll have a need to start a new discussion.

Thanks to everyone for all the great info to peruse.
 
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#5 ·
Congratulations Jason! It's a wonderful journey, and it has not destination. At 34, you're just a young whippersnapper.

When ready to buy, check with some of the folks here that sell vintage horns. They're thoroughly reliable and can hook you up with a pro level instrument that may well be within your budget.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for all the warm welcomes.

Thanks for the tip Fred. The horn has turned into a more difficult issue than I thought it would be. I really just wanted to go to the local music store, for peace of mind if nothing else. But I'm not going to overpay for that piece of mind. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out here. When its time to purchase, I'll probably try reaching out to people here before I look else where.
 
#12 ·
Jason,
I live in Olathe, started playing at 40, seven years ago, and would be glad to share some of my experiences with vintage used horns.
Feel free to PM me if you would like to talk more.

Thanks for all the warm welcomes.

Thanks for the tip Fred. The horn has turned into a more difficult issue than I thought it would be. I really just wanted to go to the local music store, for peace of mind if nothing else. But I'm not going to overpay for that piece of mind. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out here. When its time to purchase, I'll probably try reaching out to people here before I look else where.
 
#7 ·
If it would be an option for you, I rented for a month or two while looking for a sax to buy. My first horn, a YAS-23, came from Craigslist and was $400.00 and still plays fine. At the time I bought mine he also had a YTS-23 for $600.00. They were both nice horns. I later bought a JTS-789, also from a Craigslist seller, for $325.00 which is probably my best buy to date. At the time I bought my first horns I knew practically nothing about them and was just lucky to get good ones, so there is something to be said about buying from a forum member.

Older horns are nice too, I have a couple of them.

Welcome to the forum, and best of luck.

Steve D
 
#8 ·
You're in the position I was in a couple months ago. A lot of people on this forum will tell you to buy locally and try out the instrument first. But what if you don't know how to play a note, like I was?

I would first ask one of those sax teachers you say are easy to find near you. They can ask through the local sax network if anyone has an old horn they might want to sell. Also ask woodwind repair people if they or one of their clients might have something. That was the first thing I tried when I went looking for mine. Sadly, no one had one to sell except a vintage Selmer way out of my price range, so I went the eBay route. With hindsight, I know that's dangerous, since there are cheap Chinese counterfeits out there, and if you find a price too good to be true on eBay, it's likely a counterfeit--if you want to be sure, contact the eBay dealer and ask for the serial number; if they don't reply, either its a counterfeit or the dealer is a jerk for not replying and you don't want to deal with them anyway. But there are also quite a few legitimate dealers operating there, some of whom are forum members here (though with all due respect, I think the starting bid or asking prices by some of those forum members tend to be on the high side). I ended up getting a perfect condition used YTS-475 without a scratch for $1100 (on a "make an offer" sale, and the quickness with which the offer was accepted makes me think I should have offered $900), and even with the cost and worry of sending it halfway around the world, it came out cheaper than a new YTS-23 from the one local instrument shop. Of course, buying used you also have to figure in an extra $100+ or so to have it checked and adjusted. I had mine looked at (for free) by a sax pro and bandleader I met, and he said I got a great horn for a good (not the greatest, but good) price, which required only a minor adjustment that he did for me.

And $1400 for a used YTS-23 is awfully high.
 
#9 ·
Hello everyone.

Aside from that, you probably won't hear from me again. There is so much information here I can't imagine I'll have a need to start a new discussion.
Don't be afraid to ask questions, yes, some may give you the search button response, but others here are very very helpful.

Good luck with your journey
 
#10 ·
Thanks for all the tips. SaxPunter, I'll be sure to ask about anything I can't find on my own.

Little Freddy, you understand where I'm coming from. It's a rural area with one shop, so selection is limited and price is at their discretion. When it comes time, I'll check in with them again, but I have a feeling I'll be going elsewhere. I'll be sure to get in contact with my old professor and see if he can put the word out.

And renting is not an option, btw. I've called from Wichita to KC and its either they don't rent tenors, or they don't rent them outside of school programs.

Thanks again for the great advice.
 
#11 ·
And renting is not an option, btw. I've called from Wichita to KC and its either they don't rent tenors, or they don't rent them outside of school programs.


Just a thought, but if you can't rent a tenor, how about an alto? I know it isn't what you want, but everything is pretty much the same except the sound and you could transfer everything you learn on the alto to the tenor when you find one.

It's all to be enjoyed.

Steve D
 
#13 ·
Just a thought, but if you can't rent a tenor, how about an alto? I know it isn't what you want, but everything is pretty much the same except the sound and you could transfer everything you learn on the alto to the tenor when you find one.

It's all to be enjoyed.

Steve D
I thought of that, but I know me. When it comes time to buy a tenor, I'll just be mad at myself for not saving the alto money for it. Either way, I have to wait until January. My wife and I just got out of the Army, and Christmas is going to drain me of any fun money.

I appreciate the advice though.
 
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