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RYTON 875 Alto Chinese made saxophone

5K views 8 replies 3 participants last post by  Maticulus 
#1 · (Edited)
Ryton 875
Chinese made saxophone
Weight, 5.5 lbs
Patterned after the YAS EX 875.
Vendor: top_eseller
Ordered Feb. 29th, arrived Mar. 16th.

The case is pretty sturdy with a slight convex top and bottom for a clam shell like strength. The appearance is a bit off putting to me. I can't find much history on this model but I have seen one for sale here in the U.S. recently although it did not appear to be in near as good a shape as advertised from what I could see. It had a very nice looking streamlined black case with gold color locks suggesting a manufacturing variant in the production line or location. This case has what I call “fashion patches” and a case chastity belt. I removed the horn from the case and placed it in a gig bag.

The mouthpiece said to be from Germany, is very well made with a conservative tip opening .059 mildly bright with an edge tendency and low playing resistance. It's an easy player that appears to respond very well to Fibracell reeds but is a bit picky with cane reeds; The good ones play well and the bad ones play really bad, there's no middle there. A distinctly bright responsive sound emanates from it with the 2.5 Fibracell in play although a 3 provides more flexibility being more resistant to closing up with the modest tip opening.

(10/16, I discovered the mpc is made by ESM, like my JK#6 with .075 tip, it's much much louder with a high baffle indicating jazz model, the mpc for this horn is classical with no baffle).

A Rillion and Flying Duck 2.5 reed was included. I could barely get a note with the Rillion and nearly tossed the MP thinking it was the cause until I tried the other which was decent. I also tried a couple of my Benz reeds with similar temperament among the weaklings.

In the simplest terms the horn favors the bright side in sound. Low notes Bb and B sound out with very little extra effort, something I'm accustomed to having to work for, but they come out on cue with this horn (over 3 different mouthpieces) which makes mention of this quality in its advertisement. The spring action is on the tight side compared to my other horns (JK EX90 III Alto & Kessler Sonus Tenor), and any I can recall playing, especially on the right, but I like it. The key layout is comfortable to me as the advertisement states it is. I was able to move up and down the horn without tripping over any keys on first play despite being unfamiliar with it.
I find it a real joy to play.

This horn really vibrates at times and gives off a tone that I find very appealing along with harmonics that occasionally wake up something in the room with resonance. I'm not a pro player, but I've played a horn or two that did nothing for me, the last I remember was a Wood Wind model Alto I purchased from WWBW about 10 yrs ago for $400. It looked good and was a solid (heavy) horn but nothing about it made me want to keep playing it. Not the case with this horn. I have no complaints with the intonation, the transition from note to note is uniform with no stray big step.

It played right out of the case except for an intermittent squawking middle D and high G which turned out to be a problem with the octave key. It appeared to have been installed in a misshapen state causing mal alignment and then bent to cover the octave vent in the neck but poorly adjusted. I plugged in the neck from my JK EX90 which fits perfectly and it played without a problem. top_eseller offered to pay for a tech visit but seeing what was going on with it and the possibility one of the pivot flanges could possibly break with a repair attempt of the deformity. I declined and he agreed to send me a proper crook.

I'd like to see the bell lip completely rolled and tucked under and non decorative engravings removed as some keys were engraved with the partial S/N underneath and better glue to keep the cork pieces for regulation and bump stops in place. The horn looks and plays great otherwise in my opinion.

I'll play it regularly and see how well it holds up.
 

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#3 ·
You probably know this. Ryton is a brand for TaiShan Wind Instruments. TaiShan has a very good reputation in China. The general weakness of Chinese saxes right now is that they do not hold their value.

I have also dealt with top_eseller. He is well intentioned. If he offered to help pay for a visit to a tech, I would take him up on it. Most techs offer a new-horn set-up service. It may save you some headaches down the line. Your problem with the neck might not only be a leaky octave pad. Your neck tenon might also be leaking. Believe me it is worth catching these things early, and ti will help your sax play better all along the way.
 
#4 ·
Hello twocircles. The neck itself is fine, the pivot tabs on the octave key that the pivot screw inserts into were not positioned correctly when the key was being formed. That was apparent when it was assembled when the craftsman had to see the problem and instead of correcting it properly, the neck of the octave key was bent to align the pad with the port, similar to what a tech did to my old Yamaha when it fell forward off the strap hook onto the pivot mechanism and actually dented the neck, as he apparently did not realize the neck had been pushed inward at that point initially.

I corrected the problem as far as the key lifting a little at times causing the squeal, however, regarding resale value which is not something I've bothered to labor over, it helps if the horn does not look like its been damaged in anyway due to manufacturing issues such as this. I noticed it immediately and that it was not a consequence of abuse during shipping as it would be practically impossible to do without damaging the instrument itself, not to mention the packaging which was completely intact.

I might consider dropping it off for a head shake but at this point unless I find another leak, see no need for it.
 
#5 ·
Time wise it hasn't been much of a test of endurance at just shy of 2 months on this horn, but I'm sounding better and better with consistent practice averaging at least 3 hrs per week, something I haven't done in over 20 years of playing. I performed a makeshift leak check and found G# had a little crack when closed that was easily corrected with the unique screw adjustable linkage associated with it, so I expect it to improve a little at that note and all below whether detectable by the ear or not at next practice.

I checked my JK EX90 Alto and Kessler Sonus Tenor also and was some what disappointed with the EX90. It was priced new at over $1700 when I purchased it new 6 yrs ago. It plays wonderfully despite arriving with a low F# pad that required a noticeable amount of additional sealing pressure. Today's check revealed that in comparison to the Ryton and Kessler, it requires a good bit of overall pressure to seal many of the pads when closed. In other words, the horn needs to be played with a firm hand. This horn is in immaculate condition with low play hours and great care despite its age so it arrived in its current state.

The Kessler was purchased used in great condition and it was found to have a small leak at the Eb pad although it has played nicely. The EX90 was a blast to play in comparison to my old Yamaha 23 which served me well for over 20 years. I sold it as quick as I could after playing the EX. I just have to point out that I expected better with a name brand instrument new out of the case. I don't buy the "You need to take your new horn in for a checkup" after purchase either. What's the point of spending 1.5 + thousand dollars on a new saxophone and then having to drop it off at a repair shop to make sure it plays at its best?

That's a cop out in my opinion that allows manufacturers to discount quality at the buyers expense, which to me amounts to the purchase of an unfinished product without penalty to them. My old Yamaha played nicely for 20 years and never saw a repairman for playing problems not even after I accidentally dropped it and it was purchased brand new for under $700 from what I recall from WWBW, so no, I don't accept needing to take a new brand name horn in for a checkup after purchase.

At this point the Ryton 875 is playing so well I'm not missing my EX90, it doesn't take anything away from it, it just means I can keep it looking like new that much longer. In good playing shape I have a nice tone but I'd love to hear this horn played by a pro. Aside from that I enjoy the heck out of it.
 
#7 ·
I've heard as much about Taishan, but could find nothing on the Ryton brand which I understand now is a Taishan product. My concern at purchase was with the quality of sound it would have with which I have no complaints. The construction is good but I noticed some superficial deviations that have not affected playing, the "F" palm key is not level with the other two and a rod in the octave linkage is slightly off center at one end refuting the "precision alignment claim" but few would notice that unless they're bent on symmetry and uniformity the way I am.
 
#8 ·
I performed a brief test today that may or may not be of value to others happening by. I opened up the tuner in Band in A Box and played notes from low G to middle F on both the Ryton and JK EX90 III using the JK mouthpiece and #2 Fibracell on both horns netting the following results:

Note__ Ryton__ JK
G_____ A#4__ A#4
A______ C5___ C5
B______ D5___ D5
C_____ D#6__ D#5 The JK flipped here a few times but stayed mostly on D#5
D______ F5___ F5
E______ G5___ G5
F_____ G#5__ G#5

At some point I'll go back and redo this from top to bottom on both horns. During this spontaneous comparison idea I believe I acquired a better understanding of the reference to a Fibracell reed "crapping" out with little description being given to put the term into context. An occasional shrill/shrack set in consistently at high C requiring me to approach it with focus on the Ryton using its accompanying mouthpiece and #3 Fibracell. During the test above, I used the JK mouthpiece and #2 Fibracell and encountered the same hiccup on both horns on the exact same note although with some variation suggesting its the Fibracell as both are roughly the same age ~6 mo old.

I also confirmed for myself what some have stated about inconsistencies in Fibracell reeds. The new #2 and #3 reed are a tad stiffer noticeably and did not play as easily as the former on first usage so age difference is not the cause. They still play well however and at some point I may experiment more with Legere reeds as the #2 studio cut I have is stiffer than the #2 Fibracell (about like the new #2) requiring a little more work but it does play "Clean" as someone described and I get that having played both reeds. So far the Ryton really does have a tendency to give off a nice vibration with the Fibracell at various times that is pleasant and tends to make me hold that particular note longer. The JK is a solid horn (Feels heavier) and I don't recall that characteristic with it however, it does feel great in my hands with the additional thickness in the key buttons.

So far the Ryton only lacks the cleanness and precision of build that the JK has in terms of appeal. The JK is immaculate in appearance/build quality but both sound great to me.
 
#9 ·
6 months of averaging at least 4 hrs a week of practice on this horn and it's still holding together and playing nicely. I've noticed great improvement in my quality of play since the return to routine steady practice and that makes me very happy and sure to put plenty more playing miles on it. So far it has been a great buy. At some point I'll try to get my hands on a Keilwerth SX90, Yamaha 875 and one of the Cannonball Altos to decide which to purchase some time in the future if at all.
 
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