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I have 2 Thomann saxes. ts150 alto and tenor antique

4K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  milandro 
#1 ·
Hi! So, there isn't a lot of information around on Thomann horns so I thought I'd let you know a little about the ones I own. If anyone is searching to find out about them. I have been playing sax for 7 months so I am no expert but I have been a musician for 15 years on other instruments. The tenor I had been learning on finally bit the dust in January or Feb of this year. I was strapped for cash and needed a horn to continue my study. Long story short I ended up with a Thomann ts150 alto. My bro had it for a few weeks with the intention of learning.He had bought it from Thomann as a backstock model. Basically they shave a few euros off as it was I guess either returned or a display model. It played great straight out of the box. Better than my leaky old tenor anyway. The bad points would be that the case they supply doesnt fit. I glued in two dish wash sponges to give her a snug fit. The pinky keys were sprung really tight. Functionally I don't have a problem with it.. A cork fell off that regulates the depression of the side Bb but it hasnt rendered the instrument unusable. So I am able to play and practice sax. For under 300 euros. Which is fantastic for someone interested and worried about a major investment just yet. The finish is not great. It looks good when it arrives but now after approx 6 months use it is going dark brown around posts and the ring that holds the bell to the body looks rusty and crap. Perhaps it was on the shelf a lot longer than I've had it. Having said that my main practice spots are by the sea. So perhaps the salt air has killed it off. Still. This doesnt affect the function and I am not too interested in the shiny paint. So, the alto basically looks like it is rotting a bit, the case isnt right, springs will need adjusting, obviously a new mouthpiece. I took a Yamaha 4c to get started. I can't really comment on the sound intonation as it's the only alto I have played. I don't feel any particularly flat or sharp notes. I have had trouble with the high Eflat F and Fsharp notes but this is most probably technique. However I don't have a problem on the tenor with those notes. I'm sure you guys know better about that.

The antique tenor I just bought from a friend who also had the intention of learning. He had blown into it maybe 4 times and had it for a year. This is the one that goes for 500 euros at the moment. I believe it is the ts 350 in a different paint job. Immediately you can feel extra quality. Perhaps it's just a little time spent setting her up. The action felt less tense. It was easy to play from top to bottom. Overall playability just seemed easier. The tone is great to my ears. I am looking to emulate the sounds of Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster. Jazzmen. I found it no effort at all to blow a lovely tone. I have a Cannonball 5* mouthpiece that came with my old horn on at the moment. The sax is already a year old and has no problems or metal rot signs. It has also lived in a coastal town but not been out of the case.
The case is a big leather box type. Snug fitting and plenty of room for accesories. I don´t know if it´s cause I havent played tenor in a while but it seems like a really heavy horn. In the case especially it´s very heavy. You would want to invest in a better case with straps if you intend to walk further than to the car. The case takes up a lot of room in the back of a car. Well that´s all I can say right now about the tenor. She´s sealing well and a joy to play. I was going to spend the money to get a new yamaha student tenor. I can´t imagine how much better a horn could feel to play but as I say. I am no expert yet. I got this one cheap like 375 so it was easily worth the money for such a sweet player. I was interested in the Antique mkiii they have. What a finish. But that´s almost 1000 euros more! Now I can save the money for that bari.

I hope this post helps you shed some light if you are interested in one of these. Feel free to contact me for pics or sounds or anything that might help you on your search for a budget instrument!
 
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#2 ·
thanks for your review. I am not sure why you say that there isn't a lot of information on Thomann saxophones, a search with the local search engine returns 554 hits.

http://www.saxontheweb.net/Resource...l=www.saxontheweb.net/&ref=&ss=2595j1765341j8

Most of them are comments made on several types and models sold by Thomann, which, not being a maker of saxophones, is simply a name on a saxophone that can be bought anywhere ( China & Taiwan) and made by anyone there.

Model so and so thins year can be made by a factory and next year by another. So everything is a momentary snapshot. Nevertheless, good to see your opinion.
 
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