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Recommended Saxes within various price ranges?

4K views 23 replies 10 participants last post by  saintsday 
#1 ·
I am a late bloomer to the sax, but have played guitar for 40 years. I got a great deal on a 2 month rental of an alto sax and, if I continue to enjoy it, intend to purchase a sax at the end of the 2 month period. I’ve been reading the posts here for the last couple weeks and I think I’ve gotten a general impression of the opinions of members here on various horns. I’m not sure what price range I’ll settle on, but based on what I’ve read, it looks like the general “thumbs up” would be as follows: (I’m only considering new horns to avoid the infinite possibilities of including used and vintage horns.)

$500-$1000
Antigua Winds A520-LQ
Kessler Custom or Deluxe

$1000-$1500
Unison A2000
(Any others I’m missing?)

$1500-$2000
Yamaha YAS 62II
Yanagisawa A901

Are there any other strong contenders that I should include?
 
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#2 ·
RobCS said:
I am a late bloomer to the sax, but have played guitar for 40 years. I got a great deal on a 2 month rental of an alto sax and, if I continue to enjoy it, intend to purchase a sax at the end of the 2 month period. I've been reading the posts here for the last couple weeks and I think I've gotten a general impression of the opinions of members here on various horns. I'm not sure what price range I'll settle on, but based on what I've read, it looks like the general "thumbs up" would be as follows: (I'm only considering new horns to avoid the infinite possibilities of including used and vintage horns.)

$500-$1000
Antigua Winds A520-LQ
Kessler Custom or Deluxe

$1000-$1500
Unison A2000
(Any others I'm missing?)

$1500-$2000
Yamaha YAS 62II
Yanagisawa A901

Are there any other strong contenders that I should include?
<$2000
Any B&S Stencil
 
#4 ·
I would also include the Cannonballs in the top bracket. When I played them against all of the Yamaha line I liked them better. If you can get past the cheesey laser "engraving" anyway. Some even like it.
 
#5 ·
how experienced are you I would take the Kessler Costum or the deluxe costum. They have a good price, talk to Mr. Kessler and he will give you some info on all of the saxes he carries.:dontknow:
 
#6 ·
Saintsday, The local Sam Ash sells Cannonballs, so I can check them out, though they seem to generate some pretty extreme responses on this forum.

Matsuo, I've only been playing for 2 weeks, so I'm a beginner. The Kessler horns may be just right for me, but so many on this forum say "buy the best you can afford", and I may be able to afford a bit more.
 
#8 ·
If you can actually try the horns locally that is a big plus. When you find something that feels easy to play, you like the sound, and it makes you want to play it more, that's the one. Try more than one of the same make/model if you can for as long as you can. I picked my Global Big Bell from 4 Cannonballs that I tried back to back along with the Yamahas. Play everything you can lay hands on. What feels good to you is what counts more than anyone else's opinion.
If you do like the CB, don't overpay. A top line Stone Series should be in your price range and if you look at completed auctions on eBay you'll see they do fairly well on resale. The same market strategy that keeps them off the internet as new product probably helps the used ones, too.
Find a horn YOU love to play and if it is in the lowest range, so be it.
If you really want resale and value, the right vintage horn blows away anything new.
 
#10 ·
RobCS said:
What do Stone Series Cannonballs run? I've done searches here and on google but their pricing doesn't seem to be as "out in the open" as other brands, perhaps because they don't have many retail outlets.
That's because Cannonball does not allow their dealers to market on the internet. Some dealers use that to charge silly prices and it helps all their dealers from being WWBW'ed out of business the way that many have been with the "big 4." As I mentioned, it also doesn't hurt their resale. For a player that has just looked at a horn at a dealer who wants $2500, a thousand less on eBay looks great for a perfect used one and is good resale if you bought it at a decent price.
New and from a competitive dealer a Stone Series alto should run somewhere a little under 2K. My Big Bell Global silver/lacquer/silver with jasper stones was 1650 new about a year ago.
I don't know where you live Rob, but if there is any way to actually play several horns side by side that is the best way to make a choice. I actually went to my local dealer, who at the time was a dealer for all of the big four, with the intention of buying a Yamaha based on many hours of research. He plays clarinet professionally and doubles on alto. The Cannonball thing started when I asked him what he played and he showed me his CB. I had with me a silver SML rev. B from Junkdude (he still has it, "The Duke") which I was considering also. I also brought a friend for an impartial set of ears. It was neck and neck between the CB and the SML until the octave mech acted up on the SML. You already know which horn I brought home.
Of course, as has been said many times here before, your mileage may vary.
 
#17 ·
I would suggest, if you want a sax that you will be happy with no matter how good you get, to buy either a yanagisawa 991 (or the 901 which is under $2,000 us) the 991 is a little bit more pricey matthewsmuziek.nl/index10.htm or a solid vintage horn like a mark vi, a buescher or the martin alto, But if you are just doing it for fun, I would suggest you get a lower priced alto and also, would suggest you try the baritone or Tenor at some time, because i fell in love with the bari after the first time i played it and i was strictly an alto and Bb clarinet player for about 7 years before i picked up a tenor and a bari!
 
#18 ·
I also forgot to mention I play a mark vi silver plated alto, it is a 140xxx and in my opinion the best mark vi I have ever played, I have played other ones that sounded horible and had poor intonation, so I would recomend play testing vintage and especialy the new taiwanese or chinese or off brand saxes I am not trying to say they are bad, the companies just haven't been around long enough to have any real reputation
 
#19 ·
Mark_vi said:
...I have played other ones that sounded horible and had poor intonation, so I would recomend play testing...
Mark_vi makes a good point. The Selmer MKVI, the "holy grail of saxophones", is notoriously variable. Play testing is worth some extra effort.

If you aren't near a large dealer, it would be worth a weekend road trip, with a more experienced player if you can swing it, and are looking for something you will be comfortable with for a long time.
On the other hand, even people who have played for years change their minds and horns. There is no one horn that works for every one and your tastes and sensibilities will likely change.

If you hadn't limited yourself to new horns in your original post, my number one recommendation would be a Buescher 140 from the late forties to mid fifties. They are remarkably consistent. Parts are available. Keywork is light and fast. Parts are available. They will hold their value. They sound terrific, some would say better than any modern horn, and can be bought in great playing condition for under $1000.00
 
#20 ·
I spoke with my teacher about saxes to consider. He plays a Selmer Mark VI from the 60s, but acknowledged that they're not easy to come by, or cheap. He said his sax tech/repairman plays a Cannonball and maybe I should try a few.

I went to the local Sam Ash today and tried out some horns. They had a new Cannonball Big Bell Global Series on sale as a closeout, since they said it was discontinued. They wanted $1799 for it. I also tried an Excaliber, which sold for $1524. The Big Bell sounded slightly better. But both sounded good. They definitely have a "free-blowing" feel to them. Everything I played came out effortlessly. I tried one of their student model house brand Jean Baptiste's, which was unexceptional, though it did sound better than my rental horn, a Selmer AS500. Finally, I tried a Yamaha 62. It played well, and sounded good, but sounded more "clinical" than the Cannonballs. Maybe not as open and rich sounding.

Anyway, does anyone have any thoughts about buying a closeout model Cannonball? It was the last one in stock. They had a unopened Excaliber in stock, along with the demo one, so that I could get an unplayed one if I went with that model. All their instruments have a 30 return policy, so I could have a good opportunity to try them out, and also get my teacher's opinion before the 30 days ran out.
 
#21 ·
Apparently your ears agree with mine, Rob. Clinical, sterile, or just plain boring, the Yamahas didn't do it for me either. My Cannonball spends a lot of time in the case, however. I prefer the sound and even the LH pinky keys on well set up Buescher or Couesnon. After I got my first Buescher I have never considered another new horn and likely never will.
Go with the horn that puts a smile on your face when you play it.
 
#24 ·
RobCS said:
Music 123 has a used Couesnon from the 60s on sale for $802. Would that be a good deal? It doesn't mention any model number.
That's higher than they usually go on eBay, although a nice looking one just finished in England for about that money yesterday. The one Music 123 has looks to be a Monopole II which means double socket neck, rolled tone holes, full rib construction and very nice light keywork.
If you are interested, I'd call them for details about condition (dents, dings, pad condition, lacquer, corrosion, etc.) and confirm that you can return it if you don't like it. If it what I think it is, it should be nicely engraved down the bell all the way to the bow.
It is shown with a mouthpiece. I would also confirm that is included along with a decent case and get them to throw in some good reeds. The original Couesnon mouthpiece is actually pretty good.
 
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