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Suitable saxes for a complete beginner

3K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  1jakeh 
#1 ·
Hi all,

I'm currently thinking of buying a tenor sax to learn to play on. I've never played a sax before, so it'll be hard for me to judge the sound of a model in the shop. Two of the options I'm looking at are a Arbiter tenor sax (~£350, 2nd hand) or a Sebastian Buckley tenor (~£450, 1st hand) , but I haven't been able to find much information on either brand of sax.

Is there something I've missed as a source of information on either manufacturer? Would either tenor sax be a good choice for an instrument to learn on at such prices? Is there anything I should watch out for or any other option I should consider? I'd rather not pay too much more than this at the moment.

Thanks in advance for any advice!
Snowy
 
#2 ·
Since you`re in UK I`d suggest Trevor James, Hanson or Yamaha. Its important that the sax is in playable condition when you buy it and since you`re new, you aren`t going to know what is and isn`t playable. I strongly advise you to buy from a reputable dealer ie not a box shifter, and certainly not Ebay, so that they can play test and carry out any adjustments before you leave the shop.

Whereabouts are you located?
 
#4 ·
I'm based in Coventry, so the West Midlands is the kind of area I'm easily mobile in. Is there any store round here that you'd recommend or should I be headed further afield? (Quick searching suggests a few places in London might be worth checking out, but closer to home is always convenient!)

Thanks for the suggestions so far, I'll get on to checking those out.
 
#5 ·
Hey again,

After looking around a bit, I've been wondering about the sax linked below. It's an ex-rental horn though, so is there anything I should know about such instruments? Are they ones to avoid or just bear in mind that it might not quite be in pristine condition?

There's a comment about this one as well, quoted below the link. So long as it is just cosmetic damage and doesn't impact the sound I'm not bothered by that. I'll just hope I can hear it played to double check first?

sax.co.uk Trevor James Classic Tenor

"Unfortunately this sax has aquired a mark on the bell so we've reduced the price by a further £50!- the rest of the saxophone is almost perfect and this mark has no effect at all on the sound or playability of the horn."

Would appreciate any thoughts, many thanks for the help so far!
Snowy
 
#7 · (Edited)
Hi Snowy

I would recommend the following store:

http://saxophoneheaven.com/

It's a straight run down the A423 through Southam, Banbury and then Oxford

I've bought a tenor sax and 3 mouthpieces from the shop and I have no complaints.

The gentleman who runs the shop (Roger) won't bulls**t you either. He is very upfront and the times I have been there he has been very entertaining with his sense of humour!

Roger will also be able to give excellant advice on mouthpiece and reed setup.

I believe Roger had his hip replaced at the start of the year so you may want to give the shop a call to see if Roger is back.

Regards
 
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