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LA Sax... Good or junk?

40K views 26 replies 21 participants last post by  saxnut1966 
#1 ·
Hey.. I would love any opinions and info concerning the american saxophone, LA Sax.. I have seen them, but have not played one personally. Would anyone recomend them? Thanx
 
#3 ·
I got to play on a couple of the sopranos at a convention last month. I only spent about a minute or 2 on each horn (so maybe 10 minutes total) but enjoyed how they played. Very free and open. I did not play with a tuner, but intonation seemed to be consistent across the range of the horn.

I still can't get past the colors - LOL - the traditionalist in me.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I have had a black LA-750 alto for over half a year. I bought it brand new from the distributor last year when they were cleaning out house, and it cost me less than half than what wwbw asks for them. The sax needed some setting up when it arrived, but that did not cost much with an honest tech.
You really have to try one and make up your mind. Different individuals have diferent impressions and a whole lot of different set of criteria for picking an instrument.
The sax has good intonation and I have not had any problems producing any notes in its range. The keywork is very modern and it is a real treat for someone like me who mostly plays vintage saxophones from the 20s through the 50s. When I play my Martin I often think it would be nice to have LA-Sax key setup.

Some things the tech noted when taking the sax apart:
1. Adhesive was used very sparingly on pads and pearls so you may have problems with things coming loose a bit. This is difficult to catch in the quality control department due to its hidden nature. I had only one pearl come loose I had to put back.
2. The key alloy does not seem as hard as one may desire. This is not to say that the keys feel like playdough, on the contrary. This may be more of an impression and it is not supported by any measurement whatsoever.

This is a really easy to play saxophone though. It will take all sorts of mouthpieces you jam on it. Try to use a different mouthpiece than the one coming with it when you try it out. That one does not do justice for the horn. The tone is something you like or you don't, but this is why we have so many choices so you can pick the one you like. If you like pushing the horn this one can take it.

So be prepared to have to do some adjustments after you get the instrument. Even so these saxes represent very good value especially if you don't mind getting last years model. I would not say they are junk, but they are not on the same level as the Japanese instruments yet. They are a good alternative to more expensive counterparts. I do not know how it will hold up on the long run, but there have been LA-Sax instruments on the market for a number of years. Someone with a longer experience will have to chime in.

I believe that with a little more attention at assembly LA-Sax could make their instruments knock the socks off any prospective buyer.


Cheers,
tom
 
#5 ·
As you can see by my signature below, and the avatar photo, I'm a bit partial to LA Sax models. During the past six or seven years when I came back to enjoying my sax-playing interest with a vengeance, I've been all over the map trying different SATB saxes bought from eBay and SOTW members, and the result is the LA Sax collection listed below. I'm finally and honestly satisfied with my horns. They satisfy my weekend warrior needs and I've received a lot of compliments on them - although some of them were cancelled by Asian-phobes who discovered I was playing a Taiwanese horn.

The best thing for anyone to do when deciding on saxes like this, as others have stated, is to try them. It's a personal choice because different players have different needs. I may have made some compromises before settling on this collection, but mostly they were about how much to spend without losing too much construction and performance quality. I don't envision myself playing with top pro's anytime soon, or landing a big recording contract with any label, so that's my rationalization for not going for the pricier big four (or six) sax brands.

My first LA Sax was the LA-750 alto. I liked the looks, feel and playability of it so much I immediately added an LA-850 tenor. When an LA-900 baritone became available from a private party at a bargain basement price, I jumped on it and wasn't disappointed in the least. I play it every week in a local 17-piece swing band and it never lets me down. Although I had no problems with my Antigua Winds 590LQ sop and enjoyed playing it very much, I wound up selling it so I could complete my LA Sax collection with an LA-650 sop. I played it just last night with a local concert band performing the Perthshire Majesty sop solo and it did me proud.

Try them. I don't know about earlier models, or the new ones for that matter, but the 650, 750 and 850 (SAT) models are excellent buys with solid construction, good looks, with intonation as good as any sax I've tried (and I've tried dozens), and they are proving to be quite durable as I play each of them every week quite hard with no problems so far.
 
#6 ·
LA Sax... Good or junk?
At the risk of offending many, good junk. I have an LA Sax soprano, which is probably as good as any of the intermediate horns out there. I like it better than a CB or a Mauriat, though it's case/packaging would suggest it may come off the same line as the PM. For me the difference is: the LA plays in tune.

The older LA Sax models are fairly awful in my experience, but the newer ones rank with the better Taiwaniese horns. Don't expect Mark VI/10M quality and you probably won't be disappointed. They do have very nice ergos.
 
#7 ·
BayviewSax said:
At the risk of offending many, good junk...
No offense taken here. I realize I don't have the best the sax industry has to offer, but I think LA Sax is hard to beat for the money, to cite an apologist's cliche. I agree with your comments.
 
#8 ·
PLayed a 850??(tenor)in red lacquer at USA horn. Felt decent and had a neutral tone-not bright or dark. Ended up w/ a ex 90 II tenor for my daughter. EX 90 was darker and fuller sounding.
 
#10 ·
I have an LA sax 650 soprano and well..it plays great. I bought it for $600 shipped and it just needed some adjustments, about $30 worth. It plays wonderfully. Obviously, with all sopranos, intonation is a constant problem. I sat down with a tuner for months working everything out, but for the most part, it played very well. Better than anything I could have asked for for $630. Would a professional yani or selmer be all around a better horn? Most likely yes. But then again, they cost a lot more. For the money, I believe they are (basing my opinion that all other LA's play roughly the same as mine) very nice horns with a cheap price tag. I would suggest one to any beginner, intermediate, or someone looking for a back up horn.
 
#11 ·
I own an earlier (early 90's) LA Sax Series 1 straight soprano, gold lacquer (one piece) and it is a very nice horn. Very rich, full sound and no intonation problems whatsoever. Ergonomically speaking, very comfortable and easy to play. One might see this as a drawback, but this instrument is heavier than most sopranos but I consider its weight to be a good quality...I enjoy a more resilient, tough horn in my arsenal. For the money, it cannot be beat. Across the whole spectrum, it has a fuller, more intense sound than any Yani I've ever played or heard, it beats Antigua Pro models in intonation and presence, and it is just as good as any Selmer or Yamaha intermediate horn. Of course, I'm talking about my horn in particular. I still like this "old-school" model better than the newer LA-650 or the series II, but this is a more personal choice. Bottom line, I recommend them...give them a chance and you'll be pleasantly surprised.
 
#12 ·
I'd like to add an addendum. I'm not really into the L.A. Sax soprano anymore. In fact, I've been pretty unhappy with the way it's held up. Lots of things coming loose from just occasional playing. My tech couldn't believe how small the pip hole was in the neck. Now, I have the stupid chameleon, which may be part of the issue with that pip, but the loosening screws is nothing shy of annoying. That said, I'm toying with one as a boot horn (I need the modern ergos -- arthritis). I want to like them as a value, but the recurring issue with the loosening is making me lose my mind a bit.
 
#18 ·
Well, I had a bit of an epiphany -- I'd more or less reconciled myself to the fact that I just suck on soprano. I wound up switching back to an old mouthpiece today, and found that I'm not nearly as bad as I thought, and this was on the L.A. Sax. No matter -- the reason I even had it out was to compare to a saxello I just bought, and the L.A. Sax will be going up for sale later this weekend. You'd think after 28 years of this stuff I'd think to try a different mouthpiece first.
 
#19 ·
I have been playing on a 850 tenor la sax with a chameleon lacquer since 2003ish. I absolutely love it. It was far better after I took it to a pro to adjust it and tune it up a bit with better pads etc. I play it with a dukoff d7 and play a lot of rock and funk. The high g key is the best thing that ever happened to me haha.
 
#20 ·
I have an LA Alto that I bought off of ebay a number of years ago on a whim. It was originally powder blue, but a prior owner didn't seem to like that and had it redone in a bold blue color. It's rather striking actually. Since I'm not the original owner I don't know its age. But the horn has a dark tone (perhaps from the heavy coat of blue lacquer?). It seem to be robust and lush and dark all at the same time. I've played it at gigs a few times with no complaints. I just can't seem to figure the horn out, since it seems to be a very nice horn with everything you'd want from a serious horn.

I think I had a little trouble with some of the fingertouches falling off the horn, but I removed them all and replaced them with blue and white touches which really enhances the appearance.

A friend of mine consistently disses my blue sax, but I'm finding that she does not like the idea of me playing a blue sax in public because it doesn't look like a serious instrument. I'm thinking the horn plays so well, I have a hard time letting go of it. I'm thinking of stripping all the lacquer off of it and turning it into a bare brass horn.

Now this horn already sounds great, but after I remove the lacquer/paint, what would I have? It may not be as dark sounding, but it just might become very robust.

So, what do you guys think? Should I strip it and get what I get, or should I leave well enough alone?
 
#22 ·
So, what do you guys think? Should I strip it and get what I get, or should I leave well enough alone?
I think that stripping the paint is a big, expensive (or arduous, if you'd do it yourself) job so I wouldn't bother. As to whether stripping the lacquer would change the sound of the horn, that is one of the favorite subjects on this forum. I am partial to the school of thought that it would matter very little, if at all. It might perhaps change the way the horn feels in your hands while you play a bit.
 
#23 ·
I think LA sax have been a victim of their own success .... Sadly they assemble & build on the cheap, unfortunetly that comes out & shows with the quality of their horns ... I would liken it with the group of horns like Em Winston E.T.C. ... Great for students ... but I have seen Some chinese horns of better quality !
 
#24 ·
Not even sure who makes them anymore, I have a bari that I bought earlier in the year, a friend was closing his store and selling out all his inventory, I played it a few times and liked the tone/action, I've had it for a year now and it's holding up fine, I play it quite a bit. I have no idea on the age, my friend said it had been in his shop for a long time, he loaned it out a number of times over the years while doing repair work on other baris and always got comments from those players when they came back in to pick up their horns. The "quality" of this sax, well based on the budget I had the baris I was looking at were crap, mostly vintage with tons of miles on them, this was like new (one really minor bell ding/scratch), played easilty, in tune, big open sound, not overly bright like some of the chinese horns I tried, construction on par with many of the other baris I checked out, nothing "cheap" except the price I paid.
 
#25 ·
I think the same crowd that make the new Orpheo horn also now make L.A. Sax although not totally sure .... Since Steve Goodson parted from Orpheus horns it all went tit's up as far as quality was concerned .... I gather the partnership went sour quite some time ago .... The parting of their ways was Not Ammicable as far as I know ... :(
 
#26 ·
I ordered one La Sax Rocket Red from Dominic's Music. The horn arrived in "factory setup" which meant that the octave key was not closing,the palm key F slot was misplaced,bell connection to the body was loose etc.ect. I used is as my gig horn for about 1,5 months and I had technical trouble with it all that time.Also,the intonation on palm keys (especially palm E) is way off. The only thing about this horn that was positive was that it sounded OK.Other than that ,it is junk in my experience.You can get a far more better horn for friction of the cost; the fact that LA sax comes is various colors (why I bought it) is not worth the price.Stay away from these.And the dealer.
 
#27 ·
My only experience with LA Sax is a soprano I bought back in 1989. Mine is a series 1 with gold lacquer and has two necks, one being curved and the other, straight. I have found the LA Sax soprano to be a good horn. I double on soprano to give my gigs a bit of color and variety but it is not my main horn, so it does not get the play time of my other horns. Having said that, this horn has demonstraighted excellent intonation (if a soprano can actually HAVE that quality!) and appears to be sturdily made. The only problem I have with the horn is the G# key pad often sticks. It has been a sticky key since I bought it and it is still a sticky key all these years later! I use a bit of lighter fluid and the usual dollar bill between the pad and tone hole cleaning trick and I always get through the performance. I suppose a new pad would solve the problem but it looks brand new and seals fine so I mindlessly continue to go through my sticky G# ritual before each live performance. Ergonomics for this horn are probably acceptable to most players, however my hands are relatively small and I find it a bit of effort to reach the right hand side Bb, C and F keys. I have to take my thumb from underneath the thumb hook to comfortably reach these keys. Most sopranos give me this same problem, but I have had to exert less of a stretch with other horns. Aside from these two issues I have always felt it was a good horn and an excellent value. One of my favorite smooth jazz artists is Richard Elliot and I was surprised to learn that he used the LA Sax tenor 400 series for a number of years. I think he has switched to another brand now, but these horns hold up remarkably well on the road. I used a soft gig bag for my soprano for a long time and never had it arrive at the gig out of adjustment. My current set-up is a Selmer Paris Classic Metal (silver) mouthpiece (E facing) and lig with Vandoren 2.5 reeds.
 
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