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Linky Lee
Last reply · posted in SAXOPHONES
Today I was supposed to go to Sussex university for an admissions day, didn't quite work out so I took my dad off to the sax.co.uk shop in Crowborough.

I had a go on various saxophones; P.Mauriats, Yanagisawas, TJJ's.

I was so suprised by the quality of the TJJ's that I decided to make this thread, even though the Yanagisawa T902 won the day.

I tried a standard custom series brass horn and the Phosphor Bronze that I was slightly more interested in. The phosphor bronze had a really nice contrast between the gold lacquer finish keywork and the body. The lacquer seemed to be of good quality. I couldn't find anything wrong with the mechanism. It was slick, went with you, didn't drag behind or push forwards. Felt comfortable under the fingers and had nice feedback.
Both models felt the same and the consistency was good.
The only difference was the sound.
The brass model had a really nice sound but I'd have to say it was basic. It was saxophone, good quality saxophone but it's character and personality wasn't quite there.
The Phosphor bronze model was very different. The sound was pleasingly dark (darker than the T902) and projected brilliantly! I immediately felt some buzz coming from this horn in it's sound but my father said this wasn't coming through in what was coming out the bell and projecting to the audience. It was slightly more resistive than the Brass model but it's tone stayed more consistent and was really rich in the higher register and altissimo. The low C key was perfect (for my hands). The mechanism rivaled the Yanigasawas, only slightly worse but this C key made up for it.

Over all I felt it was a fantastic horn, much better than I expected and worth every penny.

I tried two different P. Mauriats, a System 76 (two different ones) and a 66R which was sold a few minutes afterwards, the last one they had! I tried the 76 first and It felt big. Like a Keilworth. It forced me to stand awkwardly and I didn't get on with that at all. I sat down which was better and had a go on the horn. The finish was good quality but felt 'furry' and really strange under the fingers. I don't think the finish is that realistic either it's to nicely done. The sound was big. Huge. The sax just did not do quiet. It was really rich and powerful and sounded fantastic when given the whack. astounding for Rock and R 'n' B work, or anything with electric instruments really. The 66R was basically the same just with a darker sound, this was better dynamically but still was best very loud. I didn't find them comfortable or versatile enough to warrant any further investigation as time was limited. A point I'd like to make was that the second 76 didn't play as the Bb closed with the B key. Bit dodgy, I pointed this out and it got fixed but not so great really. The mechanism wasn't quite right on either of them and didn't feel responsive. The low notes were a bit of a push as well.

The big big winner was the Yanagisawa T902 which blew me away and even now I can't get over how good this horn was. Amazing. I played one very briefly a week ago and was impressed and after today It's my favorite tenor I've ever gotten my hands on.

I picked up this horn and the first thing I noticed was that it was small. The keys were closer together, lower to the body and the key cups were smaller. The mechanism was solid and so it was lighter in weight. A great bonus! The saxophone sat comfortably either upright, or off to the side. Sitting down was no hassle either.
I immediately felt at home on this horn and it felt great before I'd even played a note.
I played few a few scales and riffs at various speeds and I was astounded by the action. It was so so slick and smooth. The octave key was great! hardly moves at the thumb but has a big affect on the pad by the octave nipple and was super quick. The low C key also felt really solid and comfortable, a key I usually find to be a bit randomly placed and generally either feels too heavy or floppy. The palm keys were easily accessible but didn't get knocked during playing as they were too high or accessible.
The sound was lovely, really dark but still pure. It didn't have the projection of the TJJ until you played loudly when the sax opened up and it got a bit brighter. The Altissimo spoke effortlessly and was instant. Everything responded immediately.
The biggest thing that impressed me was it's dynamic range. It played so quietly! The quietest I have ever heard any saxophone ever! I was almost struggling to hear it over the general noise of blowing a saxophone and it absolutely soared when blown. It had feathery lightness, it was smooth and sexy, then it could suddenly jump to raucous and proud. The horn let every nuance through, the articulation was projected and was really nice to hear clearly.
This horn just felt like magic under my hands and was incredibly relaxing to play. my fingers flew yet it felt effortless it allowed me to express myself to a greater contrast and the sound it let me produce gave me such a good feeling you couldn't help but grin stupidly and whack it back in your gob to play your favorite tunes!

I played a T901 briefly, it felt the same. Gorgeous, but just didn't quite have the sound has the T902. More contemporary and brighter, didn't quite have the dynamics of the T902 either, still extremely good though.

At the end of the day I would of been more than happy with either of the T902 or the TJJ and though the T902 certainly won the day, the TJJ really struck home and surprised. In a good way!
12 Replies · 265 views
Jeanette
Cafe Moderator Café Supporter
Last reply · posted in Breakfastroom (chat and relax...)

Miscellaneous  Daily Check In

Good morning,

We thought it might be good to have a thread where you can just come and say hi, tell us what you are doing today, have a moan, share an idea that you wouldn't necessarily start a thread for ( we can always create a new thread from posts here if it became a substantial discussion).

It doesn't have to be sax related🙂

Basically an easy way to connect on a daily basis.

So to kick us off, I am writing this whilst prepping a casserole for the slo cooker as I am playing sax today with café sax and need a quick easy tea when I get home.

I am still suffering with a cough which will impact my playing today and I am worried as we are playing our first care home gig next Sunday!!

Have a lovely Sunday

Jx
2936 Replies · 92158 views
teen37
Last reply · posted in Saxophones: gear, playing, repair, impro

Tech/maintenance  I did it! 😂😉🎷

So my neck cork came loose last week and I managed with by being careful when fitting my mp.
But I decided to tackle replacing it once my new corks arrived yesterday.
So, armed with @Stephen Howard Haynes manual i got to work. It was a bit nerve wracking as I haven't done any repairs on my horn before. Give my an angle grinder or stihl saw or road breaker or any construction power tool and I'm away 🤔👷😂
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but this was more on the delicate side 😳😂
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47 Replies · 581 views
T
Last reply · posted in Saxophones: gear, playing, repair, impro
So, in the C melody discussion, and elsewhere, was discussion of the Couturier-Lyon & Healy - Holton path and the related products. I alluded at the time to my Couturier-design Holton Collegiate soprano, so here it is. I have many photos so will probably have to break this into several posts.

Overall view
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Here is the distinctive LH table, with integrated C# and G#.

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17 Replies · 163 views
wakyct
Last reply · posted in Saxophones: gear, playing, repair, impro

Saxophones  King Tempo

Hey all, there are a few threads on these at the other place but I didn't see one here. Found a listing for a King Tempo bari, I have a message to the seller asking about the serial # (edit: it's 60165, second number 1406) but anyone have a clue to this one's era/condition from the pictures?

4 Replies · 112 views
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Wade Cornell
Last reply · posted in Yardsale - Sell, buy & swap

Saxophone FS  Inderbinen Tenor for Sale

Here's a rarity that is seldom seen for sale. This Swiss handmade instrument is an anomaly in the world of sax manufacturing. It's tone and flexibility of sound is praised and most owners hold on to them knowing that it's also very collectable. My reality is that I just turned 80 and must think about this horn's future on my demise. It shouldn't be left to my wife or an executor here in New Zealand to try and sell. Pictures tell one story and I wish I had the video skills to stitch together a track where I'm playing in two different styles with this horn. I've got the 2 videos with crap sound and you can't hear the template I'm improvising with. I've also got the 2 sound recordings with the template and edited so you can hear this horn's potential. However I couldn't put them together. My apologies. You can just listen to the audio track with the template and then verify it is indeed the Inderbinen that's playing by looking at the video. Lame... I know! The styles are assisted by the first track using an "OK"mellow mouthpiece. The second is a Theo Wanne Shiva 2.

The horn has the original neck and a custom wooden Paraschos neck that looks and sounds great on this horn. The recordings were made with the Paraschos neck.

Price $8,000 USD + shipping. Current price new is over $14,000 USD and around a two year wait time. The Paraschos neck currently sells for $900 USD. This wonderful horn deserves a good home and future!

Pictures:
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Inderbinen sound recording 1: Inderbinen demo 1.wav | Powered by Box
Inderbinen sound recording 2: Inderbinen demo 2.wav | Powered by Box

Video 1:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjbNkv0RrdQ

Video 2:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7z8MSFvrxw
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3 Replies · 714 views
johnny b.
Last reply · posted in Saxophones: gear, playing, repair, impro
Hi there, newby question. I am using BG single screw , leatherette ligature

on Selmer S80 C*. I have been busy practicing, then all of a sudden i noticed

the position of some ligatures on utube. I always assumed with the BG that

the correct position of screw was on top of the mouthpiece. I rotated the lig

so screw was on the bottom against the reed. It seemed to accomodate the

reed ok and the sound was ok. Any hints much appreciated.

Regards Johnny B.

p.s. I have just ordered a PPT mouthpiece with accompanying lig. Which way

are they positioned ?
19 Replies · 8923 views
teen37
Last reply · posted in Saxophones: gear, playing, repair, impro
So guys😊☺️. I ve recently discussed with some of you, possible upgrades to move on from my Arbiter Pro jazz tenor. I almost went to try out a selmer SA80I but decided against it in the end.

Now, whilst I am not in any rush to move on just yet, I think it is definitely on the cards to happen at some point over the coming months. 😉

I was very drawn to a Selmer initially, but have stumbled across some YouTube videos on the Conn 10m.

Having watched a few comparison videos on Selmer mark VI Vs Conn 10m, (not that I was looking at the Mark VI 😳) I immediately noticed how different the tone was between them. The selmer sound much cleaner, crisper, whereas the Conn was a little warmer, fluffier 😳 (is that sacrilege to use fluffy and Conn in the same sentence?.... 🤔😳🤷)
I thought it would be just that one video so I watched a few others and yeah, it was still "fluffy" ☺️ I really liked the "fluffy" sound.
Someone said it was because they were made during the Swing era and so were more "harmonic" and "softer" built for a more acoustic environment and they blended well in a section with the likes of Buescher's. In context, this made so much sense to me.
Someone commented in my last post that perhaps I didn't really know at this stage what direction I wanted to go in looking for a new/old tenor, they were correct, I didn't know. But now I think I do 💡😳🤔

So... If this is a light bulb moment could y'all please enlighten me as to your opinions and experience with the Conn 10m tenor sax.

Is there a particular year or time period that was better than others to look for?

Any faults to look out for?

Are they harder to blow because they are so old?

What's an average price these sell for?

And really any other areas I've not thought about 🤔☺️
113 Replies · 2047 views
PigSquealer
Last reply · posted in Saxophones: gear, playing, repair, impro
Tales from a pig that likes to stick his nose into everything.

Paint that S. How difficult could it be ?
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1) Search the net.
2) Find the color.
3) Order color.
4) Study task on University of YouTube, aka; For destruction by DYI presented by pro tech.
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Do the cleaning & prep.
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Paint and cleanup / detail the edges with hard cotton swabs. Sounds easy……:confused:
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Yeah tha guy Matt makes it look easy.
Anyone remember your first experience cooking bacon crispy while still in the frying pan !
1203 Replies · 68142 views
T
Last reply · posted in Cafe Members' Recordings & Gigs
Dear Forum Members,



I’m very glad to host my first SOTM here in the café. I choose „The Chicken“ from Pee Wee Ellis. I’m shure, most of you know the song from Jaco Pastorius, but there are several other recordings out there.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgntkGc5iBo&list=RDTgntkGc5iBo&start_radio=1



Here are lead sheets in C, Bb and Eb (one document) and some backing tracks (many more on youtube).


Dropbox


For soloing and scale decisions, I found this guitar video helpful, but I personaly think blues most of the time and try to play groovy and in time instead of overthinking the notes too much.

Hoping for many funky contributions!


All the best

Dirk

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQZbsadHm2A&t=17s
12 Replies · 1018 views
MikeMorrell
Last reply · posted in Breakfastroom (chat and relax...)
Inspired by @Tenor Viols musings, I decided to create my own thread. Focused on my new 'journey' from Big Band music into the world of rock/pop music.. Not only the very different style of music but (for me) also the very different world of amplification, different mpc's, etc,
I
For the 1st 3 weeks, things started off really well! I was enthusiastic and so were the band. I was less enthusiastic on the 4th week when the nominal 'band leader' returned from a vacation, brought a ton of equipment along with him and basically drowned other members out.

During the 4th rehearsal (always on a Saturday), I noticed that my right hand felt a bit 'odd' but OK. That night, the pain in my right hand kept me awake. The day after (following internet advice) , I applied a bandage and ice. My guess is that I injured my hand during a "Fitness Session' the previous Friday. Since then , I haven't been able to play sax🙁. But I have been able to listen to some tracks that I've been asked to play🙂. Not exactly (no-one in the band does) but 'sufficiently recognisable'.

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296 Replies · 21098 views
Grumpikins
Last reply · posted in Saxophones: gear, playing, repair, impro

Saxophones  What to avoid?

New here, first question?

I'm a tuba player, looking to find a saxophone(s) for occasional doubling. I took a saxophone class when I was in school 20+ years ago. Went very well, really enjoyed it. I play in a group that is frequently short on saxophones and abundant with tubas so I can fill in where needed.

My question isn't what horns should I look for, but what i horns i should avoid. There's always those certain ones that are no good all around.

I'm looking for dirt cheap used instruments. I really like old instruments. I'm very good at repairing things and I work in a machine shop with access to all the toys. Thank you
40 Replies · 1092 views
T
Last reply · posted in Saxophones: gear, playing, repair, impro
Okay so I was saddened when I saw this video today and a little shocked but not all that surprised.

Introducing our newest BetterSax artist, Eric Alexander!​

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PYOU5SgysM


One of my favourite players Eric Alexander has moved to a Chinese brand saxophone. Can I blame him? No as I have done the same and most of my playing buddies have cashed out of the high end French and Japanese horns. They cannot justify the investment on return and these are gigging musicians who say it just doesn't matter!

I just booked a friend and a killer alto player for a gig this past weekend. He now sells insurance, he gave up gigging a few years ago but jumped at the offer of $400.00 for an hour wedding gig. Insurance sales are not paying the bills. He has sold off all his expensive Yamahas and now has Eastern music horns.

How many young players are on Chinese or Taiwan horns these days?
The times they are a changing - sell your VI's because the up and comers won' be lusting after them. 😎
116 Replies · 3459 views
For those on Facebook, listen to this Irish folk tune medley by Eddie Barbash.

View: https://fb.watch/v/6fc-PYXdq/

His website and YouTube channel are also well worth checking out. Folk, classical, jazz, blues, latin, ... he has (for me) a refreshingly wide repertoire of performances and playing styles.
0 Replies · 68 views
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Filip
Last reply · posted in Yardsale - Sell, buy & swap

Saxophone FS  Hanson VIII Alto

As per thread title, lovely example of Hanson VIII which I bought in 2020, in fantastic condition bar the octave ring being very slightly bent + slightly chipper cork on the neck, otherwise in pristine condition. Plays top to bottom super easily 🙂.

Comes with original case (never used since I also have a hiscox).

Happy to answer any question, provide more photos or let anyone try it in person.

Open to reasonable offers.

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1 Replies · 138 views

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