A or B?

[Bobby G]

Two alto saxophones, let's call them Sax A and Sax B; Sax A is slightly more comfortable and easy to play, sax B sounds a little better.

Which do you go for, A or B?

Cheers, Bob

 

[phil_edwards]

Come on Bobby, can't do it on those criteria alone :erm: Is this hypothetical or do you have a choice to make?

How much is 'slightly more' and how much is 'a little better'? How hard are you prepared to work (play) to get that little better sound.

If there really is little in it I'd go for sound.

regards, Phil

 

[Jules]

Ok- In repost. How much can A be made more sonically elegant, or B made easier to play by finding just the right mouthpiece (as if there is such a thing :laugh: :laugh: )

 

[frank_johnson]

Hi Bob,
You're entitled to ask questions like this when you become a grandpa!!
I'm going for the simplistic answer: 'A' It's easy to manipulate, so you have no excuse for not working hard to make it sound good, because modern saxophones, wherever they are manufactured won't sound that different from each other!
If you're a pro you want a better quality product for longevity, but the sound may well be similar to a cheaper product where the emphasis maybe on easy playability letting the amateur concentrate on quality of tone.
My experience of saxes is limited, but is'nt the comfortable,easy to play one the one that leads to the greatest early progress?
Motivation v. Frustration? :erm:

 

[Saxlicker]

I was with Phil ....
Then I thought make a choice damn it!

So its A
I'd work on the sound.
I might buy another mouthpiece or ten to try on it

 

[Bobby G]

Using the same mpc/reed on both..... so it's not hypothetical, I just can't make up my dang mind 🙂

Cheers, Bob

 

[philthd]

whats it for?

if you want to play lightening fast runs or slick technical passages you want the sax that feels most comfortable on your fingers.

if you want to produce beautiful notes you pick the one thats most comforatble on your ears


i know thats far too vague, but no more so than the original question

 

[Pjonah]

Sell the one thats gonna net the most money, this will give you the correct amount of justification a wife needs when you trade it for that shiney Baritone you've been hankering over!

I'd go with A every time really, you can improve tone with embouchure and mouthpiece/reed combinations.

Simon

 

[frankb]

If the difference is slight, go for the ergonomics.

(From my limited understanding) the tone is a variable dependant on player (who can vary their technique / style / approach), reed, mouthpiece and neck (and possibly a few other things). Keywork you're pretty much stuck with.

(I'd welcome anyone dispelling my illusions)

 

[philthd]

in my opinion yes and no

im a big believer in the core sound of a horn. even within the same model, different saxes can have a different "soul" that sits in the middle of all the sounds made by changes in piece or player. and if your keywork issues are related to the action thats usually fairly adjustable and many other customisations and gizmos can solve other issues.

 

[tengu01]

Pjonah wrote:
Sell the one thats gonna net the most money, this will give you the correct amount of justification a wife needs when you trade it for that shiney Baritone you've been hankering over!

I'd go with A every time really, you can improve tone with embouchure and mouthpiece/reed combinations.

Simon

Hear hear. Tone you can work on. Go for the one that makes your life easier and you don't have to worry about whether there's something wrong with your horn. It's just you 🙂

 

[Pete Thomas]

C

 

[Pjonah]

C#?

 

[spike]

Okay a different angle -

if you're buying - neither -
go look for one that plays good and sounds good.

if you're selling -
advertise them both and sell one to the first victim.

 

[Bobby G]

I'm not buying or selling, I'm just getting to grips with the differences between my 80's YAS-62 and 40's Dolnet altos. After trying the Beechler mouthpiece on the Dolnet, I found I was getting a better sound than with the Selmer Soloist mpc, quite mellow but with a bit of edge so I could cut through when needed, and quite bright but not screechy when I pushed it a bit. So, old horn, slightly odd non-modern keywork (non-articulated G# key, slightly less than ideal palm key siting), sounds lovely...

As an experiment, I then moved the Beechler onto the YAS-62 and voila! A horn that's a bit better ergonomically, somewhat better-playing in general i.e. everything feels a bit lighter and tighter, and sounding almost as lovely as the Dolnet, if generally a little brighter and more modern-sounding.

So, to answer my own question, at the moment I'm favouring horn A, the Yamaha, although I could well go back to the Dolnet for an extended period, as that's what I tended to do when I was playing acoustic guitars. Sometimes I'd play nothing but the Epiphone for weeks or months, then the Crafter or Guild for a while. i always ended up going back to the Epi, though, and I suspect it's the Yamaha I will always go back to - as one or two people have said, it's probably easier to improve your sound on a more comfortable horn, and the Yam really fits my hands well, plus the Beechler mpc is giving me exactly what I want. At the moment..... 😉

Cheers, Bob