jonf
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I've got my hands on a different alto, an Odyssey OAS130. This is a basic student sax, made in China (of course) and sold from between £240 and £300. the example I've got is used but only barely, and is essentially as new.
Out of the case, initial impressions. Case itself, cheap plastic, not great but acceptable. Mouthpiece = crap, of course. Accessories (sling, cleaning kit) surprisingly good.
In the hands, quite weighty, feels solid. Weighs 3 1/4 kg. Action tight, firm, maybe a bit too much so, but feels very well put together. Has high F#, double arms on low C, metal adjustable RH thumb rest. No rough edges or evidence of real corner cutting. All so far, so good, and very typical of the genre.
Playing? Plays just like a saxophone. Actually, plays just like a saxophone which costs a lot more than this one did. Slightly bright, but decent tone, intonation very good. After playing it for half an hour I found it to be flexible, able to play soft or sleazy, and surprisingly loud too. Sounds very clearly from bottom Bb to top F#. In contrast to the BW alto I had a while ago, no sticky pads.
So, broadly comparable to any of the other new wave Chinese student saxes. Still very cheap. Miles better than the student saxes I started on (I remember a Boosey and Hawkes Powertone as being particularly bad). Buy one of these, get it checked over/set up, add a Rico Graftonite mouthpiece and you'd have a really good sax for well under three hundred quid. Bargain.
I have no financial or other interest in Odyssey or the importers of these saxes. I just wanted to post this short review as a way of illustrating that the range of good cheap saxes continues to expand. I'd still recommend an absolute beginner buys from a decent shop such as sax.co.uk, Myalls or Howarths, but there is another option if shop prices are just out of reach.
Out of the case, initial impressions. Case itself, cheap plastic, not great but acceptable. Mouthpiece = crap, of course. Accessories (sling, cleaning kit) surprisingly good.
In the hands, quite weighty, feels solid. Weighs 3 1/4 kg. Action tight, firm, maybe a bit too much so, but feels very well put together. Has high F#, double arms on low C, metal adjustable RH thumb rest. No rough edges or evidence of real corner cutting. All so far, so good, and very typical of the genre.
Playing? Plays just like a saxophone. Actually, plays just like a saxophone which costs a lot more than this one did. Slightly bright, but decent tone, intonation very good. After playing it for half an hour I found it to be flexible, able to play soft or sleazy, and surprisingly loud too. Sounds very clearly from bottom Bb to top F#. In contrast to the BW alto I had a while ago, no sticky pads.
So, broadly comparable to any of the other new wave Chinese student saxes. Still very cheap. Miles better than the student saxes I started on (I remember a Boosey and Hawkes Powertone as being particularly bad). Buy one of these, get it checked over/set up, add a Rico Graftonite mouthpiece and you'd have a really good sax for well under three hundred quid. Bargain.
I have no financial or other interest in Odyssey or the importers of these saxes. I just wanted to post this short review as a way of illustrating that the range of good cheap saxes continues to expand. I'd still recommend an absolute beginner buys from a decent shop such as sax.co.uk, Myalls or Howarths, but there is another option if shop prices are just out of reach.