Saxophones Beginner's choice - seeking some help

[Stuart]

Clearly one should go to a shop and try many and choose what you like, but the only shop I can find within 50 miles has only one cheapish brand. I also can't yet play and don't know a friend who can to go along!
So I am going to take the plunge, buy, learn, and enjoy. I don't want to upgrade later, and I intend to become good (as I was when I last played an instrument as a boy on the clarinet)! This will be my sax for life (and price is not an issue up to £2K) ..
My shortlist:

(1) Bauhaus Walstein Bronze Tenor Improved Action for £700.

(2) Bauhaus Walstein M2 Pro Tenor for £1400.

(3) 2nd-hand Yani T901 (price reduced to £900 now) .. the advert reads as follows:
A genuine Japanese Yanigawsawa Tenor saxophone with a hand made Berg Larsen mouthpiece and full set of new reeds.Only played twenty times . Mint condition good reason for sale. ( RRP is £2,523. 00 ). Web prices around £1,600.ex vat. This is a genuine bargain- several enquiries already! Its gold lacquered and shining.Was used in Church concerts but never in a smoky room so all the mechanisms are in perfect working condition. Its a real treasure which you can expect from a world class manufacturer.
The seller informs me by email that it has "a very small dent on the bottom underneath but plays beautifully"! - how serious is this and should it break the deal?

Please advise me in this .. which should I buy .. ?
Thank you, folks.

 

[RoyT]

I have been playing for over 35 years, and for me yamaha saxophones are simply the best on the market. why? because they are so user friendly the keys fit perfectly within most hand size finger spans, they look great and are very durable and they hold there price very well indeed, if you are looking for one that will be with you for good, then the pro model is best a yamaha YTS 62E or a custom 82Z then there are the 875 range great saxophones but you are shelling out for not a lot extra with 875s. i play a custom Z absolutely brilliant sound projection, start with a yamaha 4C mouthpiece then after a year or so move on to a good quility metal mp, you will be on stage gigging before you know it. good luck

 

[Andante cantabile]

I haven’t played any of these instruments. Judging by reviews and reports, all are worth having, but they do not offer the same things. See for example the BW thread on this site and Stephen Howard’s reviews (www.shwoodwind.co.uk). It really boils down to the question of whether you are willing to trust someone you don’t know and whether you know enough about saxophones to make an informed judgment. On the other hand, I would have no hesitation to order electronically from a reputable dealer. Non-performers are identified very quickly on forums such as this.

 

[kevgermany]

I know nothing about these saxes, except what I've read in foums. So read these comments with that in mind.

If you're going to keep it, and want it to maintain value, the Yani is a given, the Bauhaus is slightly more of a gamble. However I'm a little concerned about the blurb with the Yani - sounds like a pro seller, just a little too smooth... If there's a genuine reason for sale, why isn't it given? And if there've been several enquiries, why hasn't it sold? Why isn't the seller splitting mouthpiece and sax? What model mouthpiece is it? You may be in for a mouthpiece as well, if the Berg turns out to be too open. (Not an issue, good beginners mouthpieces are cheap, look at Yamaha and Rico).

If you pay by credit card, you've got a lot of protection if the Yani doesn't prove to be genuine. As for the ding - lots of saxes have them, but without ill effects, mostly it's cosmetic. Would be worth getting a repairer to look at it, check it out and give you a quote for fixing the ding, then you know just where you stand.

If it was me, and there was nothing else to put me off, I'd go for the Yani - because someone else has paid the depreciation AND it's a well established make that's gained a really good reputation. The BW, imho, is still building its reputation - and you have to pay the depreciation. With the Yani you stand a better chance of getting your money back if you need to sell.

How far away is the sax? Where is it? Probably worth a drive to see it. You may be together for a long time...

I echo the thoughts about reading stephen howards comments on these makes.

 

[jonf]

If you could see the Yanagisawa in person, with a friend who plays the sax, I'd go for that every time. If you can't, I'd go for the cheaper Bauhaus Walstein, if you want costs to be reasomable. Although I'm quite happy to take a chance buying saxes unseen (i do it all the time) I only do so if the price is very low. For me, £900 it a bit too much to take a chance on.


If on the other hand you want to get something that'll last you pretty much forever, and you've got no budget limit up to £2k, why not just buy a Yanagisawa new from a decent shop? You could order one from sax.co.uk or Studio Saxophones on line (either would look after you well) for less than £2k and you'd have a sax as good as you'd ever need.

 

[Stuart]

Thank you for all these really thoughtful and sensible responses - much appreciated.
No decision yet - I can see the Yani (an hour away) but not a sax-playing friend to go along - I am slightly worried about this sax because the dent was not mentioned in the advert, only in a subsequent email - it's safer to buy new but tempting to pay half the new cost on the 2nd-hand ..
If buying new then there are those would prefer a YTS-62 - but then Stephen Howard rates the BW M2 above that!
Not easy to make a decision and they'd probably all be fine I know ..

 

[TomMapfumo]

I have a Yani T901 which is pretty good, but for the sound I wanted I had to choose a mouthpiece quite carefully, and also bought the brass crook. If I was buying afresh I would be tempted by the Bauhaus Walstein instruments, but find the Yani ergonomically excellent and light/comfortable. It has a lighter sound so would be better on pop/funk/rock and less good on bluesy/smoky jazz/older sounding stuff.

I appreciate the difficulties of buying unseen, but youshouldbe able to get something decent for the money you have available.
Kind regards
Tom

PS I notice that Sax Heaven in Oxford have a SH Yamaha YTS 62 for £900 or so, well serviced and in very good condition. Worth Googling - they are a very reliable firm. Given your options I'd plump for that easily!

 

[Stuart]

I really appreciate all the responses above and the care and interest shown. No decision yet.

 

[kevgermany]

Another alternative would be to rent one for a while. By the end of the rental period you should be playing well enough to make a more informed decision, and it makes a long trip to a shop to try things out more meaningful.