Saxophones budget soprano saxophone

[berniesax]

followed petes advice and went over to umbrella music at walthamstow to have a look at the altone sop sax ! only to discover none in stock and a power black out ! never mind bring on plan two buy on line untested. the best budget ones where venus and the gear4music range. anyway i opted for the the g4m £178.00 including post and tracking one.
it arrived well packaged and plays well from top to bottom "with my mouthpiece/reed/lig" set up the build quality and finish where better than i expected !
so for my money i am well pleased
cheers bernie

 

[Nick Wyver]

What's the tuning like?

 

[berniesax]

it all seems ok to my ear nick ! and in order to get used to smaller keys i have played from top to bottom with no probs ! but with my personal mouthpiece set up
cheers bernie

 

[Stephen Howard]

Interesting to hear your report on the G4M. I've taken them off my recommended list due to quality control lapses - but it could be that they've got their act together now.

Regards,

 

[berniesax]

please remember that i am not a professional musician but i have been around saxophones a long time and to be quite honest with you i was rather pleasantly surprised not only at the build quality and finish but the even tone and the way it played from top to bottom "my own mouthpiece set up" so for a student sax to amuse myself with for £178.00 post included i,m happy
and also stephen howard is very highly regarded in the saxophone industry so perhaps g4m did listen !
thak you
bernie

 

[Pete Thomas]

but it could be that they've got their act together now.

I wonder if their customer service has improved?

 

[berniesax]

can,t comment there pete but the selling factors for me where the seven day faulty goods policy and the fourteen day trial period either of which needed in my case !
cheers
bernie

 

[Rikki]

Hi Bernie,

What mouthpiece are you actually using. I am tempted to add a soprano to the Bahaus M2 Tenor I have already, but cant quite justify a walstein sop just yet, so would be very interested in your assessment of the G4M

Regards Rikki

 

[berniesax]

the whole soprano thing was always meant to budget all the way ! but i knew thru experience that the mouthpiece and reed that would come included would be cr*p so it was either a yam c4 at around £28.00 or a rico graftonite b5 at around £15.00 .
so i opted for b5 ! which believe it or not worked out cheaper buying from an american on line shop post included ! only downer was the 8day wait but still none the less a lot cheaper
good luck
bernie
ps
for the money still quite happy with the g4m soprano

 

[TomMapfumo]

Good choice of mouthpiece - I used a B7 for a while and it had a good sound. www.rapidreeds.com are the best price in UK for Rico mouthpieces - soprano Graftonite is £15.80 P&P included, and Metallite at £23.40 P&P inc.

kind regards
Tom

 

[RedBottom]

I think there's often too much negative stuff said about cheapo horns. After a quick regulation and set up at my music shop, my Thomann's pretty much OK, give or take the odd loose rod screw or sticking pad. As someone here said, the £200 FEPOS is never going to be the £2000 Yanigasawa, but it plays in tune and I have a lot of fun with it and, for now, that's all I need. When I get the pro gigs at pro rates (yeah, as if), I may upgrade, but until then it's costing me no more and owes me nothing.

 

[kevgermany]

I blew Gladsaxisme's Thomann tenor over Christmas. Not bad at all, especially for the price!

I think the bad press about cheap chinese is well warranted - on the earlier ones, and possibly some current ones. I've had a couple of older through my hands recently. Although they'd originally been sold as student models, they leaked, and had wobbly necks/heavy action. Pads were sticky, and mounted with so little glue that adjustments were impossible without taking the pad out and adding glue. As a result very difficult to play, even with a decent mouthpiece. Not fair on the kids who had to learn on them.

 

[berniesax]

well tom i only heard about graftonte thru this web site ! and for the money there good pieces and imho better than the student yams at nearly half the price !
the mouthpiece and lig that came with the sax where total cack so in this case experiance told me to be prepared
cheers
bernie

 

[berniesax]

trust me to all round the block to buy a mouthpiece ! still can,t complain b5 graftonite all the way from the usa "music parts" post included for £16.54.
rapidreeds for me next time tom
cheers
bernie