day out

philthd · Feb 28, 2008

i had a fantastic trip down to sax.co.uk last week

i know its been said many times before on her but it really is a great place - even if it is in the middle of nowhere in the countryside

very helpful people gave me a room to try baris in for a couple of hours and mostly left me to it (except when i pointed out that a mauriat needed some minor repairs)

some thoughts on all those horns

yanis - play themselves. intonation spot on with no effort, ergonomically very comfortable. hard to fault. couldnt feel much difference between the 901 and the 991 and the 902 was just a bit lighter. not a lot of character though

mauriat - sounds great, looks weird, took a little playing before i felt i had it under control but when i did it really flew. no low A option a nice difference, but then why would you not just buy vintage. i kept coming back to it. felt a little fragile in the long rods,

yamaha - the low A key is just too big. a bit less pure in tone than the yani but precise tuning and lack of character just the same. to me, if i wanted this id get the yani instead

sakkusu - couldnt believe how free blowing this was. tuning very sketchy at the top and somewhat lacking in power. couldnt shake the feeling it would need repairing every 5 minutes after a while. 3 strap rings nice. reduction in price makes up for reduction in quality

keilwerth - yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk. 6 grand of horn? to feel this disconnected? if i were given one for free id trade it in in under a week.

selmer - lovely delecate sound (even when played by me), nagging little ergonomic issues but nothing i couldnt work round. couldnt make the front E play in tune though, which put me right off.

walked away with empty hands, a full wallet and a lot to think about. thank you

Bobby G · Feb 28, 2008

I can't remember exactly which bari's I tried there, I was that thrilled with actually playing one and just loved them all, and it's gat to be left to try them without feeling like anyone's hovering around. I wish I could justify the cost and the space one would take up, so I'll have to stick with alto and tenor for now...

onecat · Feb 28, 2008

thanks for posting that, I am always interested in reading these kinda reviews. Your results are similar to my own and also the general things I have been reading about the different brands. I have never tried a Mauriat though... you have got me curious.

Jules · Feb 28, 2008

As someone who's faced with exactly that row of baritones on a daily basis, I'm pretty much with you on all your assessments. I, personally, like the way the Keilwerth plays but I'm not about to claim its the best baritone out there due to it's price.
You did, however, miss out, in my opinion, the best value bari we've got- The Antigua Winds- huge tone and really holds its power and tone in very high register, plus it's one of the cheapest we've got. An absolute gem. The Student Keilwerth's pretty tasty too.... if you like Keilwerths!
For the majority of folks who come in to try baritones- it seems to come down to a showdown between the Yanis and the Mauriats- smoothness and ease of playing vs heavier action with loads of character. Classical types go straight for the Selmer....

jools · Feb 29, 2008

ohhhhh, two hours in a sax shop (2 HOURS) playing with the toys! Ahh the forbidden bliss. The stolen treasure of that delicious forbidden fruit. With a wallet full of money and a shop full of temptations. WHY, why why do saxes affect us like this?

Bobby G · Feb 29, 2008

Jools wrote:
ohhhhh, two hours in a sax shop (2 HOURS) playing with the toys! Ahh the forbidden bliss. The stolen treasure of that delicious forbidden fruit. With a wallet full of money and a shop full of temptations. WHY, why why do saxes affect us like this?

It's the same with geetars. Well, it was when I was a regular player. Trouble is, you have to frequent these places because no-one's invented the everlasting set of strings or box of reeds so you have to keep going back. They could quite easily invent these things of course, it's a lure to keep you within the orbit of those lovely shiny golden things that of course you need to buy....