Beginner Saxes Do I add a tenor

[GrahamBaxter]

I am learning the saxophone rather late in life, and I have a vey nice Yamaha YAS62 SGLK.

I know the capabilities of the instrument far exceed those of the owner, but I am a sucker for nice things so long as they tend to hold their value.

I am considering buying a tenor sax as well. I could get a brand new YTS 62-2 from John Packer for £1860. But then I am subject to the "as soon as you drive it off the fourcourt" syndrome.

So I would rather buy something older but lovely. I would consider the likes of a Selmer SA80-2, Selmer Reference 54, Yamaha YTS 875, Yanagisawa T991, 992, TWO10, TWO20 or even another Yamaha YTS62. I do require the instrument be in exceedingly good cosmetic and physical condition since I suspect I will spend more time admiring it than playing!

Since I am not very experienced I would preferably like to have a potential purchase checked by my local technician, at my expense of course. And any paperwork which can add provenance would also be good.

Do you think this is a good idea and do you have any suggestions on the right way to approach this?

 

[Colin the Bear]

The proper question is...will you want a Baritone and a Soprano and several more altos and tenors? The answer is yes, of course. And then there's all sorts of more sizes and quirky stuff. Sopranino, Soprillo, Bb bass, Eb contrabass, Cuesnophone, slide saxophone and then there's the big wooden saxophones properly known as bass clarinets Eb and Bb and then....Oh man...get a tenor and let the journey begin. If you buy smart your collection could be worth more than you pay for it.

 

[Nick Wyver]

But then I am subject to the "as soon as you drive it off the fourcourt" syndrome.

Which is only relevant if you want to sell it.

 

[nigeld]

Sounds like you want a “collectable” sax rather than just a playable one. So how about a good purple-logo YTS-62?

If you want serious bling then a King would fit the bill, but they are expensive.

There are also a variety of good horns made in the second half of the last century by companies that were trying to compete with Selmer.
for example Buffet Prestige or [BGCOLOR=transparent]Grassi.[/BGCOLOR]

Or maybe even something like a silver Buescher True Tone with gold-wash bell from the 20’s - I’ve never played a tenor, but the alto looks and sounds gorgeous.

 

[akirk]

John Packer have a second hand yts-25 at £800 - seems very nice (they sent it to me by mistake instead of the one I bought...) buy that and then have it put through a good refresh...

 

[altissimo]

it should be possible to find a 'low mileage, one careful owner' tenor with a bit of searching
have a look at these listings - Saxophones For Sale Second hand, Used.
and keep an eye on the Yardsale section of this forum. If you've got a local sax tech, ask if they know of anyone selling a decent tenor.
And there are reputable dealers like Howarths or Woodwind Exchange

 

[Tomasz]

Since you're already familiar with Yamahas, maybe you should seriously consider buying yourself a YTS-23 or YTS-25 tenor? That's because Yamaha churned them out by the thousand (which keeps prices down and makes them easy to find) and also because they're very tasty horns in their own right. Saxophone guru Stephen Howard has a review of the YTS-23 on his website, and speaks highly of it. Rightly so, in my opinion. For many players, a YTS-23 is all the tenor they'll ever need.

I've owned two YTS-23s and can endorse them as astonishingly good horns. Their key action is one of the slickest I've ever played - it runs like greased lightning. If you look carefully, you should be able to pick up a very nice example of an YTS-23 for approx £450 to £500. The YTS-23 (or YTS-25) is a real "wolf in sheep's clothing."

Alternatively, visit a music shop which stocks tenor saxophones, play-test some, then pick out the one that really makes you happy and then buy it. Don't necessarily get hung up on brand names and assume you have to buy a Selmer, Yani or Yamaha.. Set yourself a budget (e.g. £1,000 to £1,500) and then buy whatever you really like that fits into that price bracket.

 

[GrahamBaxter]

Thank you all very much for your most helpful replies.

I feel I should clarify one thing regarding the resale value. Its not that I am looking to sell and make a profit. It is more that you never know what is round the corner. So I am happy to spend what it takes to get something special, but I am mindful that one day I may need to convert back to cash. Let's hope not!

 

[kevgermany]

Your approach is good. Look for a nice one, try it for feel/key positions and get it checked out. If you pay a fair price for one of the saxes you mention, it should hold it's value with minimal depreciation over time.

 

[GrahamBaxter]

Just an update on my story. I found a second hand, apparently refurbished Selmer SA80-2. I bought it, with a fourteen day right of return. I have to say it looked absolutely immaculate. I could not find a single scratch, just the tiniest, tiniest dent which most people probably wouldn't notice. The mechanism was nice and tight with no slack, and it was dated 2003, SN6387XX. However, I couldn't play it to save my life. It would squeak at the slightest provocation. I assumed this was my beginners embouchure, and I struggled on with it until Monday when I could take it to my local tech to check over. Imagine my surprise when he found several leaks, and quoted me a substantial amount of money for him to put it right, but recommended I send it back and have the vendor fix it. I was in two minds about that, because I knew if my man fixed it, it would be perfect, but it would cost me. I went home to sleep on it, and in the meantime continued my hunt for another. After about a week I found a Yanagisawa T992. Again almost perfect, again it had been serviced prior to sale. This had one or two tiny scratches, but again you had to look very closely to find them so I decided I could live with it. And it was cheaper; the second hand price being in the same proportion to the new price as was the Selmer. And my fairly small hands fitted the keywork better. So I took this one to the tech and effectively gave him the choice. He did all the same checks and announced he could find nothing wrong with it; it was in perfect condition. So I sent the Selmer back and got a refund. I will never know if the Selmer got bumped in transit. I will give them the benefit of the doubt!
So, I am now the proud owner of a very nice Yani T992, SN 2698XX. Can anyone give me a clue as to its age?

 

[spike]

Can anyone give me a clue as to its age?

I don't know of a reliable Serial Number chart for Yanis. My best guess would be 2003/4
I had a Yani T5 in the 70's. It was my gig horn and got played anything up to 10 hours a day for 4.5 years in extremely hot and humid environments. Solid horn. built like a tank. I don't know the T992 If it's anyway similar for build quality to my old T5 you got a winner.

 

[kevgermany]

T992... Wonderful. Solid, great tone. Lovely colour as well. Might be too refined for some members, but it's all down to the mouthpiece. Enjoy!

 

[Ivan]

had a Yani T5 in the 70's. It was my gig horn and got played anything up to 10 hours a day for 4.5 years in extremely hot and humid environments

Special Ops Saxophone Force, 'Nam?

 

[spike]

Special Ops Saxophone Force, 'Nam?

Not quite - Irish Showband Africa Corps. Me and the bass player regularly beat the Boers at darts in the afternoons in the men's bar at a residency in Margate on the S.A. indian ocean coast as well as at bowls on the seafront bowling green in Durban. Then I think it was early '77 when we were shot at on the way to a gig for the troops in N.W. Rhodesia. We were flown to the gig in 3 Cessna's and the first plane got a coupla hits. The lady in the leading plane's co-pilot seat got shot in the head. Not to mention when a stripper's python got lost and I found it fast asleep in my Yani tenor case. TAB: That's Africa Baby.

 

[Ivan]

Not quite - Irish Showband Africa Corps. Me and the bass player regularly beat the Boers at darts in the afternoons in the men's bar at a residency in Margate on the S.A. indian ocean coast as well as at bowls on the seafront bowling green in Durban. Then I think it was early '77 when we were shot at on the way to a gig for the troops in N.W. Rhodesia. We were flown to the gig in 3 Cessna's and the first plane got a coupla hits. The lady in the leading plane's co-pilot seat got shot in the head. Not to mention when a stripper's python got lost and I found it fast asleep in my Yani tenor case. TAB: That's Africa Baby.

Better than I could've hoped for

 

[Ken_Sturrock]

Not quite - Irish Showband Africa Corps.

Whoa.