Saxophones Eastern Music or second-hand tenor sax?

[lrntp]

I have played the alto for some time and currently looking for a quality tenor sax. I do want to go to stores to try and test them, but since I live in Southeast Asia, saxophone store is something rare here. Also, most stores do not allow play test unless you guarantee them that you will buy the horn. They mostly sell unknown Chinese-made sax that, according to my teacher, plays terribly.

I once bought an old YAS-22, from Facebook, for a price of around 400 USD, which is quite an amount here, only to having to send them to a technician to fix them with the staggering cost of 200 USD. As it turns out, the horn was already in such a state that he can only made it functional and warned me that it may work for around 6-8 months at best. He also told me that if you buy horns on Facebook, you have to prepare some extra money to check them, do some fixings, or overhaul even.

Then I saw Eastern Music, and I read mostly flattering review of their tenor, alto and soprano. It seems that if I contact them directly, I can ask for custom horn at a reasonable cost for my budget, while being made with impeccable quality. Nevertheless, I have some concerns on their metal and whether they are durable enough or not.

So should I roll the dice and buying a custom tenor and potentially, soprano, on Eastern Music, or scrolling through Facebook and betting on the horn's quality every time I want to buy one? They both sounds equally risky so I am in dire need of advice on what should I do now. Any advice is well-appreciated here

 

[eb424]

Personally I would look to a well known used brand. I guess there will be import charges. Depends on your budget and whether theres a local tech. Gear for music have a good rep. Theres also a co here in the ukvthat makes their saxes in China very good quality..https://www.hansonmusic.co.uk/woodwind/instruments/saxophones.

The sakkussu range at sax.co.uk are well priced and they ship abroad..

 

[dexdex]

Hi. No idea how your country handles import taxes. If those expenses are reasonably bearable, you could consider buying from Japanese online shops. They generally have an excellent reputation.
I recently bought a very nice used high end soprano that way. The horn arrived in excellent condition, safe packing, cork wedges and a top setup. I did so as high end Japanese saxophones are rare on the used market here. People seem to keep them forever. For good reasons.
The Yen rate is very interesting, maybe specially against western currencies.
This is the shop:

Tenor sax [Wind instruments › Tenor sax]

Founded in 1938, Ishibashi Music Corporation is one of the busiest and most respected Musical Instrument retail chains in Japan. The company is highly regarded world wide as a reliable seller of top quality secondhand items too. We have over 17 stores around Japan including Tokyo, Yokohama...

intl.ishibashi.co.jp

 

[mizmar]

Maybe find some sax player, local to you, to talk to?
If you have a technician you can talk to, for example or even someone at a gig.
Few, if any, of us know your local market etc. and there's maybe a support network...

 

[PigSquealer]

Any advice is well-appreciated here

Welcome to the Café. The Yamaha is a very good product. Be aware the repairman may be trying to scare you into selling the sax cheap. Learn how to do the repairs yourself. That’s a benefit of belonging to a site like this. People will help. There are repair groups on FB too.
Play the YTS and start saving money for a new horn. At four months you’re still just starting off at age 18. Wait a year then buy new. If you loose interest or life gets in the way you’re not sitting on a new unused sax.

Look up Tenon Industries Company, Ltd. Vietnam. They have a showroom. Buy a sax made locally.

 

[JayeNM]

I have played the alto for some time and currently looking for a quality tenor sax. I do want to go to stores to try and test them, but since I live in Southeast Asia, saxophone store is something rare here. Also, most stores do not allow play test unless you guarantee them that you will buy the horn. They mostly sell unknown Chinese-made sax that, according to my teacher, plays terribly.

I once bought an old YAS-22, from Facebook, for a price of around 400 USD, which is quite an amount here, only to having to send them to a technician to fix them with the staggering cost of 200 USD. As it turns out, the horn was already in such a state that he can only made it functional and warned me that it may work for around 6-8 months at best. He also told me that if you buy horns on Facebook, you have to prepare some extra money to check them, do some fixings, or overhaul even.

Then I saw Eastern Music, and I read mostly flattering review of their tenor, alto and soprano. It seems that if I contact them directly, I can ask for custom horn at a reasonable cost for my budget, while being made with impeccable quality. Nevertheless, I have some concerns on their metal and whether they are durable enough or not.

So should I roll the dice and buying a custom tenor and potentially, soprano, on Eastern Music, or scrolling through Facebook and betting on the horn's quality every time I want to buy one? They both sounds equally risky so I am in dire need of advice on what should I do now. Any advice is well-appreciated here

OK so you already experienced the WORST that can happen buying used, online.

BUT....MOST of THAT could have been evaded had you known the questions to ask and the guarantees to get from the seller beforehand. Sorry that happened to you, it is QUITE COMMON.

guitars, trumpets, drums, etc....not a whole lotta things need revealing if its being sold used, there's a finite range of issues on those.

Sax, different story. So MANY potential repair issues, you gotta know the questions to ask.

So you could avoid a lot of that 'risk' which burned you first time around. Get seller to confirm it is in full play condition, or they will take a return. If they decline, expect $200 plus of repair work on your end, at least.

End of Part 1

 

[JayeNM]

Part 2

Yama 23/25/26 used tenors...have become WILDLY EXPENSIVE SINCE COVID. I chalk it up to late-stage capitalism's death throes, really, but that is reality. Not certain how much a 'deal' a good-playing 23 IS anymore when it costs $1000-1200, play shape.

For that used dollar, there are better used models out there...more refined, quicker in key action, nicer-toned.

Maybe you can find one in your area that is not crazy priced ? Maybe they still go for $750-800 equivalent near you ? That is about what they are worth, honestly.

Not sure where you have sourced reviews on Eastern Music models....but on SOTW there were several and they were far from glowing. They have a mediocre review record there. And I recall a few from some pretty experienced players, as opposed to newbies who gushed about their great bargain but had never really played any of the reputed brands.

At end of day, my recollection was.... they generally slotted in at ...

'well, I got what I paid for...it isn't junk, it has some positive attributes but I cannot say I'd keep it as a main player'....

There ARE a few cheap brands that I have worked on that I can say are respectable and consistent....Jean Paul, and Allora. JP's new are quite inexpensive. Allora base models, the 250's new, aren't 'cheap-cheap' priced BUT relatively speaking they are a really good value, significantly less than a Jupe, Yama, Buffet, etc...and although not quite on par with any of those... really quite respectable. USED Alloras, quite cheap usually,

So...Eastern...you are gonna end up with something mediocre, but you may like it, some owners sorta do. Yama, used, you gonna pay a premium - unless again the insanity of the western market has not bled into your region. But there are some 'in betweeners' there

 

[PigSquealer]

Look up Tenon Industries Company, Ltd. Vietnam. They have a showroom. Buy a sax made locally.

FWIW, This is the Chateau factory in Vietnam.

 

[lrntp]

Thank you for all of your replies. I have decided to wait a bit longer, maybe till August will I buy for myself a tenor. I did not know that there are horns made in Vietnam (Chateau) but after a quick search on local market I realised that a new Chateau horn cost me more than a seocnd-hand YAS-62, so I guess now I will still keep looking for budget horn online.

 

[JayeNM]

Thank you for all of your replies. I have decided to wait a bit longer, maybe till August will I buy for myself a tenor. I did not know that there are horns made in Vietnam (Chateau) but after a quick search on local market I realised that a new Chateau horn cost me more than a seocnd-hand YAS-62, so I guess now I will still keep looking for budget horn online.

Actually a new Chateau alto runs $1200-$1700 shipped from a variety of sellers (dunno about customs charges in Vietnam) ...while a used YAS62 in guaranteed play shape runs around $2000-2500....

 

[lrntp]

Actually a new Chateau alto runs $1200-$1700 shipped from a variety of sellers (dunno about customs charges in Vietnam) ...while a used YAS62 in guaranteed play shape runs around $2000-2500....

I mean in Vietnam, a new Chateau alto cost as much as a used YAS-62.

 

[PigSquealer]

I mean in Vietnam, a new Chateau alto cost as much as a used YAS-62.

Find the showroom and go look. A Chateau with care will last you 20+ years.

 

[Woodpad]

I mean in Vietnam, a new Chateau alto cost as much as a used YAS-62.

In the Netherlands a used Chateau costs 50% of a used Yas-62. But as the best Heineken beer comes from the Vietnam brewery this might change.

 

[lrntp]

Find the showroom and go look. A Chateau with care will last you 20+ years.

If there is a showroom, I would have visited it but as far as I know, it is not available where I live and it is most likely 1700km away from where I live, so yeah, looking for a used Yamaha YTS/YAS 32 from now on. Also, why do you think that Chateau horn are Vietnamese? They are Taiwanese, not Vietnamese at all. Or at least that's what I saw from local online communities.

 

[lrntp]

In the Netherlands a used Chateau costs 50% of a used Yas-62. But as the best Heineken beer comes from the Vietnam brewery this might change.

Really? In Vietnam a good YAS-62 cost around 30-40 mil, but a Chateau alto cost from 40 to 60 mil. Strange how thing goes in other countries, I guess

 

[PigSquealer]

Also, why do you think that Chateau horn are Vietnamese? They are Taiwanese, not Vietnamese at all. Or at least that's what my teacher told me.

Who said they are Vietnamese?? I said they have a factory there. Corporate is located in Taipei Taiwan. That factory makes the pro units. The rest are made in Vietnam.
Contact them to see where a close dealer is. If you want to achieve something make it happen. If someone tells you “no”. Well you just haven’t asked the right person the right question.

 

[JayeNM]

I mean in Vietnam, a new Chateau alto cost as much as a used YAS-62.

Interesting....I would have expected one to be the same availability and price in Vietnam as anywhere.

Is this from an internet seller in Vietnam or a walk-in store ? The Chateau showroom ? An independent instrument shop near you ?

 

[JayeNM]

Who said they are Vietnamese?? I said they have a factory there. Corporate is located in Taipei Taiwan. That factory makes the pro units. The rest are made in Vietnam.
Contact them to see where a close dealer is. If you want to achieve something make it happen. If someone tells you “no”. Well you just haven’t asked the right person the right question.

Well...if a horn is made in Vietnam but corporate hq is in Taiwan....it's a Vietnamese horn.

Also, what is the split where the model is 'pro' vs. 'not' ? There seem to be a few models they make.

Art, 21, 22, 50, 80, 90, 96

What's Taiwanese, what's Vietnamese ?

 

[lrntp]

Interesting....I would have expected one to be the same availability and price in Vietnam as anywhere.

Is this from an internet seller in Vietnam or a walk-in store ? The Chateau showroom ? An independent instrument shop near you ?

It's mostly from Facebook dealers, and these Chateau horns are quite elusive, they don't appear very often. In Vietnam, they mostly import vintage Yamaha horns, domestic Chinese and Japanese horns with unfamiliar names like J. Michael, The Marcato, etc. Sometimes some rare Conn, Selmer also appears too. AFAIK, there is no dealer of Chateau horn in Vietnam, all are imported from Taiwan. They have no showroom in Vietnam and I can't find any information on whether they have a factory or not here