Beginner Saxes Fremont Luxor Sax

[robtheplod]

Hi All

Looking to get back into Sax after some years off - never really got to grips or get past the basics before as I couldn't find a tutor. I have now found several tutors who all seem to offer similar services. One tutor is offering to sell a Fremont Luxor sax to me for £295, saying its better than a Yamaha YAS-280 (which I'm close to buying). I've tried to find out about the Fremont Luxor without any luck, so just after opinions from those in the know.... is this any good, or is the 280 a better bet (I am a newbie......still!!).. rob

The Fremont 'Luxor' Alto Sax | in Norwich, Norfolk | Gumtree

 

[kevgermany]

Afik these are generic Chinese cheapies. They range from rubbish to ok, more recently ok-ish. If the tutor is straight, then it's probably a good buy.

Better than the yas280? Unless one of the technicians here has had one on the bench, anyone's guess. The Yamaha should last for ever, you'll lose little money on it, but the freemont is very cheap. You'll probably get a hundred back at best when you upgrade.

 

[Justin Chune]

Given the choice, I would get the Yamaha.

 

[trimmy]

Yamaha for me too

This beauty may still be available

For Sale - Yamaha YAS-280 Alto Saxophone

 

[ellinas]

+1 Yamaha

 

[Jeanette]

I've not played a Fremont and given you can't find out much about them means reselling would probably be easier with the Yamaha.

Play them both and see which feels better in your hands 🙂

Jx

 

[jonf]

I wouldn't spend anything like that on a Freemont. They're a brand sold via John Bilham's shop in Norwich, and seem to be quite well thought of. However, £300 for a second hand Chinese made starter sax is excessive. Market price is probably half that. I'd get a Yamaha, probably the one in the yard Sale here, which is both immaculate and has recently been tweaked by a very good technician.

If the teacher pushes you towards it I'd say get another teacher.

 

[Tiberius]

I would not personally recommend the Luxor for that price, although in general, the Fremont brand is excellent.

I have 3 Fremont saxophones (Tenor, Alto and soprano). All my recordings are on Fremonts, also I've included a link of my teacher playing mine to show what they can sound like, the ergonomics are equal to my teachers Sequoia. way better than most budget brands such a Jupiter, but admittedly not quite as good as a Yani.

As described above, the Fremont brand was imported by John Bilham of Norwich and was exclusive to him (I think he's retired now). There were two standards of Fremont. The better ones were made in Taiwan, these include the Rio (silver plated) and a few others. However he also had one made in China, and I'm pretty sure that's the Luxor. It's a different and lower standard to the others. Sadly, he used the brand 'Fremont' for both standards.

Given that you can pick most of the others models up for £300, there seems no point in paying that for a Luxor. (with a Caveat that I have never played a Luxor...I just know what they are)

A Fremont Rio:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/97346875/SummertimejezzMySetup2.wav

I have a permanent watch for them on eBay, they come up occasionally, but usually the alto and I don't want nemore altos (considering I gave the one I have to my teacher neway 🙂)

 

[robtheplod]

thanks everyone..... definitely looking at the YAS-280 (from uksaxhire), although I need to sort a tutor first.. not easy this side of the Country! The mistake I made last time was trying to self-teach, which didn't work for me....

 

[kevgermany]

If you can get the one in the yardsale, it's probably a better bet than hiring. But hurry.

 

[Norwich Sax Think]

I'm just going to chip in here as I am the guy that offered this sax for sale at £295. First of all thank you to Tiberius for correcting a lot of the negative comments about Fremont found on forums - largely by people that have never played them, or even held one.

In fact, here in Norwich (where there are plenty), Fremont Luxors & Excaliburs are highly thought of for their price, and so a second-hand Luxor in good working order will always fetch approx £250 without difficulty. Also, what Rob didn't mention was that the sax I offered him was in excellent condition, had been professionally set-up by me (improved action etc) and came with a 3 month guarantee. It sold very quickly (not to Rob).

From my own experience, I see no reason to belive that one of these won't last just as long than an equivalent Yamaha, and in my opinion - having played sax for 25 years - I prefer these to the similarly priced Yamahas even though I am generally a fan of all Yamaha instruments.

I do wish people wouldn't be so quick to offer their opinions about things they don't know about. They are certainly not "generic Chinese cheapies"!

(PS: I did not 'advise' Rob that the Luxor is "better than" a YAS280. I advised him it'd be better to start-off with a second-hand instrument and that I had one for sale).

 

[Tiberius]

From my own experience, I see no reason to belive that one of these won't last just as long (if not longer) than an equivalent Yamaha.

Mine is now 17 years old, has never been serviced and is still going strong, with no detectable leaks.

My only other caveat to that given above is that they were often supplied to schools, so they weren't always looked after that well. I've seen at least one that was noticeably bent (and the tuning was...creative 🙂)

But as I said, I have a permanent watch one eBay for them. I'd certainly like to try another Tenor just to see if it's as good as mine.

 

[kevgermany]

I'm just going to chip in here as I am the guy that offered this sax for sale at £295. First of all thank you to Tiberius for correcting a lot of the negative comments about Fremont found on forums - largely by people that have never played them, or even held one.

Thanks for chipping in and providing more info. I've reviewed all the comments in the thread, I think they were fair, based on the information we had when they were made. Unfortunately there are many unknown saxes around and we have to err on the side of caution as many are oversold. Also better, imho, that we try and provide balanced advice rather than leave someone with nothing to go on.

 

[jonf]

I do wish people wouldn't be so quick to offer their opinions about things they don't know about. They are certainly not "generic Chinese cheapies"!

??

A question was asked, on a public web forum. People were asked to offer their opinions, which is what happened. As far as I am aware, those who did so have experiences which are worth sharing. Everyone has opinions, and some were shared here. That is, after all, the purpose and value of web forums.

 

[Norwich Sax Think]

??

A question was asked, on a public web forum. People were asked to offer their opinions, which is what happened. As far as I am aware, those who did so have experiences which are worth sharing. Everyone has opinions, and some were shared here. That is, after all, the purpose and value of web forums.

No-ones objecting to opinions, so long as they are informed opinions. Then there are just those that speculate about saxophones they've neither tried nor know anything about, claiming to know their resale value and how long they'll last.

Silence can be more helpful than wild speculation.

 

[jonf]

No-ones objecting to opinions, so long as they are informed opinions. Then there are just those that speculate about saxophones they've neither tried nor know anything about, claiming to know their resale value and how long they'll last. I think this is a very good forum with a lot of good advice from well-meaning folk. But silence can be more helpful than wild speculation.

I assume you're including me in your perjorative comments about uninformed opinions, as I did offer my views earlier in the thread. Well, I am well informed on the value of used saxophones, having sold a large number of them. Whatever you say about the opinions of others, it looks to me that when you see others' views that you don't like, you react with criticism.