Saxophones Gear4music Straight Soprano

[Colin the Bear]

G4M have another one on their site if anyone else fancies one.

LOL !! ..

Thank Colin the Bear for the Bari Esprit - He donated it originally ..

Get yourself a Selmer S80 in a wider tip than you would use on tenor or alto. The Bari is not so good for sop.

 

[Ads]

they sure do £160 + postage ...... agree with Colin aboitu the selmer/bari thing but it`s infinitely better than the G4M Doorwedge

 

[Colin the Bear]

they sure do £160 + postage ...... agree with Colin aboitu the selmer/bari thing but it`s infinitely better than the G4M Doorwedge

If you sign in you become a VIP member and the prices come down £149 +£2 postage

 

[Ads]

+ however much to fix it ................

 

[ProfJames]

+ however much to fix it ................

Do they normally need fixing?

 

[Ads]

Yup ...... I had to go through mine and do the regulation, fix a few bits such as seat a couple of pads properly, lubricate it etc , I was lucky in that there was nothing structurally wrong with it . Colin had to fix his too . even unopened ones will need regulating as the adjustment screws are just loose and have no thread lock on .

 

[Ads]

By seat a few pads I mean correct very minor leaks on two lowest pads by the method used in the Sax Manual (very light bending of the key cup) , it`s not hard but the horn plays so much easier down there after ..

I`d be wary about buying that £160 one unless you`re handy with such stuff

 

[Colin the Bear]

In my experience these ex showroom/display models are returns. Minor faults, set up issues etc. I've had a sop and a tenor that needed attention. The tenor had a loose pad and the sop needed the keywork altering. The full price alto played out of the box and still does 2 years down the line.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Wider tip ? I'd never have thought of that ! Sop I know absolutely nothing about...I tried a daft looking curvy one some 30 yrs ago, that's about it ..

"Daft Looking." How very dare you.

I went for the curvy sop so as to not aggravate the right thumb problem that presented playing an old heavy clarinet and I find the arm position more comfortable. It never ceases to amaze me how much interest a curvy sop generates. It might be the look of a 6'2" 20 stone bloke playing it.

After some surprise and continuing success with a metalite M11 on clarinet, I won a Selmer S80F on Ebay. I've tried the usual suspects, Yam 4c, Bari Esprit, Rico graftonite B5, Rico Metalite M7, Delacore 6, and found the S80 an easy blow with a much better all round sound.

 

[Ads]

Works great on the Yams too - even Jeanette uses one !

 

[trimmy]

Colin the Sop in your hands becomes a Sopranino ! 😱

 

[Jeanette]

Works great on the Yams too - even Jeanette uses one !

Yep love mine on sop but preferred a Vandoren on alto.
I tried loads for sop and this one wasn't too difficult to blow and had a the occasional sweet sound that I wish I could get out of it every time 🙂

Jx

 

[Ads]

Sounds fantastic on the 475 for Baroque and other classical , you could just shed a tear with the sweetness it plays Ave Maria in the upper octave

 

[Vlad]

There's a few of us closet Baroque fans here then...

 

[Ads]

Sops (well ones which don`t sound like castrated Oboes anyway) lend them selves nicely to Baroque ......

I can definately recommend the Selmer S80 mouthpieces for this , mine`s a G, I think Colin's is an F , just avoid the soprano horns , especially the mkVI

 

[Nick Wyver]

Sops (well ones which don`t sound like castrated Oboes anyway) lend them selves nicely to Baroque ......

Presumably you don't think oboes themselves are suitable for baroque music.

I happen to like them.

 

[Vlad]

Oboes are truly great, however probably a cheapo soprano is a bit more accessible for the likes of me 'umble self ...this new one's a great lark, just been playing all the Xmas carols I can think of , ...
gave myself a nasty shock when I thought,'' **** the G is horribly out of tune,''... then realised I had the bell pushed against my leg,,,doh ( what happens when you play lounging on a sofa )

 

[Ads]

Presumably you don't think oboes themselves are suitable for baroque music.

I happen to like them.

What - Castrated ones ???? .. (think Kenny-G`s sound)

 

[Ads]

me 'umble self ...this new one's a great lark, just been playing all the Xmas carols I can think of , ...
gave myself a nasty shock when I thought,'' **** the G is horribly out of tune,''... then realised I had the bell pushed against my leg,,,doh ( what happens when you play lounging on a sofa )

I`ve been doing the same - no more carolling with Tenor for me ! . Last year I used a Corton was which was Ideal as it`s A:- light for a Tenor , B:- disposable (compared to the Pro Yamaha) C:- still sounded great BUT the 1920s-USA style pinkie table drove me nuts and even a Light Corton can give neck ache after all that walking and playing so it`s Sop this year - no need to re-key them for Alto (which is what I was planning)

 

[Nick Wyver]

Hmm...
I don't especially dislike KG's sound - merely what he does with it.
I'd have thought that, if you were after a "sweet" sound, he'd be one to emulate.
How do you castrate an oboe?