Beginner Saxes instrument recommendations for an improver?

[RobatBlueRock]

Told you so ....GAS!

 

[Rock Lobster]

'tis true.
I am going to try out a few different models on Tuesday and hope to come away with a nice new shiney thing

MandyH, Can you tell us on Wednesday what happened?

I tried my teachers Selmer Alto mark 2 yesterday and it felt really smooth and flowing. I was surpised that it did not sound that different to my Yamaha but i was using my mouthpiece and when she used her mouthpiece, with her playing skill, it sounded exactly how i would like to sound! i'm saving now but don't tell my wife.

 

[CaillouSax]

MandyH, Can you tell us on Wednesday what happened?

I tried my teachers Selmer Alto mark 2 yesterday and it felt really smooth and flowing. I was surpised that it did not sound that different to my Yamaha but i was using my mouthpiece and when she used her mouthpiece, with her playing skill, it sounded exactly how i would like to sound! i'm saving now but don't tell my wife.

"mark 2"? Probably Mark VI instead... BTW, never name it Mark "6"...

It's "VI". 😀

I did the trick : last month, I bought my teacher's Selmer Mark VI alto. 🙂

 

[Rock Lobster]

Thanks CaillouSax, will do.

 

[MandyH]

Well, I went down to Bristol, to Trevor Jones, and tried a Yamaha 62, a Selmer La Voix and a Yanagisawa 901. All 3 were pretty much the same price.
Obviously, it's a matter of personal taste, so here are my opinions:
The Selmer had a different, more rounded, sound, but it was a heavy instrument. Also, I found that the keys felt as if they were further around the instrument to the right than the keys on my Jupiter. A lovely smooth action, generally, except for the G sharp key, which felt as though it had 2-stage action. As a result, I often missed the G sharp in the practice pieces that I had taken along to play. I guess this may have been resolved with a tweak, but out of the box, it didn't feel right to me.
The Yamaha and the Yanagisawa has a wonderfully smooth action, were a more comfortable weight and generally I liked them both. There was very little to tell between them and for a while I was leaning towards to Yamaha, until I headed off up into the topmost notes, and I just could not hit the upper E and F, no matter how hard I tried, yet with the Yanasigawa I was note perfect every time.
This swung it for me.

Whether this was the right reason for choosing this one, or whether others would have been swung by the same features, I have no idea, but taking all the features into consideration the Yanagisawa definitely felt like the right instrument for me.

The guys in the shop were most helpful, left me in their practice room with all 3 instruments to play away until I felt comfortable. At no point did I feel pressurised.

The also took my Jupiter in part exchange, which is what I had hoped - it wasn't the best of instruments, well-loved but also well-played, so it wasn't really going to be of any use to me in the future, so I was happy to let it go.

I am most happy with my lovely new shiney thing :welldone

 

[TomMapfumo]

Congratulations!

As the owner of a Yanagisawa T901, good choice! Also John Packer are a good firm to deal with. I recently acquired a medium bore trombone made jointly between JP and Rath trombones in Huddersfield - brilliant!

Hope that you get on famously with your new axe!±
Kind regards
Tom 😎

 

[CaillouSax]

Hey! Congratulations for your new toy!

Enjoy it!

BTW, if I am right on this, I just want to say that the La Voix is not made by Henri Selmer Paris, but by a Chinese or Taiwanese company and sold by Selmer USA. It is really not the same...

 

[TomMapfumo]

You are absolutely correct - the Alto saxes by Selmer at John Packer are all £3000+, different set up. I still think that the Yanagisawa is probably the best from an ergonomic point of view, but not sound wise.

Have a good day y'all!
Tom😎

Did you use your Selmer mpc or one supplied - Yani HR?

 

[CaillouSax]

Maybe one day, I will try and compare Yanagisawas and Yamahas soprano to see what the best for me... If the YSS 82Z will being made...

 

[Rock Lobster]

Thanks for the reply MandyH, Sounds like you have a dream instrument, may you both be very happy together.

 

[Lewis.S]

The Selmer had a different, more rounded, sound, but it was a heavy instrument. Also, I found that the keys felt as if they were further around the instrument to the right than the keys on my Jupiter. A lovely smooth action, generally, except for the G sharp key, which felt as though it had 2-stage action. As a result, I often missed the G sharp in the practice pieces that I had taken along to play. I guess this may have been resolved with a tweak, but out of the box, it didn't feel right to me

Hi,

Wow! I was in the same situation, with the same instruments. I really wanted to get a new sax as I felt it was the best way forward. I saved up for ages and when I went down to Dawkes Music in Maidenhead that I eventually chose the Selmer. I noticed exactly what you noticed except the bit about the G# key. I love it alot.
Check out it's fait a few months later here :shocked:

All the best for you and your sax

Lewis;}

Proud owner of a shiny selmer sax!