Tomasz
Well-Known Member
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I just bought a Trevor Jones "Alphasax" this weekend. It's a lightweight, simplified alto intended for young children. I couldn't really resist because it was in excellent condition (pads were a bit sticky which is easily remedied, but all made a nice "pop" when I tried the action) and only cost £90 - whereas the retail price for a brand new one is approx £400. Can't go wrong for 90 quid...
Having looked it over and held it (haven't blown it yet) all I can say is it's a highly unusual beast - almost alien in fact. If you didn't know what it was, your first impression on picking up an Alphasax would probably be that it was damaged or defective in some way. For example, there's a large tone-hole in the "wrong" place without a key-cup. What's more, two of the LH & RH palm keys are missing - and so are the toneholes which would usually be underneath them. There are other differences, too.
Compared to a typical alto, the Alphasax looks more than a little skeletal. Frankly, it looks all wrong at first. However, suffice to say there's method in the madness and the guys at TJ knew exactly what they were doing. In short, everything is there (or not there) for good reasons. I must say, it's very nicely put together and has a precise, "tight" feel which inspires confidence. I really can't knock the build quality. True, it's not on a par with what you'd see on a Yanagisawa, but it's still well above-average for a student-grade horn. But then that's in sync with the usual retail price-tag on these: they're not cheap if you buy one brand new.
Here's an excellent review by the illustrious Mr Howard which pretty much nails it:-
TJ Alphasax review
By definition, the Alphasax will have limited appeal for adult players, but for young children it's a nice bit of kit. I share my home with 2 very young "money-pits" (kids) who may one day be interested in playing the sax, so I threw caution to the winds and got it on the off-chance they're interested in 5 years or so. Call it forward planning. I just wish I were a couple of decades younger. I had children very late in life, so caring for them is more tiring for me than a man in his 30s or 40s. I was up at 4.00 am this morning with one of them, and let's just say I'm a man with fond memories of pre-decimal coinage...
Having looked it over and held it (haven't blown it yet) all I can say is it's a highly unusual beast - almost alien in fact. If you didn't know what it was, your first impression on picking up an Alphasax would probably be that it was damaged or defective in some way. For example, there's a large tone-hole in the "wrong" place without a key-cup. What's more, two of the LH & RH palm keys are missing - and so are the toneholes which would usually be underneath them. There are other differences, too.
Compared to a typical alto, the Alphasax looks more than a little skeletal. Frankly, it looks all wrong at first. However, suffice to say there's method in the madness and the guys at TJ knew exactly what they were doing. In short, everything is there (or not there) for good reasons. I must say, it's very nicely put together and has a precise, "tight" feel which inspires confidence. I really can't knock the build quality. True, it's not on a par with what you'd see on a Yanagisawa, but it's still well above-average for a student-grade horn. But then that's in sync with the usual retail price-tag on these: they're not cheap if you buy one brand new.
Here's an excellent review by the illustrious Mr Howard which pretty much nails it:-
TJ Alphasax review
By definition, the Alphasax will have limited appeal for adult players, but for young children it's a nice bit of kit. I share my home with 2 very young "money-pits" (kids) who may one day be interested in playing the sax, so I threw caution to the winds and got it on the off-chance they're interested in 5 years or so. Call it forward planning. I just wish I were a couple of decades younger. I had children very late in life, so caring for them is more tiring for me than a man in his 30s or 40s. I was up at 4.00 am this morning with one of them, and let's just say I'm a man with fond memories of pre-decimal coinage...
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