Saxophones sax for beginners

[jackbull]

hey there, my name is jack, i would like to take up the alto sax and would like some advice on a good model to buy that isnt too pricey but still good enough to get a good sound out of it, thanks for your time

 

[half diminished]

hey there, my name is jack, i would like to take up the alto sax and would like some advice on a good model to buy that isnt too pricey but still good enough to get a good sound out of it, thanks for your time

Welcome Jack.

You'll certainly get some good advice on here. Could you give us a maximum price to work with, it will make a big difference in what recommendations you receive.

Also which part of the country do you live in as there are some great sax shops dotted around and of course you should always try before you buy if you can.

 

[griff136]

Welcome Jack

if you have not tried/played the sax before you may want to hire a saxophone for maybe 3 months to see if you like it that way if you dont you can just hand it back.

relatively cheap too - hiring for 3 months will be around £50

If you are set on purchasing one then I would suggest dependent on your budget buying the best you can afford considering the following factors:

new versus secondhand - new ones from reputable shops with waranty - secondhand ones could need work.

Resale value - some models hold value others dont.

playability - some makes do not have great ergonomics and take a bit getting used to - mainly on older saxes.

accessories - with a new sax you should get a sling and mouthpiece.

a secondhand one may not have these so if you go the second hand route then take this into consideration.


If something catches your eye the post a link to it on here and youu'll get plenty of advice.

Good luck in you quest!

 

[FastFred]

http://www.saxhire.co.uk/

Hi

The guy above got me started. I bought a brand new Yamaha 275 form him, he gives a free first lesson also. After about 6 months (and outside the agreement period) he took it back and I lost next to nothing, as I had bought another elsewhere (upgrade).

I debated long and hard but I am glad I went for a tenor......

Regards

 

[jackbull]

I live in Bath, which is near bristol, my maximum price would be about £330.00. Any one know if the gear4music sax for £199.00 is any good? thanks again

 

[half diminished]

I live in Bath, which is near bristol, my maximum price would be about £330.00. Any one know if the gear4music sax for £199.00 is any good? thanks again

Can't personally pass comment on this nor the Bauhaus-WALSTEIN that many people here rave about but a quick search on either will reveal many views.

 

[Phil Edwards]

Bit about Gear4music here.. Gear4music

The above thread also mentions John Packer (Taunton) which get good reviews, and I guess isn't too far from you.

There's a JP thread, which goes off topic in the middle, but sounds favourable... Saxophones - John Packer sax

Phil

 

[Justin Chune]

The John Packer student 041 alto is also well within your budget at £229.

Jim.

 

[Lloyd]

You could check out this link http://www.woodwindandbrass.co.uk/a...xophone_selmerparis_alto_saxophone.html#a1676

The lacquered alto is £325. I've got the phosphor bronze tenor and a Trevor James Alto. IMO the BW is better made.

Anyway, have fun looking.

 

[TomMapfumo]

Hi there!

For the money its hard to beat the BW mentioned above - it seems to be more akin to an Intermediate level horn, and would seem to be your best bet under £500. If I was starting on Alto again I would go for one quite happily.

Hanson is another make worth looking into, and there should also be a lot of hardly used ones out there from people who haven't stuck with it. (See Preloved, for instance).

Greetings from along the M4 in Swansea BTW!
Tom😎

 

[Mikec]

I have a Bauhaus-Walstein tenor which I find better than a Trevor James. I've never tried the alto, though. I bought mine from Allegro music in Oxford (www.saxophoneheaven.com). They have a large selection of new and second-hand saxes.

 

[Justin Chune]

If I were in the market for an alto I would go for the BW at £325. A friend recently bought one of their sopranos and he is very pleased with it.

Jim.

 

[tenorsaxman]

Hello Jack. Have you taken the plunge yet?

 

[Gabriel]

Hello everyone! My name is Gabriel and I am in love with the saxo.. Just wondering if this one will do it job for the beginning. Plese see the link.
Thank you.. I'll wait for replyes.!
WINDSOR STUDENT ALTO SAX SAXOPHONE BEGINNER PACKAGE - CASE MUSIC STAND BOOK

 

[ProfJames]

Hello everyone! My name is Gabriel and I am in love with the saxo.. Just wondering if this one will do it job for the beginning. Plese see the link.
Thank you.. I'll wait for replyes.!
WINDSOR STUDENT ALTO SAX SAXOPHONE BEGINNER PACKAGE - CASE MUSIC STAND BOOK

If you stretch your budget a little more you could get a Jericho alto (including a discount via this forum) which has a very good reputation from members of this forum. Search on "Jericho alto sax" in the search box above for more info.

 

[kevgermany]

What you're looking at is a very cheap, unknown, probably of chinese origin. It may play well, it may not. If it doesn't you're going to be fighting it, probably thinking it's you.

Only buy something like this if you can get an experienced player to test it and be sure you can return it if there's a problem. Otherwise the best route is to spend more and go to a reputable sax shop. Or buy used/privately from someone trustworthy.

 

[griff136]

Hi Gabriel, the ebay advert you have linked show a tenor sax and advertises it as a tenor. I would get yourself the best sax you can afford. New and cheap is often worse than second hand and playing in tune/robust.
what is your budget? You can get hire/buy agreement where you rent a decent instrument and if you decide to buy it you can take off the previous payments or if you decide its not for you then you can hand it back.

 

[jazzdoh]

Welcome Gabriel,like the others have said above be very wary of these saxes,they are cheap for a reason,there are better buys for not too much more.
Enjoy the forum.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Hello and welcome Gabriel.

Introduce yourself in the doorbell section.

You may get a better response than you're getting on a thread started and not responded to since six years ago

 

[kevgermany]

Hi Gabriel, the ebay advert you have linked show a tenor sax and advertises it as a tenor.

Odd, it showed up as an alto here. And the link says alto.