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Sax virgin please be gentle with me!

wayne

Senior Member
Messages
56
Locality
cambridgeshire
Hi just join up ive always loved the sax but never really though about learning to play until recently i did when i was at school play the recorder and could read music although dont remember much of it that was some time ago :))) i have also dabbled with keyboards and my acoustic guitar over the years but not for a number of years so im trying to read up and get my brain back into reading music again i know you dont have to be able to read music that well to start playing i just like to have an idea.

I dont own a sax yet but plan to soon im just reading up everywere i can before i spend my money i dont have a vast amount to spend atm so want to be sure i dont buy a lemon :eek: i`ll be reading the boards to try and find out what ever i can before asking questions.

Cheers wayne.
:sax: love this smilely.
 
Hi Wayne!

Welcome to the Cafe from the Skabertawe 3 button Soprano Sax Collective :w00t::shocked: Glad that you have decided to embark on a career is saxology - once you get one there will be no turning back.

Budget for a sax is a main influence for lots of folks, and you need your head screwed on to avoid lemons, as you rightly say. What is your budget, and what sax do you want to learn? Current discussion on the forum has been whether people are primarily Alto sax or Tenor sax people. It is common practice to get an alto sax first, but several of us have questioned the wisdom of this, which may be more influenced by the fact that they are slightly cheaper and lighter - which may derive from learning sax at school age when such things might be important.

So its a good idea to get a sense of what type of sax you want to play, before spending any money.

There are quite a few reasonably priced instruments out there (Bauhaus Walstein & John Packer are both well thought of); Yamaha, Selmer Prelude, Elkhart and others are pretty good also. I would personally just avoid new saxes around the £200 mark as the price is probably a little too low for a new one.

You can often get decent used(even hardly used) ones at that sort of price, and "Preloved" is an excellent source of used Jupiter , Elkhart II, Earlham and other saxes in that price range - let us know if you have your eye on any one in particular.

Usual recommendations for cheap mouthpieces are Rico Royal B3 and Yamaha 4C at under £25, and soft reeds - 1.5 or 2 strength.

Do ask away if you want to avoid "lemons" - you'll get useful advice.
Anyway good to have you on't board................;}

Kind regards
Tom:cool:
 
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Hi Wayne

Welcome to the cafe,some great advice there already for you from Tom,I personally would say don't go below £350 for a new sax that's about the money I paid for my ELKHART 2 it's been a great starter sax but don't go for ELKHART 100 it's not in the same class but there are lots of options out there so take your time ask again chances are that whatever your thinking of buying someone in here will have come into contact with one.enjoy the journey ...john
 
Hi Wayne, welcome, as always our very learned Tom has given you a very succint reply on how to progress, all i would add is just enjoy the process and welcome to this wonderful musical world of ours.
Everyone on the forum is really helpful and we are all at differing levels so don't be shy in asking advice.
good luck,
Phil :welldone
 
Hi Wayne and welcome. You shouldn't title threads like that - it does some of the older people on here no good at all!
You need to try a few horns first, perhaps with someone who is experienced or a teacher if you are getting one. Or go along to a music shop and be totally honest about your abilities; musos are usually friendly people and willing to help. We all started at that level once! My first sax was Trevor James which one of my sons had played years back. It was a good starter until I felt I needed to upgrade.
Good luck
YC
 
Welcome to the caff, Wayne.

ENJOY!
 
Thanks for the welcomes!

As for which sax i think alto but i do love the sound of the Tenor, bugdet wise as little as i can but £200-250 if i wait i could go up to £350.
I have seen a Artemis mk2 which i had a look at in a local shop it looked mint but im unsure if they are any good?
I could wait and buy from a wood wind shop in cambridge they always have used saxes and have a jupiter 567 in like new condition for £350 is that a good price?

I am also going to find a teacher i know of two local to me already just need a sax first.

Cheers :sax:
 
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Jupiter 567 is a very good tenor sax and the price is very good - I'd go for it given your budget. If it is WWR they are a good shop, too!

Kind regards
Tom
 
Welcome to the Cafe ...

Hey Hey Wayne ... *Sunray waves from nearby in Norfolk*

These guys are "always on the money" with good sound and sensible advice ...

But ...

You may as well Sell your Soul to "You know Who" >:) Now rather than wait until playing the Saxophone totally infects you and you can no longer resist its magnetic attraction ... ;}

Have fun here mate ... :w00t:
 
Yes its WWR oh good i`ll have to take a look soon.

And thanks Sunray!
 
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Wayne, you get what you pay for. Be less concerned about cosmetics (tatty varnish and so on), just make sure it plays properly and there's a reasonable warranty so that when the teacher tries it, faults found will be fixed..... You're getting a good sax for that price - less than a full pro overhaul here.
 
Hi Wayne, welcome to hell on earth. I say that cos now your on the trail of saxophony you'll never be happy again. It'll be "oh my tone isn't quite right, I want to sound like Charlie Webster Davis Atzmond," or someone like that, or "I need a new mouth piece, my one's got a reed stuck to it!" Or even "I need a new sax 'cos my one's not as shiny as ....." I could go on, but your life is no longer your own! Be warned.
Oh, and have a little fun while your at it ;}
 
Thanks im already getting the feeling this will be taking over my life. :)
 
Hi, Wayne welcome to you also. I got myself a teacher and it really does help. I bought my Tenor second hand, you can get a lot more for your money as long as you or someone knows what your looking at.

Regards Mark.
 
The Jupiter in question seems to go for about £800 new, so its a good deal, & WWR know their stuff & are very helpful......

Kind regards
Tom
 
Hi Wayne!
I bought my upgrade sax from WWR a couple of years ago. They people there are great and as TomMapfumo says, they know their stuff, are very helpful and not at all pushy.
Welcome to the forum!
 
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Thanks again :)

As soon as i get a bit more dosh i`ll be taking a look at WWR i may go before hand and take a look around and have a chat. :)

Cheers.
 
It's even worse than Taz suggests.

He notes that some want shinier saxes, there are even guys who want grottier looking saxes.

Commit suicide now and save yourself an awful lot of heartache. >:)
 
I did notice an Elkhart Tenor sax on eBay at about £240 "Buy it Now" - includes Selmer mouthpiece etc. May be worth getting.......
 
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