Saxophones Saxophone Recommendations New or Used Under $1500?

[Crevy]

Can you explain what this means?

Seesaw mechanism from low C# to Bflat to C# isn't on the 280

 

[Pete Thomas]

Seesaw mechanism from low C# to Bflat to C# isn't on the 280

What does it actually do? I don’t think I’ve ever had that, is it important

 

[Crevy]

What does it actually do? I don’t think I’ve had had that, is it important

These guys do a really good job with the differences between the 280, 480 and 62

View: https://youtu.be/JXQAnmLINjQ?si=6nVJQpU1K_0ejSwS?t=3m28s

 

[DavidUK]

What does it actually do? I don’t think I’ve had had that, is it important

phmusicshop.at

phmusicshop.at

See 2nd pic in link.
Now you know. 😳

 

[Pete Thomas]

phmusicshop.at

phmusicshop.at

See 2nd pic in link.
Now you know. 😳

A sliding ball! I’ve managed OK without one so far.

 

[mizmar]

Seesaw mechanism from low C# to Bflat to C# isn't on the 280

I have a 280 alto, perfectly fine C# to Bb playing.

Assuming you're beginner and at your price point, your priority should be a horn in good working order, that will stay in good working order. No leaks, sound set-up, hinges etc. It takes some experience to know that a problem is the horn and not you.
I rather suspect that is the basis for most peoples advice.

Almost no YouTube reviews say anything about reliability in the medium term. It's a bit bad.

 

[wakyct]

A list of good used sax shops in the USA would be EXTREMELY helpful!

Probably worth its own thread if there isn't one already, off the top of my head I would look at

https://pmwoodwind.com/
https://www.saxquest.com/
https://www.jlwoodwindrepair.com/
2ndending was already mentioned
https://www.brassandwinds.com/
junkdudemusic | eBay Stores (he also has a Reverb)

If you search on Sax on the Web there are some threads about this as well.

As I look at the current stock for those shops, everything is priced above your budget -- it might be a tight time to buy with the beginning of the school year? And some of those are higher end shops too.

 

[progger]

A list of good used sax shops in the USA would be EXTREMELY helpful!

What part of the US are you in? There are, unfortunately, fewer saxophone shops in this country every year. Barely any left.

I agree that avoiding the Jean Paul in favor of a used Yamaha is probably a very solid idea... Chinese horns are getting better but there are so many good used saxophones out there, many for very reasonable prices, I wouldn't dream of buying a new horn from a company that doesn't have a long-established track record.

@JayeNM has good perspective on which affordable Taiwanese horns, for example, might be worth investigating, like Jupiter.

 

[Crevy]

Probably worth its own thread if there isn't one already, off the top of my head I would look at

https://pmwoodwind.com/
https://www.saxquest.com/
https://www.jlwoodwindrepair.com/
2ndending was already mentioned
https://www.brassandwinds.com/
junkdudemusic | eBay Stores (he also has a Reverb)

If you search on Sax on the Web there are some threads about this as well.

As I look at the current stock for those shops, everything is priced above your budget -- it might be a tight time to buy with the beginning of the school year? And some of those are higher end shops too.

Thanks, I had actually found and looked at those earlier but came to the same conclusion as you. There's really not much out there.

 

[Crevy]

What part of the US are you in? There are, unfortunately, fewer saxophone shops in this country every year. Barely any left.

I agree that avoiding the Jean Paul in favor of a used Yamaha is probably a very solid idea... Chinese horns are getting better but there are so many good used saxophones out there, many for very reasonable prices, I wouldn't dream of buying a new horn from a company that doesn't have a long-established track record.

@JayeNM has good perspective on which affordable Taiwanese horns, for example, might be worth investigating, like Jupiter.

Out of the Florida/Georgia area.

 

[Crevy]

Looks like Facebook Marketplace has a few options, I've never shopped through FB though. 🤔

 

[skeller047]

Seesaw mechanism from low C# to Bflat to C# isn't on the 280

Pay no attention to these kinds of things. On alto especially they make no difference in playability.

I have owned 5 altos in my life (I know I’m a piker compared to some here). Only one of them had the seesaw low Bb - which was introduced by Selmer on the Mark VI and has since become the defacto standard. But none of my other altos, including the 3 I currently own (I sold my Mark VI to buy a SBA) have this and they are all just fine to play.

The same kind of thing applies to inline keys vs. right hand offset. And high F# key. And ribbed vs. post-to-body. And just about everything else.

The only key construction issue that affects playability is right side vs left side bell keys. On the older horns, with bell keys on the right (player’s left), the low C# can be kind of stiff to play. This can be addressed by a good tech. On tenor it’s not such a big deal. Interestingly on my two tenors that I currently own, both have the seesaw low Bb (one is a Mark VI). My first tenor, a Buescher, did not. I played that in a funk band, so lots of low C#s. No issues.

 

[jonf]

Looks like Facebook Marketplace has a few options, I've never shopped through FB though. 🤔

I don't know about the US, but in the UK Facebook Marketplace is one of the riskiest places to buy any commodity, including but not limited to saxophones. It's a totally unregulated marketplace with lots of counterfeit and stolen items. A highly experienced buyer may be able to navigate this safely (although personally I never buy anything from FB) but it is a high risk strategy for someone buying their first sax.

 

[DavidUK]

Looks like Facebook Marketplace has a few options, I've never shopped through FB though. 🤔

As Jon says... dangerous. I've learnt its nuances and have bought many horns there. As a newbie to FBM you MUST go see them, no postal buys, AND take an experienced player/DIY tech with you.
I've bought minty student Yamahas for a few hundred pounds there and perfect 62s for well under £1,000 but beware there are plenty of sellers who know nothing about what they're selling.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Is this see saw Bb thing called a tilting table?

The Thomann as580 has it. It's a yas62 copy. I use mine for busking and rainy parades because it was cheap. Despite it being cheap it has good intonation, a lovely action and a flexible tone. Bought in 2022 and still plays great top to bottom.

I can't seem to find a link

TAS580GL. £569 Inc VAT

 

[Crevy]

Thoughts on a vintage Buescher Aristocrat 140?

 

[jonf]

Thoughts on a vintage Buescher Aristocrat 140?

Not a lot to say on a 70 odd year old sax without description and context. Is it in warranted perfect playing condition? Or a non-player on eBay? If it's the former, it could be a nice sax, although probably not the best for a beginner. If the latter it could (probably will) be a money pit.

For a first sax, I really would recommend something modern, from an established brand with a good reputation, bought from a proper music shop, with a warranty.

 

[Crevy]

Not a lot to say on a 70 odd year old sax without description and context. Is it in warranted perfect playing condition? Or a non-player on eBay? If it's the former, it could be a nice sax, although probably not the best for a beginner. If the latter it could (probably will) be a money pit.

For a first sax, I really would recommend something modern, from an established brand with a good reputation, bought from a proper music shop, with a warranty.

Well, they're obviously a well known maker or used to be. I'm just inquiring about it. It's on Reverb. I'm more interested in tone, then probably anything else. If I have to wait a little bit of extra time in the future, if I need it to be serviced, I don't mind that wait, if it means I'm going to get a great tone. I feel like Yamaha as great of a company as it is, and I own many of their products and rave about them. I feel like that they are, or may be more along the lines of say, an Ibanez guitar when it comes to tone. As for guitar I own a few Ibanez, and they're great guitars, but if you want tone, I recommend going with a Fender Stratocaster, Telecaster or a Gibson Les Paul. There's great tones in a lot of other guitars, but those three are the main core and any guitarist worth their salt will tell you that.

Something I came across that caused me to look for this sax:
"Buescher Aristocrat
Best for: A warmer, classic, "round" jazz and blues tone.
Historical context: Models made before 1960 are highly regarded by professional players and can often be found for under $1,000. These horns are known for their exceptional tone quality."

Just some thoughts.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Something I came across that caused me to look for this sax:

Well I play a Buescher alto (400). I have owned and played many many different altos including Selmer and Yamaha (was an endorser for Yamaha when I made their instruction DVD). My advice would be to only get a vintage horn if you can have it checked by an expert before buying. There is no magic “this will have a great tone because it’s Buescher” it doesn’t work like guitars. I’d recommend a Yamaha from a reputable source (I’m not an endorser any more)

 

[Colin the Bear]

The saxophone tube is made in many separate parts soldered together. The mounting posts are soldered to the tube.

Does solder last 70 years? Not in all cases.

There's cork, leather and felt involved. All perishable. Then there's wear and tear to consider. If it's a good saxophone it will be well gigged and worn. If it's been sat in a loft unplayed it'll be mouldy, full of mildew rust and rot. Might polish up nice but won't play.

Would you be looking for a 1950's barn find car to go travelling in.

Bear in mind that when starting out, we all sound terrible for quite a while. Fog horn tone, honks, squeaks, intonation all over the place.

A great player can make a dog sound great. A new player can make a GOAT sound terrible.