Tenor Saxophone for uni student...

[Yanno]

Hi all,
I am currently looking for a tenor saxophone to start playing on the side in a big band.

Being a student im afraid I cannot afford some of the horns available as much as I would like to own one.
I am willing to take on a "project" and anything rustic is welcome- im not really fussed too much about tone and quality of finish seeing as its only a side-line instrument from my alto.

Not to be a snob or fussy- but I do tend to prefer vintage horns as opposed to newish Chinese ones (as we all do!) and I also know that vintage horns aren't cheap- but im guessing by my students income...I will be willing to take on any offers up to £300.

I am also able to trade some of my items in exchange- I do have some selmer mouthpieces that I could get shot of- please enquire if so...
Thanks again
Yanni.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Not to be a snob or fussy- but I do tend to prefer vintage horns as opposed to newish Chinese ones (as we all do!)

Oh no we don't!

For £300 you won't easily get much of a good vintage one. For that money a Buescher Truetone is your best bet, but a bit risky if you are buying on line and it needs work. I'd go for a good new Chinese one, and you won't be fighting with springs and pads or out of tune notes.

 

[wemeetagain]

£300 is a hard budget to buy a vintage tenor, just keep looking at the secondhand websites such as gumtree and preloved as well as ebay. i bought a king tenor sax from america earlier this year as i couldn't find much here in the UK.

 

[kevgermany]

You can get a functional tenor on your budget - may not be a real vintage model, but it doesn't have to be rubbish either. I see a lot of stuff going on ebay Germany that'd probably be playable with little else spent going for 2-300 euros, although it's climbing closer to the higher figure than it was a year ago. Need to be careful, but 50s/60s/70s kit is available. And often good. Diffculty is establishing the condition before buying. And there's usually no warranty... You may also find a reasonable BW for your budget.

 

[kevgermany]

Also consider the TJ & JP kit that people are upgrading from.

 

[Yanno]

thanks guys
The reason I would prefer a vintage horn as opposed to a new one is that I have a Super Tone Master, and when played on a newish horn- I feel the warm tone that the m'piece brings is lost- if I got a newish horn, is there anyway on preventing losing the quality of my mouthpiece- I'd hate to sell the thing though to buy a pricer horn...bit of a vicious circle.

 

[C_Claudemonster]

Hi Yanno, noticed you don't live too far away from me. I just bought a tenor the other week. It's an Arta Guban tenor sax (I posted about it on here) This is a 'vintage' sax as it probably dates from around 1970 approx. I bought it because it reminded me of the one I had at school but I have just had an expensive holiday and need to pay the dreaded credit card off (I sometimes buy saxes on impulse for a bit of fun but never normally keep hold of them as I have 2 already)!
It plays nicely and works all ok. It could do with a check over just to make life easier when playing but it's a nice horn and they don't come up often.
I would be looking to recover what I have spent (which wasn't a huge amount & within your budget) I would also donate a percentage to the forum.
Let me know if you are interested and I can send you some photos.
Thanks

 

[Yanno]

Hi
Thanks for the post,
I am quite interested- do you have any pics?
As for the "how much?" - well times are hard for a student, but perhaps we could come to some sort of arrangement?
Many Thanks
Yanni

 

[Yanno]

Hi again-
Ive been researching the makers Guban Arta- (now im quite curious )
By any chance is it a Luxor Model?
And is the lacquer Silver or Brass?

As I said, im quite interested so keep me informed
Many Thanks
Yanni

 

[Der Wikinger]

This is not the cheapest way out but . . .

They do have used horns. You can trust what they say. they will ship it correctly. I would rather see you pay more than you planned than to see you screwed.

http://www.samash.com/webapp/wcs/st...Sam+Ash+Terms-_-Sam+Ash+Brand-_-sam+ash+music

 

[Der Wikinger]

This is not the cheapest venue but . . .

They do have used horns. You can trust what they say. They will ship it correctly. I would rather see you with a good horn that you can play with no worries, having perhaps paid more than you had planned than receiving a piece of junk and now your money is gone.

http://www.samash.com/webapp/wcs/st...Sam+Ash+Terms-_-Sam+Ash+Brand-_-sam+ash+music

 

[Yanno]

thanks for the link
but i'd rather stick to getting a risk with the money I have.
Thanks again
Yanni

 

[jonf]

This is not the cheapest venue but . . .

The other thing, my friend, is that very few US stores could be considered economic to a purchaser in Europe. By the time you've shipped the horn halfway round the planet, paid import duties, local VAT and handling fee for the tax collection from the local delivery company it becomes very expensive. Even in these days of a so called global economy, for a European purchaser, the only really economic way to buy is within Europe. The only time it's worth it is when exchange rates are very favourable in our direction. I know this as I've imported loads of saxes from the US myself, but at present it's just not worthwhile.

Jon

 

[Yanno]

very true- also, I was looking to buy locally so at least i can try the horn out.
buying a vintage horn overseas- i feel you run more risk of getting caught short? But that may just be my personal opinion.
Thanks Anyway

 

[kevgermany]

Fancy a pre war Keilwerth?

http://cgi.ebay.de/Julius-Keilwerth...ewItem&pt=Blasinstrumente&hash=item2eaef3a494

The seller will only ship to Germany, says it needs an overhaul, but mostly they say that to cover themselves in case you find something they missed. Looks as if it's nickel, not silver, plated, although the seller says it's Neusilber - or cupronickel (never heard of that as a finish before). If it doesn't get too expensive, I could buy it for you, check it out, sort out anything that needs doing, and then ship it over. I'm not sure what it'd go for here - somewhere between 200 and 400, at 200 it's a steal, at 400 it's still a good buy.

These old Keilwerths are top pro saxes, have fabulous sound, but poorer ergonomics and intonation than the modern stuff.

 

[Der Wikinger]

I realize that you don't want to go over seas. However, I have had personal experience with the Sam Ash music store in Tampa, FL. When they take in a used horn they have a technician on site. He completely overhauls the horn, any pads, springs,etc that need to be replaced are. If it is not in great shape they will NOT sell it. You may love or hate Sam Ash music, or somewhere in between, but they are honest and will not sell crap.

 

[Yanno]

The Keilwerth does sound tempting.
But again its the problem of overseas- ill watch and see how much this one goes for, then that can be my bench-mark.
and ill also keep an eye on ebay overseas (overseas as far as germany, spain etc.)
But hopefully this Guban Arta should work out well.
Thanks for all the help.
Yanni

 

[C_Claudemonster]

Hi Yanno, yes it is a Luxor solo model in Brass. I know there were silver models of this sax made at some point. It does have nice engraving on and an embossed bell lip (which is quite attractive)
I'll try and upload pics here if I can but if not may I send to your email address?
Thanks again

 

[jonf]

I realize that you don't want to go over seas. However, I have had personal experience with the Sam Ash music store in Tampa, FL. When they take in a used horn they have a technician on site. He completely overhauls the horn, any pads, springs,etc that need to be replaced are. If it is not in great shape they will NOT sell it. You may love or hate Sam Ash music, or somewhere in between, but they are honest and will not sell crap.

I'm sure it's a great shop, and a reputation for not selling any crap is a great thing. It's just that the economics of buying a sax from the US no longer stack up. It's a shame as there is a great supply of good vintage stuff in the US, particularly Conn, Buescher, Martin and King.

 

[Yanno]

Ahh sounds very nice
if all fails uploading them on, my email is
yannidaoutis@yahoo.co.uk
Many thanks
Yanni