Saxophones The Bauhaus Walstein Sax Owners Thread

[snatch182]

Cool!! That sounds good. I might try that then.

I'd really like the touchpieces changed. I'm not sure whether its more psychological, but the plastic doesn't feel that good under the fingers and they tend to slip a bit when my hands get sweaty (That doesn't imply i have hyper active sweat glands. This time of year gets really hot these days and its the time of year when we regret ever having wall insulation in our house, because its cooking for the whole of the summer)

You might be surprised. But my sax hasn't been for a service yet at all. So the keys havn't even been regulated yet. So it can do with some adjustment. I just generally havn't been that bothered about the action, so felt that i didn't need the keys adjusted etc. yet. But hopefully when i go to my local sax repairer, it will come out even better than when i first got it.

But it just goes to show that this sax is doing well after a year of me playing it nearly everyday. Literally nothing has gone wrong yet. Either i'm really careful (which i doubt) or these saxes are actually really built well and are built to last. We'll have to update again after another few years.

 

[Linky Lee]

I agree, they're built like tanks, which is good, but does make them one of the heaviest tenors I've held.

I agree with the touchpieces, I also find that dished pieces tend to give the impression the keys are smaller, and MOP also holds up better under sweaty fingers. Since I gig the Walstein a lot, it's quite key (excuse the pun).

Sounds like your sax is in need of a service, you'll probably find you won't want/need to change the springs.

 

[Smiffy]

Can't see me getting the Alto or Tenor anytime soon, maybe in a year or 2




*pulls CC out of pocket, and back in again* :erm: :S :erm:

Is it hot in here or what

 

[tolulo]

I`m thinking seriously to buy a phosphor bronze Walstein tenor, and now I`m tempted to buy the new pro tenor Bauhaus, but I have no references of this horn, it looks almost identicall to the P Mauriat 76. I readed so many good thinks about the phosphor bronze model that I doubt about to pay twice for the new pro Bauhaus.

Pete, in the clips , great clips!, you play the new pro bauhaus alto, did you play the tenor? Is the tenor as amazing as alto ?

 

[Pete Thomas]

Jose wrote:
Pete, in the clips , great clips!, you play the new pro bauhaus alto, did you play the tenor? Is the tenor as amazing as alto ?

I did try the tenor, which is now sold I believe, and it was very like a Selmer MKVI (very easy blowing with a lighter but possibly more complex tone than the Phosphor Bronze) but more in tune. I think it looked very very similar to a P.Mauriat.

Different to the Phosphor Bronze Walsteins, which is better? Depends on which one you prefer.

 

[tolulo]

[No message]

 

[sax_starved]

When my family asked me what I wanted for Christmas/birthday (they are within 3 days of each other) I tentatively suggested a Bahaus Walstein Phosphor Bronze tenor. I had thought a tenor was out of my reach until next year as decent instruments tend to retail around the 2k mark, but having read several glowing reviews for the Walstein and got the go ahead from my wife, it would have been rude to refuse.

I had placed an order with Woodwind and Brass last Friday, and what with the reduction in VAT managed to negotiate a cheaper price than advertised. So the sax, Rovner ligature, Yamaha mouthpiece, 10 reeds, silk pull-through and cleaning cloth cost me just over ?500 delivered ? a snip in my view, particularly if it turned out as good as I had hoped.

It has been some considerable time since I have woken up excited but this morning I was like a child on Christmas day. UPS duly bought it well packaged mid morning. Here are my initial thoughts: -

The sax comes in a sturdy case, which seems perfectly adequate for everyday use. The bronze body against the brass keys certainly makes it a looker and is an interesting change from plain brass. From earlier posts I was expecting it to be very heavy but I did not find it particularly so. I have a Neoprene strap and after playing for over an hour I did not feel any discomfort. The one thing I did notice was that the strap was barely long enough; I have been using this for my alto - I don?t know if there are different sizes for the tenor. I also paid close attention to how the mouthpiece fitted onto the neck as I had heard some of the earlier models were a little tight on the cork, which needed sanding. Not so with this one, it was snug but not overly tight.

The build quality seems excellent for the price. I could see no excessive solder; the pads seem to be even and well fitted and there are no visible marks or scratches. There was a little glue overspill on the neck just below the cork which may wipe off, but I am being hyper critical here. The action is smooth although I found that some of the keys were a little noisy when I fingered them without playing ? this was less noticeable when I was actually playing and as it is just out of the wrapper it is probably a little early to say what they will be like once bedded in.

OK, so what does it sound like? There are reviews from expert players to give you a more informed opinion, but bearing in mind my inexperience I can only say how I found it compared to my alto. I started off with some major scales (F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db and F#) and found, to my surprise, that I was squeaking in the same way that I did when I first picked up the alto. It took some while to get to grips with this, and much of it was due to how I had placed the ligature ? I really should have read the instructions first! With a properly placed ligature and an adjustment to my embouchure I started to get a decent sound. I found that I had to relax my embouchure and just ?let go? to get the best out of the Walstein. After about 30 minutes I was playing the scales with only the occasional squeak but I still need to work on this.

I then moved on to some pieces that I had been playing reasonably comfortably on my alto. Starting with The Pink Panther I immediately noticed how bright and controlled the projection was, I was unable to get a growl but that was down to me and is for another day.

The theme from Men Behaving Badly was again bright but I found the top notes a little difficult to hold. The middle and bottom of the range was much better.

The next two pieces were more mellow; Your Latest Trick and a Candy Dulfer track entitled ?I can?t make you love me? from her Sax-a-go-go album. It was on the lower notes that the Walstein really scores and a visitor to the house remarked on how good it sounded. The lower the note the better it performed ? hitting the low B was a little difficult at times (again down to me) but when I got there I could feel the tremor down to my boots ? really rich and dark.

So overall my first thoughts are extremely positive. Any problems that I have found are, I?m sure, down to my playing ability rather than the instrument itself. I suspect that I would experience the same difficulties with a ?2,000 Yanigasawa. I have a new teacher coming to the house this evening and I shall be interested to hear what he thinks ? I may get him to play it to see how it sounds with a real player. It seems outstanding value for money but I shall reserve a definitive review until I have had it for a while.

In any case, Santa has come early and I am one happy bunny.

Lloyd

 

[Smiffy]

Nice one mate, It's a killer for the money, those low notes BOOM don't they 🙂 , keep us informed

the squeaks could be the reed not sitting on the mp right and leaking, try a few reeds

 

[old_git]

In any case, Santa has come early and I am one happy bunny.

Lloyd

I am amazed and disgusted by your use of Santa's delivery service at his busiest period of the year. The elves were left alone and spent their unsupervised time playing with the toys instead of manufacturing and fixing address labels to their output. The direct result of your selfish action is that some boys and girls will be disappointed and might lose their belief in Santa Claus.
Disgusted of Croydon.

 

[sax_starved]

So long as you've got your 'elf; that's the main thing.

 

[TomMapfumo]

I thought you had chosen a Bauhaus Walstein, not this substandard eBay
copy mentioned above 😛

Welcome to the "BW Sax for Present" Club, and hope that you really enjoy it!

Kind regards
Tom 8)

 

[Smiffy]

Please tell me you are back in Wales

 

[sax_starved]

Smiffy, you're right. I changed the reed and that stopped the squeaking. The only problem I have now is the low D, which starts off as a middle D before dropping down to the correct octave. It happens every time and I can't seem to stop it.

My new teacher was very good but I decided to use the alto for our first lesson until I am more familiar with the tenor.

Lloyd

 

[Smiffy]

Early days, you will sort it , I could not even blow it the other day, still finding my way around, it's a whole new ball game from the Alto

 

[DaveW]

Welcome to the Bahaus club Lloyd, I'm sure you'll have a grin on your face for weeks

If middle D plays OK I suspect the problem with low D is you and not the sax. How do you do with low C and B, if you can play those OK then I wouldn't expect D to be a problem.

 

[sax_starved]

DaveW wrote:
Welcome to the Bahaus club Lloyd, I'm sure you'll have a grin on your face for weeks

If middle D plays OK I suspect the problem with low D is you and not the sax. How do you do with low C and B, if you can play those OK then I wouldn't expect D to be a problem.

Absolutely nothing to do with the sax. I seem to be OK with low C and B. I think that I just need to get used to it.

Lloyd

 

[TomMapfumo]

It is a challenge getting your embouchure loose enough to avoid playing middle D when you want low D. It is common to hold an embouchure tighter the more keys you are holding - i.e the more you have to grip the more tightly you grip everything, including your mouthpiece. For C and B there is more stretching involved so you are likely to be loosening things somewhat.

BTW Smiffy, I have happily returned to Wales for just over a week now, so you can stop clenching your buttocks and resume trying to play your Tenor - I am no longer likely to hear you..... just Sharon :cry:

Lots of Love
Tom 8)

 

[sharon]

TomMapfumo wrote:

- I am no longer likely to hear you..... just Sharon :cry:

I've been having a bit of a rest but now I know you're home I'll start playing again 😉

Lloyd I'm still having some trouble with low D but it is getting better - I think it is just embouchure and also breath control/support. As everyone said to me when I got mine - Practice Practice Practice 🙂

Sharon

 

[sax_starved]

Yesterday, after my lesson with the new teacher, I must confess to being a little despondent. I was so desperately bad that I went to bed wondering if I am just not cut out for this. I could hardly get a note out of my new tenor and so had to resort to the alto for the lesson to be worthwhile.

This morning, deciding not to be such a wus, I had another go at the tenor and, hey presto! Low D, no problem. I think the problem was with the alto I could pretty much set my embouchure and then just play without changing it, no matter if I was playing a high or low note. The tenor is less forgiving and I have found that I have to relax my mouth and blow my cheeks out a little for the lower end and then tighten up a bit for the higher. I really enjoyed this morning's session and the Walstein is starting to produce some lovely sounds. Revisiting old songs that are easier to play helped and I think that I am suffering from my old problem of setting targets that are too high for my present ability; I've only been at this for a couple of months after all, but listening to my teacher run up and down the scales without thinking and then playing tunes note perfect twice as fast as me left me feeling a bit of a numpty.

I also think that I may have overdone it on the first day and had praticed so much before the teacher had arrived that I was blown out, but hey, how could I let that beautiful instrument sit there all day and not play it?

As you say, practice - little and often.

Onwards and upwards.

Lloyd

 

[TomMapfumo]

Just imagine if your teacher was WORSE than you! These, and other important insights about sax playing are on a new learner website
www.wotsthee'kinrushtogetlownotes-dude.com 😛

Love and Cuddles
Tom 8)