TJ or Yamaha or Hanson for a beginner.

[Chris98]

Hello,

I have played the guitar for many years and have always wanted to learn to play the alto sax, and so have decided that I should get on and do it now rather than do the classic and wait for the right time. Having learnt the guitar (well still learning really) I appreciate the benefit of getting a good instrument first time round rather than get frustrated.


I would be most grateful for any advice on all three brands, and if people advise me to go with Hanson, I could stretch to the SA-8-V if there is particular praise for this model.

Many thanks in advance,

Chris.

 

[gordonc]

I've got a Hanson SA5 Chris and I love it. Haven't played the SA8 but there are lots on the forum here who have.

Where do you live? Hanson will usually let you visit and try out the various options before you buy.

It all depends on how you want to use your budget. The SA5 will be more than adequate for you to begin with I would have thought. The mouthpiece that came with mine was rather basic so I upgraded to a Selmer C80 almost immediately - with a much better sound and feel. You might want to go along the SA5 route and spend your extra pennies on a better mouthpiece, a sax stand, some lessons ...... etc ....etc

Good luck - whatever you choose.

Gordon

 

[philthd]

phil's 2p

my favourite thing about yamaha is that their sound is fairly neutral so depending on the piece you stick on it and the way you play you can get a broad range of tone. in my experience the consistancy build quality of the 275 has been in a gentle decline since they moved production - and a good condition second-hand 25 would be cheaper and better. ive found this problem with yamaha audio equipment as well - the top end is still well made but they seem to be letting standards slip a little for their cheaper products.

tjj saxophones to me play like horns made by a flute manufacturer. i know a lot of people who play on them and love them, and they play pretty well, but they have a classical feel and struggle to be a jazz sax, much less an r&b sax or a rock sax. it is hard work to make them howl. if this doesnt bother you, they may still constitute a good choice.

ive never tried a hanson, but ive heard nothing but good things from people who own them, not least on this site.


heres where everyone tells you im wrong

 

[tengu01]

Tengu's 2p

For a beginner, I am quite sure that all of the brands mentioned are perfectly adequate.

I am not sure I agree with PhilD's assessment of TJJ saxophones though. I bought a "Classic" tenor saxophone and with a decent mouthpiece I made it roar and howl just fine.

For a complete beginner, perhaps these aren't the most important considerations. I would be more focussed on decent intonation and robustness. The rest will come with time and practice.

I can speak for Yamahas and Trevor James saxophones because I have played both and they are fine student saxophones. Hansons I only know by reputation and by all reports, they are also fine and come with a wonderful sales/aftersales service

I recommend the following - set your budget, take a look at what you can afford and then go for it. Get a teacher. Practice your butt off. In that order

🙂

 

[frankb]

tengu01 wrote:
I recommend the following - set your budget, take a look at what you can afford and then go for it. Get a teacher. Practice your butt off. In that order

🙂

If I might suggest a slight amendment (from my lofty position of knowing nothing whatsoever! 8| )

Set your budget. Take a look at what you can afford. Get a teacher. Go for it from a vendor with a good reputation and returns policy. Get your teacher to look your purchase over, test play it for you and confirm that it's a good 'un (and exchange it if it isn't). Then practice your butt off.

My 1.5p (inflation is a b1tch!) 😉

 

[philthd]

tengu01 wrote:
For a complete beginner, perhaps these aren't the most important considerations. I would be more focussed on decent intonation and robustness.

yes and no
i wouldnt want to buy a sax as a beginner and then have it slowly dawn on me a couple of years later that it doesnt really suit me, or isnt as good as i thought it was, and have to upgrade.
you should buy the best horn you can afford, but you shouldnt think that "best" is anything other than a subjective term.
the right beginner sax for a person can last them right up until they want a pro sax, without fannying about with different levels of intermediacy

 

[Saxlicker]

Another vouch for yamaha here!

Never played or seen a hanson in the flesh. No comment.

Tried two TJ's...vastly different! One good one terrible (could have been a set up thing?)

Have owned 3 yamaha's, tried loads ...all good!

 

[Pete Thomas]

IMO the Hanson compares very favourably to both the TJ and Yamaha - even the more expensive TJ Signature and YAS 62s. Definitely worth trying a Hanson.

 

[tengu01]

philthD wrote:

tengu01 wrote:
For a complete beginner, perhaps these aren't the most important considerations. I would be more focussed on decent intonation and robustness.

yes and no
i wouldnt want to buy a sax as a beginner and then have it slowly dawn on me a couple of years later that it doesnt really suit me, or isnt as good as i thought it was, and have to upgrade.
you should buy the best horn you can afford, but you shouldnt think that "best" is anything other than a subjective term.
the right beginner sax for a person can last them right up until they want a pro sax, without fannying about with different levels of intermediacy

Fair enough, but let's go back to the original question. The question was which of the three saxophones mentioned would be a good one. Part of being a beginner is starting on a beginner horn and when you advance to a certain point then you can think of moving on. In terms of which of the mentioned saxophones is the "best", I have had positive experiences with 2 and heard only good things about the third. From my evaluation of the three, the only one thing which makes the Yamaha stand out from the others would be its resale value as a well known brand.

 

[Linky Lee]

No, I think being a beginner you do not, I repeat do not want a beginners horn.

Where is the sense in adding more problems to what you are already going to have to overcome.

You want the best horn your money can buy.

Now a Yamaha YAS275 may be a beginners horn, the difference is if they play like one or not.

The question should be; which horn is more consistent?

I don't think you can say that either one of those horns are better than either of the others.

I would go as far as to say, they are all different and respond and feel different. Which ever one feels the most natural to play is the 'best' one for you.

The best thing to do is to get all three side by side and play/hold them. Unfortunately that's hard with the Hanson as they aren't in the shops, so to speak.

I can't say the same for the others, the TJJ is noticeably better with their custom line, and the Yamaha with the 62.

For that reason I'd say the Hanson was the best, though if you suit any of the others, that's what you should invest in.

I've had my Hanson SA-8-24K-F for almost 2.5 years now.
In all that time, I haven't found a 'better' alto sax for under double the price.
I've actually had problems with it's intonation, and still do. Though this is due to set-up and is specific to my saxophone.

Their after sales has been great and we're gradually sorting out the problems.

I recommend that you take yourself down to Hanson and try one of their saxes after trying the Yamaha and TJJ at a local music store. Take your card as well, as I think if you're travelling down to them you don't want to have to go back a week later once you've made up your mind to buy one, you can make sure you get the exact one you played as well this way.

Follow your instincts. If you are slightly less keen on one because of it's looks, you'll probably want to change it earlier, or won't be inspired to play it as much, or look after it that well.
It's all about the one that makes you feel great.

We only play our best when we're confident and happy.

 

[Chris98]

Hello,

Many thanks for all the responses so far, your advice is incredibly valuable to me. I am in that lovely position of burbling excitement tinged with natural apprehension about the prospects of getting and learning the sax.

There is another reason why I wish to make the best decision possible, the money I am going to invest in the sax is my inheritance from my grandfather, and so I would like to get something that is going to be with me a long time as I develop my abilities, not something that two, three years down the line I feel I need to replace.

I understand all the opinions are going to be subjective, which is the great thing about forums and that in reality all three manufactures offer good instruments. Once I have learnt enough to start playing in a particular style it will be, blues/jazz as opposed to classical, would that suggest a leaning to one brand or another?



I have to admit that the whole saxophone area is both exciting and confusing, trying to build an understanding of the instrument, how one differs from another, reeds, reed strength and the different mouthpieces, it seems like so many variables contribute to finding the right sax set up that perhaps it is unfair to ask which would be most suitable.

Again many thanks,

Chris

 

[Linky Lee]

It is the life work of a saxophonist to find the combination of those things you mentioned to be able to express themselves the most effectively and easily.

An option you can go for is the SA-5 with the Upgrade to S80 or whatever mouthpiece (I'd recommend the Otto link for a warmer jazzier sound). This will certainly bridge the gap between the SA-5 and the SA-8 and could well last you 10 years or more!

I had my first flute for about 8 years, then it was stolen and got the model up somehow through the insurance! And that's it.
It's a nice instrument and does the job. I'm going off to university to study music and it will serve me well as long as I service it annually.
It's only a Yamaha YFL311, about the equivalent to the YAS475 saxophone.

I think the biggest factor on which saxophone you should get is how it feels under the fingers and hanging from your neck.
The sound can be changed with mouthpiece and reed so much that I think it's unwise to buy a saxophone that is inferior in mechanics even if it sounds marginally better.
If the difference is huge, then sure but I doubt there will be much there and starting off it won't be as noticeable.

I can tell you the Hanson is heavier than the others.
You may like that or not, I don't find it too heavy, it's an alto anyway so not crazy like a baritone! and it gives me a feeling of security and confidence in the keywork (which is where most student saxes have shortages, bracing and keywork).

That's another reason I'd lean towards a Hanson.

You will find out in time, that the player has the greatest control over tone, and that all in all he/she creates it and the sax/mouthpiece/reed colours it.

It's much more cost effective to practise 30minutes a week of long tones properly trying to mimic the tone of professional players, rather than buying a new (expensive) set-up.

It'll improve your playing in all areas as well, new equipment isn't going to do anything for your playing.

 

[jambo]

If your thinking about Trever James and Yamaha's, I would seriously look at this web site.

www.saxhire.co.uk

I got my first sax from this guy. If you collect it he will give you a free lesson. Also, his prices on TJ's and Yamms are much better than in another places I have found.

p.s He has all the different finishes for the TJ's too

pp.s I have owned both, and I preferred the Yamaha (but then, the T'J I had was a bit faulty)

 

[old_git]

Chris,
Being a geriatric, I choose to consider a further principle, how could I best support the British economy.
Trevor James are designed over here and manufactured in the Far East, and serviced in Maidstone or Lenham, Kent.
Hanson share the same concept and eventually got my vote and cash owing to their very friendly accessibility .
Having said that, I have owned a Yamaha motorcycle. Good bit of kit it was too.
Mind you, I would have doubts about taking advice from a nutter who takes up tenor five weeks before his seventieth birthday. 🙂

 

[nick_cook]

Thanks for that recommendation for www.saxhire.co.uk, Jambo. I'm probably going to get my sax from there as he's local to me.

 

[jambo]

Ah thats good.

I've mentioned it in here a couple of other times, but no-one seemed to really take much notice 😛

Hes a really friendly guy, and a great teacher too (I can tell that just from the 30mins I had with him when I bought my Sax)

 

[Chris98]

Hello,




All the best,
Chris.

 

[Linky Lee]

I don't know exactly what this high F# key is, but I can happily go past it into the altissimo no problem.

If the Hanson doesn't have it, you don't need it.

Also I think 475 isn't a big enough improvement over the 275 for the extra cost.

I think it's worth spending the extra on the SA-8 though (If you get the Vintage finish) as it will more than suffice for years and years.

 

[Rogerb]

I stayed at a very comfortable and reasonably-priced B&B near Hanson last year, and I could give details to anyone interested.
The owners are both musicians & teachers, and know Alastair so you'd have empathetic hosts!

 

[Saxlicker]

hi Chris,
(I think you're talking about the side f# key?)
You don't need it.
Its not giving you an extra note, just another alternative finger pattern to play the top F# whilst using the palm keys.

My yamahas have it and it makes for simple fingering once you have played say a top D then F and you need F# next.
You don't change shape, you just bring in an extra finger to operate the F# key.

However if you don't have this key your whole shape changes from playing any preceding note such as the top D, E and also F.
Needing to move away from the palm keys and back onto the front keys operated by the left hand so there is more to think about initially.
In the long run when you have learned to play front F# this sets you up better for extending to altisimo G, G# e.t.c.

It may be easier to have it to start with but you're only putting off the inevitable.