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Beginner Sax Used sax advice for uninformed uncle

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Al5454

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Dorset
Hello all,

Firstly thank you for reading this. So I'm looking to buy my nephew his first alto sax as he's started playing and is really enjoying it. Problem is I have absolutely zero expereicne in saxs and therefore dont what good and bad things to look for in a second hand sax. Obviously these instruments still comand a fair cost second hand and i really don't want to buy a lemon. I have come across a second hand Yamaha Yas 25 on a local facebook selling page. I was hoping someone might be able to take a look at the photos and offer a little guidance to how it check out vs the price asked for. The seller is asking for £495. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Al
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The 25 is a good choice and £495 is topsy for a used one. But you need to establish if the seller is the owner and plays and has kept it in good nick.
When last serviced, by who, what did they do, does the seller have the service receipt...
The majority of sellers don't have a clue about saxophones and you'll have no come back should it prove to have faults or need hundreds spent on it.
If your nephew's starting out and the seller is a player ask both to play it from top to bottom. Inspect carefully for damage. Check ALL the pads are soft and clean. Still risky. Better to pay a little more at a recommended retailer. Where are you?
 
You can't really go off looks. It's more about the accuracy and condition of the working parts. The holes need to seal and not leak.

Some horns look beat up but play great. A yas25 will be over 30 years old. I bought mine used. It plays great after a little fettling.

If you have no idea, buy from a repairer or maybe a trusted player.

Good horns turn up in the Yard sale on here.
 
Al5454 said:
Thanks David,

It seems like going through a retailer might be a bit of a safer route. I'm based in Dorset.
Click to expand...
Yes and No. Many walk-in retailers who carry USED saxes still will NOT put them into good, serviced condition, they will just sell in 'as-is' condition. They want to, of course, make top profit on them, so having their repair person spend a significant amount of time on one usually will not translate into top profit.

So if a shop, ask them "has this been fully serviced and put into good playing condition ?"

~ I agree, buying online for neophyte purchaser runs a lot of risks. But simply asking a few questions can ovoid most of that:

1) Do you guarantee the sax is in fully playing condition, and if it arrives and is NOT, you will take a full return for full refund ?

2) are there any significant dents or body damage not shown in the photos ?

3) Looking down into the bell does it look relatively clean down there ? Or is there red or green patina or dark spots or grime ?

If the buyer hedges on any of these, just say 'thanks' and walk away.

Perhaps some other respondent here can suggest a shop that DOES service and clean their used horns before making them available for sale ?
 
Hi,
All of the above posts are heading you in a careful direction.
The truth is, there are enough saxophones, even really well kept used saxophones in your price range (going on £495) to get a used quality instrument with a good discount as opposed to new.
Bearing in mind that a shop has a living to make so buying used fro them is not the best of purchases financially but comes with a degree of piece of mind.

Taking someone with enough experience with you to a private sale is the best situation unless money is no object.
I don't know how far you are willing to travel to find the right sax but I'm nr Winchester and would be happy to view something with you if you need it. I'd gladly give up a couple of hours to help someone on the right road.
Thats a serious offer by the way. I'm not an authority by any means but after 25 years my point is I'll know when potential repairs would outweigh the top value of the horn and some.

The one you have posted about has been used a lot judging by its cosmetics and so what, thats ok just so long as it's been cared for and maintained. Thats the tricky bit with your knowledge unless regular receipts accurately reflect the history of servicing. By which I mean you know they are for this sax (by serial number) and show what and when work has been done.
If it has none and you can't tell an old hard pad from a new one, good regulation and action of the keys then its really not worth a gamble that could end up costing you the price of a re-pad or worse (which would double your outlay).
 
Last edited:
JayeNM said:
Yes and No. Many walk-in retailers who carry USED saxes still will NOT put them into good, serviced condition, they will just sell in 'as-is' condition. They want to, of course, make top profit on them, so having their repair person spend a significant amount of time on one usually will not translate into top profit.

So if a shop, ask them "has this been fully serviced and put into good playing condition ?"
Click to expand...
Fair enough comment, and one which also applied to guitar shops that sell the odd sax - often no-one in the shop can play the sax.

But, at least in the UK, buying from a shop adds in a significant protection. Consumer laws add in a lot more protection for the buyer, both in terms of its legal position and its practical application.

I had a quick look through the retail outlets I know in Southern England, and didn't see much that really caught my eye. One thing I did see was a Yamaha YAS280, a much more recent instrument than the one you've found, for £595. That is in Just Flutes in Croydon, so hardly local to you. However, griff136, who frequents this site (and is a great repairer/technician), works there periodically, and he might be persuaded to give it a quick appraisal. If Griff marks out a sax as a good one, I'd have no hesitation in buying it remotely.
 
Saxlicker said:
Taking someone with enough experience with you to a private sale is the best situation unless money is no object.
I don't know how far you are willing to travel to find the right sax but I'm nr Winchester and would be happy to view something with you if you need it. I'd gladly give up a couple of hours to help someone on the right road.
Thats a serious offer by the way.
Click to expand...
What a good man :banana:
 
Al5454 said:
Hello all,

Firstly thank you for reading this. So I'm looking to buy my nephew his first alto sax as he's started playing and is really enjoying it. Problem is I have absolutely zero expereicne in saxs and therefore dont what good and bad things to look for in a second hand sax. Obviously these instruments still comand a fair cost second hand and i really don't want to buy a lemon. I have come across a second hand Yamaha Yas 25 on a local facebook selling page. I was hoping someone might be able to take a look at the photos and offer a little guidance to how it check out vs the price asked for. The seller is asking for £495. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Al
Click to expand...
@A15454 Whereabouts in Dorset? If your budget can stretch to the 595 for the sax at Just flutes, I can bring it home to Exmouth if it helps.
my mob is 07900805152.
 
Saxlicker said:
Hi,
All of the above posts are heading you in a careful direction.
The truth is, there are enough saxophones, even really well kept used saxophones in your price range (going on £495) to get a used quality instrument with a good discount as opposed to new.
Bearing in mind that a shop has a living to make so buying used fro them is not the best of purchases financially but comes with a degree of piece of mind.

Taking someone with enough experience with you to a private sale is the best situation unless money is no object.
I don't know how far you are willing to travel to find the right sax but I'm nr Winchester and would be happy to view something with you if you need it. I'd gladly give up a couple of hours to help someone on the right road.
Thats a serious offer by the way. I'm not an authority by any means but after 25 years my point is I'll know when potential repairs would outweigh the top value of the horn and some.

The one you have posted about has been used a lot judging by its cosmetics and so what, thats ok just so long as it's been cared for and maintained. Thats the tricky bit with your knowledge unless regular receipts accurately reflect the history of servicing. By which I mean you know they are for this sax (by serial number) and show what and when work has been done.
If it has none and you can't tell an old hard pad from a new one, good regulation and action of the keys then its really not worth a gamble that could end up costing you the price of a re-pad or worse (which would double your outlay).
Click to expand...
Thank you very much, that's a very kind offer. What a great community
 
Saxlicker said:
The truth is, there are enough saxophones, even really well kept used saxophones in your price range (going on £495) to get a used quality instrument with a good discount as opposed to new.
Click to expand...
And it's always worth bearing in mind that the £495 horn on Facebook could easily need £400 to fix the neglect it may have had, you need to be very careful. The All flutes one sounds like a much safer bet.
 
Pete Thomas said:
And it's always worth bearing in mind that the £495 horn on Facebook could easily need £400 to fix the neglect it may have had, you need to be very careful. The All flutes one sounds like a much safer bet.
Click to expand...
Agreed, it's in the bottom of my post that could be the case with a used sax (but applies to any type of sale though less likely from a bonafide music shop).
 

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