Saxophones What do you regret the most, either buying or not buying?

[Pete Thomas]

Not for me to nick a Ramen eater's only means of nourishment.

They’ll just have to suck it up

 

[DavidUK]

Regret not buying a full pearl Cleveland Silversonic Tenor. You see... £1,200 isn't a bargain buy so I swithered and that eBay guy pipped me. You know the one, from a few years ago.

Regret selling my first SA80II alto when I "gave up" 5/6 years ago... but...
I picked up another one, engraved this time, as a p/ex against my MkVII baritone so all's good.

 

[Pete Thomas]

You see... £1,200 isn't a bargain buy so

I think it is

 

[Ghr9204]

They’ll just have to suck it up

I guess they can add a continuation to this thread.

 

[sax panther]

A yani baritone for a low orice on eBay, 5 minutes walk from me, as a nice upgrade from my clunky G4M Bari with bits falling off.

Talked myself out of it because of the number of Bari gigs that I'd have to do for the instrument to pay for itself, and splurging £3k on a horn from someone I didn't know. They were selling some Bari reeds too so I bought a box of those.

Got a message from the seller when I paid for the reeds - it was someone in the year above me at uni, so no worries about the seller being dodgy. He was also annoyed that I didn't buy it, as it was instead bought by someone in Serbia so instead of walking up the road with it he had to post it to the Balkans.

I also now have a regular, fairly well paid Bari gig and every time I set up for it I think about that yani that got away.

 

[DavidUK]

I think it is

Not in my world, compared with my usual finds. But that's why I hesitated so my "rules" of what a bargain is sometimes conflict with getting hold of horns on my lust list.

 

[lydian]

Luckily this mistake wasn't a very expensive one, but left me extremely disappointed. I'd read so many accounts of people gushing over the Rico Metallite. I found several for $20 each and went all in. I got SATB ones, expecting to find the holy grail of cheap mouthpieces. They were by far the worst mouthpieces I'd ever played. I eventually sold them all and got most of my money back.

 

[MD0483]

Early in my sax days - perhaps around 2012/13 I went to Woodwind Exchange in Bradford to try some tenors, which included a King Super 20 (? I think). There were a half dozen vintage instruments I tried and that one stood out. I didn't buy it. The shop was killed off by Covid. Probably ought to have bought it.

As a regular customer of the Woodwind Exchange I spent many a happy hour sat on the settee with the complimentary tea/coffee watching Stuart work and listening to the pro sax men who visited. I moved away from the area and was saddened when visiting Bradford I discovered the shop was no longer trading. A truly unique music experience.

 

[MD0483]

It must be 25+ years ago when I first decided to try my first tenor, there was a item on Ebay with the word Martin printed (not engraved) on the side, no other visible marks from the photos. I tried to research via the Martin website but found nothing. As I became more familiar with tenors I identified it as probably a Yanagisawa T880 in excellent condition, often wondered what happened to it.

 

[David Roach]

There have been a few mouthpiece purchases that I shouldn't have made, but then again, too few to mention...😉
However, there are two instruments that passed through my hands that I regret not buying.

1. A second-hand, silver plated Selmer Series 2 tenor that I came across in a shop on the outskirts of Oxford (I think that shop has disappeared unfortunately). I knew it was a great instrument but hesitated. By the time I realized that I should have bought it, it had gone!
2. A brand new silver plated Selmer Series 2 soprano that I asked Howarth to get in stock. Heaven knows why I passed on it. I felt bad that I had let Howarth's down and recommended it to a student at the RNCM who bought it.
This was in the early 00s when I already had Series 3s: surprisingly, both horns were echt examples of what the Series 2 could be like. It's weird, but I remember the still, small voice in my head saying, yeah, you should get these, which I ignored, I still regret not buying them.

 

[jcn664]

I regret to lost one alto F besson prototype,
Pratically, i missed soprillo for 3800€
But i call, i ask, and i talk with eppelsheim employee, and it sold me soprillo for 4800€ in second hand,
Not expensive for that,

I missed one days curved sopranino (1100€) and buescher tipped bell for (3800€) but i have curved sopranino now but after 10 years to search one (orsi), i have buescher tipped bell too but for 5500€ and not 3800€,

I regret that but not totally regret because finally, i find and paid one after

Oh yes, i missed conn F mezzo soprano gold laquered for 7800€, i paid my conn f mezzo soprano silver plated and gold wash bell for 11500€ with global tax, and i missed original conn f mezzo soprano mouthpiece for 1000$

I missed cool c melody buffet crampons and Jérôme thibouville,

But it's not interesting for you, because you don't play that, or you don't interesting by this old horn,

But now, my favorite horn and that i play everytime, my first sax on jam, and performance is really my conn f mezzo soprano, Best horn was ever made....

With couesnon alto low A and High G and buescher daisy gold,

 

[Spiderjames]

Selling my YTS-21. Not the horn necessarily, but it had a mid 70s Tone Edge in the case.🙁

 

[jcn664]

Why you sold it

Selling my YTS-21. Not the horn necessarily, but it had a mid 70s Tone Edge in the case.🙁

 

[Ghr9204]

Selling my YTS-21. Not the horn necessarily, but it had a mid 70s Tone Edge in the case.🙁

Why you sold it

I think he means that he sold his Yamaha student model YTS-21 tenor sax but forgot to remove the prized Otto Link Tone Edge mouthpiece before he sold it.

 

[jcn664]

I think he means that he sold his Yamaha student model YTS-21 tenor sax but forgot to remove the prized Otto Link Tone Edge mouthpiece before he sold it.

OK i understand now

Selling my YTS-21. Not the horn necessarily, but it had a mid 70s Tone Edge in the case.🙁

Wait you don't look in case before the Selling ??
I'm sorry for you,

 

[Spiderjames]

At the time I didn't know anything about vintage mouthpieces. Didn't even cross my mind to save it.

 

[jcn664]

At the time I didn't know anything about vintage mouthpieces. Didn't even cross my mind to save it.

Don't worry, you will find another great thing, i think, and New good opportunities, just wait and see

 

[Ghr9204]

At the time I didn't know anything about vintage mouthpieces. Didn't even cross my mind to save it.

Maybe ttime to look into purchasing a PPT mouhpiece? 😉

 

[eb424]

We don't go there.... We STOP IT!

How often is it that one of our distinguished established experts (yourself included) attempts to explain to a noob that what they are doing is wrong and how to correct, and they act just like Kathryn Beakman in the Bob Newhart sketch, just don't get it?

They might as well be talking to a stone wall?

Stoppings much harder than starting huh..

 

[eb424]

View attachment 31958

Bad advice...got so many of those signs..what to do with them all??