Beginner Saxes Yamaha YAS-280 or Selmer AS32

[gruskada]

I know they are not necessarily in the same league, but they would end up being close in price for me, as the store we are currently renting from carries the Selmer AS32, and we get a large rental credit if we buy from them. I've read a lot of good things about the Yamaha YAS-280. I am a bit concerned that we would only get a 1 month return period if bought from Amazon ( YAMAHA YAS-280 Saxophones Student Alto saxophones:Amazon:Musical Instruments ), as the seller told me that the normal 1-year warranty can only be honored in Japan. It's apparently only normally sold outside the USA. Not sure where else to buy it.

The Selmer would have a warranty, though it looks like this model was discontinued. Also, it seems to be an odd combination of a super expensive mouthpiece and neck, and lighter/cheaper? body construction (post to body vs. ribbed), though it does have blue steel strings.

How important is the warranty? How well is it honored by both companies? I've never had to make a warranty claim before on anything - things usually break on me right after the warranty is up 🙂

I'm also concerned about the resale value of both - does one brand/model generally sell better than the other?

I'd love to hear any opinions - thanks.

 

[kevgermany]

YAS 280 is sold worldwide. Sounds like a grey import if no warranty.

Buy from a local store if you can. Keeps them in business, but better still there's someone to ask for help. Ideally the store should give the sax a quick setup before sale. Can make a world of difference to playability. Also saxes should be serviced once a year. Shouldn't cost much.

Generally warranty isn't needed, but if you do find a lemon....

 

[Ne0Wolf7]

I don't know much about the AS32, but to have a warrantee that's close to home is nice.
I believe it looks strange because selmer paris and USA collaborated on It- I bet the neck and mouthpiece are paris and the body is USA.
Update- Look what I found: "[...]and the only one that can boast a genuine Henri Selmer Paris neck and mouthpiece."

 

[nigeld]

I don’t know anything about the Selmer, but the YAS-280 is an excellent instrument.
I think the YAS-280 may have a different model number in the USA. Is it the same as or similar to a YAS-26?

If the seller is not offering a proper warranty on the Yamaha then I would be inclined to look for a different seller.

If you buy a new sax then you will almost certainly lose money if you sell it - like buying a new car.
You could get a second hand YAS-280 for less money.
There is one in the Café Yardsale.
For Sale - Yamaha YAS-280 Alto Saxophone setup by Stephen Howard
Or have a look at the For Sale section of Sax On The Web.

Or you could get a used YAS-25, which is the predecessor to the 280.

Or you could enquire about importing a new one from Sax.co.uk or Thomann.de
You can take the VAT tax off the price.

 

[gruskada]

Generally warranty isn't needed, but if you do find a lemon....

Would you know that in a month, though? Not sure if it's worth the risk.

Is it the same as or similar to a YAS-26?

YAS-26 is similar, but not as good, and is twice the price on Amazon. I think I'll avoid the potentially grey market deal on the YAS-280, though.

There is one in the Café Yardsale.

I just saw that - unfortunately, I'm in the USA, and the seller won't ship here. I'm a bit uncomfortable buying used, too.

No Yamaha-authorized music dealers close by either.

Or you could enquire about importing a new one from Sax.co.uk or Thomann.de
You can take the VAT tax off the price.

Sax.co.uk doesn't have it, and I checked Thomann - they have a great price, even with shipping, but they stopped me at the the shopping cart with the following message:

"Unfortunately this product can't be sent to the country of your choice or may not be operated there."

So I guess I'm leaning toward the Selmer. My daughter played and loved it, too, so that's a bonus.

Thanks for the info, everyone.

 

[gruskada]

Sax.co.uk now has it in stock! This seems like it could be a great option. It's a lot cheaper, too, even with shipping costs.

I'm going to double-check with them about the warranty.

Thanks again, nigeld

 

[kevgermany]

Would you know that in a month, though? Not sure if it's worth the risk.

Should be picked up by the music teacher, yes. But I'd prefer to get one. What I was saying, badly, is that if the sax was set up properly, warranty claims are almost nil. Saxes are mechanically simple and reliable.

Cheap Chinese are a little different, corks fall off, the screws/fittings/assembly is poor. Neck fit is poor and leaks here really affect playability, but are difficult to spot and need special tools to fix. No problem for a decent tech of course, but it's time and money. They're not all like that. But you're not at that end of the market.

 

[SaxDon]

Agree with Kev and everyone here in that the 280 is the way to go. Tried countless other budget/student horns and the only consistently very good to excellent one is the Yamaha. In fact the latest alto 280 I'd put up more against pro horns. Really think local woodwind shops are ideally the way to go as they'd be looked over (the sax is a technical masterpiece after all 🙂 ) and shipping can mess things around occasionally. That said, peeps like Sax.co.uk have very good packing/shipping standards I believe. £/$ rate should be good too.

 

[saxyjt]

To be on the safe side, I'd ask 1) teacher, 2) repairman in the area. Buying second hand with them should help if you can get a kind of warranty from the repairman. At least you stay local and the horn will need regular visits anyways, so establishing a relationship might prove useful.

 

[pknight11]

FYI, the YAS 280 (and YTS 280) are no longer listed as current Yamaha models, at least on the Yamaha USA site. The 480 is the current intermediate line.

 

[gruskada]

FYI, the YAS 280 (and YTS 280) are no longer listed as current Yamaha models, at least on the Yamaha USA site. The 480 is the current intermediate line.

According to this video, the YAS-26 is the rough equivalent of the YAS-280, though it has nickel-plated keys, a cheaper case, and no high F# key. None of those seem like deal-breakers to me, but the price is - the YAS-26 is ~$2,000 in the USA for some reason, while an imported YAS-280 runs from $800 - $1,200, from what I've seen. I really don't understand it.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqnloh1GiDU


Sax.co.uk seems like the best deal to me for importing. The price is currently ~$880 + a 4.9% import tax charged by US Customs - spelled out here ( https://www.usitc.gov/publications/docs/tata/hts/bychapter/1000c92.pdf ). They do let you import bagpipes duty-free 🙂

 

[kevgermany]

Check, but I think exported saxes are sold tax free.

 

[Targa]

Check, but I think exported saxes are sold tax free.

There's no VAT on anything sold outside the EU.

 

[gruskada]

True - no VAT (which is huge), but the USA charges its own import tax, at least if the package gets flagged by Customs.

 

[DavidUK]

Does it have to be new/modern, with up to date keywork?
I see plenty of (Made by Yamaha) Vitos for sale over there. I've had two in the UK and they are identical to YAS21/23 (no high F# key).
Really excellent horns for a few hundred dollars.
I paid £200 for an absolutely mint one a few years back.
I'm guessing you're a beginner, only by the model you're looking at?

 

[gruskada]

Thanks for all the help, everyone.

I ended up buying a YAS-280 from Sax.co.uk. We just got it - it looks and sounds great. Very clear difference in sound vs her rental, she says it's easier to play, and with the case its 2lbs (~1kg) lighter as well.

I am going to have it checked out by a music teacher or repairman, as @saxyjt suggested.I just need to find a good one close by. Her band teacher is great, but doesn't seem to know saxophones well.

I'm also going to get the Haynes Saxophone Manual for maintenance tips, and to get a better understanding of how it all works.

@DavidUK - The sax is for my daughter, who has ~2 years of experience. I didn't trust myself buying a used sax at this point.

 

[DavidUK]

Good move! Now I understand, and I agree with you. Best of luck for her with it.

 

[saxyjt]

I am going to have it checked out by a music teacher or repairman, as @saxyjt suggested.I just need to find a good one close by. Her band teacher is great, but doesn't seem to know saxophones well.

If it's been checked/setup properly and it has been packed well, it should be fine and a saxophone teacher should confirm it. If she says it's easier to play, chances are that the rental has some leaks.

Good move and happy blowing!

 

[kevgermany]

Your sax should have been setup and well packed, it's their normal practice.

If it's playing ok, then it won't have taken a big enough knock in shipping to need a check.

 

[gruskada]

Your sax should have been setup and well packed, it's their normal practice.

If it's playing ok, then it won't have taken a big enough knock in shipping to need a check.

It had a card with the name of the guy who set it up, and was definitely well-packed. I was kind of thinking the same thing, but I don't know enough to know. I will try and have somebody look at it if I can at some point - she's going to a band camp pretty soon. I can probably ask somebody there.

Really happy with everything so far. I can't wait to try it out myself - she practised for a LONG time after getting it - I think she ran through every song she knows!

Thanks again, @nigeld for suggesting the store.