Which saxophone should i buy

Possibly because it is smaller, lighter, requires a little less air volume to play, and is a really versatile instrument - capable of sounding good in just about any genre of music. There are other instruments in the sax family — soprillo , sopranino, soprano, baritone, bass, contrabass and if you want to talk to us about these, please contact us or phone 03 Confused by varying information and opinions on which brand and model to buy?

Stop worrying about brand names and model numbers, just think about quality and suitability first. As a dedicated specialist store, we sell, guarantee and support quality brands and models knowing that the most suitable instrument for you in your price range will give you a great chance of success in learning and enjoyment.

You are then provided with ongoing support from our in-store technicians to make sure that your musical investment keeps working correctly and efficiently. These different brands of alto saxophones have completely different key positions for the left hand. Image 1. The placement of the keys forces the small finger into a very uncomfortable position. Image 2. The smallest finger keys are pivoted from the right and are in a completely different arrangement that requires less finger pressure.

This finger still has to stretch a long way to operate the lowest positioned key. The 3rd finger looks more naturally placed than in Image 1. Image 3. With this saxophone, the hand and fingers look far more natural and comfortable.

Even a very small difference in the shape or position of the keys makes a huge difference in avoiding discomfort and encouraging playing enjoyment. The Palm Keys can vary in length by up to 1 cm with these different saxophones. The angles of motion and positions vary also. Your thumb operates the octave key at the back of the sax body, and your fingers operate the keys on the front of the sax body. If the palm keys protrude too far into your hand, you may not be able to play some notes without accidentally pressing wrong keys.

If the keys are too short, you will need to move your hand position constantly to be able to operate the palm keys. Affordable budget option for students and beginner alto saxophone players. Comes with a case, mouthpiece, cap and ligature. Easy to play. High F , rocking table keys, and articulated C.

Ribbed construction and a detachable body to boy connection that is reinforced for strength and durability. Tone is not always uniform in all registers. The mouthpiece is very basic and some musicians will prefer to purchase an upgraded mouthpiece separately. Silver plated. Highly accurate intonation. Quick response. Warm tone. Hand-engraved pattern on the bell. Separate key guards with adjustable screw cap stoppers. Left hand seesaw key designed for increase playability and comfort.

Improved low B-C mechanism from previous models. Soft, padded case rather than hard shell this can be a pro for those preferring a lightweight and easy to carry case. Pricier model for students who are still in school. Awesome look that will make you stand out from the band. Perfect intonation. Great key fluidity. Professional key styling for accurate fingering. Consistent from low end to altissimo.

Faux leather custom backpack style case included. Mouth piece, cap, and ligature included. Tone can get wild when switching registers but can be controlled by an experienced alto saxophone player.

Excellent vintage jazz zone. Stylish and sophisticated body and neck. Enhanced playability. Extremely comfortable fingering. High F , front F, tilting G -Bb table keys. Upper and lower stack adjustable.

Artists series wood framed case included. Newly designed neck receiver with better, more durable screws. Adjustable thumb rest. Nickel plated keys. Improved B-C connection. Amazing durability. Lightweight at only Includes strap, neck, and mouthpiece. Includes case. The mouthpiece is a student beginner model and may not be comfortable for more advanced players. The sax comes with a case molded to the sax, which provides solid protection when moving and storing it, a ligature set with mouthpiece, and a cleaning kit complete with gloves for maintenance.

The company provides a refund guarantee for 45 days, going beyond most stores and websites that offer less, or even a no refund policy. This product comes with a lifetime warranty, no matter if it is bought by one user, then sold to another, as the warranty stays with the product, not the person. It is made with a solid brass body with enhanced tonality for a better-quality sound from a budget sax. This sax does have a fast action, great response, pro pads that give the product intonation control, and is designed with the classical player in mind.

Some users have experienced air leaks throughout the product, resulting in a broken saxophone, and had to use their lifetime warranty to receive another product.

It is common for people to report that the metal of the sax is too soft, and the sound quality diminishes because of this. Excellent tone. Ready to play. Comes with all the extras you need such as neck strap, case, and reeds. Brightly colored lacquer finish. Lightweight at around 10 pounds.

Neck strap is short. Trevor James is one of the newer saxophone manufacturers but has been around for several years already. They have slowly become one of the best around as their reputation continues to grow because of their excellent horns. The RAW line of the Trevor James saxophones focuses on an authentic vintage type of tone along with a matching aged look on the finish of the entire horn. The raw finish is authentic and not just a color finish like some other manufacturers use.

The Signature Custom models also come with silver plating, gold lacquer, or phosphor bronze finish. The silver plated one has a highly polished bore a heavy vintage type silver plating and not thin like other brands so these tend to sound a little brighter in tone compared to the other models.

Not bad for a horn that stands up well against the high priced Selmers. The Trevor James SR is one of their student models. There are differences in the mechanism, key work and finishing but the high quality and tone are there. Also, Trevor James is located in the UK and have just recently started their distribution efforts over to North America.

We will be seeing and hearing more about them. The other student model is the AlphaSax. New they cost a little less than the SR and so is the lower end model. Careless Whisper Baker Street. Yanagisawa is very well established and have the reputation of a high quality built line of saxophones.

I remember when they came around and people started talking about them. Their first horn goes back to when they produced the T-3 which was their first tenor model. This was followed a little later with their alto the A Priced very well and very high quality manufacturing from an old and reputable Japanese company.

Today they are distributed in America by Conn-Selmer. Look for T-3 and A-3 tenor and alto. These were a kind of a copy of the Selmer Mark VI. These tend to be a little hard to find these days. The series has been, for a long time some of their most popular and sought after models.

The WO series began replacing some of the models a few years ago. This series is their most recent and most expensive line of saxophones. Certain used models can be found for a few thousand dollars though. Even though their tone might lack compared to some other top brands their quality in manufacturing and materials is second to none. Of course this is only my personal opinion. You might play one side-by-side with a Selmer and prefer it….. Disclaimer — I have never tried a Keilwerth saxophone.

The top pro model of choice is their SX90R model. If you find an ST90 or similar model you might want to check it out. These are their student horn. Not made in Germany but in Taiwan. Still, a good instrument that can compare with similar priced Selmer and Yamaha saxes. Some players prefer these to any other sax out there. There are others who like them a lot but not as much as a Selmer Mark VI. Either way, after talking to players and saxophone repair people I know these are a very good and well built saxophone.

In the overcrowded new saxophone market, these are still one of the top standouts so that says a lot. Price range being even below the comparative Keilwerth and Yanagisawa pro models.

King Models:. The first sax I ever bought was a King Cleveland. The Super 20 is a pro model and can go for several thousand dollars depending on the year and condition. Some models also had the famous silver bell. This made it sound brighter. The King Zephyr was the predecessor to the Super When you play a vintage sax from the earlier part of the 20th century and compare it to one of the newer ones from after the middle part of the century and earlier, you will notice the feel is very different.

The action, the materials such as key pads feel quite different. Newer models have a much quicker response and tighter all-round feel. As with anything else, this is all due to the progress in the technology of the industry. Still, some players like the sound and feel of these older vintage horns. Personally I prefer the feel of the newer saxophones. Generally speaking, stay away from Chinese made saxophones. I say generally because there are a few that are good because they were produced for a specific company from outside of China.

North American has been flooded with really cheap saxophones made by the Chinese. One of the horns he brought back looked like a Selmer, even had the logo on it.

Their advice? Get rid of it! I was able to play the other one but barely, and the intonation was almost impossible. They want quality saxes too and they have the people and resources to get it done and now it looks like a few are floating to the top. This is a good thing. It takes a lot of time and effort to sort through the good stuff and the garbage and so I simply cannot shed anymore light into this at the moment. In this case you could bring a saxophone player along with you if possible.