Saxophone Forum


by Arazito
(1 post)
8 years ago

Opinions needed for purchasing a professional Alto Sax!

Hello All,

I live in Los Angeles, CA. My cousin lives in another country and he has been playing saxophone since he was 5. He is now 21 and very good at playing sax but he is still playing his entry level Jupiter Alto sax. Unfortunately, there are not many options and the price of saxophones are pretty high at where he lives. Therefore, I want to get a professional Alto sax form LA and send it to him, but I would like to know your opinion on what options are there for a decent priced, good sound and build quality professional Alto saxophone? He mentioned good brands such as Selmer and Yamaha but I would appreciate if I can get your feedback on what Saxophone (Brand & Model name) to choose for him. Price up to $3000 should be fine but if it is lower it would be way better. Please note that we are looking for a brand new saxophone. 
I'd greatly appreciate your input. Thanks.

Araz 

Reply To Post [Report Abuse]

Report Abuse

Replies

  1. by mijderf
    (282 posts)

    8 years ago

    Re: Opinions needed for purchasing a professional Alto Sax!

    I sound like a broken record today, but again go to the "Resources" tab on this page and open the "Saxophone buyers guide".  This is the best all around information you will find.  One thought is to go for a vintage professional horn.  There is a silver Buescher Aristocrat for sale at Saxquest.com that looks to be an excellent possibility.  But I recommend that you read through the article and make your own decision.  I am in no way connected to Saxquest other than being a very satisfied customer.

    Reply To Post


  2. by mijderf
    (282 posts)

    8 years ago

    Re: Opinions needed for purchasing a professional Alto Sax!

    One more thought.  If you purchase a used horn, I recommend having it fully serviced before sending, even if the horn states that it plays well.  Of course if you purchase a used horn from a dealer that also services horns, this makes it easy.  Even if you buy new, get it at a shop that routinely goes through the horn and sets it up correctly.  The thing you don't want to happen is to send a horn over seas that needs servicing.  That could be expensive and take a lot of time, especially it it is sent back to the U.S. for the service.

    Reply To Post


  3. by GFC
    (842 posts)

    8 years ago

    Re: Opinions needed for purchasing a professional Alto Sax!

    Jupiters are essentially Yamaha clones, so if your cousin wants to stay in that general direction a used Yamaha 62 would be a good option.  If you really want new, you could go with a good quality Asian horn like Chateau (sold at Saxquest) or Antigua.  I believe those brands also have store distribution.  If your cousin wants something more Selmer-like there are some good and inexpensive ones available online from Phil Barone (New York) and Kessler (Las Vegas).  I'm sure any of those shops I've mentioned would be glad to help you out.   

    Reply To Post