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by nimrod777
(3 posts)
17 years ago

Sax Upgrade Recommendations

Hi folks; new to this forum, but as the parent of an excellent young sax player, wanted to get some saavy advisement. I'm an old trombonist, retired, and don't know beans about you wind players ;-) My son is a high school senior who is a talented young musician. He has been first chair since he was a freshman (much to the displeasure of some older players), and we have been advised by the band director that he has a lot of innate talent and a very mature tone. This year he is discovering the delights of playing jazz and is more enthused than ever. He is blowing a Bundy II, and it's a fine horn, having gone through a repadding just last year. However, before he heads off to college (pursuing ministry, not music, but desiring to keep playing as well), I can't help but wonder if a different sax will open the door to the next level of playing. Wanted to get your thoughts on this, and perhaps recommendations on the next level horn, if this is the direction I should take. (Disclaimer: I am also in the ministry, not lots of cash lying around, and am guilty of being an avid eBay deal hunter whenever possible; that's where the Bundy came from years ago)

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  2. by Sax Mom
    (964 posts)
    17 years ago

    Re: Sax Upgrade Recommendations

    If he does not intend to play professionally, a "better" saxophone may be less desirable than a "different" saxophone. I started on tenor, obtained an alto while still in high school, but really wanted a soprano, and finally obtained one just a few years back. You might want to ask what he'd prefer...

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    1. by nimrod777
      (3 posts)
      17 years ago

      Re: Sax Upgrade Recommendations

      Hmmm... interesting. Hadn't considered that. Thanks for the input.

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      1. by definition
        (963 posts)
        17 years ago

        Re: Sax Upgrade Recommendations

        after that, consider looking at the thread "Jim's list of approved saxophone brands" in the high school forum wealth of info on good horns there

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    2. by Donnie The B
      (282 posts)
      17 years ago

      Re: Sax Upgrade Recommendations

      The story about your son reminded me of my high school experience, in that I took over 1st chair tenor early in my 1st year. I already had a Selmer Mark VI- spoiled I guess. If you want him to get really pumped, $3,000 will buy a later or cosmetically challenged Mark VI quite often. If you want to spend less but still get a Selmer, The Super 80 is a good horn at maybe $2000 for a nice one. I recently passed on a lightly used Selmer Reference 36 at about $2300. This would impress him cosmetically as well as with very good keywork and sound. There's lots of other good ideas in the vintage horn area. How about a 1940's Conn 6M (alto) or 10M (tenor) at perhaps $1200-$1600? R And I agree with the idea of checking Jim's list of approved brands of High School Horns if you want more ideas.

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    3. by Donnie The B
      (282 posts)
      17 years ago

      Re: Sax Upgrade Recommendations

      The story about your son reminded me of my high school experience, in that I took over 1st chair tenor early in my 1st year. I already had a Selmer Mark VI- spoiled I guess. If you want him to get really pumped, $3,000 will buy a later or cosmetically challenged Mark VI quite often. If you want to spend less but still get a Selmer, the Super 80 is a good horn at maybe $2000 for a nice used one. I recently passed on a lightly used early Selmer Reference 36 at about $2300. New, they are about $4800. This model would impress him cosmetically as well as with very good keywork and sound. There's lots of other good ideas in the vintage horn area. How about a 1940's Conn 6M (alto) or 10M (tenor) at perhaps $1200-$1600? The keywork here will take some getting used to. Read Jim's reviews of vintage horns hidden somewhere in these discussions. Or going modern, but cheap, there's Yamaha 52's at $800-$1000 and Model 62's at $1200 or so - which are step-up models from their Model 23 student sax - but well thought of. And I agree with the idea of checking Jim's list of approved brands of High School Horns if you want more ideas. That discussion is easy to find. Good Luck.

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      1. by nimrod777
        (3 posts)
        17 years ago

        Re: Sax Upgrade Recommendations

        I haven't broached the subject with my son yet. He's got a bit of a martyr complex and would rather manage with what he's got and not have us spend any cash on a different or better horn. But I did talk with my wife about it. She surprised me with the information that my son's secret desire is to have all the lacquer off of his instrument. I guess that means he's gonna be into the vintage mindset, so that may be one direction to look into. He's also faithful as a golden retriever and would probably never give up his current instrument short of threat of death, but having a back-up never hurt anyone. Please keep the input coming. I'm teachable, and learning!

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        1. by saxmachine777
          (57 posts)
          17 years ago

          Re: Sax Upgrade Recommendations

          It's definitely my bias, but I do like the recommendations about used Selmer horns (make sure whatever you get, he plays it first to see if it jives with his play-o-nality). Keilworth and Cannonball are also coming out with some exciting new horns, and Yamaha is great if he likes a Yamaha, as they are quite consistent with tendencies between horns. However, with a vintage mindset, consider that A) many companies, namely Selmer, make matte lacquer horns for a nice vintage look, and B) you can find well-priced vintage horns that are generally under-appreciated (when compared to say, abundantly appreciated Selmer SBA, Mark VI, and Conn M Series). Just some food for thought.

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        2. by definition
          (963 posts)
          17 years ago

          Re: Sax Upgrade Recommendations

          If you want a new horn thats unlaquered, both yamaha and Cannonball are making extremely nice horns that come in raw brass, and you can usually find a nice deal on used

          Reply To Post Yahoo! AIM


        3. by Donnie The B
          (282 posts)
          17 years ago

          Re: Sax Upgrade Recommendations

          So two Asian brands are playing to the current fad of stripping all the lacquer - which started by the way with really old horns having their remaining 20% or less original lacquer chem-stripped cause it actually looks better than really splotchy lacquer coverage. But think about why lacquer is put there in the first place. Is it not there to protect the brass from environmental damage.? And think about what lacquer really is. Isn't it like a thin coat of paint? Why would that be bad for a horn? You think these great sounding vintage horns didn't sound good when they had freshly installed lacquer? And while we're on the subject - if you could completely chemically strip all the lacquer off a sax and then perfectly apply new lacquer why would that be bad? You're not going to lose any metal with a chem-strip are you? If you want to prematurely age a saxophone, strip all the lacquer. But I bet when it's 44 years old, like mine, it does not look as good, and might have some nasty corrosion spots that would be bound to flavor the tone of the horn. - - - - - - Later.

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