Saxophone Forum


by reagentz
(7 posts)
20 years ago

Saxophones on Ebay

I am looking into getitng back into playing a saxophone again. I use to play in high school some 10 years ago. I had a Conn Bari sax back then and loved it. I'm thinking of moving to tenor now and was chekcing out some saxophones on ebay. I can not afford 500-3,000 dollars for a saxophone, maybe if I get back into it and get good again at playing and can see investing that much money. Nor do I want to spend 300.00 and get ripped off. Anyone have any comments or purchased any of the "new" german saxophones off ebay or even tried one out and can tell me if they are worth the 300.00 investment just to start back learning on? I don't want a saxophone that will fall apart.

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  1. by sax_maniac
    (984 posts)

    20 years ago

    Re: Saxophones on Ebay

    12M's rule! The "German" $300 horns are more likely "German Engineered" I'm guessing. All the cheap new horns are Chinese made and the reputation of those horns, warranted or not, is shaky at best. A safer bet is keep your eyes open for a Bundy, Bundy II, Yamaha YTS-23, Conn 16M. Those can generally be found in that price range and though they were the student horns of their time, they are a lot better made than a lot of the crap being dumped on eBay. Do your best to identify if the horn will play or not. You don't want to buy a junker that you have to invest another $300 in to get it playing again. It's a little more time investment than jumping and buying a Chinese horn, but I feel that's it's time well spent. You'll likely also get back what you paid for it if/when you decide to upgrade. You could take the plunge and find out you love your eBay cheapie, and that's great - because it's about the music not the gear, right? Do they offer a money back guarantee? If so, why not try it, right? The most you're out is about $70 to cover having it shipped to and from. Proceed with only as much caution as your pocketbook allows.

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    1. by reagentz
      (7 posts)

      20 years ago

      Re: Saxophones on Ebay

      yes they offer a 7 day trial and full refund but there's a "restocking fee"

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    2. by reagentz
      (7 posts)

      20 years ago

      Re: Saxophones on Ebay

      I also checked on the one company with the BBB and in the almost 10 years of being in business it has had 1 complaint and it was resolved, that wass 3 years ago. So, I guess I'm gonna try it out, 5 years warranty and they are in good standing with the BBB.

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      1. by chiamac
        (586 posts)

        20 years ago

        Re: Saxophones on Ebay

        I would put the money you have allocated for a horn today in the bank, and then start saving up a little until you get 1k to throw at this project. There is a huge differnce between cheap horns and decent vintage/used and it would be well worth the wait. that's my opinon at least.

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      2. by sax_maniac
        (984 posts)

        20 years ago

        Re: Saxophones on Ebay

        Good luck with it. We on the board here will definitely be looking forward to an ongoing review of how it works out for you.

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    3. by Sax Mom
      (964 posts)

      20 years ago

      Re: Saxophones on Ebay

      Sometimes you can get a good buy on ebay, because others don't know what to look for. I would stick with the well-known names in a used horn, and let the "Brand-new German" horns alone. I've heard (but have no first-hand knowledge) that they contain softer metal that doesn't hold up. If it was me, I'd look at Selmer, Conn, and Yamaha. If you really want a new horn, I've heard some good things about E.M. Winston in Boston. The review said it was very well-made and had great sound for the price (but that was on a soprano). Good luck.

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      1. by chiamac
        (586 posts)

        20 years ago

        Re: Saxophones on Ebay

        speaking of good buys... my freind got a Yahama Natural Sound receiver at a garage sale, (don't remeber the model number) he got it for $3! and it's going for at least $800 on ebay... the girls that sold it thought something was wrong and it didn't work right. All that happened was this knob turned all the way down. =) ok back to saxes.

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