settle down and take things one step at a time... do you have a horn now? and if so whats wrong with it? is there any type of sax you "want" to play? what is your budget? how old are you? do you ride the bus to school? where do you store your horn at school? what is the jazz program like there?

WELL, I DO PLAY ALTO,BUT I'D LIKE TO PLAY TENOR TOO.i don't go to school, so the school stuff wouldn't apply to me, and my budget is 0-7000$.Theres nothin wrong wit my alto but it just doesn't seem as good fo jazz as a tenor

id say that all saxes are very jazzy instruments probably cuz im a bari player ...btw i hate soprano ... most of the time... but I can actually play my bari with a nice tenory tone so its just deeper... plus i have a GREAT range and feeling for alltisimo so i can get as high too

Dahdahdahdahdahdi....Did you say 7000 dollars? ...., go all out man. You could buy an Yanagisawa A9930 or a decent Mark VI alto, maybe a Yamaha Custom tenor....you'd never need another sax for the rest of your life, unless you went to bari or soprano..or further... Anyway, it'd probably be best to start with a hard rubber mouthpiece for jazz. Just try a couple of Otto Links for both. Around a 6* for alto and maybe a 7 for tenor.

do you think i should buy a slemer cigar cutter, or a reference, or a mark vi? Or should i buy a yanagisawa 991? i can't decide.

does ANYBODY KNOW OF ANY GOOD JAZZ CLUBS IN nAWLINS?I live in New orleans and the only jazz club i ever go to is house of blues,but lately all they've had is rappers and country singers. also,does anybody know if borgani saxes are good? they sound good but i've never played one. Thanks jack

and actually with all the info and help i've gotten from y'all i'm considering adding another 3000$ to my saxophone spending account. i'm confident that with y'alls help i can find the perfect jazz sax. money isn't an issue, because i have just inhereted a load of money from my friend God bless his soul, and i don't know what to do wit all of it.

are conns any good? what about bundys?

apparently $7000 can't buy one one's own preference. ???? Bundy's aren't pro instruments, they are mostly student horns, though there's a couple particular models that qualify it as being 'step ups', if you believe in that sort of thing. Old Conn 10 and 6Ms are considered nice Jazz instruments, you could get one of each in very good condition in a good serial# range for that kind of dough. check this out: www.saxpics.com/infonmisc/whatshouldibuy/main.htm

Ok, if you live in New Orleans, and you don't know of a jazz club, you must not get out much. Does House of Blues ring a bell?!?! Sonny Rollins just played there last month. Don't buy a cigar cutter, they're too old and aren't that great of a horn. If you could fine a 50's MkVI in good condition, that's probably the best you'll do. WHY would you buy an A991 when you have 7 grand??? Buy an A9930 or A9933 if you get a Yanagisawa. The A9930 has a gold plated neck, solid gold body, and a French brass bell, with brass keywork. I have one for a soprano now. Also, yes, the 10Ms are good, but don't bother with a 6M unless you have the time to mess with it a lot, I sold mine, because it took too much upkeep. The refs are ok, I bought a couple only because I got a once-in-a-lifetime deal on them, I sold the other for almost regular price, and kept the other. I play it from time to time, but I prefer my MkVI, Super 20, and 753-EX. I have way too many altos...

Man, life is rough huh? Golferguy has all the best saxes layin' around and has to play like Roland Kirk to play them all and Cicci has more money than he knows what to do with to buy a sax. We should all have such problems! The cool thing about buying an old Selmer Mark VI is that it will hold its value and is an investment as well as a great sax. So...if things get tight after you blow your inheritance or if you decide you prefer something else later, it'll be reasonably easy to get your money back out of the horn (provided you didn't pay way too much for it which is getting easier to do all the time these days...looks like you wouldn't have to spend much more than 4 or 5 grand for a 5 digit Selmer Mark VI Alto in good condition). You will have to work harder for the intonation on an old Mark VI vs. a new Yanni if that's a consideration for you.

753-EX...ha. Sorry, I meant 875-EX...pretty bad typo. Jazzsax made a very good point, the MarkVi's value is constantly appreciating, where as if you buy a new state of the art sax now, though it may be easier to play, the value will depriciate. Also, if you get your MarkVI set up by someone who knows what they're doing, it can play just as easily, and with that famous MarkVI sound. I've heard the techs here at Tenor Madness are quite good.

golfer guy, why don't you read my posts more carefully, I said the only jazz club I every go to is the House of Blues. And actually I do go out. Are Kings any good? I've heard that they're horns were good;is the Sax saxophone brand good? thanks jack

I also go out and listen to the street musicians perform, and I ask them where they learn jazz and most say theyre self taught

are contrabass saxes good? their price is kinda steep but I can afford it.

Altough it might be tempting to blow all your money on saxes, you might want to sock some of it away. It sounds like you are just beginning to get into the sax, so it might be a good idea to get an alto or a tenor and really concentrate on just one horn. Think about how many great players concentrate on just one horn. Also, it's lots of fun to think about horns and all the equipment, but it doesn't mean anything unless it's being played. Sort of like looking at a sheet of music. Neat to look at, but utterly meaningless until the notes are sounded. I'd suggest forgetting contrabass saxes and bass saxes...there's a reason they are so rare and rarely played. Decide on a voice you like the most (like what your favorite sax players play) and go with it. Save your money...invest it in something. You may find much better uses for it, like supporting yourself later or buying a house (for the price of a contrabass sax, you can put a downpayment on a house). I'm sure your probably pretty young, but before you know it, you'll be in your 30s. Just a few thoughts.

JC - Do you have a bass saxophone? Do you have a baritone saxophone? If you do, how often do you play them? I ask that because I've thought it would be cool to have a bass saxophone, but don't barely play my bari all that much, so as cool as it would be to own one and honk on it occasionally, it doesn't seem like the most practical thing to buy. Someday, I might just do it and there it shall sit waiting for the next show-off or gag opportunity. Actually, a bass would be great for a quartet+1. As you're asking if they are "any good", then it can be assumed you're just looking to blow a wad of cash for the hell of it. If that's the case, go for it. Better yet, buy a bass and send me half the difference with a thank you card for my advice. I could use it. If you are actually looking for gigs, then I'd say a contrabass saxophone would be a terribly poor investment unless it lands you a daily job at Disneyworld. How'd you like to hustle around the castle with that thing strapped on? Maybe Hercules can haul it around for you. I think from a practical/musical standpoint, it makes sense to evolve from one size horn to the next. A bari player is in for a surprise if they jump to soprano without first taking on tenor and/or alto first. So consider what your current capabilities are and think "evolution" unless you have time and patience for revolution.