intermediate alto sax question

SmileyPaul

Hi guys,
I've been playing the alto sax since I was 12 but I've only been taking it seriously the last year or two, my buffet evette crampon has seen better days and I'm looking to invest in an intermediate sax for about 600. I was looking at a john packer jp045 and just wanted to get other peoples suggestions and opinions.

Thanks!

Echoes675

Hey, I've been playing sax for 16 years myself. I'm not going to suggest you go out and buy a selmer or yanigasawa. What I would say is that Yamaha make some of the best student model horns. You should be able to pick one up second hand for around your price point. Other than Yamaha I'd suggest Antigua. I play one of their sopranos and it is fantastic! Other brands that may be of interest (I haven't played any of these myself so others may be able to give more detail) would be: cannonball, Trevor James, Jupiter.
You will get better bang for your buck if you hunt out a second hand horn in good condition. There tends to be a lot of preowned horns on the market simply cause their owners just don't have the time to learn them. So a lot of nearly new ones out there.

clunked

I wouldn't recommend a Trevor James myself. Eoin's recommendation of a Yamaha is a sound one. If you are looking to upgrade, I'd suggest that your budget €600 is too tight and you may need to save for a little longer. If possible, get an experienced player to check out any second hand instrument your as your potential bargain could be a costly mistake.

SmileyPaul

Thanks guys, I'm in the middle of changing jobs so I'm gonna wait it out and save a bit more.

Unfortunately the only other sax player i know is my music teacher that I haven't spoken to in about 6 years so it may be a bit difficult to find someone to test a second hand horn out but I'll definitely give a go at finding one, I hadn't really thought about going the second hand route at all

I'll keep you updated!

SmileyPaul

So I was in McCullough Pickets (sp) today and the gent that was working suggested I go for either an 800 quid Antigua or an 850 bauhaus (not sure on specific models of either but I know he suggested the rose brass type of Bauhaus as he believes it to have a much richer sound)

Anyone have any experience with either? I think I'm considering the Antigua.

The only second hand horns I've been able to find are starters.


EDIT: found a selmer Bundy li for sale for 300 quid but can't find any honest reviews since they are all from sales reps of the horn...
Any opinions? Sorry I must be wrecking your heads as I read this but I have no other source of information

Echoes675

What was the model of Antigua? Like i said earlier, i have one of their sopranos and it really is a great horn. They do have about three different levels of alto from what I can see. I've seen the pro one in action and it sounds fantastic (there are a fair few you tube videos if people playing then. In particular some Russian player who was a total monster! I'll see if I can find that vid). But I doubt you would get that for less than 1k.

I have heard that Bauhaus are decent Asian horns too (think I read it on Pete Thomas' site)

One other place for you to research is forum.saxontheweb.net/forum.php

Tonnes and tonnes of discussions and reviews on nearly every make of horn you could imagine. As long as the money is still in your pocket you can afford to take your time and research each.

Ultimately the best advice is to play these each horn where possible. You will have your own preferences that may be different to mine or anyone else's. You will know when you have found the right horn.

SmileyPaul

I'll let you know the model as soon as I get the chance to pop in again.

I'll register on the forum and start asking around there too

SmileyPaul

So there was 3 models in mcollough piggots.

Antigua as 3100 LQ for 800
And the two Bauhaus were
As-YD for 750 and AS-PB for 850

SmileyPaul

So there was 3 models in mcollough piggots.

Antigua as 3100 LQ for 800
And the two Bauhaus were
As-YD for 750 and AS-PB for 850