Okay, I don`t play, but my daughter does. She is 14 and has played for 3 years and was first chair in her school band as well as being an accomplished flautist and piccolo player. Her Sax is... well its actually rusted so badly I can`t even tell what brand it is. Its the schools instrument so it goes back to the school when she graduates this year. I am currently debating on purchasing her a saxaphone as an 8th grade graduation gift as well as posibly a piccolo. I am researching both quite fervently. My question is this. I came across a "Sale" of a new Amati ATS32 Tenor Saxophone in black lacquer. the few reviews I read on this were by people who have purchased it and were very favorable. I have a budget of about $800 - $1000. What opinions do you have, be it good or bad?

Bob

I read your other post on this subject. I would strongly suggest you get her a piccolo. If she plays flute in the future as a professional, piccolo will be more beneficial than tenor sax.

Hmm.. if you are going to go for the tenor sax, I would stay away from Amati. I`ve heard some pretty bad things about them. I`d recommend trying to get a used Yamaha if you can. Or, if your daughter isn`t obsessed with having the shiniest sax in the band, go vintage. Whatever you do, ALWAYS try before you buy.

Hmmm... sorry to burst your bubble, but its unlikely you`ll get anything good for 800-1000. The only good sax you might be able to get is a used Yamaha YTS-23.

Saxophones are more expensive than most other instruments because of the craftsmanship involved. You can get a vintage top-of-the-line pro trumpet for less than 1000, but for a tenor sax, you would pay about 5000. That`s the only bad part about being a sax player; you have to pay for the sax, neckstrap, reeds, mouthpiece, and they need to be tuned up all the time.

Log on to Ebay. Look up item 7329271520, and buy it!

You will not find a horn of this caliber at this price. Don`t ask me, Ask Jay Beckenstein. He plays this very horn. I`m not kidding.

These guys are moving offices and they are liquidating inventory to get ready for the new shipment. That`s why they are so inexpensive. Notice I didn`t say "cheap".

For the money, you will not find a better horn ANYWHERE!

Wow man, nice deal! I totally forgot about the LA Saxes. They have the most bang for the buck of all saxophones. Did you know that Steve Goodson is currently designing a model for them called the Steve Goodson Model? Goodson says it`s going to set a new standard for pro saxes. From the sneak peek pics he mailed out last week, it looks awesome. It has 2 different octave keys, extra vents, extra holes, and i think a high G key. But, i digress...

BGM.....you are 110% correct in your assesment. You would think I work for these people as much as I pimp their horns. My LA Sax Soprano (Burnished Brass) is absolutely AWESOME! I do business with Orpheus Music (that`s the sole distributor for LA Sax and Chicago Jazz Series). Their office is less than 5 miles from my house.

As for Steve Goodson, he got a crappy deal from Unison. They flat out did him wrong. I can tell you....he will have the last laugh, for sure. His new model will blow away anything that Unison could ever dream up. I`ve been keeping up with that progress as have you. It`s going to be interesting. If any of you guys have any questions at all, call Jerry at Orpheus Music and he will treat you like a king.

You have my word on that!

Well, visted a music store nearby yesterday. Great store! They just got in a shipment of Yamaha YTS82Z tenors, in lacquered, unlacquered and black lacquered for $1849.00. Thats better then anything I`ve seen on the internet and even though its a far cry from $800 - 1000 he said if I get one, he would sell me a new Gemeinhardt 4S Piccolo for $349.00. Now I really wasn`t prepared tp spend this much, but from what I have seen on the internet, the price is more then competitive. My next question is, what difference is there between a lacquered and unlacquered sax as far as playability and sound is concerned. Oh and also the unlacquered sax does not have the F# key.

The F# key isn`t that important, unless she`s gonna be playing some really whacked out classical music. The Z`s are great!!! Unlacquered horns generally have more projection and a more brilliant tone than lacquered saxes. The finish turns to a patina quickly (I like the look, some people don`t) The black lacquered horns are GORGEOUS. Z`s are great for jazz.

Mind giving us the particulars on the music store selling Yamaha YTS 82Z`s at the $1,8XX price listed above. That`s a killer price.
Thanks

Please have her play test before buying a sax over the Internet. Even sellers that offer returns do not reimburse shipping, even if their instrument is falsely advertised. A tenor can cost $20 to $40 in shipping each way, so it only takes a couple of busted deals and you could`ve put that extra money for a nicer sax. It all ads up, believe me, I have a post on this site about this problem: http://www.8notes.com/f/4_115127.asp

I have my Yamaha alto sax from 1986 and it is my baby. I know it`s not professional but it is easy to play and that makes sax playing a joyous thing for me-- even after 15 years of not playing, I was able to get back into it. I credit the quality of my saxophone. Stick with the major brands: Yamaha, Selmer, Yanagisawa. The thing that I think some people might not plan for is if you buy an off brand or vintage instrument that is obsolete, what happens when you need a part???? And if she is in a school band, you will want something that the repairman can get parts for if it gets dinged up on the bus or in the stands at a pep rally.

There is much to consider for the long term life of an instrument that make me not really trust these off brand, new instruments. Where`s the assurance and history of quality for a manufacturer that doesn`t even have a website???

I will be happy to post the name of the store after I close my deal, which should be this weekend. Its a brick and mortor store and I will be taking her there to try out the instruments of her choice. As of right now, she is undecided. Unfortunately, things happen and I can not get her both instruments, however I ended up giving her the choice of a new piccolo or flute or putting a deposit down on a sax and getting her the sax either by her birthday (Oct) or Christmas. I want her to be an integral part of the instrument choosing, after all, it is going to be hers. Previously her instruments have been "given to her" or assigned to her". She never had a choice. I want to make the whole experience exciting and enjoyable for her.

Well she ended up choosing a piccolo. Regardless, she is ecstatic. She got to try out different piccolos and got to see, feel and hear how different manufacturers are. Now as to posting the name of the shop. Before I do so, I asked him about the Yamaha Sax and he told me they were on special for $1849.00 and he would have honored that price for me, but they have been bumped to $1899.00. So there ya have it, $1899.00 at Russo Music 1989 Arena Drive Trenton, NJ 08610 609 888 0620. By the way, they beat the best online price I could find on the piccolo too, by over $189.00!