Hi there, I have been learning the tenor for a year and am looking at purchasing one... I live in NZ and and all the "top" brands (yamaha, selmer etc) are well out of my price range, which is <$900NZ. There are lots these "cheap Chinese saxes" which I have heard lots of bad things about, however there is one brand which appears OK... it is a Palatino tenor sax which is an Americal brands but made in China... has anyone owned/played one of these before and are they somewhat decent or just rubbish? I have found few second hand tenors for sale and again they are out of my price range or need expensive work done on them (repadding etc). Thankyou!!!!

'.....there is one brand which appears OK'

Who says it is OK the importer's web site?

There are many brands out there - anyone (Even without knowing anything about musical instruments) can buy a few horns from one of many makers in China & have their own brand name stamped on it. Many of these Chinese instruments are gradually improving in quality but there are still a large number of sub-standard ones around. It is much better to stick to well known importers who either have their own factories in China or are able to get the instruments made to their specification. Maybe Palatino is OK - I've never heard of it before as I live in UK.

You might do better to buy a used sax with a bit of lacquer missing by an established maker. Always ask your teacher or good players in your area for advice before going ahead with a purchase either of new or used.

Thanks for the advice =) I did a bit of research and the Palatino is Chinese made, although it claimed to be an "American Brand"... I am now looking at a couple of used saxes, an Armstrong, Conn and a Jupiter which i have found more reliable information about where they are made and their quality... a bit old and scratched up but at least they've been heard of!!