Are the soprano sax on ebay any good???they don`t say what brand they are...and they are fairly cheap $229(new)...and are made in china...I was told it doesn`t matter about the sax that much just the mouth piece is that true???I really want to begin learning but I need to buy one...any idea how long it will take to learn???...I never played an instrument before...my girlfriend plays the trumpet...I tried but almost jumped out of the window after about 4 hours!!!!!any help????

The mouthpiece matters more than the saxophone itself, but it still matters. This is because `better` saxophones tend to have smoother keywork etc, but your mouthpiece, ligature and reed are much more important.

In my opinion, non-brand products are usually not as good as well-known things.

DONT DO IT!!! I bought a trumpet off ebay and it is total bull... the valves don`t work worth crap... honestly goto a belleair store or something and rent for a school semster it`s fairly cheap...

THERE IS A LOT OF SELLERS ON E-BAY THAT ARE GREAT. THE HORNS YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT FOR 299 ARE JSUT THAT 299 WORTH OF HORN, NOT A LOT. http://www.saxquest.com/
http://www.saxforte.com/
BOTH OF THESE SELL ON E-BAY AND ARE ONE OF THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY. I HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS WITH THEM AND HAVE NEVER BEEN DISAPPOINTED. CHECK WITH THERE WEBSITES AND GET A OLDER USED HORN IF YOU HAVE A BUDGET TO CONSIDER. AND YES MPC AND LIGATURE AND REED DOES MATTER BUT MOST QUALITY HORNS COME WITH ACCEPTABLE ACCESSORIES UNTIL YOU CAN GET WHAT FIT`S YOU AND THE HORN YOU HAVE CHOSEN.

if you`re gunna buy those horns why not just goto a local store so u can try them out first? just a sujestion!

can someone check out these saxes and give me an opinion???? thanks...my budget is about $500.00 bucks...http://www.music123.com/item/?itemno=26531&t=4#tab, and http://www.samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?ItemID=12864&TempID=1&Method=3&CategoryID=244&BrandID=0&PriceRangeID=0&PageNum=0&DepartmentID=8&DepartmentKeeper=8&pagesize=15&SortMethod=6&Word1=&Contains=&Search_Type=SEARCH&GroupCode=nonetodaythanks

I AGREE BUT SOME PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE THE LUXURY OF HAVING A GOOD MUSIC STORE NEARBY. IF YOU CONTACT SOME OF THE COMPANIES I LISTED THEY WILL SEND A USED HORN FOR A TRIAL BASIS. YOU INCUR THE SHIPPING COST. TO DRIVE A LONG DISTANCE AND SIT DOWN AND TRY SEVERAL HORN`S AND MAKE A DECISION TO PURCHASE IS ABOUT AS EASY AS ORDERING BLIND FROM INTERNET. YOU CANNOT SIT AND PLAY FOR 30 MINUTES ON 3 HORN`S AND REALLY HAVE A GOOD FEEL FOR THEM. NOT WHEN YOU ARE INVESTING SEVERAL HUNDRED OR THOUSAND`S OF DOLLARS.

SHANON I WOULD SAY GO FOR THE BUSCHER. IT IS MADE OFF OF THE SELMER DESIGN. IT IS DEFINETLY A STUDENT HORN THE METAL IS INFERIOR AND WILL REFLECT IN THE SOUND BUT SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING. JUST DON`T GET DISCOURAGED IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE SOUND THAT YOU HEAR FROM RADIO OR WHAT EVER MUSIC YOU LISTEN TO. I STARTED OFF IN 1972 WITH A VERY CHEAP HORN AND ALMOST QUIT SEBVERAL TIMES. WAS AWARDED A SELMER MARK 7 FROM PARENTS FOR STICKING WITH IT AND PROVING I WANTED TO PLAY A HORN. YOU PRACTICE AND PRACTICE AND PRACTICE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED FOR THAT. I BELIEVE WE ARE AWARDED FOR OUR GOOD WORKS IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN PROVEN TIME AFTER TIME TO BE TRUE.