I am buying a sax for a beginner and have been dazzled by the price of $599 for the spec outlined here.

Tenor
High F# Key
French-style Keys
Ribbed Construction Front
``F`` Spatula Key
Includes Mouthpiece & Case

I hear people talking of keys that are easier to play in and are more diverse etc. Could someone enlighten me if this is a good starter key and if the rest of the spec is worth buying.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

the quality and easier to play a sax is is based a lot on who makes the sax and the shape it is in. if you told the make, model, and shape the sax is in, it would be easier to determine. if a novice is going to play, they don`t necessarily need the high F# kay and all the extra acessories unless that is the only sax you are going to buy. from the price, it doesnt seem like it would be a good lifetime invenstment. my alto cost 1500 and it was a really nice used one, so it all depends on what type of investment you are looking for.

Thanks for your response Manda

It is a `BandNow` Brand tenor. Brass lacquer finish with nickel-plated key mechanism and wood hardshell case. Obviously the low end of the market, but I was more concerned about the key. Every other instrument I see is a Bb or Eb. Is the F# one that nobody uses and hence the reason for the price?

The tenor is always keyed in Bb (I think....? I play alto in Eb but this is what I think I know)When it states high F# key, that means that you can go up to that note. I think. I`ve never heard a sax being keyed in F# I think it would be a pain in the --- to transpose that into other keys since its got like 6 sharps in it. Maybe it is not typical for all tenors to have a high F# key and this one might be an exception.

If it IS keyed in F# then that thing is for no beginner.

I`m pretty certain that by the F# key they mean a key that is used in junction with 5 other keys (D, E Flat,E, F, Octave) to play the high F# on the ledger lines. This is the highest notes attainable on the sax you mentioned by conventional keys(no altisimmo), and Tenor are almost always in the key of B flat, and rarely C(Old old vintage ones).