What is the difference between a professional and begining sax besides the price? And why is the professional more expensive? Is there any difference in sound? I am thinking about buying a professional sax, which brand should I buy. By the way, I play alto.

Anyone there? Please answer....
I`m getting desperate by just waiting here.

hi there, looks like you need a little help here. a little advice before we start though, and that is that you`re gonna have to browse through the forum for previous threads on a similar subject before creating a whole new one dedicating to a topic which has been discussed thousands of times before. also, you can`t expect people to reply just because u posted a question, so you`re gonna have to cut us some slack.

ok then, back to your question since no one else seems to want to answer it. it is pretty much common sense to expect a professional saxophone to not only sound better than a student`s model, but also play better due to more effort being put into it`s construction. this can be anything from the usage of more expensive materials to the more ergonomic positioning of the fingering keys. think of it this way, a student`s model may be churned out in a factory like a run-of-the-mill model while a professional model is tediously hand-crafted and every detail meticulously checked and re-checked to ensure perfection. sad to say though, this is not always the case with modern manufacturers, whereby quantity outweighs quality. which is precisely why one must play-test a whole multitude of saxophones before actually purchasing one. think about it, one can often find bad eggs within a batch of selmer series 3. so if even a top-notch model from a top-notch manufacturer can be messed up, there`s really not much room to depend on reputation alone.

So, is a professional sax easier to play well and in tune. Does it also have better sound?

well, yes and no..

the reason why i say yes is like i previously mentioned, more thought is put into the construction of a professional saxophone. of course, the companies also have to justify the high prices, so naturally, they make it their responsibility to make sure that the saxes sound good. this isn`t always the case even with the better makes such as selmer, yamaha and yanagisawa and not all saxes, even if they are the same model, sound exactly alike. they all sound rather similar, sort of within the same ballpark, but they all have their own personalities.

now on to why i said no. well, u seem to be looking to depend on their abilities instead of trying to produce a good one through serious training of your breath support and embouchure formation. truth is, it doesn`t work that way. sure, played by great saxophonists, even student models can sound good, and professional saxes great. but if one doesn`t have the skills through tireless practice, even a pro sax can sound like crap.

my advice is try the different makes and models available to you and within your budget and see which one you like. you need to actually blow it and feel it before you can decide which model you want. this is the reason why we have pros using different brands. it`s all a matter of personal preference. search for the one you feel good with. also, don`t look at a professional sax as the easier way out. the road to good sax playing is long and tough, i`ll give u that. the pro sax won`t make it easier, but it`ll give u more room for growth. all that said, i`d recommend a student model or an intermediate model instead of a pro. and whatever u do, don`t go vintage. i don`t think you possess the experience needed to handle one yet. good luck!

What Jaan said.

For your own review ... If you look at Yamaha`s website they offer beginner, intermediate & pro horns. Browse through there and read the decscription & features of each one. That gives you a basic understanding of the differences.

The real detailed stuff comes into play of knowing what the differences are in French brass vs. yellow brass .. .. hand hammered .. annealed this and that ... all make the horn sound different. Even the lacquer can change the tone of the horn.

Pro horns are worth the money ... but if you don`t play really well .. it doesn`t matter.

I can outplay alot of players out there with a Vito student model. better tone, etc. ... the player makes most of the tone, the sax itself only helps you perfect it .. did that make sense?

I personaly think that if you are begining you should start out and a good used horn like a yamaha. if you are upgrading i would suggest an intermediate horn, and leave the pro series to the pros.

Professional instruments do tend to be harder to play than beginner instruments. If your only just starting, don`t, I repeat, DON`T, buy a professional. Beginner instruments can be really really good instruments, and cost more than half the price of a professional.

Sorry, I meant less.

personally, i`m not much of an advocate of newbies starting out with used horns. unless they have an experienced friend or technician check it out first, the notion of using a used horn, whatever the make, just doesn`t sit well with me. this is not really due to what the newbies buy, but where they buy it from. we all know that most people would venture into ebay to look for that awesome cheap dream deal. well, that`s where the trouble begins. the horn itself may be in okay condition, but if the person shipping it doesn`t know how to properly protect it in it`s case, it`s almost a definite goner. my suggestion would be to purchase a new student`s model in a reputable store, under the watchful guidance of an experienced technician at the store. note, a salesman and a technician are two different things. one will guide u to sax heaven, the other to sax hell. we`ve all been there, starting out and clueless. don`t worry, if the tech`s any good, he`ll understand ur situation and not only recommend u a good model, but also test it for u. good luck!

Excluding junk taiwan, chinese, indian horns (they do make some good ones too) I think the pro horns are easier to play than student horns. pinky keys are quicker, quicker sprung, supposedly more ergonomic, etc. But stiffer springs does make it a little harder to play unless you are used to it.

The major highly variable difference, IMHO, between beginner and pro is the mouthpiece. A more open tip allows a pro more variation of tone when needed. Versus a closer tip mpc which is more centered and direct.

Of course the pro horn is made with better brass, more features, etc. You would not want to march in the rain with a pro horn (too much $$$ getting wet). If you get a nice Yamaha student horn you can always sell it for a good amount later. If you must have pro features get the Yamaha 52/475. (of course there are other makes too).

FYI, I`m using Yamaha as reference because they make a full range of horns - easy to compare each one to another.

Sorry, did I make it sound like I`m a beginner? I`ve played for several years by the way, and I`m looking for a better horn. I know how to play test horns and stuff. What brand and model would you guys recommend?

err.. haven`t we already listed our recommendations in the previous posts? there`s really not much else we can do besides tell u exactly what to buy, which is a bad bad idea. i`ve got one question for you though. you say you`ve been playing for several years now and that you know how to play test horns and stuff, so why aren`t you doing anything with this skill of yours? i mean, it`s good that you`re seeking the opinions of others in your quest for your next horn, but it seems like you`re not venturing out on your own with the knowledge you have acquired thus far. go out and experiment. try as many horns as you can. that`ll help you tons more than anything we can tell you. we gave u a couple of recommendations, treat them as guidelines. but you gotta lose the training wheels and start exploring a little. hopefully, you`ll be coming back and giving us feedback instead on the horns you`ve tested.

I`ll go for the bait. What sound are your looking for in a horn (minus the mouthpiece variable). What music, etc.

What is your budget.

What horn do you currently play?

I know (from personal experience) that play testing a horn if you aren`t used to it is a dead end sometimes. Plus there are soooooo many it seems like a worthless venture. Sometimes you just have to ask a pro or teacher, etc. to give a couple recommendations.

But first we need to know more of what *you* want.

And the normal disclaimer of the "player" makes to tone and not the horn is always valid.

btw, what do you not like about your current horn? keywork, key layout, lacquer color, etc.