Hey,
I`m eleven i have got a selmar C* metal mouth piece solely because I love jazz. And I am not spoilt I even got into the conservatorium of music. I was wandering What is a reasonably priced good sax that I can get for christmas because i`m still renting one!!! Its a french Bufet and It is terrible. Please reply. my hotmail is poxtiferis@hotmail.com

Thanks.

I have a Monique Saxophone, and it is great. I have played it for about 2 years consistantly, and I think that it has a great sound, and great response. From what I have heard, they make two different kinds of horns, a regular model, and a professional model. I have the professional model, and everyone that I talk to that has one seems to love it. Just thought I`d help to clear up some confusion.

Mel. I have heard of Helmke. In fact I play their reeds, and they are awesome. Has anyone ever heard of a company caller Turner from Toronto Canada? I found an old one for $50 and was wondering if anyone had the 411 on them. I can be reached at jr_saxman@hotmail.com. Thanks

anybody know what "student model", as in yamaha student model means?

I have noticed that people who bought the tenor Helmke saxophone are hating them, but everyone who has an alto helmke really, really, really likes their sax. Please correct me if I am wrong. Does anybody else notice this?
I am looking for a saxophone for a beginner. I have heard that you can use a Yamaha Sax forever. I can`t really afford anything over one thousand. I do know that you get what you pay for.
Thanx

Most of the manufacturers of "professional" saxophones- Yamaha, Selmer, Keilwerth, Yanisagawa- have several models. The "professional" models (expensive) have all the features and fancy engraving. The "student" models are lower priced and, generally, (1) do not have the fancy engraving, (2) lack high F#, high G, or low A (3) are made with lesser quality brass- all to save money in production costs. The student models are also a little more durable because the students don`t treat the sax a gently. Today, most of the "student" models of these saxes are not made in Japan or Europe, but Taiwan or China.

The object is to have a lower cost, good quality, sax for students. This gives a brand identification for students who go on and seek the more expensive saxes. If they liked the Yamaha YAS-23 they had first, they are more likely to buy an expensive Yamaha.

hey folks, any thoughts on the Conn? I understand that some models are better than others, and that there are good and bad years...any feedback, I`m getting ready to give a guy a call to check out a "Conn", but no additional info - waht questions should I ask?
thanks

I think starting off on a Yamaha is good and than once you`re in High school about sophomore year you should be musically developed and able to handle a Yamaha Custom. The Custom series from Yamaha are awesome and make you sound like a different sax player altogether.

what is a good brand on a soprano sax? I want to get one to play at my church and im confused at what good affordable brand I should get? I know that yamaha and selmer are really good but they are so expensive!

I bought a green monique soprano new from ebay, knowing my occasional church use would allow me to baby it. As a 25 year player, I can say it is not on par with the feel and tone of any of the mainstream student horns from bundy, yamaha and the like. The laquer can be scratched off with a fingernail, and the neck corks were leaky at the seams. The upper and lower registers are slightly out of tune with each other. Now, the good part...for 300 measly bucks you get a new horn that passes for a soprano and sounds good enough in the hands of a capable player for church and informal work. The Monique brand`s apparant lack of heft and durability make it a definite NO for knock-about marching band and other instances where anything other than kind handling will take place.

has anyone tried a DC Sax series II

Personally I`d recomend a Yamaha for if you plan on playing sax like, forever, but otherwise there`s this other brand, I think it`s called alpine, or evergreen, or something along those lines.

I`m in high school band and want to buy an alto sax. i dont need a top-of-the-line one, just one that will do.i have VERY limited funds. im looking at geting a monique or schill. i heard that these brands are good and i`ve also head they suck. I know these would probly not be the best saxs for more expereinced players but would they be ok for me? would the hold up during marching season?
help please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I`ve heard a lot of trash talk about Monique saxophones so I`d just like to clear the air here. When I was interested in buying a new alto sax a year or two ago, I asked my local music shop owner who specializes in saxophone repair and sales. He told me to stay away from Monique’s and that they were crap. But, I had asked for his advice after I bought it. So, I brought it to him to have him check it out. I left it with him and about a week later I got a call from him, he was amazed about how good it sounded and its excellent construction. And this guy has been repairing and selling saxophones for over 30 years and is a professional sax player, so I think he knows what he’s talking about. He told me that it must have been made in a different factory.

I`m pretty sure that there are two factories that produce Monique’s, one in China and one in Taiwan. I believe that the China factory is complete crap, but then again, you should never buy instruments made in China.

I was so happy with my Monique alto that just this week I bought a Monique tenor. I love it, it`s awesome, I`m a tenor player and have been using my high schools Yamaha tenor for concert band and jazz band all year and it doesn`t even compare to my new Monique. Monique’s are also very affordable; I bought both of mine from the seller tew01 on eBay.. It sounds like a gamble to buy a sax that you’ve never played but I trust this seller and would buy from him again. I bought my alto from him for $400 and my tenor for $550 including shipping.

Another good thing about the Monique’s is that they come in different lacquer colors. They range from purple to aqua, from standard brass to nickel; they have a broad variety of colors so you can stand out. The tenor I just bought is a beautiful copper lacquer.

So, I know this is a long post, but I get upset when people say that Monique’s are crap. Hopefully I`ve changed your mind.

The best deals you can get on a sax is a good, used student model. You can pick up a good student sax like a Yamaha 23 or Selmer USA. These are available for $ 300-500. depending on the condition of the case and lacquer. If you buy the cheap Chinese sax for the same price, after a few years, it will be worth half of what you paid for it. If you get that used sax, and take care of it, it will not lose value- and it is a better quality sax. The only downside is that it isn`t as pretty as the new sax- it just sounds better.

Generally, a new sax loses about 20% of its value when it is taken from a music store. After about 5 years, it is at close to 50% of the purchase value of a new one. After that time, if it is in excellent condition, the value will stay pretty level. If there is some lacquer wear and some scratching- but stays in good condition- the value goes down to 1/3 of a new sax.