Saxophone Forum


by saxxsymbol
(217 posts)
16 years ago

SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

Just received my saxgourmet tenor today. I had purchased the Steve Goodson Alto and loved it. Took that alto to my tech today and he loved the horn. Said it was very well built and loved the features. It was the first he had seen. He and another play tested it and loved the sound and response. Both were very impressed. Since tenor is my main horn I decided to try his top of the line handmade tenor the saxgourmet model 6. This horn is a beautiful copper plate, engraved everywhere. Keywork is solid and fast and very comfortable. Thick tone with a very nice centered core to it. You can hear a lot of overtones but the horn is not bright unless you push it. And boy can you push it. This horn can play loud!! That said this horn can play very sweet sub tones at ppp and again, very thick with a lot of overtones. This horn has the black kangaroo pads with copper plated ridged resonators. Response is very even through the whole range of the horn. Intonation is better than my yamaha 82 Z ( for sale ) . Middle D is less than 5 cents sharp. The only thing I don't like is no adjustment screws for the stacks. I am used to tweaking my own at home. That said this horn was perfectly adjusted right out of the box. Supposed to be handmade and everything is fitted by hand. No flaws anywhere. This was supposed to be a demo but I can't tell. I got a very good price ( I made an offer) at their noteworthy store on ebay. It was a lot less than a new Z and blows it away in every category except adjustability. I will blow this horn with my 5 piece tomorrow night and should have some more impressions by then. I am selling my like new 82Z tenor . if anyone is interested, pm me. If you are a serious player and shopping for a new voice you owe it to yourself to try one of theses.

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  1. by JBTSAX
    (364 posts)

    16 years ago

    Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

    Congratulations on your new tenor. I'm glad you like it. Does it say anywhere on the sax or on the case where it was made? Thanks. John

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    1. by chalazon
      (547 posts)

      16 years ago

      Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

      I'm so excited..in 1974 I was lucky enough to purchase a YTS61..man, what a horn! I still play it all the time..I'll probably play it tomorrow..I had a wonderful tech look at it three years ago(me) he said the horn was in great shape but needed a repad..I told him to go ahead with the work..he uses only the finest Prestini 210th pads..man what a sound..the only drawback is he didn't remove the octave pips when he did the'pad..I think I can tell a slight difference..but what a blower..and, then believe it or not , six months ago I had the great fortune to come into a funky Conn 6 M..took it to the same tech for some of those fine Prestini pads..the ergonomics are kinda wierd, but what a sound..I can hardly wait to play it on my next klezmer gig...and then..my goodness..last winter I was lucky enough to be able to be the very proud owner of a beautiful Yanigasawa curved soprano that might quite possibly be the sweetest horn I've ever played.(seriously) I'm such a lucky guy ...oh yeah, gentlemen..the Yanigasawa rules..you betcha..and they're all fine horns..and no voodoo, no bling and no hype..no kidding.

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      1. by chalazon
        (547 posts)

        16 years ago

        Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

        oh, by the way..I'll give you $50.00 for you tenor.....heh heh..

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        1. by saxxsymbol
          (217 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          Neither the horn nor the case is marked where it's manufactured. Upon further inspection there are a couple of very small scratches and some finger prints and general dust on the horn from demos, but hard to see without very close inspection. One rod was too tight, Low C, and the articulated low C# needed some adjustment. (-edited for inciting a personal attack on 8/3/2008 1:44:45 AM.)

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        2. by saxxsymbol
          (217 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          I have a ponzol neck and the saxgourmet neck looks almost identical in bore, taper, and angle but the saxgourmet is 3/8" longer.

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        3. by Tranesyadaddy
          (279 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          where I'm from every item must have country of origin clearly marked.

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        4. by chalazon
          (547 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          all of my horns are slightly uses, and are all clearly marked as to country and planet of origin..okay, sixty bucks for the yamaha tenor.

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        5. by saxxsymbol
          (217 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          Used the saxgourmet tonight with the 5 piece.The first thing they noticed was the copper plate. No other horn has it. The other sax player ( alto player,lead singer ) who never gives me compliments mentioned that the horn sounds much more open especially up top and said it was definitely an improvement over the Z. He really liked the tone. I really enjoyed playing it. Really easy to blow and do whatever I wanted. I understand the fear now. I know why some folks don't want you to try these out, they are unique and as good or better than any horn on the planet.

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        6. by saxxsymbol
          (217 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          This tenor is the best i've played. And I paid less than the cost of a new Z tenor. If Steve comes out with a better one I would not be surprised. Won't take away from the playability of this one though. If you have never felt the quality of a hand made sax then you are missing something. These horns feel, play,and sound like nothing else. BTW John, I agree with you starting students on clarinet first before sax. I wish I did. You are giving students the gift of doubling. Well done.

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        7. by JBTSAX
          (364 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          Sorry the sarcasm went right over your head. I was pointing out the egotistical arrogance of Goodson's claim that the "Saxgourmet Super 400 will make all other saxes obsolete". Ridiculous! This is similar to his statement in his video that "All the teacher's in the U.S. recommend this (Vespro) because it is such a good value".

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        8. by saxxsymbol
          (217 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          Play his horns and you will see. I thought he was a little nuts myself. So was Adolph sax, so is anybody who plays the sax. It just stands to reason he would be perfect. A nonconformist who has worked on saxes for 40 years. Done custom work, studied the design and acoustics of the horn. Performed mad experiments of all sorts. Very well respected among his peers and folks in the know. " Judge me by my enemies "

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        9. by Tranesyadaddy
          (279 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          anybody who plays the sax is nuts. where have I heard that before..?

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        10. by saxxsymbol
          (217 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          I will be performing with my new tenor tomorrow for the 4th of July festivites at the city pier complex in Sebring, Florida. Our band, Groovus, will play from 5-8:30, then a 1 hour set immediately following the fireworks. There will be activities starting at 2 pm. You can see the horn in person and give it a blow if you bring your own mouthpiece.

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        11. by kelsey
          (930 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          I will be in Sebring Florida on the 4th and am looking forward to hearing you, the Streve Goodson tenor and Groovus........Kelsey
          Barry Kelsey

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        12. by saxxsymbol
          (217 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          Excellent. Come up and say hi. I will be the one in the hat. The horn is stunning.The tenor is the Saxgourmet Model Six. The offer stands. Bring your mouthpiece and give it a blow if you like. I f you play alto I can bring Steve Goodson Model Alto too. I will be playing tenor and bari only tomorrow. The bari is a conn tranny relacq. Great player. See you tomorrow.......

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        13. by saxxsymbol
          (217 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          If you would like to hear some poor live recordings of our band unedited and unmixed we have posted them on myspace. When we do better recordings we will swap them out,, but you get an idea. The bass player and drummer are new to the band so still finding their way somewhat. Chuck White , 82Z tenor Gary Johnson, Mark VI alto, Lead vocals, Keyboards Tony Suazo, Lead vocals, Guitar, Arranger, Sound Darrel Layfield , Bass Don Talbert, Drums We have cuts of Get Ready, Chameleon, Moondance, and Misty. Myspace.com/groovusband

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        14. by cuber
          (653 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          actually, symbol, i think yani makes a brass plated horn, if not i know ive seen one before. cant go wrong with conn baris. at least before a certain date. and the horn hasnt had much damage and...

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        15. by cuber
          (653 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          ...more engraving than ever seen on any saxophone..... direct quote from saxnation regarding the new SG horn, this thing better have the entire dang thing engraved, otherwise you can make a claim that the conn artist series had more, or early King Super 20/Zypher had more ingraving.

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        16. by saxxsymbol
          (217 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          Yani is a red brass horn I think. The Saxgourmet is copper plated. Really stunning. It is engraved from top to bottom.

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        17. by chalazon
          (547 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          stunninginginginginginging

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        18. by saxxsymbol
          (217 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          Let freedom ring. Happy Birthday USA. Thank God we have the freedoms to disagree with one another. I hope everyone has a safe and happy Fourth of July and everyday for that matter.

          Reply To Post


        19. by JBTSAX
          (364 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          Ain't patriotism grand. I would be interested to know how popular the sax really is when they are sold for "best offer" prices on ebay well below the advertised retail of $4500. To discount a likel new "demo" 40% or more is quite a large discount for musical instruments. How much do you pay for yours? It seems to me that Goodson is shooting himself in the foot by selling the instruments on ebay at much lower prices than his store at Nationsofmusic. Why would anyone want to be a dealer for these instruments when they have to compete with cut rate internet sales by the supplier himself. Perhaps this is why there are so few dealers where you can try out the horns before purchasing them.

          Reply To Post


        20. by saxxsymbol
          (217 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          My Saxgourmet was a demo with several small blemishes and one ding. I am the only one in my area that has one. As I said in another post the techs in my area had never seen nor heard of one. Most people won't buy off the internet without trying a horn out. That is why internet prices are low for all horns sold over it. Lets see, cannonball retails for what $ 3300? I have seen street prices for brand new ones at dealers for $2200. That is 30% on a new horn. About what Yamaha and everybody else's street price in relation to their MSRP. So an extra 10% off for demo models with some blems sounds reasonable to me. I paid less than the buy it now. I made an offer. I feel like I stole this horn. It IS worth $4500 and time will be the judge, not you or me. These are custom horns, not mass produced. They are not for everybody. God Bless America.

          Reply To Post


        21. by JBTSAX
          (364 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          Wholesale is what the dealer pays to the manufacturer or supplier. Retail is what the dealer actually charges the customer. Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) is different from the retail price set by the dealer. The dealer's retail is often much lower than the MSRP on most items. As a billiards products dealer, you should know this. Since the actual selling prices for saxophones at Nations of Music are listed on the site, it is safe to assume that those are the retail prices for the instruments and not the MSRP's. Your comparison with Cannonball's pricing is meaningless since there are many different models in many different finishes, coupled with the fact that you don't really know what the MSRP really is. "Street price" - the price a customer who walks in the store off the street pays for an item, and the "retail price" - the price a merchant sells an item for are the same thing. God Bless Everybody (not just America)

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        22. by saxxsymbol
          (217 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          AMEN................

          Reply To Post


        23. by saxxsymbol
          (217 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          Only got 2 sets in before it poured down and flooded our area. We had to shut it down for the night. Still had great fireworks though just a little late. Don't know if Kelsey made it or not. We were still tearing down when it was over. Lot of equipment to dry out tomorrow.

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        24. by saxxsymbol
          (217 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          I noticed Kelsey you are ex- navy. So is my guitarist. He retired about 3 years ago. Judging by your profile I am not in your class as a musician but I am still learning. I did hope to meet a fellow poster though.

          Reply To Post


        25. by Tranesyadaddy
          (279 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          Happy birthday America, and God bless everybody (especially America on her birthday)

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        26. by kelsey
          (930 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          Sorry I couldn't say hi. I enjoyed the show. From a distance the SG looked great......................Kelsey
          Barry Kelsey

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        27. by saxxsymbol
          (217 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

          Thank you very much. Unfortunately we didn't get to do our best stuff. The fireworks were great though ! Next time you are going to be here drop a line and let me know. ......Chuck

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      2. by damianjproject
        (1 post)

        8 years ago

        Re: SAXGOURMET TENOR SAX

        Hey I was wondering if you still have that saxgourmet tenor? I was looking at his flagship category 5 model. Right now I play a selmer 54 and just want to see how it is limiting me if at all. I was curious about Steve's horns because of the handmade nature and acoustics. Please let me know if you do have your tenor if I could swing by and play it. I live in Miami you would be dispelling a lot of rumors for me...

        Thank you so much

        Damian J 

        Damian J

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