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by saxtank
(1 post)
19 years ago

buying a soprano

I'm interested in buying a soprano. I am an experienced sax player, having majored in music, but my career took me elsewhere and I haven't really played in 20 years. My 15 yr old son is now playing and this has sparked my desire to play again. I don't think he will continue playing beyond high school and I just bought him a new YAS-62II, which is awesome. He's involved in jazz band and they need a soprano player. I don't want to spend a lot of money, since this will probably be a secondary instrument for him and something I may play around with a bit. I want something that will serve the purpose and will have decent intonation. I played a low end Yani 25 years ago in college and loved it, but they are priced outrageously these days. Is there such a thing as a reasonably priced soprano? I've been reading a lot about a Yani copy called an Antigua. Is it a decent instrument? Do I have any choices, other than spending $2500? I was hoping to stay under $1000 with a soprano purchase. Help!

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  2. by sax_maniac
    (984 posts)
    19 years ago

    Re: buying a soprano

    If you're focused on buying new for $1000, another brand to look at is Accent. I liked them better than the Yamaha 475, which cost around $1500 at the time. Accent is Taiwan made, but I and others who tried it out really liked it and were pleasantly suprised for not having any familiarity with Accent brand. The trouble with Accent or Antigua or any Taiwan/Chinese horn is their resale is poor. So get a solid return/service policy when you buy one in case it doesn't work out. For $1000, you should try to obtain an older Yani. They are better than new $1000-ish horns and hold their value well. Some Yani's were also stenciled (branded) as Whitehall and Vito - particularly in the 1970's and 1980's. So if you can spot a Japan-made Vito, you can get a great horn at a great price. Vintage Martins and Bueschers can be found for even cheaper, but then you start gambling with action and intonation, which tends to vary a lot on the older horns.

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    1. by tenor562
      (297 posts)
      19 years ago

      Re: buying a soprano

      I second the Accent. A friend of mine owns one, and is very pleased. It's really a great value, it's a nice case, and our private instructor approves of it highly, and it has a nice tone. Accent was made by band instructors who were trying to find high quality student line instruments for their pupils. It's a nice horn.

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