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Forum » Sax Equipment » Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands


by connsaxman_jim
(2336 posts)
19 years ago

Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

Antigua Winds Armstrong Borgani Buescher Bundy Buffet B&S Cannonball Cleveland (King) Conn Couf Dolnet Evette Schafer (Buffet) Guardala Holton Indiana (Martin) Jupiter Keilwerth Kessler Custom (Kessler Music) King LA Sax LaVoix (Selmer Martin Oleg Selmer SML Vito Winston Yamaha Yanagisawa These are all great brands that I am sure you can rely on. I'm sure there are a few others (European makes) that I have yet to hear of that are good. BEWARE OF: Dominic, and his cheap saxophones that fall apart in a year, and other ebay deals that are too good to be true! Saxophones under $500. You can't build a quality saxophone for less than about $800! Especially if the ad says it's a "Pro model" saxophone! Saxophones that clame to be "German engineered". They're not made in Germany. They're cheap Chinese made copies of a Keilwerth or B&S design

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  2. by johnsonfromwisconsin
    (767 posts)
    19 years ago

    Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

    I've heard good things concerning: Beaugnier Pierret Couesnon Leblanc Malerne

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    1. by Jazz&pizzaz
      (5 posts)
      19 years ago

      Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

      I bought a Stephanouser STS 700 and I absolutely LOVE it. Also, it's the only sax I know of that has a High "G" key

      Reply To Post AIM


      1. by saxjunkie89
        (393 posts)
        19 years ago

        Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

        umm... LA Sax, Gary Sugal series III or IV

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    2. by saxjunkie89
      (393 posts)
      19 years ago

      Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

      LeBlanc doesn't make saxes. Vito makes them and sell through G. Leblanc. Leblanc makes clarinets mostly

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      1. by johnsonfromwisconsin
        (767 posts)
        19 years ago

        Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

        ---------------------------------------------------------- LeBlanc doesn't make saxes. Vito makes them and sell through G. Leblanc. Leblanc makes clarinets mostly -------------------------------------------------------------- They used to make saxophones. The old vitos were made by Beaugnier or Leblanc. Leblanc was doing some really cutting-edge stuff on saxophones at the time. Google for the Leblanc "Rationale"

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        1. by saxjunkie89
          (393 posts)
          19 years ago

          Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

          oh. okay

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      2. by SaxMan
        (559 posts)
        19 years ago

        Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

        nearly all reasonable student model alto saxophones made today are less than 800.

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        1. by connsaxman_jim
          (2336 posts)
          19 years ago

          Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

          Although there are a few decent student saxophones for less than $800, like the Antigua Winds and the Winston saxophones, most are going to run at least $800 or more. Look at the following companies below www.wwbw.com www.giardinelli.com www.samash.com www.musiciansfriend.com www.music123.com

          Reply To Post Yahoo!


          1. by SaxMan
            (559 posts)
            19 years ago

            Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

            If those companies were following antigua wind's mandates, not a single one would be on there. the shop I work at sells an antigua winds student alto right now, for 600. The selmer AS500, 600 I beleive go for somewhere around 750 now. The BU6's go for about 780. Yamaha's are nothing but a rip off - you can get professional grade saxophones for the price of a yas-23. Jupiter's, as far as I am aware are not typically dealt with at shops - the student models. Winstons are just pieces of crap that have different length key linkages where they should be the same, that have soft key material, cheap lacquer, cheap pads, cheap cases and a cheap stock mouthpiece with a useless tip opening. The brass instruments are really bad - the pistons aren't even plated, and they are made of a rather volatile brass. my shop won't work on them. they are much better quality that some ebay pos, but are just below the level of quality that my shop demands before we will work on them. By the way - the selmers are either partially or fully ribbed. If I remember right, the antiguas are partially ribbed as well.

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            1. by jaja999
              (15 posts)
              17 years ago

              Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

              thats why everyone buys yas-23's used And give yamaha some credit, in terms of the big 4 brands yamaha's pro models are by far overall least expensive.

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          2. by jazzyjohn
            (5 posts)
            17 years ago

            Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

            and p.muriat are even better than any of them sax makes!

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          3. by mjm
            (4 posts)
            17 years ago

            Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

            I saw one with "The Woodwind" engraved on the bell. Does anyone know anything about those?

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          4. by Dan000892
            (1 post)
            19 years ago

            Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

            I'd put Unison on my list before Winston, LA Sax and most Yamahas, based on my own experiences. You can pick up a Unison "professional" tenor for a grand or two. Mine plays very well

            Reply To Post AIM


            1. by chiamac
              (586 posts)
              19 years ago

              Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

              hey, could we not make this a "who is better than who" list/thread, there are plenty of those around. However, we don't have a "big list" of decent brands around here anywhere.

              Reply To Post Yahoo! AIM


          5. by Tully
            (49 posts)
            19 years ago

            Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

            R&C (Rampone e Cazzani). They're available from Saxforte.

            Reply To Post AIM


          6. by Jonathan_sfyee
            (15 posts)
            19 years ago

            Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

            I came across this brand of saxophone on the net - its called P. Mauriat. They are supposedly made of French Brass and made in Taiwan. Anybody ever tried one? Comments?

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            1. by phathorn
              (165 posts)
              19 years ago

              Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

              Never tried or even seen one. They are , however, supposed to have a pretty good reputation...

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              1. by stephangus
                (11 posts)
                19 years ago

                Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

                can't speak for the mauriat, but i can for the shop that's pushin' em'. tim did a great job on my martin. www.saxalley.com/index.html

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                1. by selmer 4evr
                  (309 posts)
                  19 years ago

                  Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

                  Muriats are taiwaneese made using an old french name

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                2. by stephangus
                  (11 posts)
                  19 years ago

                  Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

                  ah, oui, but zey are made wiz french materiél, mon ami! laiton français! www.saxalley.com/p_mauriat_saxs.html (i have no friggin' clue about these horns- my tech pimps 'em-, but wouldn't it be great if the hype was true...?)

                  Reply To Post


                3. by stephangus
                  (11 posts)
                  19 years ago

                  Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

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                4. by The_§ax
                  (147 posts)
                  19 years ago

                  Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

                  I was rather surprised to see you put Bundy up there Jim. I do actually think they are a good model saxophone too but many people do not.

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                5. by johnsonfromwisconsin
                  (767 posts)
                  19 years ago

                  Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

                  Yup, Bundys are definately serviceable. Their keywork is nothing spectacular, but they sound okay, are durable, fixable, and play in tune. Plus they are a real bargin due to being phased out in favor of yamahas and vitos in a lot of school systems so you can find them cheap.

                  Reply To Post


                6. by The_§ax
                  (147 posts)
                  19 years ago

                  Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

                  Is there much of a difference between the Buescher Aristocrat and the Selmer Bundy II? I do know that Selmer bought Buescher at sometime.

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                7. by connsaxman_jim
                  (2336 posts)
                  19 years ago

                  Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

                  The pre-1963 Buescher Aristocrats were good horns, and they are very different from the later Aristocrats and Bundy II's. Selmer bastardized the name! The later Aristocrates are not nearly as good. Bundy II's would not be my pick, but they're a decent beginner horn. They are repairable, and the intonation is pretty good. I put them on the list not because I like them, but because truely, I hate them, with a passion! but they are decent horns, and people have emailed me asking for a decent student horn for a low price, and like Johnson said, I have seen a lot of Bundy II's cheap. There are many reasons why I hate them, but they have little to do with their quality and more to do with the fact that they are named after George Bundy! It's a personal thing, I guess.

                  Reply To Post Yahoo!


                8. by The_§ax
                  (147 posts)
                  19 years ago

                  Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

                  Ok, I never understood why many other forums put the Bundy II's down, because i do believe that they are a good student sax a lot better than other brands that I could mention

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                9. by phathorn
                  (165 posts)
                  19 years ago

                  Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

                  The problems with the Bundy II are that 1: While it's keywork is superior to that of the immediately post Buescher buyout Bundy's, the tone of the Bundy "Aristocrat" is FAR superior to that of the II (there was still just a little Buescher magic left in em...) 2: For years the Yamaha 23 and it's counterpart, the Vito, were less expensive and really IMHO better horns.

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                10. by RJfromPVIL
                  (1 post)
                  19 years ago

                  Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

                  hi im a noob... see, halo 2 screws up ur mind with the cursing 5 year olds and watnot. n e hoo, One thing im not a nooob @ is the sax. and im here to tell u the happy sax people that the Selmer MarkVI tenor sax owns life. if anyone disagrees, you should be shot in the foot. so there i said it. PEACE OUT GROOVY KABOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...

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                11. by SaxSurfer
                  (1 post)
                  17 years ago

                  Re: Jim's list of "approved" saxophone brands

                  I just sold all my factory Selmer MK VI's in gold-plateing Vin. 80,000 series(sop.,alto,tenor) for a whole fleet of Yani's. Sterling alto,sop.and tenor. I also was able to get my hands on a killer 992 alto in Bronze, a tenor 992 in Bronze, and a 991 Lacquer alto. I am very pleased with the the Yanagisawa product. I played the VI's all through my Juilliard days. Joe Allard would have freaked and smiled at the same time over these trades I made....lol... Just a little humor for you guys out there.

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