um, where were you planning to blow on this sax on the road? I know sax has a pretty sound but it's not the quiet instrument you would think. When I lived in an apartment I was allways carefull not to irritate my neighbors. Just make sure you realize it might take extra effort to find places sound proff enough to practice. WIth that in mind, buy a used Yamaha YAS (Yamaha Alto Sax) - 23 on Ebay. They are a very common good student horn. Expect to pay around $800 for it. I would be reluctant to play less then $550 unless seen in person. In the pictures check for dents or soder points (like it has had work done on it) Buy a new mouthpiece for it Selmer C* S-80 (cost $80-100). Don' t use the mouthpiece that comes with it, alot of times people don't upgrade the mouthpiece and they need to be. You probaby can just use the ligature and neck strap that comes with it, I am sure they are good enough. That setup will treat you good as a beginner plus if you decide it's not for you it will be easy to unload. Buying off brands are harder to get rid of. That's why we are recommending the YAS-23. Don't buy new. When your a kid your parents will force you to play it for years to make up for the price. When your an adult, it will just be wasting your money . Saxes were invented in the 1850's, they really haven't changed much. It's not like your buying a 20 year old computer. Don't forget to buy a tuner and a metradome. If you can't play with others you will need this to get used to playign in tempo and in pitch so when you do play with others things will work out. I hope you have fun.