Saxophone Forum


by playagain
(4 posts)
15 years ago

Antigua Winds, Barrington or Vito Soprano?

Your recommendations and caveats (tone and intonation, even altissimo range, action and ease of blowing, ergonomics, construction and serviceability, mpc/reed combo, etc., please. I wish to buy a sop to play periodically in a church setting. No paying gigs or heavy use to justify a more expensive pro-level horn, but I wish to produce a pleasing sound. Three current candidates are: (1) Antigua Winds 586LQ (straight, dual neck, (2) Barrington 502 (made in China to WWBW specs; WWBW says a Jupiter intermediate would be a reasonable comparison - see www.wwbw.com/Barrington-Model-502-Soprano-Saxophone-i125664.music) w/o mpc (I have a Selmer S-80 C**), and (3) Vito straight (Yani/S-6 stencil of MK VI, or Yamaha, depending on yr. of mfg. - will ask for s/n). (1) Antigua Winds seller says, "...bought ... November of 2006 from Kessler Music...daughter ... played it about 12 times in two years...her High School band director would not allow her to play SOP in the orch....It has both necks and the original mouthpiece as well as a Moran Protone MP. All is still as it was shipped, no scratches, dings or dents...I've talked to Dave Kessler about it since, and he said they are selling for 895 currently and in the condition mine is in I should be asking 700 +/-...I will honor the $595". This would be a stretch for me, but if it’s the best price/performance value, I may do it. (2) Barrington seller says, "This is a student model that actually plays and sounds great top to bottom....FYI bought the Barrington new 3 (now 4) months ago from Woodwind and Brasswind. I had Weber Instrument repair check it out then, he changed the octave key adjustment, (wasn't sealing properly) also fixed two sticky and one leaky pad. After that it played quite nicely, and surprisingly comparable to my more recently purchased (used) Yamaha YSS-475, so now I have two sopranos, hence the sale of one. Great looking, great sounding, great playing horn. Includes case, horn, 2 necks (1 straight, 1 curved), new mouthpiece, 2 additional mouthpieces (all Rico's)...” Also said he was returning to sax after many years layoff and bought the 475 because he thought the lack of progress on sop may have been due to the horn, but comparing them after purchase thought he had made progress and they sounded and played quite similar, the 475 being a little brighter. $275. (3) Vito seller says, "An excellent Vito soprano saxophone. Made in Taiwan, EXCELLENT condition! 100% lacquer, no dents. IT IS LIKE NEW!!! original case and Van Doren mouthpiece - $495; Offers accepted (italics added)". Seller also has a few altos and a tenor for sale, so he might be a part-time dealer. SOTW forums (and Steve Howard @ www.shwoodwind.co.uk/Reviews/Saxes/Sop/Antigua_soprano.htm addendum of Jan. 15, 2007, a 586LQ w/ high G) say lots of good things about Antigua Winds newer models, not as much chatter about Vito, and nothing about Barrington (see reviews on WWBW website). How would you compare and rank them, w/ and w/o value for price being a factor? I've got to quickly get back to sellers, before they're gone, so any guidance in a quick reply will be appreciated. NOTE: All sellers are hundreds of mi. away, so I won’t be able to test the horns. I’ll be taking some risk. Any suggestions on how to request it be packed, e.g., case double boxed and separated by layer of Styrofoam peanuts or air bags, something to hold down all keys, e.g., painters (blue) masking tape, insurance and tracking, etc.? Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts with me. Hope some other prospective sop players will benefit, too. Alto - Conn 6M; Tenor - Buescher Aristocrat 156

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  1. by chalazon
    (547 posts)

    15 years ago

    Re: Antigua Winds, Barrington or Vito Soprano?

    well, this is hard..I wouldn't touch the Barrington..don't care much for Antigua horns...I'v e heard that the Vito's are stencil Yanagisawas, in which case this would be a good bet..It's difficult without seeing the horns.I'd probably go with the Vito, just because I've had such negative experiences with the other horns in the past. But then, that's just me....

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    1. by wkusax87
      (12 posts)

      15 years ago

      Re: Antigua Winds, Barrington or Vito Soprano?

      I don't know the other two brands, but I would never own a horn with "Vito" on it. Look into Cannonball

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      1. by kelsey
        (930 posts)

        15 years ago

        Re: Antigua Winds, Barrington or Vito Soprano?

        I suggest none of the above. Soprano is difficult enough to begin with without fighting some bad horn. The only soprano I would reccomend at a lower price would be the Yamaha 475.....Kelsey
        Barry Kelsey

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