Saxophone Forum


by levisax
(3 posts)
20 years ago

Muddling through buying a sax for my son

Hello all - I have only recently discovered your elite website. I would like information on buying a sax for my sixth grade son who will playing hopefully through high school. I have been researching brands, etc. and talked with the band director. We already rea;ize that renting is not the way to go - $50.00 a month for 4 yrs. - you could buy a really nice one for that. I found a Keilwerth JK2100S-8-0 (ST9) for $799. on Allman Music Discount Band website - does anyone know anything about this horn or this company? I would appreciate your help! thanks, Becky

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  1. by sax_maniac
    (984 posts)

    20 years ago

    Re: Muddling through buying a sax for my son

    That is Keilwerth's student horn and it might be ok for a beginner. They make other horns that are held in much higher regard, but also cost a lot more. You sort of get what you pay for when it comes to saxophones. Bang for the buck is found in a used horn of good reputation like a Selmer Bundy or Yamaha YAS-23. Those can generally be found in great condition for $200-$400 and are, in my opinion, much better than most modern student-line horns. And you can sell it for pretty much what you paid for it if for some reason your son gives it up. For $50/mo, is any of that money put towards purchasing the instrument? That sounds like a rent to own rate to me. The good thing about going the rental route is that the shop should take care of any regulation issues that will ultimately arise and the horn should be set up to play well, whereas buying something online, there's generally little guarantee that it will play well (not that it won't, necessarily) and you would have to take it in to your local shop occasionally anyhow. Saxophones are just very mechanically complex and there's lots of little things that can make the horn sound bad even if the player is good. This is an issue even with professional horns. The student line horns are generally not made with the same durability of components as the professional horns, so adjustments and such can be required perhaps more frequently or they are less forgiving to mishandling by a beginner. What is your local shop charging to buy a student Yamaha or student Selmer outright? What kind of horn are they offering for $50/month?

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    1. by levisax
      (3 posts)

      20 years ago

      Re: Muddling through buying a sax for my son

      The sax in question is a rent- to own - Selmer, It is a used level 1 sax (apparently they also have a level 2 with a few more cosmetic dings) the outright asking price is about $995.00. I will keep looking at local stores - it sounds like the way to go would be a good used one.

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      1. by sax_maniac
        (984 posts)

        20 years ago

        Re: Muddling through buying a sax for my son

        If money is a consideration, I strongly urge that you find a good playable used horn - preferably one where the person you are buying it from can play it for you from the lowest note to the highest note with good tone and ease. Even a few dings is no big deal depending on where they are and how big they are. Generally cosmetic dings don't affect how a horn plays. Larger ones can be indicative that there may be greater issues. $995 for a used Selmer? Could be a good or bad deal depending on which model it is. Selmer has had numerous over the years. They're all respectable horns - just some are worth $1000 used and some are worth only $200 used. And some are worth $5000 used, but that's a whole other story not worth going into.

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        1. by levisax
          (3 posts)

          20 years ago

          Re: Muddling through buying a sax for my son

          Thanks for your input - I will put my walking shoes on.

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