Saxophone Forum


by 4kidsinband
(3 posts)
11 years ago

Suggestions, please.

My daughter plays alto sax in marching/concert band, jazz band and is a member of a jazz band outside of school. We are looking to purchase a new saxophone for her, but really have no clue as to what brand/model would be best. We have no problem with second-hand, we just have no idea where to start the search. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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  1. by GFC
    (842 posts)

    11 years ago

    Re: Suggestions, please.

    The search starts with a conversation between you and your daughter. What are you willing to budget? What sound does your daughter want to develop? What is she playing now, and what characteristics does she feel could be better? What reeds and mouthpiece does your daughter use?

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    1. by 4kidsinband
      (3 posts)

      11 years ago

      Re: Suggestions, please.

      Thank you for the reply. She claims not to have a preference as to what brand, etc. As far as budget, we'd like to stay at $1500 or less. The majority of her playing from here on out will be primarily jazz. Her basic complaint right now is the tone of her instrument. Not positive on the reed or mouthpiece type, I'll have to double check that.

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      1. by 4kidsinband
        (3 posts)

        11 years ago

        Re: Suggestions, please.

        Her mouthpiece is a Selmer C-star. I don't know what reed she has right now, but we have a plastic one on the way that she has been wanting to try.

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        1. by Zaxman
          (31 posts)

          11 years ago

          Re: Suggestions, please.

          Saxquest has a beautiful gold lacquered Chateau alto sax and a Cannonball 98 Knight in your price range.  Both of those horns would be great for the progressing band student.  They also include our professional set-up and 1 year warranty.  You can find those horns listed on our site under modern alto's.  If you have any questions you can also contact me directly at [email protected]

          Reply To Post Yahoo!


        2. by GFC
          (842 posts)

          11 years ago

          Re: Suggestions, please.

          OK, I can make one suggestion. Start with the mouthpiece. The Selmer c* is kind of a small chambered piece with a small tip, designed for purity of tone in classical playing. A larger chambered piece such as a Meyer or Otto Link will allow a deeper and richer sound. An intermediate tip opening, somewhere around .090 -.100 (6 to 7 in the Link system) will allow the greatest choice of reeds for tone, projection, dynamic control, and so forth. Hard rubber Meyer and Link pieces can be bought for around $100. The "saxophone sound equation" is 90% player, 6% mouthpiece, 4% horn. You can avoid the trap of considering the 4% for $1000+ before the 6% for $100. The other side of coin is that more power from the mouthpiece can accentuate the crappy sound characteristics of a horn - although I don't know if that applies to your daughter's case or not. If that does turn out to be the case, there are good Asian-made intermediate horns offered between $1000 and $1500. Chateau, Antigua, Kessler, and Saxgourmet offer good deals in that range. If you go the used route, there are some good older American professional horns to consider. Life in vintage world is more complicated than in modern world, but can also be quite rewarding. What horn does your daughter currently play?

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