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Forum » General Discussions » Bandnow Tenor Sax: anyone has tried it?


by aravaioli
(24 posts)
19 years ago

Bandnow Tenor Sax: anyone has tried it?

I noticed music123 sells a tenor sax, branded as "Bandnow" for as little as 349$. That sounds scary enough, however I wonder if anybody of you has tried or heard something about this model. Granted that it can't be a great sax, would it be ok for a complete beginner or instead discouraging due to bad intonation and other issues? Its price is about 1/6 of a Yamaha YTS-23 so it's somehow tempting if it won't turn out into a music trap.... Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone.

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  2. by aravaioli
    (24 posts)
    19 years ago

    Re: Bandnow Tenor Sax: anyone has tried it?

    I forgot to add the possible alternatives: 1. Prelude by Selmer TS700 2. Jupiter 585GL Any opinion on those? They are around 1000$ each. Thanks again

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    1. by connsaxman_jim
      (2336 posts)
      19 years ago

      Re: Bandnow Tenor Sax: anyone has tried it?

      I've heard that the Band Now saxophones are not very good, but I haven't personally tried one. The Jupiter 585GL is a decent student horn. I haven't tried the Prelude. Giardinelli sells a Kohler sax that really isn't to bad. I was surprised. With a few adjustments, the Kohler played fairly well and had a decent tone. The quality of the forged keys and the leather pads on the Kohler was better than many of the cheap horns I've seen. I'm always very skeptical of anything too cheap!

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    2. by connsaxman_jim
      (2336 posts)
      19 years ago

      Re: Bandnow Tenor Sax: anyone has tried it?

      Here's the link for Giardinelli. They're associated with Musician's Friend, who I have delt with many times. www.giardinelli.com

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  3. by tayoung301
    (1 post)
    19 years ago

    Re: Bandnow Tenor Sax: anyone has tried it?

    I have a degree in Music Education and have been playing professionally for about 20 years. I own a Selmer Mark VI Tenor, Selmer Super Action 80 Alto and an old intermediate Soprano in which I've recorded with. I bought a BandNow soprano for my 12 year old son and I must say, it sounds great, the intonation was as good as any soprano that I’ve played, it looks nice (for what that's worth), and the keys are set up as well as any "professional" horn. I highly recommend the soprano. I would suggest a Selmer C* mouthpiece and Fred Hemke 2 1/2 reeds. Do not use the mouthpiece that comes with the horn. I cannot see anyone getting a better buy for the buck. In my opinion, the horn could probably sell for over a grand if the manufacturer added a signature design on the body and changed the name to something more sophisticated. I have not tried the tenor, but based on my soprano experience, I would take the chance if I were you.

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    1. by jazzsaxman
      (28 posts)
      19 years ago

      Re: Bandnow Tenor Sax: anyone has tried it?

      i agree with the man who bought the band now soprano- i bought the same horn and am totally pleased with the quality and sound from this horn- i only payed 299 for this horn and it is worth way more. the only problem i have is that i get kind of sheepish when people ask me what brand it is. i think these horns are very well though out.

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      1. by saxxything78
        (14 posts)
        19 years ago

        Re: Bandnow Tenor Sax: anyone has tried it?

        Ditto for me too. I just got my Bandnew sop on 2/15. For me, the lower registers were difficult to produce a good tone, and the upper registers were a bit sharp. I played along with Kenny G (save me the bashing), and had to push the mpc practically all the way down, to be in tune with the CD. I've got a Selmer S80 C* mpc on order, and am experimenting with different strength Vandoren reeds. Hopefully, I'll find the right match, and make this sax shine.

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        1. by sax_maniac
          (984 posts)
          19 years ago

          BandNow sop mouthpiece

          I wonder if the chamber on the mouthpieces that come with BandNows are too small for the horn - maybe not a good design match. Try to get to a music store that has some other pieces to try if you can. If the low end is too resistant and it's not pad leaks, it could also be that the facing on the mouthpiece is too short or the neck cork is not filling the bore enough. wrap some teflon tape on the very tip of your neck cork and see if that makes a difference. If you find that another mouthpiece works well on those horns, I'll offer my services for free to evaluate and modify (if necessary) the mouthpiece that came with it. I'm willing to do it to get a look at the mouthpiece first hand and catalogue what is getting shipped from their factory. Shoot me an email if you are interested.

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      2. by connsaxman_jim
        (2336 posts)
        19 years ago

        Re: Bandnow Tenor Sax: anyone has tried it?

        I would be very leary of Band Now from everything I've heard. Of the Asian Horns, Antigua Winds seems like one of the better ones. The Kohlert soprano's actually didn't seem to bad to me. Giardinelli sells them pretty cheap. I played a Monique recently that played pretty good, but the guy who owned it changed the pads and did a few things to it. I've had a Selmer Series III soprano for a little over a year, and I just bought a Keilwerth SX 90 soprano. I might sell the Selmer. I haven't decided yet. It's a nice horn, but I like the Keilwerth much better.

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