Saxophone Forum


by altosax
(19 posts)
19 years ago

trying to decide

I have been playing alto for abour 5 years, I play a yas 23, and I play mostly jazz. I am now thinking of buying a new saxophone but I can't decide if I want a Soprano a tenor or a better alto, what should I choose? would a better alto make a big difference?

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  1. by johnsonfromwisconsin
    (767 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: trying to decide

    Hmmmm, The Yas-23 is a good horn that I consider a quality intermediate instrument. (I usually classify horns as: crap, student, intermediate, entry-level pro, premium-pro) The question is how much do you have, and how enthused are you about expanding you're versitility? I personally wouldn't seriously consider a soprano unless you are prepared to do mosly solo work as it is not a standard instrument in swing or jazz ensembles. That said, if you're looking to aquire a premium instrument, alto will be cheaper. You should try a couple tenors somewhere to see if you think you'll like it. You should also try a number of altos to see if your Yamaha satisfies you compared to them. It's not an easy question.

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  2. by johnsonfromwisconsin
    (767 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: trying to decide

    Hmmmm, The Yas-23 is a good horn that I consider a quality intermediate instrument. (I usually classify horns as: crap, student, intermediate, entry-level pro, premium-pro) The question is how much do you have, and how enthused are you about expanding you're versitility? I personally wouldn't seriously consider a soprano unless you are prepared to do mosly solo work as it is not a standard instrument in swing or jazz ensembles. That said, if you're looking to aquire a premium instrument, alto will be cheaper. You should try a couple tenors somewhere to see if you think you'll like it. You should also try a number of altos to see if your Yamaha satisfies you compared to them. It's not an easy question.

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  3. by sax_maniac
    (984 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: trying to decide

    The nice thing about YAS-23's is their clean slate sound - you can color it however you want with your mouthpiece. In good repair, a YAS-23 is a fine horn. Try a Selmer Metal Jazz C* or D facing - the investment will be much less than a new alto and you'll get a nice clean bright jazz sound with reliable intonation. I have a few affordable tenors that are great players if you want to expand your arsenal.

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    1. by altosax
      (19 posts)

      19 years ago

      Re: trying to decide

      thank you for the advice. I think I will try some tenors and see if I like it. I am currently using a meyer 7 mouthpiece with lavoz medium reeds, which is working good for me. I have never tried a metal mouthpiece, I'll check it out. what affordable tenors do you have, sax maniac?

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      1. by sax_maniac
        (984 posts)

        19 years ago

        Re: trying to decide

        For tenors, I've got (I think) three King 615/Cleveland, two Bundy II's, one Conn director. (And a partridge in a pear tree). I'm pretty certain that one of the Kings and the Conn are pretty much ready to go. One of the Bundy II's is close. It's been a while since I've picked them up and given them a run-through. I don't like to dump horns that I wouldn't play myself, so I tend to tweak for a while until I'm happy with it. If I think the pads need replacement, I do that. If they are functional, have life left in them, and don't smell like a rotten mildewy case, I leave them alone. I'm a clean freak... Shoot me an email if you're interested. Something interesting I noticed.. In the past week, I did a refurb for a friend's King Super 20 - (silver neck, brass bell). When I had it all apart to clean it, I took some measurements and comcluded that the Super 20 and 615 horns are basically the same darned thing except for the underslung octave on the 20 neck and some key design - particularly the LH pinky table on the 20 representing a more modern design. They sounded similar (with the 20's sterling neck lending it a little sweeter tone and a little less power).

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