What about the claim that 2/3 of all saxes in the world are made in Taiwan?

I would think that claim is very believable. When you consider that many of the Conn/Selmer horns are now made in Taiwan, Jupiter is made in Taiwan as is Cannonball, and Jupiter manufactures the student model Keilwerth horns. Antigua Winds is made in Taiwan, along with several other cheaper brands. I would say that probably at least 2/3 of the saxophones sold today are made in Taiwan. I do think that the quality of these horns has gotten considerably better in recent years. My advice though when buying any of the cheaper horns is to play the horn before you buy it, of if ordering from an online company, make sure you know the store's refund company. I have found dealers like Kessler to be very reputable and they stand behind the products that they sell. Other companies may not be. Remember, if the deal sounds so good to be true, it's probably a raw deal! Walk away!

Clinton has an LA Sax tenor, with a limited edition American Flag finish. It was presented to him in the oval office by the an LA Sax executive. If you read his book i believe it tells you about his other horns, the SBA he had at the inagural ball when he played there, and the Selmer cigar cutter he had stolen from him prior to getting the SBA.

'Clinton has an LA Sax tenor, with a limited edition American Flag finish. It was presented to him in the oval office by the an LA Sax executive.' Actually, he had it in his possession for about 20 minutes! Read about it: www.usd.edu/smm/clinton.html

A Selmer cigar cutter....?

Now that you put names to the anonymous Taiwan-made saxes, it's making a lot more sense and the claim does seem more credible. The thing about trying-before-buying is that I'm a beginner to the sax and wouldn't have much of a clue what the difference is between a bad sax and a good sax.

Maybe there is someone around you that could try the horn for you to see if it is a decent player

This is actually a problem I've tried to find a solution to. I am looking into buying a Taiwanese horn, mostly cause it's black and cheaper, and I'm paying my way through college, so a cheaper bari is my only option. But I digress... My thought was that maybe we should get some of these people we are thinking of buying a horn from to get a video of themselves playing that horn, then we can post the link here and you guys who are very experienced with saxophones could tell us who don't know whether these horns are worth anything or not. What does everyone think of that?

"This is actually a problem I've tried to find a solution to. I am looking into buying a Taiwanese horn, mostly cause it's black and cheaper, and I'm paying my way through college, so a cheaper bari is my only option. But I digress... My thought was that maybe we should get some of these people we are thinking of buying a horn from to get a video of themselves playing that horn, then we can post the link here and you guys who are very experienced with saxophones could tell us who don't know whether these horns are worth anything or not. What does everyone think of that?" I think you need to work on your english!=) other than that... these problems may not happen right away, or at all, and a video or recording of the person really isn't in question. I'll be willing to bet that some of these horns sound just as good as some "good" horns. It's just that the quality is shotty, and the metal may not be as good. it's like buying a very cheap car, to a adverage one. Both will get you there, but one will be more dependable.

oh and I was just giving you crap about English! =) (my spelling is the worst of anyone on here)

I own three saxophones made in Taiwan. One is an Antigua Winds soprano (carbon copy of the Yani) which I purchased new 3 years ago. It's a great horn at a great price. It's very ergonomic and sounds good with my metal Link mpc. The alto is a Jupiter and I have no issues with it either. The tenor (my new main gig axe) is a brand new Kessler Custom along with a Kessler hard rubber pro mouthpiece. The tenor's keywork has the look and feel of a Selmer Serie III and the horn has the vintage sound of the old Bueschers and Conns. I also have a Buescher 400 tenor that the Kessler is replacing - so I can make detailed comparisons. Like the Buescher, the Kessler is a heavy instrument, has metal resonators, and is free-blowing. If you can settle for a horn that does not have the name recognition of the Big 4, yet is of high quality in every respect, has the great vintage sound, has no ergonomic issues, and costs less than 25% of the high end Selmers, then consider a Kessler Custom - made in TAIWAN. Also, the antiqued finish version (that I have) looks much better than that of the Reference 54 - in my opinion. You can buy the Kessler horn with confidence. I do NOT get a commission for saying all of this. I am just a very satisfied customer - like 99% of his customers are.