So I am thinking of learning to play the saxophone. I have always been fascinated with the instrument but never had time to delve into it. Any tips on buying a good vintage saxophone?
the saxophone at 40
- Thread starter **Bingo_Bob**
- Start date
If you have any woodwind playing friends (clarinet or saxophone) who could help with the shopping, they could provide an assessment of the condition of the beast.
The biggest unknown will be the condition of the pads and the mechanisms that close them. If the pads don't seal properly, you'll have a miserable time learning.
You could probably get a deal on a slightly used student grade instrument from a local store that deals in them to start with then move on to vintage after you've developed the chops.
I don't believe the sound quality varies as much with a saxophone as with, say, a clarinet or flute when comparing student grade to vintage professional, though the price probably does.
- Chris
The biggest unknown will be the condition of the pads and the mechanisms that close them. If the pads don't seal properly, you'll have a miserable time learning.
You could probably get a deal on a slightly used student grade instrument from a local store that deals in them to start with then move on to vintage after you've developed the chops.
I don't believe the sound quality varies as much with a saxophone as with, say, a clarinet or flute when comparing student grade to vintage professional, though the price probably does.
- Chris
- Thread starter
- #3
Good luck on your quest. I played the sax as a young kid, and I'm thinking about getting another one to pick it back up. I loved it!
Oh, most definitely. And linkages can be adjusted and tweaked. Unlike a clarinet, the only cork involved is where the mouthpiece goes on.
Cost? It would depend, again, on if you're talking about student-grade repairs or professional level refurbishment. I've been out of it so long, I wouldn't know where to start.
- Chris
I've played alto Sax since 2000ish, but the last three years I've barely touched it due to a lack of free time at Uni.
Pads can be replaced and the last time I did it in 2004, it cost me £70, this may well have increased since then.
If you're really serious about learning, why not get hold of a mouthpiece and reed and practice on that, until you can get a body to put them on. The most difficult part of playing the sax is learning the make the right shapes with the lips and mouth, this can be learned with only the mouthpiece and reed.
Dave
Yep, this was how they taught us to play in school. Not me, I played bass, but all of the reed instrument players were only given mouth pieces to start with, plus it's cheap. If you can put yourself through the annoying honk of a mouthpiece without the glamor of a sax it bodes well for your dedication to learning.
Selmer Mark VI
... and about $VI,000.00
Personally, I would avoid vintage and get a used higher end student or semi-pro model. It's hard to go wrong with a Yamaha. Check out your local Craigslist for parents selling their kid's instruments. Also, have a look at Sax on the Web.
Once you become more proficient, you could investigate vintage instruments. Most would require work. FWIW, I had my mid-80's Yamaha Tenor overhauled a couple of years ago and it was between $300 and $400. A vintage instrument would most likely cost more to get in top running condition.
I would suggest either a Yamaha or Selmer. New or used is up to you. I play a Selmer 80 Super Action, a decendent of the Mark VI. For a good quality used saxophone expect to pay $1500. New would be about $2-3000.
My son has been playing alto since fourth grade (he's now a freshman in high school), and, based on that experience, I would recommend looking for a used Yamaha YA-23. It's pretty much the standard student instrument, very well built, and just about any sax tech can repair it. You may want to try renting one for a few months before you buy (generally, they go for around $30-$40 as month up here in MA). If you rent, you'll be sure to be getting one that is maintained well.
If you do buy used, anticipate that you may have to replace pads and gets leakages fixed. I bought my son's first YA-23 used for around $250, and spend another $50 repadding and tuning up. Over the next couple years until I sold it I put another $75 into other fixes.
Jeff in Boston
hey **Bingo_Bob**! Good choice of instrument!
I played sax on & off for years, in high school & semi pro (ie didn't make much $!) very recently.
The Sax on the web web site is an invaluable resource. Browse there for a while, I believe they have sections for beginners help & generally people are polite & helpful.
My suggestion would be to find a reputable music store in your area that offers lessons. Talk to a sax teacher & perhaps get them to suggest a horn to at least rent for a month or two. Get them to recommend you a mouthpiece for a beginner & some basic reed care & info.
Also you have to decide what sax as well, alto or tenor. Tenor is what all the cool cats play and pretty much any sax solo you hear on the radio (ever noticed how little sax there is in popular music today, but how much there was in the '80's??) will be a tenor. Alto is a smaller horn, easier to carry, but is played more predominantly in jazz bands & concert bands, of course there are exceptions to every rule.
As for brands of horns to get, it's far too early for that, there's no need to invest a lot of money at this point in time, I would suggest rent something for a while, you can always buy something later, the classifieds on sax on the web would be a good suggestion, but buying a horn without playing it is hit & miss, I had pretty good luck buying the one I did. The Yamaha YA-23 tip a few posts up is a good suggestion those horns are absolutely bullet proof & last forever.
That said, a sax is easy to play, but not easy to play well, the key is to practice, especially those mind numbing scales and long tones!
Don't expect to be the 2nd coming of John Coltrane overnight!
PM me if you have any questions.
And, most importantly, have fun!
I played sax on & off for years, in high school & semi pro (ie didn't make much $!) very recently.
The Sax on the web web site is an invaluable resource. Browse there for a while, I believe they have sections for beginners help & generally people are polite & helpful.
My suggestion would be to find a reputable music store in your area that offers lessons. Talk to a sax teacher & perhaps get them to suggest a horn to at least rent for a month or two. Get them to recommend you a mouthpiece for a beginner & some basic reed care & info.
Also you have to decide what sax as well, alto or tenor. Tenor is what all the cool cats play and pretty much any sax solo you hear on the radio (ever noticed how little sax there is in popular music today, but how much there was in the '80's??) will be a tenor. Alto is a smaller horn, easier to carry, but is played more predominantly in jazz bands & concert bands, of course there are exceptions to every rule.
As for brands of horns to get, it's far too early for that, there's no need to invest a lot of money at this point in time, I would suggest rent something for a while, you can always buy something later, the classifieds on sax on the web would be a good suggestion, but buying a horn without playing it is hit & miss, I had pretty good luck buying the one I did. The Yamaha YA-23 tip a few posts up is a good suggestion those horns are absolutely bullet proof & last forever.
That said, a sax is easy to play, but not easy to play well, the key is to practice, especially those mind numbing scales and long tones!
Don't expect to be the 2nd coming of John Coltrane overnight!
PM me if you have any questions.
And, most importantly, have fun!
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I wish I would have never sold my 79 Selmer Mark VII because it felt like a Mark VI and had a huge tone.. But in my area pad replacement is $ 150 - 300 depending on the resonators *black button like things on the bigger pads... But for a Selmer Mark VI or VII be prepared to pay 1000 - 3500+... But oh so worth it!
Cheers,
Cheers,
Try Witchita Band Insturments. I bought a flute for my youngest daughter from them. They offer good beginner insturments great service. Two year we fix it free as long as you don't run it over with a car. They offer refurbished band insturments at reasonable prices.
OBTW have flute for sale would you be interested? LOL
(As much as I hate to unleash another sax player on the world . . . 
)
Find a good teacher and have him/her assist you on finding a good instrument. If you don't have a music background at all the first lesson or two will be involved with discussing your goals and background, learning to read music and learning to make a sound on the reed/mouthpiece, so you won't lose much by not having an instrument at the lesson.
I would personally avoid any of the cheap Asian instruments (China, Pakistan, etc.) currently available, including the student horns being imported by some of the larger names. You won't go wrong with a Yamaha student model as your first horn; you may outgrow it in a few years, but you should be able to get a good price for it when you upgrade.
)Find a good teacher and have him/her assist you on finding a good instrument. If you don't have a music background at all the first lesson or two will be involved with discussing your goals and background, learning to read music and learning to make a sound on the reed/mouthpiece, so you won't lose much by not having an instrument at the lesson.
I would personally avoid any of the cheap Asian instruments (China, Pakistan, etc.) currently available, including the student horns being imported by some of the larger names. You won't go wrong with a Yamaha student model as your first horn; you may outgrow it in a few years, but you should be able to get a good price for it when you upgrade.
After playing for 7 years in middle and high school, here are what I suggest:
Don't get a vintage sax. Even if the cost is the same as a new sax, you will pay more over time for pad replacement/key adjustment/other fixes. In addition, it takes more knowledge of saxophones to know what to look for. I wouldn't suggest a "learner" or "starter" instrument- with saxes, they are junk. Stick with name brands (I highly recommend Yamaha). If you don't recognise the name on the sax you're looking at, look it up and make sure it's from a respectable company. Steer clear of "First Act" saxophones- sure they're cheap, but anything First Act makes is junk.
The mouthpiece drastically affects the sound, more than the saxophone itself. They have different types of mouthpieces, depending on what type of music you want to play. Make sure the type you get is for classical or jazz or whatever style you want to play. Make sure whatever mouthpiece you get, it is hard rubber (it looks just like plastic, but should say somewhere it is hard rubber, and is MUCH better than plastic). Don't get a metal mouthpiece- they're meant for jazz, but even if you want to play jazz, you should definitely start out on a traditional hard rubber mouthpiece (hard rubber mouthpieces are also used for jazz).
Starting out, you can probably buy whatever brand reeds you want. Rico is the definitive beginner reed, as well as the go-to reed for some jazz musicians. However, most people try to get away from Rico reeds as soon as possible (Vandoren is good and a very popular choice for both classical and jazz music).
You will probably want to get either an alto or tenor saxophone. Alto is easier to start out on, as it is smaller, requires less air to blow, and is easier to transport. Tenor is more popular for jazz music, but you can always start out on alto and transition to tenor later.
Don't get a vintage sax. Even if the cost is the same as a new sax, you will pay more over time for pad replacement/key adjustment/other fixes. In addition, it takes more knowledge of saxophones to know what to look for. I wouldn't suggest a "learner" or "starter" instrument- with saxes, they are junk. Stick with name brands (I highly recommend Yamaha). If you don't recognise the name on the sax you're looking at, look it up and make sure it's from a respectable company. Steer clear of "First Act" saxophones- sure they're cheap, but anything First Act makes is junk.
The mouthpiece drastically affects the sound, more than the saxophone itself. They have different types of mouthpieces, depending on what type of music you want to play. Make sure the type you get is for classical or jazz or whatever style you want to play. Make sure whatever mouthpiece you get, it is hard rubber (it looks just like plastic, but should say somewhere it is hard rubber, and is MUCH better than plastic). Don't get a metal mouthpiece- they're meant for jazz, but even if you want to play jazz, you should definitely start out on a traditional hard rubber mouthpiece (hard rubber mouthpieces are also used for jazz).
Starting out, you can probably buy whatever brand reeds you want. Rico is the definitive beginner reed, as well as the go-to reed for some jazz musicians. However, most people try to get away from Rico reeds as soon as possible (Vandoren is good and a very popular choice for both classical and jazz music).
You will probably want to get either an alto or tenor saxophone. Alto is easier to start out on, as it is smaller, requires less air to blow, and is easier to transport. Tenor is more popular for jazz music, but you can always start out on alto and transition to tenor later.
I have a Selmer Paris that is in like new condition. I bought it for my daughter and she stopped playing it. Let me know if you are interested (PM) and I will send some photos. This is a high end instrument so you may be better off buying something to learn on and then stepping up.
Me, too! I haven't handled one in nearly 20 years but I still remember all the finger movements to Sweet Georgia Brown. Everyone once in a while I'll look them up online and I've seen some pretty sweet deals on new ones through eBay.
I played sax myself. That was over 30yrs ago, and even then, a refurbishing job was high. There are often instruments for sale by families who bought one for their little darling....who refused to practice.
C
closacgri
Can you give some more sample question and answers. How great your info is! It really useful for me. Thanks.
