Klarinet Archive - Posting 000431.txt from 1998/07

From: "Kevin Fay (LCA)" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Good cheap sax
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 11:46:16 -0400

If you are not going to be primarily a saxophone player, but instead use the
instrument relatively infrequently for doubling, I would try one of the
Woodwind's house line. I have a Woodwind tenor that I use at most thirty
times a year in the pit for musicals--it has a good tone, is in tune, and
cost me less than six hundred bucks. It's a good value, since I didn't have
to get any repair work done (it was new!), and don't play it much, since the
vast majority of my playing is on clarinet, and most of my saxophoning is on
alto.

Now, I would probably try for a snootier horn if I played it more--I'm not
sure that this horn would hold up to 5 hours of practice a day by the next
aspiring John Coltrane--but for infrequent use, it's fine.

I wouldn't be too quick about refusing to use student-line horns, either.
For infrequent use and/or any high durability requirements (e.g., pep or
marching band), good student horns are *exactly* what you want. An
old-style Bundy was built off of the Buescher tooling, bought by Selmer in
the early '60s--they are constructed just like the horns that Sigurd Rascher
and Johnny Hodges used for years, and they are built like a tank. A lot of
folks like the student Yamahas--their keywork is better placed, but may not
be as durable.

IMHO, the mouthpiece is far more important than the horn anyway--and more so
if you go larger (that is, to tenor or bari). I have many friends,
professionals who make their living by playing, who use second line or even
student models for doubling. Charlie Parker used whatever he could pick up
at the pawn shop on the way to the gig (if he bothered to take the needle
out of his arm), but managed to sound pretty good.

Good luck!

kjf

-----Original Message-----
From: Maestro645@-----.com]
Subject: [kl] please don't shoot me for asking a saxaphone question!

I play a lot of saxaphone for our pep and jazz bands, as well as trumpet and
piano. (With a small band, if you can play multiple instruments, you are
used
to fill gaps.) And I was pondering the concept of actually buying my own
saxaphone. I think I'd like to purchase an alto. I know I don't want
student
line. I'd like a professional horn, but with a price tag lower than what I
see on some Selmer models (egad!). I would like to find a saxaphone with a
big, dark, sound that is more suited to classical, but that I can also do
jazz, etc. on it.
So I don't annoy other people who want a clarinet-only list, I'd like
private
responses (unless you really want to post public, at the risk of a little
war
starting) about what type of horn to get, and what mouthpiece to use. I'd
like to use Hempke reeds on it, and a BG Revelation ligature. Thank you for
all your help!
Chris Hoffman

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