 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sömeone
Date: 2003-07-30 08:28
I friend is trying to look for a sax which is worth the money and certainly reliable throughout, has anyone heard about toptone's b4? Any other recommendations?
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Author: Colin B
Date: 2003-07-30 09:02
I wouldn't like to swear on it, but it sounds suspiciously like some sort of Taiwanese or, even worse, Chinese thing. Tread carefully! A couple of years ago I bought something called an Elkhart Series 111 alto sax, which has absolutely nothing in common with the wonderful American saxes of that name. Do a search on the "Sax on the Web" site. They are as helpful and knowledgeable as those who post here. Perhaps Taiwanese/Chinese saxes have improved since I bought mine, but it would have to be a very, very big improvement before I would consider buying another. All the best.
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Author: Dan1937
Date: 2003-07-30 11:57
Not familiar with that brand, but there are many cheap (quality as well as price) instruments out there, and their numbers are increasing! BEWARE! I teach beginners, and the temptation to get an inexpensive horn for a child is an attractive one for a parent. We have seen only one brand made in China (or is it Taiwan?) which we have been able to recommend (a local dealer arranged a 6-month trial period for us directors), and we publish an "approved brand" list for the parents of our beginners.
That having been said, many of us remember the first Yamaha instruments to hit these shores (nearly 30 years ago), and they were, to put it politely, far below acceptable standards. But now, we can recommend them enthusiatically, and I personally play two Yamaha woodwinds.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-07-30 12:14
Go to your local repair shop and ask for the "Do Not Repair" list...
If you're looking for a less expensive mark on the bell, Antigua winds saxophones (Soprano and Alto, anyway) are solidly built.
It seems that the larger saxophones (Tenor and Baritone) are difficult to build out of lighter materials that stay in alignment.
A second-hand Vito will likely outplay a brand new TopTone/Maxtone/Lark/Heimer/XinJing/XinHua/Parrot/Monique or any other brand "Designed by French technicians"...
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Author: William
Date: 2003-07-30 14:39
"A second-hand Vito will likely outplay a brand new "
SB, I agree (even third hand), but would like to add the names of Bundy, Bueschure, Martin or Conn. If the instrument is old, be certain it does not have the initials, "LP" near it's serial number (which signifies "low pitch" and is not suitable modern tuning standards) and that it has three palm keys, not just two. Re-sale stores--such as a "Pawn" or "Buy and Sell Shop"--the newspaper or any reputable music store would be good sources to explore.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-07-30 16:53
William,
With all due respect, you're mistaken on the pitch standards: "LP" (Low Pitch) is in fact the modern A=440 Hz pitch standard---this is a Good Thing. The old instruments to avoid are those labelled "HP" (High Pitch) which was around A=455 Hz, and sometimes very old instruments are not labelled at all with the pitch standard and one has to guess at their pitch from other characteristics such as overall length. I personally own (and play in modern ensembles) two old saxes from the 1920's, an H.N. White "American Standard" tenor and a Conn-stencil "Cavalier" alto, both labelled LP, both play perfectly at modern pitch.
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Author: tinminer
Date: 2003-07-30 20:26
I just did a search on 'toptone sax' in google, and they are Dutch.
Bit revolutionary by the look of it, alternative pads etc.
Look at - http://www.saxshop.nl/Toptone.htm
The company has it's own url - http://www.toptone.nl/
-but it doesn't want to load for me......
As stated before, there is a thread at -
http://saxontheweb.myforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=3910
with the name & details of a US distributor.
Regards, Alan.
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2003-07-30 22:38
They are just Taiwanese stencils made for a company in the Netherlands. If you order 10 saxophones from these Taiwanese companies they will brand them with whatever you want. Likewise with flutes. Be very wary.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-07-30 22:56
Nifty design for the pad cups...looks like a knock-off of Wolf Codera's 'reso-blade' system.
The long and short of it is that this is perhaps a good player, but unproven in the marketplace.
There are LOADS of quality saxophones out there for this kind of money.
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