In recent years there has been huge increase of student model saxophones appearing
on the market, some at remarkably low prices. For decades the low end was
filled with dreadful instruments, does anyone remember the “Welklang”?
I do, horrible keywork, mouthpiece and case, sounded horrible too. Well,
times have changed. Of course Far East factories are leading the way combining
high quality and low cost. I have been pretty impressed by examples brought
to me by pupils but how would they stand up to closer scrutiny?
This instrument picks up all the same design features
as the Selmer SA80; the shape of the bell brace, the keywork, even the shield
on the neckpipe but without the a logo. The finish is excellent, the keys
solid, and good quality pads all seat perfectly with no leaks, a sign of
good quality control that was evident on all the reviewed instruments. High
F# is pretty well a standard feature now on all saxophones and it appears
here too. The L.H. little finger keys are in the standard Selmer arrangement
with a slide bar between C# and Bb.
The kit includes cork grease, a functional neckstrap, one SR 2½ reed
and a Bari Esprit mouthpiece. The hard case is well designed and lockable although
there is no room for music and no shoulder straps.
Ergonomics are good with the keys generally falling under the fingers except
that the L.H. palm keys are quite high which small hands might find tricky.
The key springing is light and even.
This sax has a great sound, rich and bright but not harsh and blew freely right
to low Bb. The sound of the scale is not completely even, low and middle D
are rather stuffy. The second register E is always a sharp note on any sax
but this sample had a badly sharp E and the top notes from high D and above
were set rather flat. This can be an advantage at first as these are difficult
notes to keep down for the novice but for the more experienced player it will
cause problems. The supplied mouthpiece fitted well onto the neck and with
the SR reed it blew straight away with a perfectly agreeable sound.
Price: in the region of £499
Blues 141
This sax is exclusive to made to Packer’s of Taunton.
In appearance it has all those Selmer motifs but with a bigger flare to the
bell. The finger touch plates are inlaid in black creating a very distinctive
look. Significantly on a budget instrument the materials used are brass for
the body but bronze for the bow and bell. This is something the quality manufacturers
introduced, noticeably by Yanagisawa whose bronze range of instruments is
proving very popular. Build quality; excellent, solid keywork, though the
finish on the tubes is maybe not as mirror smooth as on some.
The case is excellently, semi solid with a fabric outer layer, two useful pockets
on the outside for music and rucksack carry-straps. It included a Neotech neckstrap
a Yamaha 4c mouthpiece, a standard metal ligature, a Rico 1½ reed, a
Selmer sax care kit with more brushes and cloths than I knew what to do with
and a comprehensive do’s and don’ts list.
The ergonomics are good, though the springing was a little too tight and uneven
for my taste.
The sound is warm and pleasingly heavy. One of the reasons pro players use
the instruments they do is because as you push the sound louder the saxophone
responds, keeping the sound rich and musical without harshness. This saxophone
can do this too making it very satisfying to play. It is not the most focussed
of sounds, you get rather a lot of fluff at quieter volumes and a stuffy top
C (but you get that on Yamahas and some Selmers too). Tuning is very good.
The supplied mouthpiece fitted well and worked well with the Rico reed.
Price: £495 (only from Packers)
Jupiter JAS 565GL
A good looking instrument that takes its visual cues from
Yamaha, and good quality manufacture throughout. Pillars and rods are noticeably
thinner than any of the other saxes reviewed and set higher off the body.
This makes for a light instrument though I would have concerns about its
ability to withstand the knocks of school life. It blew without leaks out
of the box to the bottom notes.
The kit includes cork-grease, a lovely cleaning cloth, a mouthpiece that is
a Yamaha 4c copy with a metal ligature. The case itself is almost identical
to the Blues 141 but with fewer pockets.
Keys fall easily under the fingers. The octave key feels rather clumsy as it
drops well below the thumb plate when depressed. The finger pieces are very
concave with a rather sharp edge which personally I didn’t like the feel
of. The spring tension was rather hard.
The tone was very even, clear and light with no foggy notes. Tuning was relatively
stable. Not the most involving of sounds which hardened at louder volumes.
Price: in the region of £400
Yamaha YAS275
The quality of the instrument leaps out at you as you
open the case. The finish is mirror smooth. The instrument appears to have
a less sophisticated design than some of the others. The bell and bow is
not detachable in the same way, the bell bracing is a much simpler affair,
there is no slide bar for the LH little finger. You do get high F# and you
do get more adjusting screws on connecting rods which are one of Yamaha’s
innovations.
You get one of the best hard cases in the business, a care manual, Yamaha mouthpiece
and metal ligature. The sax is a really tight fit which feels reassuringly
secure. No shoulder straps for the case.
Yamahas always feel great, they have perfected the art of getting the keys
right under your fingers and the spring tension is good.
The tuning is fantastic, the sound is clear and immediate and very even but
as with many Yamahas I feel somehow uninvolved. As you push to higher volumes
the sound gets rather harsh. However Yamaha get the basics just about as right
as you can. It plays really well straight out of the box. Cool and efficient.
Price: in the region of £650
Trevor James Classic
This is Trevor James most basic model. They are made in
Trevor James’ own factory in Taiwan.
It is a good looking instrument, solidly made, with a fine finish and a Selmer
type look.
The light weight, shaped, semi-hard case has a fabric outer layer that zips
together, back-pack shoulder straps and a pocket for music and bits and pieces,
a good job as there is not much room inside. It’s a pretty cool case
but perhaps less robust than some of the others. It contains a BG neckstrap
a Vandoren 1½ reed and a Trevor James mouthpiece of indeterminate tip
opening. A nice bonus is a BG fabric ligature. Different suppliers may give
you more or less in the kit.
It is pretty good under the hands although the high D is offset and low which
suits big hands but small ones might find these a bit awkward. Also the LH
little finger keys are a bit of a stretch.
It has an even free blowing sound with no stuffy notes, but uninvolving by
comparison. Perhaps it is closest to the Jupiter in sound, it gets edgy as
you get louder.
Price: in the region of £475
Trevor James The Horn Revolution II
This intermediate instrument from the same company has
one of the best finishes I have seen on any saxophone. It truly sparkles.
For the extra money you get this finish plus some lovely etching on the bell
and bow. It is beautifully made and looks like a professional saxophone.
The solid case contains the same kit as the “Classic”, but no carry
straps.
Ergonomics are better than the “Classic”. The keys are more under
the fingers and closer together.
This is a very free blowing instrument, very immediate with a lighter, brighter
sound rather like the Yamaha. For my taste it just gets a bit harsh as you
go for the louder dynamics. On this sample the pad heights above the tone holes
were on the high side. This gives a great open sound but I think it has affected
the stability of the tuning; the pitch centre felt decidedly wobbly and it
made faster music harder top play. The key spring tension could be lower.
Price: in the region of £600
Elkhart Series II
This basic model Elkhart from the Vincent Bach/Selmer stable is a very solidly
made instrument. It really looks like a Selmer SA80.
It comes in a solid case though with no shoulder straps and as this sample
came straight from the distributor the bare minimum of kit was included. Buying
from a retailer will bring all the extra goodies. The mouthpiece included was
non-descript with a metal ligature.
It felt generally good under the fingers. A small gripe was too large a gap
between the B and Bb keys under the LH first finger on this sample.
The sound was decent, a bit darker than some of the models but I found it didn’t
involve me much and I found the tuning rather vague.
Price: in the region of £350
Elkart Deluxe
This is a good looking instrument that does not have the
same gloss as the Trevor James but looks and feels really solid. Visually,
very like a Selmer SA80 except for a wider flare to the bell. All the same
features found on the other instruments are here too.
Case and supplied kit was the same as the Elkhart Series II.
Ergonomically much the same as the Series II but with a better distance between
the B and Bb keys. The key tension was acceptable.
What really surprised me was the sound, perhaps better than my own Selmer!
I didn’t want to put it down and for me that is the quality I look for,
that desire to keep picking the saxophone up. The sound is dark and rich with
an evenness across the register and very stable tuning. Like the Blues 141,
a really fun instrument.
Price: in the region of £400
Conclusion:
There has probably never been a better time to buy a budget saxophone. Almost
professional standards of build, finish and extra keywork are now standard
on even the cheapest of instruments. You can expect good cases and good mouthpieces
into the bargain. These are saxophones that play straight out of the box.
As instruments they are amazing value for money with high quality workmanship
and reliability too. I would always recommend going through one of the big
woodwind dealers. Ask them to adjust the key tension, it should be light
and even, and ask what you get in the case from each one.
My favourites from the samples I received were the Elkhart
Deluxe followed by the Blues 141. Both had quality build but also had great
sounds that would last a student for years before they would feel the need
to step up to pro instruments.
