On a Happier Thought, let's talk about GEAR!

Man, saxophonists are often like guitarists...we love our toys.


We (and I am guilty of this) often a romantic notion about the new 'best' mouthpiece, horn, or whatnot or 'If I could just get THIS horn' it would make it all better. It's true, talking about and trying new pieces of gear can be fun and exciting and sometimes you end up finding something that can help....


.....but that isn't really what I'm going to talk about FIRST. I'm going to talk about what you (and your students, band directors) need to do PRIOR to making the decision that "I need new gear" or "I need my student to get a better horn".


First- Inspect the current instrument, mouthpiece, etc. Are they in good working order? Is the mouthpiece chipped anywhere? Is the table flat? Are the rails straight? Look at the horn- Are their obvious leaks? How old are the pads? When was the last time the instrument has had an adjustment?

Second- Find a GOOD repair tech with a good reputation. I don't care if they don't work for whatever big music store is in your area. Develop a good working relationship with this person.

Third- Get the instrument looked at and set up properly. If need be, have it repadded or overhauled. A freshly overhauled Yamaha 23 is just as good, if not better, than any horn you could get for the price of the overhaul.

I know this sounds brainless but it's simply a  series  of steps that most folks don't think about

So, what if it is time to replace the mouthpiece or upgrade the horn?

The first logical upgrade is the saxophone's mouthpiece. It is up to the teacher more than the young player to determine when that is appropriate. I'm not going to really recommend specific brands here. I'm just going to say have the student try several and choose based on sound and comfort. If the student really struggles to play on the mouthpiece, it likely isn't the piece for them.

I said I wasn't going to recommend specific brands but will say this, most middle or early high school students don't need a jazz mouthpiece. Putting a jazz mouthpiece on a horn isn't going to give them a 'jazz' sound....or even usually a good sound. My one caveat to suggesting brands is this. If they insist on a jazz mouthpiece recommend the Rico Graftonite. They are usually less than $25, work pretty well, and since they are very durable appropriate for marching band as well. There, the kid gets a 'jazz' piece and their parents aren't out $200.

For younger students I'm also a fan of the Rovner style cloth ligatures. I'm not a fan of them for my own playing as I think they're really stuffy. That said, two points here: First, that's a nuance that middle school kids won't feel and Second: the middle school student is going to invariably either drop and step on his/her ligature and step on it or they are going to shove a metal ligature on their mouthpiece at an angle and kill their reed (reeds aren't cheap, kids). The cloth ligatures are pretty well 7th grader proof and inexpensive enough where a teacher can always have a few on hand.

So, it's time to upgrade that horn. This poses numerous and interesting possibilities :

The top level professional instruments from Selmer, Yamaha, Keilwerth , Yanigasawa, and Buffet are EXPENSIVE. You regularly see instruments from these companies checking in at over $4000. Here are some things I suggest.

USED: Selmer horns, as well as the upper models of the other companies I listed, hold their value pretty well. That said, you can generally find them in the $2-3000 range; sometimes cheaper. Some, like the early incarnations of the Yamaha 62s (the 'purple logo'), can be had for $1000-1500 with careful searching.

Vintage: There are some trade-offs with vintage instruments. On the minus side, ergonomics and intonation can sometimes be....'special'...and you need a repair tech who understands the older horns. On the plus side the prices can be fabulous and what is called a 'vintage horn' seems to be getting newer and newer. Some of my favorites for school band include Bueschers of most eras, Martin Committees (my favorite American made horns), Buffet Super Dynaction (good enough to carry a student through college as a sax major in my opinion) , the Vito 'Duke' model (actually a fine French made saxophone, and the Bundy 'Special' (which was made in the 60s by Keilwerth.

Intermediate models: I'm overall not a big fan of upgrading to intermediate horns with this exception- The Yamaha 52, 475, and 675 models are as good or better than many so-called 'pro' horns on the market. My current major professor uses a 475 soprano and it is simply an excellent instrument.

Asian horns: Ten years ago I wouldn't have made this statement- There are some excellent Asian lines of saxophones which will give the five brands I listed at the top a run for their money. Brands like Viking (Rich Maraday owns the company and is a good dude with great horns.), C.E. Winds(I've personally done business with them and they are great too), Chateau, Eastman, Tenor Madness, Theo Wanne, Cannonball, and a host of other brands are putting out excellent instruments. That end of the industry is simply getting better and better.

I know this is overly simplistic in many ways but I just wanted to put out a couple thoughts on gear...so I have ;)

Thoughts?