SAXOPHONES

RECOMMENDATIONS

DISCLAIMER:

I am not an official endorser of any product, and have no commercial relationship with any of the manufacturers or services on this page. I am often asked to recommend saxophones, mouthpieces and retailers. I only recommend those that I have personal experience of, but I cannot guarantee that what works for me will work for you.

Mouthpieces

For all round use I recommend Vandoren mouthpieces. Unlike some other makes they all work consistently out of the box with no expert tweaking required

I use a PPT mouthpiece for tenor. This is a mouthpiece I have developed after yars of experimenting trying to get the ideal tenor mouthpiece. On alto I use RPC custom mouthpieces. Ron will take time to discuss your particular needs on the phone to find out exactly what you want before making your mouthpiece.

I also recommend Ed Pillinger for mouthpieces and refacing work in the UK. Bill Wrathall is also a superb mouthpiece technician, you can find him at Michael White of Ealing.

If you are a beginner I think it is best to use something a little less specialised to begin with such as a standard Yamaha, Hite Premiere or Vandoren Java.

UK Saxophone Shops

Saxophones.co.uk - a good shop to buy saxophones and stuff

Woodwind & Brass Ltd Recommended UK dealer

Accessories

SAXRAX - therse are great saxophone stands.

What is a good saxophone for a beginner?

Until recently I usually advised beginners to get either a Yamaha or Jupiter student model as the build quality, intonation and tone of these instruments is very good. However, there have recently been a lot of very inexpensive Chinese made saxophones available, especially on Ebay and internet stores. Some of these instruments are astonishingly good for the price, but some are total rubbish, so beware. It is best to avoid buying one unless it is from a reputable dealer with a no quibble money back guarantee, e.g. the stores mentioned above. One of the very best makes available in the UK or for export is the Walstein. More info one the saxophone buying guide.

What about a secondhand saxophone?

If you know a bit about saxophones you may get better value with a secondhand saxophone. If it is well maintained a saxophone doesn’t get worse as it gets older. (But neither does it get any better). The main problems are with saxophones that have been relacquered, but only in their resale value. In order to relacquer a saxophone, all the scratches must be removed and this can involve polishing the instrument to such a degree that a significant amount of metal is lost. Although this is unlikely to affect the sound unless the toneholes become damaged due to overbuffing it may well affect the instrument’s value.

A good "vintage" saxophone can be a very good buy. Apart from the Selmer MKVI, Super Balanced Action and Balanced Action (which are good horns but generally overpriced) you can often get a professional quality instrument without spending too much. Some good models to look out for are Martin ("The" Martin), Conn 6M/10M, King Zephyr & Super 20, SML Gold Medal, Buescher 400 & Aristocrat.

Which size saxophone to buy?

The most commonly played saxophones are the alto and tenor, of these the most popular saxophone for beginners is the alto. It is easier for small hands and, of course, is that little bit cheaper than a tenor. The fingering is the same, although as the saxophone is a transposing instrument, the notes sound different. The soprano is becoming a more popular instrument (possibly thanks to the influence of Kenny G), but can be more problematical for beginners as it is often harder to play nicely in tune. The baritone is also an attractive instrument for younger beginners thanks to Lisa Simpson, but is not easy for small fingers, requires a lot of puff and can be very heavy on your neck.