What is a good brand for tenor saxophones ?
I’m trying to find a good brand of saxophones i know that Selmer’s are good but i don’t really know what other brands are good.
Selmer, Keilwerth, Yamaha, Yanagisawa are some good saxophone brands.
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Many players like the Selmer Mark VI’s best, but some are in bad condition and may need many repairs or be beyond repair. Within the brands the different models can be very different. Even the same model may feel/sound different.
Yamaha is a bit more affordable than the others.
Go try them out and see what you like!
I play a Selmer Mark 6 tenor, but I also have an excellent Martin that I love to play. I have played outstanding Conn saxes too.
I play a very old King Alto that works great for me (tho I wish it had a modern ergonomic feel).
When my soprano got flattened a few years ago I bought a $150.00 “BandNow” (Taiwan import) sax from WWBW to temporarily replace it. While the metal is not the ideal, the ergonomics, pads and mechanisms are all incredible. Dare I say the best “feeling” horn I own. I use an old rubber Selmer mouthpiece that helps me make nice sounds on it….so you never can tell what will work for you and what will not till you try it.
Thanks Russ (a bit late I know!),
Interesting that the bandnow soprano is working so well for you, how has it held up?
Soprano is a horn I don’t have yet.
Two main horns I’m playing these days are Buescher – tenor and alto. They’re working pretty well, but needed some repair since they’re somewhat old.
I agree – try out the horns first to see what you like. In certain circles, people will swear by a certain brand and claim that you’re not a “real” player unless you have reached the same conclusion as them. Look, I’ve heard folks who spent a ton of money on a new horn or an old relic because someone told them it was the only one to buy but they still sound like they are on a student horn and out of tune. Then I hear a pro player jump on a mid 90’s student line Conn and sound wonderful.
Each of the above mentioned models have different characteristics, ones that the designers felt were important to focus on. Players have different preferences too. I like a fat dark sound, while others like a bright focused sound. There is no perfect horn that does them all the best. Once you figure out what kind of player you are, then you can zero in on the horns that help to give you the sound you want. It may not be the most expensive one! And you may even find that it is an old Mark VI or Balanced Action
You may want to look at some non-traditional brands like LA Sax, P. Mauriat or Cannonball as well.
That’s my two cents, at least!
Thanks Steven,
That’s a bit silly. Yep, I have heard a few people on Mark VI’s who I think should have spent the extra dough on lessons.
Cannonball makes a decent horn, I have tried one. Not sure if I would try an LA sax, the painting gimmick doesn’t make me too enthusiastic.
Just bought a Hanson ST8-S24K, my daughter has a similar professional Hanson clarinet and thinks it the very best so I am hopeful for the Hanson Tenor.
How do you like it?
I have played a selmer mark 6 -bundy, martins and buesher and bandnow. These horns all were tenor saxes. I found the selmer NO BETTER THAN THE REST OF THESE INCLUDING BANDNOW. Now, wil the Bandnow hold up as well as the selmer mark vi or martin-I don’t know./ But what I do know is the sound produced is as mellow as the rest listed above. Also, my music teacher (professional who has played 60 years) tells me that even Selmers (and he owns a Mark vi) still need to be tweaked right out of the box from the factory!!!!!-ed
Hey Ed, how long have you been playing? Sounds like you and Russ both had good experiences with bandnow.
I played horn but I’ve decided to switch to tenor saxaphone… I’m so exited about playing it. I’m going to get it in the next week or so and I’m depending on this site to teach me well… thanks.
~Houston
What about Yamaha and P.Mauriat?
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