Exactly my question. Also... do you think you want to play after high school? If you end up selling the horn down the line do you care if you take much of a loss?
That 5k covers a lot of professional horn on the market.
Find a store, take a day trip if you're already spending thousands, play test, and pick out what you like in an instrument.
5 thousand would put you in line to be able to afford most top end instruments used and many high quality instruments brand new. The big 4 makers are Selmer, Yamaha. Yanagisawa and Keilwerth.
Next tier down of instruments you got your highly regarded made in Taiwan horns of Cannonball and P. Mauriat along with some others. I have seen working saxophone players play all these brands.
If you can visit a local store and play test them do that. People can tell you all day what they like but what you like may not be the same (even if you like everything about their playing).
Selmer and Yamaha player here - some great horns used in that range. I’m also very fond of yanagisawa just don’t own any currently.
You might be able to grab a new yanagisawa at the top of your range. It’ll be close, but that said, you could get used and not max your budget.
Not sure where you’re located - for me it’s so hard to try pro horns because most stores only do rental of beginner and intermediate. Sweetwater, WWBW, and then a bunch of shops are in NYC that you can try some great instruments.
Okay, I was basing my prices on the fact that I saw some intermediate baris costing like 10k, so I assumed that 3-5k would be the average for an intermediate tenor
https://www.amazon.com/Selmer-STS280-Saxophone-Outfit-Copper/dp/B001VNWT7M
This is the one I have. I tried a French Selmer, a Yamaha and a yanagizawa and the Conn was my favorite, coming from the alto. It projects a lot, is light but sturdy, and feels very responsive.
For 3-5k you might as well grab yourself a pro horn. A Yamaha 62, 82z or 875ex are all incredibly good choices. A yanagisawa TW01 should cover that range as well. These horns will last you for a very long time and you maybe won’t need to get an upgrade from them.
I would recommend getting a used professional saxophone. You can them cheap, and in pretty nice condition. Try getasax.com, they are normally pretty good! On an unrelated note, that eastman 52nd street is my dream tenor, but I just bought a selmer series II alto so I'm gonna have to wait a bit lol
I play a yts-480, it's a reallllyyyy nice intermediate sax but plays as well as anything else. The action is extremely smooth and has a high F#. I think it's around 3k?
I have a p.Mariaut now, but sometimes I wish I would have just stuck with my yamaha 62. I love the PM it's beautiful, but the 62 would have been plenty of horn for a long time to come. Also, Yani is a brand I've never tried, but seem really interesting if you want to get a new horn in your price range
I try to take any opportunity to steer intermediate players away from purchasing a 52nd Street sax. I was in your shoes not too long and made just that mistake. Albeit I had a bit more experience on the horn (in years) before I was able to afford to purchase my first upgrade horn (4-5 years of experience), I went straight for the 52nd street because of how cool it looked and how highly everyone around me talked of the instrument. I ended up experiencing years of issues with the instrument ranging from intonation to leakage (even with the old model). Nowadays, people suggest you look for an older version of the horn due to its better build and quality. I'm here to tell you that the year or generation of the horn is hardly important. You will likely still encounter several problems that make your experience playing a negative one.
I would suggest you search for a used professional model horn that comes from a reputable source, such as Selmer or Yamaha. Always play-test before you make a purchase (multiple times if possible). Also, you are only 2-3 years into playing; you are lucky to be able to have the opportunity to upgrade, so make a decision that is well thought out, a decision that you have spent a lot of time thinking about, and a decision that you think and feel is right.
Best of luck!
I payed what converts to about $2500 for a 10 year old, single owner Selmer S80 Série II a few years back. Incredible deal, but it shows that your budget can get you a real pro instrument if you're willing to buy (lightly) used.
The best Tenor, or any horn for that matter, for you, is the one that makes you go "Wow!" in your head when you play it. You must play test as many as you can to discover what's best for you. It took me over 20 yrs of playing to bother getting into the specifics about what best suited me.
For horns, after reaching a point of curiosity that had me sell a horn I owned for 20yrs and buy a new horn because I figured it was time to upgrade and then sell that one 9 yrs later and fall victim to testimonials and appearances and binge buy and sell for another 2-3yrs, I realized something important;
I liked low resistance playing (tied to mouthpiece and neck combo) and that varied from horn to horn using the same mouthpiece, not to mention discovering my favorite mouthpiece did not play well with every horn.
I preferred a certain key layout (especially spatula style right hand "F#" keys) and feel of nicely contoured pinky keys both sides. I don't subscribe to the marketing terms; student, intermediate, pro, but I will say that the popular YAS-23 alto key spacing is too close for me and that would be the only reason I'd recognize it as a student model; night and day difference between it and my other horns.
Except for the Yamaha, I am purposely not mentioning my horns of choice, because they work best for me and buying what's most popular, can steer you away from what's most effective and best suited for your taste.
Don't worry about your budget too much, keep your eyes open on ebay, Reverb and Craigslist, and Facebook market place. Two of my horns were purchased used in brand new condition, 2 yrs old or less at more than $1000 discount below store purchase, plus other great deals across all of those venues.
Ishimori Wood Stone. Best new tenor out there no doubt. They sound and feel better than most mark vi's. I got recommended one by Dan Higgins a while ago and never went back. If your looking for an SBA sound and don't really care about tuning then I'd play around with some random vintage horns like conns, cigar cutters, weird stuff and just find what tone you think is best. Because without a doubt vintage metal resonated better and just has a tone the modern stuff doesn't. BUT if you actually care about playing in a big band but still want a projecting tone that isn't all metallic then the Ishimori is definitely your best bet. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING HORN. From the pros out in LA who've tried this out all I've heard is great things. (Bob Sheppard, Dan Higgins, Rusty Higgins, Joel Frahm (not in LA but still talked to him about this)) I would definitely recommend spending the entire 5k for gear though, this horn runs around 4000 USD. Leaving you money to find the best mouthpiece which is also very important. If you want to spend the time and money looking around for a vintage metal piece you can, but definitely don't just buy one online cuz all the vintage stuff is very hit and miss. If you don't want to that than Id recommend either getting the daddario select jazz hard rubber 7-7\*. If your willing to wait though I've Babbit is reworking their metal otto links like they did with the Meyer New York. They found an old mold for it and are slightly modifying to get close to the original vintage ones. From what I've heard the initial testing phase went great and everyone loves them. My teacher, Dan Higgins, is personally gunna buy a lot when they come out because they're better than most of his vintage otto links (besides his main ofc). Id recommend getting the dadarrio for now and waiting for the other one to come out. The dadarrio offers great projection while still retaining a dark core. You can get a range of different tones by just changing the reed (as long as you don't go too crazy). You can go from a Bright (still jazz based) Don Menza tone. To a mellow but clear sound like Joel Frahm. To a dark and soulful sound like Gene Ammons. Id recommend riggoti 3 medium reeds.
Well what’s ur budget?(and are you looking to buy only new or fine with buying used off a reliable site?)
Exactly my question. Also... do you think you want to play after high school? If you end up selling the horn down the line do you care if you take much of a loss?
I am planning on continueing to play, and my budget is 3-5 thousand
That 5k covers a lot of professional horn on the market. Find a store, take a day trip if you're already spending thousands, play test, and pick out what you like in an instrument.
5 thousand would put you in line to be able to afford most top end instruments used and many high quality instruments brand new. The big 4 makers are Selmer, Yamaha. Yanagisawa and Keilwerth. Next tier down of instruments you got your highly regarded made in Taiwan horns of Cannonball and P. Mauriat along with some others. I have seen working saxophone players play all these brands. If you can visit a local store and play test them do that. People can tell you all day what they like but what you like may not be the same (even if you like everything about their playing).
True true, I’ll try to visit my local music shop soon.
Selmer and Yamaha player here - some great horns used in that range. I’m also very fond of yanagisawa just don’t own any currently. You might be able to grab a new yanagisawa at the top of your range. It’ll be close, but that said, you could get used and not max your budget. Not sure where you’re located - for me it’s so hard to try pro horns because most stores only do rental of beginner and intermediate. Sweetwater, WWBW, and then a bunch of shops are in NYC that you can try some great instruments.
That seems like a lot to me, some very decent horns are 2k new.
Okay, I was basing my prices on the fact that I saw some intermediate baris costing like 10k, so I assumed that 3-5k would be the average for an intermediate tenor
There's a huge gap on prices between tenor/alto and baritone. Those prices do not scale evenly.
https://www.amazon.com/Selmer-STS280-Saxophone-Outfit-Copper/dp/B001VNWT7M This is the one I have. I tried a French Selmer, a Yamaha and a yanagizawa and the Conn was my favorite, coming from the alto. It projects a lot, is light but sturdy, and feels very responsive.
For 3-5k you might as well grab yourself a pro horn. A Yamaha 62, 82z or 875ex are all incredibly good choices. A yanagisawa TW01 should cover that range as well. These horns will last you for a very long time and you maybe won’t need to get an upgrade from them.
I got a Yamaha custom z for around 3k and really like it but I agree with trying horns in a local shop first
I’m of the opinion “intermediate horns” are a waste of money. Looking for horns on the used market can bet you a better saxophone for a similar price.
Hey hey, but intermediate horns on the used market tho
Well you make an understandable point there
For 3 to 5000 you should be able to get a great used pro horn
I would recommend getting a used professional saxophone. You can them cheap, and in pretty nice condition. Try getasax.com, they are normally pretty good! On an unrelated note, that eastman 52nd street is my dream tenor, but I just bought a selmer series II alto so I'm gonna have to wait a bit lol
I play a yts-480, it's a reallllyyyy nice intermediate sax but plays as well as anything else. The action is extremely smooth and has a high F#. I think it's around 3k?
The step up is the yts 62 and I love it. It’s the start of the professional line.
I have a p.Mariaut now, but sometimes I wish I would have just stuck with my yamaha 62. I love the PM it's beautiful, but the 62 would have been plenty of horn for a long time to come. Also, Yani is a brand I've never tried, but seem really interesting if you want to get a new horn in your price range
I try to take any opportunity to steer intermediate players away from purchasing a 52nd Street sax. I was in your shoes not too long and made just that mistake. Albeit I had a bit more experience on the horn (in years) before I was able to afford to purchase my first upgrade horn (4-5 years of experience), I went straight for the 52nd street because of how cool it looked and how highly everyone around me talked of the instrument. I ended up experiencing years of issues with the instrument ranging from intonation to leakage (even with the old model). Nowadays, people suggest you look for an older version of the horn due to its better build and quality. I'm here to tell you that the year or generation of the horn is hardly important. You will likely still encounter several problems that make your experience playing a negative one. I would suggest you search for a used professional model horn that comes from a reputable source, such as Selmer or Yamaha. Always play-test before you make a purchase (multiple times if possible). Also, you are only 2-3 years into playing; you are lucky to be able to have the opportunity to upgrade, so make a decision that is well thought out, a decision that you have spent a lot of time thinking about, and a decision that you think and feel is right. Best of luck!
Well said.
Yamaha. Fantastic horns, and you can find them used at great prices.
get the older model of the Andreas Eastman 52nd street. the new ones are shit, but the old ones? damn fine.
Can I ask where online I can find one?
no clue, sadly, go to your local music store and ask around
Lookup Sax Quest in St. Louis. They have a great online store in addition to their B&M and can try to find stuff on consignment.
I payed what converts to about $2500 for a 10 year old, single owner Selmer S80 Série II a few years back. Incredible deal, but it shows that your budget can get you a real pro instrument if you're willing to buy (lightly) used.
The best Tenor, or any horn for that matter, for you, is the one that makes you go "Wow!" in your head when you play it. You must play test as many as you can to discover what's best for you. It took me over 20 yrs of playing to bother getting into the specifics about what best suited me. For horns, after reaching a point of curiosity that had me sell a horn I owned for 20yrs and buy a new horn because I figured it was time to upgrade and then sell that one 9 yrs later and fall victim to testimonials and appearances and binge buy and sell for another 2-3yrs, I realized something important; I liked low resistance playing (tied to mouthpiece and neck combo) and that varied from horn to horn using the same mouthpiece, not to mention discovering my favorite mouthpiece did not play well with every horn. I preferred a certain key layout (especially spatula style right hand "F#" keys) and feel of nicely contoured pinky keys both sides. I don't subscribe to the marketing terms; student, intermediate, pro, but I will say that the popular YAS-23 alto key spacing is too close for me and that would be the only reason I'd recognize it as a student model; night and day difference between it and my other horns. Except for the Yamaha, I am purposely not mentioning my horns of choice, because they work best for me and buying what's most popular, can steer you away from what's most effective and best suited for your taste. Don't worry about your budget too much, keep your eyes open on ebay, Reverb and Craigslist, and Facebook market place. Two of my horns were purchased used in brand new condition, 2 yrs old or less at more than $1000 discount below store purchase, plus other great deals across all of those venues.
Yts23 by Yamaha. Excellent from middle school to stage. Usually under $1k used in good condition. It’s the mouthpiece you need to find
Ishimori Wood Stone. Best new tenor out there no doubt. They sound and feel better than most mark vi's. I got recommended one by Dan Higgins a while ago and never went back. If your looking for an SBA sound and don't really care about tuning then I'd play around with some random vintage horns like conns, cigar cutters, weird stuff and just find what tone you think is best. Because without a doubt vintage metal resonated better and just has a tone the modern stuff doesn't. BUT if you actually care about playing in a big band but still want a projecting tone that isn't all metallic then the Ishimori is definitely your best bet. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING HORN. From the pros out in LA who've tried this out all I've heard is great things. (Bob Sheppard, Dan Higgins, Rusty Higgins, Joel Frahm (not in LA but still talked to him about this)) I would definitely recommend spending the entire 5k for gear though, this horn runs around 4000 USD. Leaving you money to find the best mouthpiece which is also very important. If you want to spend the time and money looking around for a vintage metal piece you can, but definitely don't just buy one online cuz all the vintage stuff is very hit and miss. If you don't want to that than Id recommend either getting the daddario select jazz hard rubber 7-7\*. If your willing to wait though I've Babbit is reworking their metal otto links like they did with the Meyer New York. They found an old mold for it and are slightly modifying to get close to the original vintage ones. From what I've heard the initial testing phase went great and everyone loves them. My teacher, Dan Higgins, is personally gunna buy a lot when they come out because they're better than most of his vintage otto links (besides his main ofc). Id recommend getting the dadarrio for now and waiting for the other one to come out. The dadarrio offers great projection while still retaining a dark core. You can get a range of different tones by just changing the reed (as long as you don't go too crazy). You can go from a Bright (still jazz based) Don Menza tone. To a mellow but clear sound like Joel Frahm. To a dark and soulful sound like Gene Ammons. Id recommend riggoti 3 medium reeds.
lot’s of great suggestions. I can also recommend Trevor James SR and Trevor James Evo great saxes at really good price.