saxamaphones

Author
Discussion

Graham E

Original Poster:

12,838 posts

192 months

Thursday 3rd September 2009
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Hi forum,

I quite fancy a sax as an ornament I can play badly (I can make noises on the clarinet that aren't 100% offencive).

any pointers? My preference is for a good 2nd hand job, as it will depreciate less, and presumably be better than a brand new cheap jobbie.

Ta
G

Young-one

16 posts

216 months

Friday 4th September 2009
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i'd definately go with something second hand. try looking online at somewhere like Dawkes Ltd http://www.dawkes.co.uk/secondhand.asp or your local music shop. this is probably a better option that buying a sax off ebay (or equivalent) because the sax will have undergone a rigorous check/service before being sold on.

Chris71

21,545 posts

248 months

Friday 4th September 2009
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Go for a barri, that way you can frighten the neighbours whenever you try and play it. smile

Young-one

16 posts

216 months

Friday 4th September 2009
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and expand your lung capacity! hehe

timbob

2,147 posts

258 months

Friday 4th September 2009
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Sax teacher on hand to help! :-P

What sort do you fancy? The tenor saxophone has a great gutsy sound is probably the one most people associate with jazz/blues/rock'n'roll music, and looks like this:



The tenor also requires the mouth muscles to work a lot less than the clarinet (and alto saxophone), so you shouldn't find getting a decent noise out of it an issue.

I'd second all the opinions that a music shop is a good bet.

Names to look out for (in price order):

Yamaha - make good solid instruments, can't go wrong here.
Trevor James - newish name on the block, good quality, good tuning, cheaper than Yamaha.
Jupiter - used to be shoddy, but in the last 5-7 years have upped their game, and now make decent horns.

If you come across anything and are unsure, drop me a PM, I'd be happy to offer any advice on specifics smile

Graham E

Original Poster:

12,838 posts

192 months

Saturday 5th September 2009
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Thanks guys - I'll get myself down to a couple of music shops, see where I end up!

Howard-

4,958 posts

208 months

Saturday 5th September 2009
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On a similar note - I love the Sax! Anyone recommend any artists/albums with predominant use of it? Preferably more "up beat" stuff. My musical repertoire doesn't extend this way, would love to find some new (or old!) stuff!

timbob

2,147 posts

258 months

Saturday 5th September 2009
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Howard- said:
On a similar note - I love the Sax! Anyone recommend any artists/albums with predominant use of it? Preferably more "up beat" stuff. My musical repertoire doesn't extend this way, would love to find some new (or old!) stuff!
A I'll chuck a few albums into the mix - I tend to find when given just an artist I find a dozen albums and don't know where to start... So check these specifics out (they're all on iTunes), in no particular order and see if anything floats your boat!!

Maceo Parker - Life on Planet Groove

Courtney Pine - Closer to Home

Dexter Gordon - Our Man in Paris

Yellowjackets - Time Squared

Pee Wee Ellis - Ridin' Mighty High

Graham E

Original Poster:

12,838 posts

192 months

Saturday 5th September 2009
quotequote all
Courtney Pine - the man is a legend. Check out "modern day jazz stories" for an hour of almost drum and bass, with plenty of sax. It's so good, I can even get my old man to listen to it happily - and normally he thinks of anything over 150 BPM as "drug music" =)

C8PPO

19,843 posts

209 months

Sunday 6th September 2009
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timbob said:
Yamaha - make good solid instruments, can't go wrong here.
Trevor James - newish name on the block, good quality, good tuning, cheaper than Yamaha.
Jupiter - used to be shoddy, but in the last 5-7 years have upped their game, and now make decent horns.
Long time ago now but I bought a "cheap" tenor (~£700, can't remember what make but was from a respected music shop) and ended up changing it after 6 months for a Yamaha and even for my fairly basic skills there was a massive difference in quality, feel, operation, sound, etc etc.

robbo3112

38 posts

220 months

Monday 7th September 2009
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Howard you could do a lot worse than listen to "Tower of Power" they are an awesome soul/funk band who have been going over 30 years - numbers like "Squib Cakes" "I got to groove" "Soul Vaccination" etc They in fact are coming to the O2 on Nov 21st, Already got my tickets!!, Art

Young-one

16 posts

216 months

Tuesday 8th September 2009
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my favourite: PR Girl - Safer Sax (listen out for the bari sax part - its insane)

timbob

2,147 posts

258 months

Wednesday 9th September 2009
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Candy Dulfer is always worth a shout in the modern (cheesy?) jazz/funk vein. Hot too.

dinkel

27,125 posts

264 months

Saturday 10th October 2009
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timbob said:
Candy Dulfer is always worth a shout in the modern (cheesy?) jazz/funk vein. Hot too.
Candy is a good laugh too, I played with here a few times - no pun intended.


Courtney Pine: fine mix of several musical worlds.

Stu R

21,410 posts

221 months

Saturday 10th October 2009
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sax-a-ma-phone!

sorry, I've nothing else to add.

dinkel

27,125 posts

264 months

Saturday 10th October 2009
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Young-one said:
and expand your lung capacity! hehe
That's the soprano for you. Ouch, way more lung required compared to the bari.

Pepper Adams!

Colonial

13,553 posts

211 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
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dinkel said:
Young-one said:
and expand your lung capacity! hehe
That's the soprano for you. Ouch, way more lung required compared to the bari.

Pepper Adams!
Oh yes. That there is. I’ve played the alto for around 14 years, the tenor for around 9, the baritone for 7 and the soprano for approx 4 (least favourite). I mainly play the Baritone as I have a beautiful mid 60s Yanigasawa that has been completely rebuilt and de-lacquered. Most wonderful tone. Tried new Selmers and Yani’s but nothing comes close to this. Especially through a 1942 Berg Larsen mouthpiece. Selmer Mk VII tenor from 1967, and the last of the decent Conn Alto’s before they only made nasty crap.

dinkel

27,125 posts

264 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
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Way to go mate! late 20s Beuscher here, and a mid 80s Yani. BL mpcs are great but you need a decent bite to grab the embouchure wink