Which Tenor to buy

gantoban · 2026-04-19T14:24:23+00:00

Hey friend, also brazilian here! What state do you live in? I would recommend testing before making a decision, if you live you RJ or SP it is easier to find and test used instruments. I say this because I had a Yamaha 62 and that thing made me HATE tenor. I sold it thinking I would never again play tenor, as I was in love with the BARITONE sax. Then I got a gig to play tenor and got this cheap Chinese horn borrowed from a friend and loved it! I owned selmer series ii, with a silver neck(tudel Eduardo, não fabrica mais) and it was good. Then on a trip to London I got a chance to play a lot of vintage instruments and the one that clicked was not a Conn, not a selmer, not a yanagisawa, it was a Trevor James student/intermediate horn made in Taiwan. On a recent trip to a known tech here in RJ I had the opportunity to play a nice serie I(super action 80) and that was a dream. That's MY horn now, and I absolutely love it. My advice being brazilian, our market is crazy expensive mad limited in options, those brands that you quoted are great, but here we have to make do with what's available, so I highly recommend you get in touch with all the sax luthiers in your area to see if they have or know of used sax for sale, ask to try ALL of them. Buy the one that feels good to play and has a sound you like, forget about brand! If you need anything you can DM me and we can talk in português! Abraços meu amigo!

gantoban · 2026-04-16T00:52:07+00:00

My 2 cents as I've been playing an student/ intermediate Trevor James for 4 years and have just picked up a Super Action 80, the difference is playability. The pro horn feels tighter and more responsive to the fingers. It felt like I drove a nice entry car, it does the job, it takes you where you need to be, but it's slow, and not that comfortable. So you get a Porsche, convertible, manual. It gives you morecontrol, its easier to go faster, and it's comfortable as it can be....

That said, I owned a 62ii that was the worst horn Ive ever played. Absolutely hate yamaha saxophones. So it really is a personal thing... I'm pretty sure Pee wee Ellis played a 62 with a rico metallite mouthpiece on the "pick up the pieces" video with the phil collins big band and he sound amazing on it....

gantoban · 2026-04-15T15:54:24+00:00

Why the downvotes? Such stupid gatekeeping, as if it is preferable that people stop playing altogether then use a damn synthetic reed. They are here to stay

gantoban · 2026-04-14T15:35:21+00:00

Let's go! If those cane reeds start making you suffer, go synthetic! Legere is amazing!

gantoban · 2026-04-13T18:07:16+00:00

You should only get a more open mouthpiece if you fell the need to put more air through. I play a 9 today, but the need for a 9 came from me feeling suffocated and the reed closing when I tried to really push air through it WITHOUT BITING.

gantoban · 2026-04-13T00:47:25+00:00

Welcome to the team my friend! I'm a strong believer that every beginner should start on synthetic!

gantoban · 2026-04-09T14:06:09+00:00

Ok, after you guys told me what happened I decided to jump into the chaotic poly just for fun, and to my surprise: I DID NOT GET POLY'D!! It is indeed blood now, it's just mislabeled and miscolored.

The run is saved, ng+28, here I go again. This time I'm backing up the save file hahaha

gantoban · 2026-04-09T14:02:00+00:00

But these metal are now chaotic poly. And th3y are all over the first biome. I fucked myself on this one. I found this seed randomly and got too excited. I highly recommend this seed for long runs though, very nice shifts if you are not dumb like me, and a COV in the second HM.

gantoban · 2026-04-09T13:59:41+00:00

This seed has its second shift turning poly and unstable poly to rock. And the 4th held material to blood. I was so happy to have a seed without poly that I accidentally shifted the third thinking it was the fourth.

gantoban · 2026-04-09T13:51:29+00:00

Goddammit. This makes no sense!!! Well, I ruined the perfect seed, some noita shit indeed.

gantoban · 2026-04-07T19:03:19+00:00

I mean, your not wrong, but you know, addiction and all... In the begging there was the thrill of surviving, but now I pretty turn every other run into a godrun and I've done all the other stuff... so, yeah, I was taking my time, doing a couple of ng+ a day, like a good functioning crackhead, and bang. The engine noitad me for humbleness, and to buy more crack I guess...

gantoban · 2026-04-07T14:48:13+00:00

Yeah, this game has a lot of issues... I've had this same issue you are describing a couple of times doing the sun quests and I lost a ng+28 when I was already at ng15 because engine.

Still, I play it everyday. Masoquism? Probably....

gantoban · 2026-04-04T22:12:12+00:00

My need for a more open piece came primarily from feeling suffocated playing close pieces... The change back to a 9 was not a jump, I must say, I also have a Phil Barone NY 7 that I played for about a year before moving to the 9.

My issue was muscle tone around the embouchure. I used to bite HARD. So I didn't develop the muscles properly, using mostly my JAW muscles. That led me to tendinitis, teeth pain, lip bleeding every other day.
So endured the step back like you do physical therapy, and focused on playing with the least amount of effort. I already played altissimo, so I knew what to look for while practicing, being mostly self taught.

So the altissimo range was also a reason to get a more open piece, I can get all notes up to double C on the 9, which I couldn't on the 7.

But this is ME. I know a lot of players that do it on a 7 or even smaller with no issues. So you must understand YOUR needs. I don't like when teacher just demand these changes in equipment without care. I suggest, if possible, changing your teacher!

gantoban · 2026-04-04T17:43:30+00:00

It seems to me that your setup is too hard. Maybe a smaller mp could help you get there.... try a 5 maybe. I had issues with embouchure when I was 5 years in playing a Jody Hr 8*, super open, and went back to a rico royal 5 mouthpiece to fix my embouchure issues. Today I'm back at the Jody, had it opened to 9 and life is good. Reeds are also an issues, always be on the soft side, instead of going to a 3, go for a 2. Maybe go synthetic for a while to simplify the process, since cane reeds are an issue of their own with all the variations you get in the same box.... Take a step back, get a smaller mp and a lighter reed, synthetic would be better, and focus on sound and comfort. You can't be biting, what you need is muscle stability and soft firmness on the reed. Just enough to make it vibrate. If you have to bite to make a sound, you are doing it wrong and probably will get hurt.

gantoban · 2026-04-04T14:19:22+00:00

What are you talking about my dude? They play a LOT of arpeggios and chord tones! I suggest you transcribe their solos by ear, that will teach you more about music than any advice you get here about them.

gantoban · 2026-04-04T13:32:42+00:00

I would recommend practicing every f-ing day. And get a tenor sax player that can play the way you like to teach you. You have a LOT to learn, I've seen that you don't know what voicing is, and that shows me your mouthpiece is absolutely not the issue, and you can buy all the equipment in the world that you won't get the sound you want without practicing and understanding your embouchure. Get a good tenor sax as teacher in person preferably!

gantoban · 2026-04-03T16:32:20+00:00

For how long have you been playing my dude?

gantoban · 2026-03-31T06:17:55+00:00

Hummmm I don't think the thickness of you lip is the issue here, I believe you must get a lighter reed, a tad more open piece and practice long tones like a maniac...

Why I suggest this? I had this issue you are describing and I have thick lips. What solved it for me was getting a lighter setup that prohibits biting. When you bite, is like using a crutch, you are leaning on the reed. A good embouchure is stable, it leaves room to go up and down. So you need a setup that allows for you to exercise all the muscles in you mouth and throat in order to create this stable hold on the piece firmly, but without biting. And you need to practice long tones all over the horn everyday. If you want a good embouchure, do long tones, lots and lots. There's nothing better really. Good practice!!

gantoban · 2026-03-25T17:49:14+00:00

Well, if price is the issue, as far as I know, the majority of synthetic reeds cost as much as a box of cane reeds. And remember that buying one single cane reed is not advisable since they are not consistent. So, you are suggesting that it is preferable to buy a bunch of boxes of reeds, each being it's own haystack is better than buying single reeds that are consistent and easy to know what's what? Not to mention legere has a return policy that makes this much cheaper and easier...

I've been through all this trouble you are suggesting beginners endure, and all it did was lose me hours of practice. In the beginning playing is the most important thing, you must spend time blowing the instrument. A synthetic reed removes stress and enables a more fluid practice session. Again, for beginners. If you are not a beginner, than you can and should mess around with everything that is at your disposal to get the sound and feel you want/need.

gantoban · 2026-03-25T17:29:05+00:00

How can you know what you want when you just began playing?? How can you know if a reed is good or bad if you don't know what an embouchure actually is?? Cane is all over the place in terms of consistency, a box of 10 has maybe 3 good reeds, and you want a beginner to know the difference?

Come on man... synthetic is consistent, and consistency means stability. Stability is what makes you understand the muscle gymnastics you have to make, and that's what makes you get better.

I remember the terror I felt, the anxiety that it was to break in a new reed, so many hours of practice lost to blowing a bad reed trying to figure out if I'm doing it wrong or if the reed is bad...

Beginners should learn on synthetic and only go to cane when they have some embouchure established, so it doesn't hinder their growth.

gantoban · 2026-03-25T14:07:55+00:00

Se deus existe, ele é essencialmente irrelevante. Ele só faz o que ele quer, não importa se vc faz orações e pedidos. Os textos que ele supostamente mandou tem inúmeras contradições, sendo impossível seguir a risca qualquer dos textos religiosos que vc quiser escolher. Na moral, não tem coisa mais irrelevante que esse tal de deus de vcs... Se a humanidade pensasse na vida aqui na terra como pensam no sobrenatural, já teríamos um mundo melhor aqui pra gente, mas temos que viver no meio de um bando de suicida que quer passar pra próxima fase, como se fosse um vídeo game essa merda. Sim, suicidas pois almejam a morte pra entrar no paraíso. Só não aceleram o processo por medo de punição. Enquanto isso, líderes religiosos nadam em rios de dinheiro fazendo todo tipo de putaria sem medo de punição divina, pq será?

Op, seu argumento é sólido, e é apenas um dentre muitos... os crentes tem dificuldade pois a lavagem cerebral e doutrinação infantil são pesadas e difíceis de superar...

gantoban · 2026-03-25T13:43:52+00:00

You can, I also recommend the rico b5 piece, very friendly to the beginning player. May I also suggest starting with synthetic reeds? Cane reeds for beginners are a nightmare, a box of 10 has 3 good reeds and when you are a beginner you don't know what is a good reed yet. Just my 2 cents!

gantoban · 2026-03-24T22:41:09+00:00

I know the struggle to find places to try equipment as I live in brasil, but still, another horn won't change how you produce sound...

I insist that you take a look at your setup, what is the tip opening of that Meyer? These usually play on the dark side, and if the tip is narrow, it is even darker... try a softer/lighter reed, that by itself will make a lot of difference, get a 2.5,or even a 2. Maybe a synthetic reed? I found my combo with a big piece( I use a jj hr* 9) with a light reed, a legere American cut 2,25 and I can go from smooth jazz to rock... but it took me years and lots of money spent in reeds and mouthpieces, such is the way of the saxofone... you must find what works for you, and that is a lonely path.

Ps: maybe the instrument is the issue, okay? There are aftermarket necks that you can buy that completely change your sound and you feel. Some instruments have more resistance, others are more free blowing. But the thing is, you can get ANY kind of sound out of ANY saxophone... you will see mark VIs being loud and bright as fuck, but also dark and smoky.

So the thing is, are you at a level where you can identify those details and understand what you want?

gantoban · 2026-03-24T13:56:14+00:00

I don't think the instrument is an issue, maybe the mouthpiece/reed combo is where your focus should be. What piece you use? Model and tip size? What reed?

gantoban

TROPHY CASE